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Christie and formalism

Although intially slightly confused about this article, I found Corrigan's notes on neo-fromalism to clarify the idea quite well. The way Christie wrote made me feel a though he was conquering some sort of huge, esoteric concept that was simply too complicated for me to grasp. In reality, after reading Corrigan's work, my understanding of the concept is quite simple. It can best be defined by Corrigan's statement that formalism is “concerned with matters of structure and style in a movie, or with how these features discussed such as narrative style and mise en scene are organized in particular ways in a movie”. In other words, how film form affects film meaning.

Christie gives a good historical basis for the concept, but if I had not have the prerequisite knowledge of avant-garde art history, the background probably wouldn't have made sense to me. A good background of the information lies in Marjorie Perloff's book The Futurist Moment which describes the transformation of poetics and prose through the work of Exra Pound and Marinetti. Marinetti attempted to change language as a whole by using words based upon how they sound rather than what they mean (as demonstrated by his “Zaang Tang Tuumb”, a work mostly of nonsensical words). This idea of poetry versus prose and the meaning of language went through many stages, through the surrealists whose entire movement focused on an unconscious “automatic” writing where free idea would flow, much like dreams.

The concept of such automatic writing (and surrealism as a whole, especially montage) was the idea of viewing art as a process rather than an object. Formalism worked to accomplish this by attempting to find the meaningful within the seemingly arbitrary. From my understanding of the article, it seems as though neo-formalism was a movement of transferring this concept of formalism from a literary standpoint to one that worked in the realm of film.

Eisenstien

Eisenstein's writing on montage was very complicated to me, so I relied on my extensive knowledge of the history of montage through art (usually in the realm of painting or writing, as opposed to film). Cubists invented the concept of montage, breaking the organic nature of art through this, yet unlike later artists, cubists used montage to be avant-garde, as there was no true meaning behind the objects presented. Surrealists adapted montage, advancing it in the way I feel it is represented though film. The art of montage relies upon stripping the object of its actual meaning and assigning it a completely new meaning within its new context. I feel eisenstein expresses this the best through is saying, “from the collision of two given factors arises a concept”.

Rushdie notes

I was both surprised and amused by Rushdie's recount of The Wizard of Oz, specifically his comment that its, “driving force is the inadequacy of adults, even of good adults, and how the weakness of grown-ups forces children to take control of their own destinies, and so, ironically, grow up themselves." Interestingly enough, Dorothy was supposed to be depicted as a young child, not the sixteen year old she resembles. As I rewatched the film, which I initially dismissed as a children's film, Rushdie helped me uncover new implicit and symptomatic meanings. Having not seen the film since childhood, I now question if children's love for the film stems from their relation to the character of Dorothy as a child who both chooses her own destiny, yet still returns to the comfort of her family (something children watching the film can only dream of).

Man with a Movie Camera

Having had minimal experience with avant-garde film, I have been lucky enough to have at least a little experience on its theory and history, allowing the first viewing of this film to be more tolerable. What I found to be most interesting about the book was its narrative of the “cleansing of the bourgeois”, a concept made clear within the film upon first viewing, if you were looking for it. Seeing as though Vertov was a member of the Russian Avant Garde, and had undoubtable followed method of futurism, this simple idea makes the film more understandable and tolerable. Marinetti's futurist manifesto revolves around the idea of cleansing society of its filth. All that was old was useless, war was even viewed as a sense of hygeine. Interestingly enough, Marinetti went as far to say that when he had reached thirty, he should (essentially) be disregarded, as he would not be “avant-garde” enough in his works, and must be replaced with new authors, ideas, and theories. (He, of course, never stop publishing through his old age). This idea of futurism was focused on machinery and constant movement, as reflected within the constant movement in the film and the romanticization of the machine. I must say, my favorite tidbit was in regards to the consistent changing score throughout history, as I feel that futurism seemed to hold fast to Vertov's vision in this film. Marinetti would be proud (at least slightly!)

