A BRIEF History of FILM
“Filmmaking is a
chance to live
many lifetimes.”
– Robert Altman
It’s all about context…
• It is important to look at film with regards to
historical context – in particular points of
history, certain things were possible while
others were not.
• A solid way to look at film is to examine the
FILM MOVEMENTS that consist of:
– Films that are produced within a particular period
and / or nation and that share significant traits of
style and form
– Filmmaker’s who operate within a common
production structure and who share certain
assumptions about filmmaking.
Historical Periods of
Filmmaking
• For each period, we must also look at
other factors that affect the cinema they
produced:
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State of film industry
Artistic theories held by filmmakers
Pertinent technological features
Elements of socioeconomic context of period
• Such factors are necessary in looking at
how a movement began, what shaped its
development, and what affected its
decline.
EARLY CINEMA (1893 – 1903)
• In order to create the illusion of
movement, still pictures must
appear in rapid succession.
• The invention of photography in
1826 launched a series of
discoveries that made cinema
possible.
• By 1893, Thomas A. Edison’s
assistant developed a camera
that made short 35mm films.
• The KINETOSCOPE was
invented – a peep show machine
to display films to individual
viewers
The Inventors
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Edison believed movies were a
passing fad, he did not develop a
system to project these images onto a
large screen.
The LUMIERE BROTHERS (Louis and
Auguste) did that.
– They invented their own camera
independently which showed the
same 35mm shorts BUT also had a
projector
On December 28, 1895, the Lumiere
brothers held the one of the first public
showings of motion pictures projected
onto a screen at the GRAND CAFÉ in
Paris.
Although the Lumiere brothers did not
invent cinema, they determined the
specific form the new medium would
take
Edison soon abandoned the
KINETOSCOPES and formed his own
production company to make films for
theaters.
A Slow Evolution…
• The first films were simple in form and
style.
– Usually consisted of a single shot
framing an action, usually from a long
distance
• First film studio = Edison’s Black Maria
• Here Edison would stage scenes of
entertainers, comedy routines, etc.
• Until 1903, most films showed scenic
places or noteworthy events but narrative
form was starting to emerge.
• After a while, filmmakers had to find new
ways to keep audiences interested
• The Lumiere brothers sent camera crews
all over the world to show important
scenes and events.
– However, by 1905, the brothers output
diminished, and they stopped making
films altogether.
George Melies
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In 1896 this French artist purchased a
projector from British inventor Robert
William Paul and built a similar camera to the
Lumiere brothers.
He discovered the possibilities of special
effects.
1897 – he bought his own studio
– Unlike the Black Maria, his was glass
sided which allowed sunlight to pour in.
– He began to create fantasy worlds and
became the master of the mise-en-scene
technique
– First complete narrative film – “Voyage
dans la lune” (1895)
From 1904 on, narrative form became the
most prominent type of filmmaking
French, Italian and American films dominated
the world markets.
Later, WWI restrictions on film flow would
enable Hollywood to become the dominant
industrial force in film production.
The Development of Classical
Hollywood Cinema (1908- 1927)
• There was a lot of “borrowing” of ideas with regards to
film and equipment during this time.
– Edison tried to force competing filmmakers out of
business by bringing patent suits against them. While
he was in court, other people kept making movies!
• As a result, several independent film companies were
established
• Around 1910, these film companies began to move to
California to shoot – the birth of Hollywood!
– Amoung the advantages of moving were the climate,
variety of terrain, shooting all year round.
The Demand
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The demand for films was so great that no single studio could meet the
demand.
In Hollywood, the studios developed a factory system:
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Each production was controlled by a producer.
Gradually, through the 1910s – 1920s, smaller studios merged together to form
large ones:
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Famous Players joined with Jesse L. Lasky to form PARAMOUNT.
•
By the late 1920s, most of the major companies existed:
•
Though in competition, these studios would cooperate to a degree, realizing
that no one firm could satisfy the demand.
Narrative film was the dominant form of choice and in 1903 Edwin S. Porter
made the prototype for the classical American Film – “The Great Train
Robbery”
•
MGM (Metro,
Goldwyn, Meyer), Fox Film Corp., Warner Bros., Universal,
Paramount.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc7wWOmEGGY
An Emerging Structure
• The period of 1900-1917 saw the development of the
basic continuity principles.
• By 1920s, the continuity system had become a
standardized style that directors in Hollywood
studios used automatically to create coherent spatial
and temporal relations with narratives.
• EX. Buster Keaton’s “Our Hospitality” (1923) is an
example of the classic narrative.
