Film Studies

Coursework - Generating Ideas What if sentences What if you were the only person left on earth What if no one could see you What if you lost all your memory What if you couldn’t tell a lie What if you could never tell a lie? Not even a small white lie to make your life easier, or a huge lie with could determine life or death. People associate lies with being bad or wrong, but would the world be a better place if you couldn’t say them at all? Would the world become a better place where al criminals commit to their crimes? or would it uncover a harsher reality that had been covered up with a lifetime of lies. Involves an enigma at the beginning -> question that needs explaining/answers What if you could never tell a lie? Influences - the swimmer (montages) Idea - You can buy emotions Synopsis You live in a world where you could buy emotions as you would let's say medicine. You don't have to as people can have them naturally without the need to buy them but if you wanted...

Comparing Auteurs Hollywood Auteurs - Penn and Wilder as auteurs  Similarities - Differences across their films       Focusing on:   Wider contexts (also production context)   Representation   Key elements of film form Wilder Some Like it Hot Sunset boulevard  Penn Bonnie and Clyde  Alices restaurant Seminar Presentation for Monday 7th December (on teams) Analyse the extent to which the auteurs you have studies explore similar representational issues. Expected to make detailed references to the films to support your point of view

Double Indemnity (1944) Billy Wilder Wrote the screenplay Directed Film Noir, Crime, Drama Visual Film Noir - Genre Defined by stylistic and cinematic features or themes? Debatable  Emerged inter-war period Low budget due to war and lack of funding in Hollywood amongst studios Us of lighting to create shadows and suggest crown when few actors were paid to be on set The ‘Noir’ - alludes to the ‘darkness’ Is this visual and cinematic? E.g use of the lighting to create atmosphere and mood which is literally ‘dark’ ‘Noir’ - moral ambiguity and uncertainty - GENRES - THEMES Transitions in the moral landscape due to changing gender roles (both wars) Plots around duplicity, deceit, individual desire and gain Double-crossing people Female role of the FEMME FATALE Review of Film Noir Use of lighting to suggest a crowd - due to minimal funding due to the war Low budget - between wars and post depression so lack of funding Plot wise - dark, detective element - de...

Alices’ Restaurant -  Arthur Penn (1969) Entrenched into hippy culture and sitting outside of society norms around this time Kind of a choppy narrative, not really sure whether its a flash back or present. Confusing to know where you are in the movie  Key Characters Arlo Guthrie - also co-screenplay writer Alice Ray True Events Based on Arlo’s own attempts to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam war He visits his friend Alice - having been asked to leave college Thanksgiving He and a friend dump rubbish and are arrested He comes before the law for this Themes and Penn’s ‘authorship’ ‘quintessentially’ counter - cultural - rebellion Youth - new generation ‘hippy’ culture Anti-Vietnam Old vs Young Arthur Penn - Auteur  Arthur Penn tends to use the younger generation as actors Uses true stories to tell a message Linear narrative style Movie Summary Arlo goes to Alices restaurant to avoid being drafted in the war after being kicked out of college. He dumps...