Schrader and notes on film noir

My tides class, freshman year, was on the genre of film noir, so this is my second time around reading this article. Schrader does an incredible job of defining exactly why I hate film noir. It is dark, wet, filled with shadows, femme fatales, hopeless past, melodramatic narrators. . . the whole thing makes me restless. Regardless, Scrader gives the most clear definition I have read to date, drawing out exactly what makes a film “noir” and using concrete examples such as Double Indemnity to bring these examples to light. Although while watching Double Indemnity the noir qualities of it are undeniable, even before reading the article. The film is dark in every which way – a feel ing truly emblematic of a noir film.

Wollen

Wollen's reading on auteur theory became useful in looking back upon films such as The Big Sleep, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Hitchcock films. Having seen many Hitchcock and Anderson films, Wollen's article drew out the idea of motif in film and how it relates to the idea of auteur theory. Although the article was a bit dense, I was able to find value in the idea of how these different codes work together in order to create one coherent whole.

Bellour

I have always been a bit of a cynic of intense literary or film analysis, feeling as though many critics assign more importance to certain aspects of an art form than was intended. While I recognize that this is always a possibility, I had difficulty even getting through the Bellour reading. I felt his analysis of these short twelve shots was overstated and too dense to even handle. While I recognize the importance of lighting, framing, etc and feel these are valid things to study and analyze, Bellour just took it too far for me to handle.

Response to the Laura Mulvey book

I've seen Citizen Kane a few times, and each time it never fails to compel me, especially the shots taken of Welles at extreme low angles within the newspaper office. It is extraordinary to me that this film, after half a century, is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Thus I was interested in reading Laura Mulvey's interpretation of the metaphors present within the film. One thing that she acknowledges is the absence of a typical Hollywood female lead. Although it is obvious that the film is centered around Kane, it never occurred to me that the film is constructed to avoid the accommodation of a glamorous tone. This construction also creates confusion surrounding the characterization of Kane. It is difficult to determine whether he is good or bad, as the circumstances of his childhood, can be credited to his personality disorder, yet the construction of the narrative also (through the interpretations of many) fluctuates and distorts balance. Ultimately, I do not believe the film can be defined nor placed within the boundaries of a metaphor or two. Rather, the nature of the film itself requires multiple viewings and interpretations, similar to the way one mans life cannot be summed up in a sentence. It is the unique construction of the film and the lack of the glamor effect which forces the viewer to consciously ponder the material and reach their own conclusions as to its meaning.

WIlder Interview

The interview with Billy Wilder was very entertaining and interesting. He was incredibly frank and honest when discussing behind the scenes aspects of films he had made. He seems like a character from this interview and like he has a very big personality—as I’m sure most talented directors do. A lot of what he says in the interview reminds me of the documentary short we watched in class which talked about Hitchcock and his tactics in terms of film production. Both Wilder and Hitchcock seemed to have very personal relationships with the actors who participated in their films, whether positive or negative and sometimes even both at the same time.

Auteur Theory

Wollen’s article about the Auteur theory was interesting in the way that it addressed how different European directors have been recognized and analyzed differently in accordance to their work in either Europe or the U.S. I really wasn’t aware of this phenomenon at all and was surprised when I read this. I also liked the idea that the director is not the sole author of a film. The Auteur theory seemingly opens of possibilities in terms of aspects of production.

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Christie Formalism and Neoformalism

When I first read this Christie reading and when we first talked about the history of formalism and neoformalism in class, I was pretty confused. It was hard for me to think about these ideas in relation to Russian cinema. It was only after watching various movies and realizing that we always attain meaning through formal elements of film that I began to realize that this concept was simpler and more accessible than I had previously thought. One of the most important lines in Christie’s essay is that “Formalism, they believe, unlike some structuralist and psychoanalytic methodologies, crucially implies an active spectator…(Christie 62).” Christie further illustrates this point about the active spectator by talking about schemata that organizes our perceptions. These ideas allow us as viewers to watch films and simultaneously look for the elements that influence and guide our understanding. Once we find these elements in one film, it becomes easier to do the same thing with other films.