– Keaton masters form and style through the
carefully motivated recurrences of the narrative
elements.
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYF9s4voQ&feature=related
The Silent Era
• Through these silent films, the
classic Hollywood style
developed into a sophisticated
movement.
– The product was still
standardized
• All major studios used the same
production system with a similar
division of labor.
• Independent artists struggled
and in 1919, Charles Chaplin,
Mary Pickford, Griffith and
Fairbanks joined together United
Artists so that they could
continue to make independent
productions.
• However, with the introduction of
sound, these studios declined,
and some stars were no longer
hired.
German Expressionism
(1919 – 1926)
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In order to combat the US, the
German government began to
support the film industry.
Mostly promoted pro war films
Formed the UFA in 1917 – combined
the government and several small
film companies.
After the war, the industry
concentrated on other types of films
– popular adventure, sexual
exploitation, etc.
EXPRESSIONISM emerged in art –
and the films followed:
– “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”
(1920) created a sensation in
Berlin and reflected this style.
– The birth of the FILM NOIR genre
later.
By 1927, the movement of
Expressionism died out – but is still
used today (film noir)
Classic Hollywood Cinema –
The introduction of SOUND
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Sound technology came about through
Hollywood’s effort to widen their power.
During the mid 1920s Warner Bros. invested in a
sound machine that would synchronize records
with film images.
– They released two “talkies” – “Don Juan”
(1926) and “The Jazz Singer” (1927)
For a few years, sound created a setback for the
Hollywood film style.
– Camera had to be put inside a sound booth so
the motor noise would not be heard.
– Hard to hear
– Bulky microphones
– The actors had limited space
Despite these setbacks, solutions were found, and
the resulting footage could be cut together to
provide a standard continuity editing pattern.
After the problems with sound were worked out,
directors and sound engineers could explore the
medium creatively.
Within these overall patterns, large studios
developed a distinct approach of their own.
– MGM became the prestige studio – able to
utilize a huge number of stars, costumes,
lights and special effects.
•
•
•
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For a few years, sound created a setback for the Hollywood film style.
– Camera had to be put inside a sound booth so the motor noise would not
be heard.
– Hard to hear
– Bulky microphones
– The actors had limited space
Despite these setbacks, solutions were found, and the resulting footage could
be cut together to provide a standard continuity editing pattern.
After the problems with sound were worked out, directors and sound engineers
could explore the medium creatively.
Alfred Hitchcock, with his film 'Blackmail', was among the directors to bring
greater fluidity to talkies and experiment with the expressive use of sound.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Ukb
BUOOcg
• Sound films benefited
some genres more
than others. Most
obviously, the musical
film was born. The
first classic-style
Hollywood musical
was 'The Broadway
Melody' (1929)
• https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=Ox
WVH28E1KY
1931
• Universal pictures
was influenced by
the Germans and
began releasing
gothic horror films
such as Dracula
and Frankenstein
• https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=8H
3dFh6GA-A
1933
• Dialogue now took
precedence over
"slapstick" in
Hollywood comedies.
This can be seen in
the often subversively
anarchic nonsense
talk of the Marx
Brothers in Duck
Soup, (1933)
• https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=qS
abiG8q8-k
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The star system was the method of creating, promoting and exploiting movie stars
in Classical Hollywood cinema.
Studios would select promising young actors and glamorize and create personas for
them, often inventing new names and even new backgrounds. Examples of stars
who went through the star system include Cary Grant (born Archie Leach), Joan
Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur), and Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer,
Jr.)
Emphasis on the image rather than the acting, although discreet acting, voice, and
dancing lessons were a common part of the regimen.
Women were expected to behave like ladies, and were never to leave the house
without makeup and stylish clothes. Men were expected to be seen in public as
gentlemen.
Morality clauses were a common part of actors' studio contract
Formation of Genre
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https://w
ww.youtu
be.com/
watch?v
=5At3UC
MQSiw
•
Sound made everything possible, and the
musical genre was invented during this time
period.
RKO made musicals with two distinct
characters – GINGER ROGERS & FRED
ASTAIRE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxPgplMujz
Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLIMZgKyF0
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These stories are based on the musical
numbers and sometimes have a weak
connecting narrative.
During the 1930s, colour stocks became used
for the first time.