Einstein

In Einstein’s “The Cinematographic Principle and the Ideogram,” he talks about hieroglyphics as a way to introduce the reader to the idea of montage and how combining certain shots or images creates a new meaning. Einstein says that when we combine two hieroglyphs we read the combination not as their sum but as their product. He claims that “by the combination of two depictables is achieved that representation of something that is undepictable.” He says that this is montage and this is what we do in film. When we apply the film Potemkin to this same idea, we can clearly see that the juxtaposition does create a new concept of meaning, sometimes so instinctively and so seamlessly that we do not even realize that our brain is in fact drawing these connections. This reading was interesting because of the highly scientific and objective basis that Einstein assigns to a seemingly simple idea. He goes on to explain why we understand what we understand when we see what we see on film.

Schrader and Film Noir

Schrader’s work on film Noir starts by giving a brief historical background of the genre. He says that darkness and cynicism had become a major part of American films during the war but that by 1949 movies had become incredibly dark portraying American life in a negative way and in a way that they never had in the past. His article from 1972 discusses the interest in Film Noir at the time because of this renewal of themes of darkness in American films. Schrader cites four catalysts responsible for this genre’s creation and popularity. First, Schrader talks about war and post-war disillusionment, post war realism—which related to disillusionment in that now audiences wanted a more honest look at American life, The German influence, responsible for the “chiaroscuro” or shades of contrast in film noir, and the hard-boiled tradition—a way of thinking and acting that did not sugar coat or romanticize. In looking at Double Indemnity, we can clearly see evidence of Schrader’s point that film noir id not about conflict resolution but a certain mood. In Double Indemnity, we do not get the happy ending or the conflict resolved, but instead are left with a dark and brooding feeling and an almost complete lack of resolution. This film which is stylistically and substantially film noir, presents a cynical view of American life seemingly making the point that there is no way out of misery beside inevitable death.

Psychoanalysis

This excerpt talks about the ways in which psychoanalytic film theory from is expanded upon and changed used in different ways than it was in the past and applied to different, more specific fields. The article discusses the use of Freud’s castration theory and fetishism as it is applied to race relations and colonization. The article also discusses queer writings and theory and the way that psychoanalytic theory is used for “against the grain readings.” Although psychoanalytic film theory of the 1970’s focused somewhat exclusively on the gaze and in Mulvey’s work, on the gaze that men enact upon women, these theories have been rearranged and reconstructed in order to apply to more distinct and selective categories and areas of academic study.

Citizen Kane is such an astonishing portrait of a man. What is so interesting about this portrait is that our protagonist, the main character, who is described as larger than life in the reading, is almost villified. His behavior is reprehensible throughout the film, especially his behavior toward his wives. It is interesting how the author points out that there is no glamorous female in the film, she mentions that this may be because the cinematographer was not a "glamour" shooter. Still, by making the wives seem almost plain it makes Kane seem even still larger. No one can subvert him, no one can make him love... he is an untouchable figure.

Citizen Kane

I also read Chapter One, like Melissa. I think that her last line is specifically interesting, as this is what i was thinking throughout the reading. When if first started it, I was confused as to why I was reading it. I actually went back to double check that I was doing the correct reading since there was no mention of Citizen Kane until the end. It is pretty shocking that Kane came out of an urgent need to make some quick money in order to fund a different project. It seems almost impossible that one of American Film History's most famous films was born in such haste.
I also thought that the description of Welles new technique for filming Heart of Darkness. I have personally never seen the film, but I think that the continuous first person shot would get annoying. When reading I was thinking of some of the filming in Blair Witch project, where it is almost entirely done through a first person shot. I think that for character development, it is important for the audience to at least sometimes see the character from a third person perspective. Through that perspective, the viewer can understand their mannerisms and behaviors. I am curious to see the film and if the entire thing was actually filmed this way.