As the technology progressed, so did the art
form.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVp
dXbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OYIlNCgoUw
1939
• Two of Hollywood's most famous films of the
1930's are "The Wizard of Oz and Gone
With The Wind". Both films were considered
spectacular because of their use of new
technologies that allowed for colour
productions.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nauLgZISozs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4-DIldIX6U
1941
• Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and
starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest
American film of all time, especially for its innovative
cinematography, music and narrative structure. Some say that
the most innovative technical aspect of Citizen Kane is the
extended use of deep focus. In nearly every scene in the film,
the foreground, background and everything in between are all
in sharp focus.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNaDrnxp3L0
1942
• The onset of US involvement
in World War 2 brought a
proliferation of films as both
patriotism and propaganda.
One of the most popular films
in this period was 'Casablanca'
(1942). Its characters,
dialogue, and music have
become iconic, and the film
has grown in popularity to the
point that it now consistently
ranks near the top of lists of
the greatest films of all time.
• https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=7v
Thuwa5RZU
Production Code
• The Production Code lasted from 1930 - 1968.
• spelled out what was acceptable and what was unacceptable
content
• The production code sought not only to determine what could be
portrayed on screen, but also to promote traditional values
• Sexual relations outside of marriage could not be portrayed as
attractive and beautiful, presented in a way that might arouse
passion, nor be made to seem right and permissible.
• All criminal action had to be punished, and neither the crime nor the
criminal could elicit sympathy from the audience.
• Authority figures had to be treated with respect. A recurring theme
was "That throughout, the audience feels sure that evil is wrong and
good is right."
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Although the classical Hollywood cinema was still dominant, some films
began to stretch boundaries.
Post-classical cinema is a term used to describe the changing methods of
storytelling in the New Hollywood:
chronology may be scrambled,
storylines may feature "twist endings"
lines between the antagonist and protagonist may be blurred.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Hitchcock's Psycho (1960).
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqGDruqXV5g
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtDmbr9xyY
•
• During the late 1950s and 1960s, there was an increasing
awareness of foreign language cinema. -Italian films like
Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita and the stark dramas of
Sweden's Ingmar Bergman.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWQUSZezhbg
The New Hollywood
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Midway through the 1960’s, the Hollywood industry seemed to be healthy with blockbuster
hits like “The Sound of Music” (1965)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJTRZI2HThU
However, problems arose. Expensive studio pictures failed miserably.
– TV networks who had paid huge prices stopped bidding for pictures.
– Movie attendance flattened out.
Producers had to fight back – they produced counter culture films aimed at young people.
– Ex. “Easy Rider” (1969) and The Graduate
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFARm2j38c
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Also big hits by young directors: “The Godfather” (1972) & “American Graffiti” (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC1_tdnZq1A
These directors became known as “movie brats” – most had gone to film school instead of
moving up the ranks of the studio system.
– These young directors had tremendous knowledge of form and style from previous
traditions.
– Most New Hollywood films were based upon the old Hollywood.
– Also borrowed ideas from European sources as well.
– These directors are the legends of today:
• Spielberg, Coppola, Allen, Scorsese, etc.
Technology allowed for the art to grow accordingly, and several famous films by these
artists are still considered to be classics and popular favorites.
• The phenomenal success in the 1970s of Jaws and Star
Wars in particular, led to the rise of the modern
"blockbuster".
• The Lucas-Spielberg combine would dominate
"Hollywood" cinema for much of the 1980s, and lead to
much imitation. Two follow-ups to Star Wars, three to
Jaws, and three Indiana Jones films helped to make
sequels of successful films more of an expectation than
ever before
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-8AP0To4k
• The early 1990s saw the development of a commercially
successful independent cinema in the United States.
Although cinema was increasingly dominated by specialeffects films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day
(1991), Jurassic Park (1993) and Titanic (1997),
independent films like Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies,
and Videotape (1989) and Quentin Tarantino's Pulp
Fiction (1994) had significant commercial success both
at the cinema and on home video.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bim7RtKXv90
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7EdQ4FqbhY
Titanic
• Titanic achieved critical and commercial
success
• fourteen Academy Award nominations and
eleven Oscar wins, receiving the prizes for
Best Picture and Best Director
• first film to reach the billion dollar mark,
remaining the highest-grossing film of all
time for twelve years, until Cameron's next
directorial effort, Avatar, surpassed it in
2010
• Titanic is also ranked as the sixth best
epic film of all time in AFI's 10 Top 10 by
the American Film Institute
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6klO
NCq4s
The 90s and beyond
• Film became a popular culture giant, and
is still is to this day
• Despite all of the special effects and CGI
we see now, what makes movies
compelling are stories and characters
•
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmILPAcRQo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQw5s2oiqk0