Interesting! (though irrelevant)

While writing my final paper on "The Royal Tenenbaums", I found something interesting. I remember while discussing the movie in class, someone pointed out that it is Owen Wilson's voice that gives the commentary during Richie's tennis match. However, during some research, I found out that it is actually Andrew Wilson, Owen and Luke's brother, who does the voice over. But considering their voices do sound a lot alike, it is strange that Wes Anderson decided to use him for the role. Woohoo, trivia.

Psychoanalysis in film

I found it interesting how the psychoanalytic theory was placed on film to address overarching cultural themes. It considered film as another form of societal discourse, and thus a platform to study how certain members of society reacted to other members of society. This was applied to such topics as race and sexuality, and how to understand the actions taken by people who mimic or go against the grain of societal hegemony. The application of Freudian theory offers some serious weight to the arguments on such ideas as the mimicking of cultures that are seen to be dominant. One of the most fascinating elements of this article was when it talked about the representation of the body in horror films. Psychoanalysis can be applied to how we depict and perceive the body of the villain or monster; the elements that make this character particularly repulsive or “monstrous.” Psychoanalysis can be applied to virtually every element of cinema, because it is an art form that can be perceived on many levels, and brings out a certain purpose of reaction on the part of both the artist and the audience.

Post Production and Release of Citizen Kane

Seeing as how the first chapter in The Making of Citizen Kane, is already taken, I'll discuss the post production chapter. However, the most interesting thing about this chapter, was the discussion of special effects. Special effects nowadays seem to go hand in hand with any film. No matter what movie is released, be it sci-fi, comedy, etc. it's bound to contain special effects. This was no different from Citizen Kane, despite the fact that films made during that period hardly contained such sophisticated effects. I digress, for what I found truly fascinating is that Kane contained special effects in the first place. Many of the shots portrayed in the book that contained such effects were surprising. For example, the way that the surrounding image blends with the beach that was shot (during Kane and his guests' travels to the Everglades) is deceptively realistic. I had no clue that a majority of the shot was simply a special effect. Then again, if Citizen Kane was made now, I'm sure the level of high definition in which movies are shot would make the special effects sequences far more obvious. Still, you have to commend Welles on a terrific job relating to the special effects.

The Birth of Citizen Kane

For this post, I decided to write on the Carringer chapter entitled, Heart of Darkness. I chose this one because I thought the events leading up to the making of Citizen Kane are of particular interest because, in essence, one of the most popular films in movie history was only a result of some extreme extenuating circumstances. Let's backtrack a bit: RKO studio head George Schaefer approaches Welles and gets him to agree to sign a contract to start production on the film (Heart of Darkness) the summer of 1939. The contract entitled Welles to a whole lot of leeway concerning his degree of control of the film- something unheard of for the time. Schaefer, however, had other plans in mind-- he did not want to disrupt the creative vision of his director.

"To get him (Welles), Schaefer violated one of the most sacred canons of the industry. In granting Welles the right of final cut, he allowed creative considerations to take priority over the studio's means of protecting its financial investment."

What was so interesting to me was how much Scheafer believed in Welles when no one else did. While the team worked tirelessly on production, they were receiving complete bombardments of criticism and "lack of confidence" votes from critics and other industry officials alike. When Welles's budget outlook turned out to be more than double the terms as outlined in his contract, coupled with the fact that RKO was in the middle of a financial crisis, Heart of Darkness took a backseat. It was during this stressful period and time of urgency for Welles and Schaefer that the birth of Citizen Kane could be formulated. I guess this classic film is proof that the best ideas often come from the most perplexing of times.

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Bellour, The Obvious and the Code
This reading was interesting, but at the same time I found myself waiting for it to end. I would have never viewed the car scene in this way, and didn't think it had nearly this much meaning or importance behind it. The part where he discusses how Vivian is viewed longer and in better lighting than Marlowe, who seems to blend in a bit with the background. It's fitting because this is when we begin to learn the truth about Vivian and her part in this entire scheme. Although the camera seems to favor her, Bellour also mentions that Marlowe is the only one speaking in the frames by himself, but we can hear both Marlowe and Vivian talk when she is framed alone. This shows his importance in her life whether he is seen or not, and how he plays a role behind the scenes.


Schrader Notes on Film Noir
This reading was very interesting and probably my favorite one from this class. Film noir is a fascinating type of film, and like Schrader said, it is one that has gone mostly unnoticed until recently. The realism and gritty undertones seen in these movies, along with other classic noir elements like lighting and use of shadows make these films more interesting than the flashy action movies that are popular today. Back then it was about getting a point across, and using your creativity to make a exciting, yet though invoking film. The emergence of the femme fatale during this time was also very important, because it allowed women to break out of their stereotypical roles and become the antagonist and branch out. One statement made in the article that I found interesting was the comment on how water is used a lot in film noir. I have seen many films, but never actually noticed this quality. However, thinking back I have realized than many films have water as a subtle, yet prominent theme. Either through rainy scenes, or wet streets after a rainy scene, rivers, or pools.

auteur theory

An auteur theory is what reflects the directors creative vision.  An auteur is developed over time, its personality and character, it does not come out of the blue.  I agree on Wollen that directors should not be close minded it is essential to consider more than one opinion or idea in their development of films.  Another key element on auteur theory is the idea of a "camera pen", the idea that directors should wield their cameras like writers use their pens and they should not limit their imagination to traditional narration.  What makes a director unique is their openness to new forms of portraying their message though their films 

Wollen and Auteur Theory

The Wollen article was interesting to me because it was over motifs. Motifs in my opinion are the formal element that I have enjoyed learning about the most in class. Wollen uses the article to talk about how directors use motifs in films do define and give way to particular things. I thought it was interesting to see Wollen’s Auteur Theory. Before I really didn’t have much knowledge about Auteur theory was. I figured that it was through the vision of the director and the director only, and I was also interested to find out that Auteur theory also involves the viewers as well. I thought that the entire creativeness and all the unique things that go into a film were all involved in Auteur theory. One thing that I found interesting and caught my eye was the debate between the auteur theory and metteur en scene. I didn’t really come away with a clear understanding as to what Wollen was trying to discuss. I understood that there was some discrepancy between the two, but never came across a clear and definite answer.
Like many others I also enjoyed reading Hawks example of auteur. I don’t have much knowledge or background of any of Hawks films besides the film The Big Sleep that we watched in class. There were many different motifs that went along with the movie. I did some further reading and learned about a technique called the “MacGuffin”, a type of plot device that Alfred Hitchcock made famous. In The Big Sleep Hawk used a technique similar by creating the character of Shawn Regan. Regan has suddenly disappeared after spending a long time working for General Sternwood. Although the General is concerned about Regan, he is more concerned about stopping the renewed blackmail

Wollen and Auteur Theory

"What the auteur theory argues is that any film, certainly a Hollywood film, is a network of different statements, crossing and contradicting each other, elaborated into a final 'coherent' version."

I think that statement pretty much sums it up. In Wollen's article, he draws upon the auteur theory and the many implications from which it derives, everything from the creative vision of the director to the breakdown of codes and even a conscious effort on the part of the spectator to understand the meaning of the text. I like how Wollen used lots of examples, particularly Hawks' films (because we have already viewed one of his films, making it all the more easy to identify those structures of auteur theory).

I also enjoyed the beginning part of the article where Wollen put the auteur theory into a historical context. In this way, I think it is easier to track the roots and development of such a critical piece of film analysis and makes it not only more thorough, but also more conclusive.

Auteur

Before reading the Wollen article, I thought that an auteur was a director who had creative input in all realms of the filmaking process, not strictly limited to directing. What I gathered from Wollen's article on the Auteur theory, is that that my previously held view of the definition of the auteur is a predominantly European view. He also makes it clear that although we have a potential definition and concept of the auteur, it is not conclusive. He specifically mentions the controversy between conflicting definitions between the auteur and a metteur en scene. An auteur's meaning through film is constructed a posteriori (after the fact) where a metteur en scene creates meaning a priori (before the fact). Now while this makes sense as a concept, I don't fully understand how this can be determined or definite and why one may be valued above the other. I hope we take some time in class to go over these concepts and look at some examples.
I also enjoyed his use of Hawkes as an example of an auteur. Although I have not seen any of the Hawkes' films he mentions in the article (other than The Big Sleep), I was able to use The Big Sleep as a jumping off point to help me conceptualize his use of motifs and themes throughout his vast array of work. Through this example, I came to understand that the auteur theory was more focused on the continuity throughout a director's work in terms of their style and motifs. Wollen makes this clear toward the end of the article by saying "what the auteur theory does, is take a group of films, the work of one director and analyze their structure." The auteur theory is important because it allows for critical analysis of a full body of work of a director, understanding their lasting importance and impact in the world of cinema.

Response to Auteur Theory

I had always believed that the auteur theory only extended to the vision of the director, and that it implied that everything within the film was methodically constructed and placed there for a specific purpose to create meaning. Thus, I was equally shocked when the article revealed that the auteur theory is not limited to the director itself. It very much involves the active decipherment on part of the viewer, in order to decode the ultimate meaning of the film, which at times is obscured by the introduction of other elements and often unconsciously placed by the director themselves.

I find it very interesting that the underlying principle of the theory is to uncover the motifs present in a group of films of a specific director and then analyze that structure. I find this even more appropriate now when I think of films by the Coen Brother, and how the themes in many of their films are constructed within a dark comical world, characterized by miserable people and money motivated murderers, where the women are usually the last ones standing.

The end of the article explains, "it is an illusion to think of any work as complete in itself, an isolated unity whose intercourse with other films, other texts, is carefully controlled to avoid contamination." After reading this article, I realize that taking a critical eye is necessary when analyzing films within a specific auteur's repertoire. Without doing so would only reveal a piece of the whole, leaving meaning obscured and overall appreciation diminished for variations within a repeated message.

Auteur Theory

Wollen's article on auteur theory was quite interesting. I studied this in both Nazi cinema and a German film noir type class I have taken, and I find it very interesting. In the past we only talked about German auteurs and the really emphasized that the auteur was the sole created of the product. The directed, produced, and sometimes even starred in their films. Individuality and personal creativity were stressed at the time that auteurs were allowed in early German cinema. This article focuses on American auteur cinema, and the fact that it cannot be solely one person's idea, but instead that one person has certain motifs or styles that are repeated throughout films. These styles are what we should focus on when calling someone an auteur and not so much the individual movies. This concept was a little confusing to me because for so long when I thought of an auteur I thought of someone who created an entire movie and was able to control almost all aspects of it. However in this article it seems to encourage people to focus more on the repeated aspects of a filmmaker instead of looking at each film individually.

Auteur Theory

In his article on auteur theory Wollen discusses auteur theory as a way in which directors use certain motifs throughout their films to give their work a defining structure. I found Wollen's explanations of gender as a motif by certain directors to be extremely intersting. Wollen discussed Hawks thoroughly and pointed out how in many of Hawks's movies there is underlying homosexuality, the ideal social group is an all male group, and how often males are being humiliated and dominated by women. Through the motif of a homosexual like, weak man and a domineering woman Hawks says something misogynistic about women as a whole. They are undesireable to the ideal community of his film. Additionally, Hawks was not the only director who used gender as a motif to undercurrent his films with messages that were less than respectful towards women. Wollen discusses how in Boetticher's films women have no real significance. They are valuable only as a provoker or vehicle for male action. Finally, in Ford's films women are nothing but domestic drudges trapped in a life of subordination and service. Although Ford's women do a little better by being sentimentalized; three influential and great directors have as central components of their auteur misogyny in one way or another.