sp 472 american film history ii, week 10

8/9/2019 SP 472 American Film History II, Week 10

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StoryHow do storieswork?What makes a storycompelling?

On the Waterfront


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StoryMimesis (Showing) Live theatre

Diegesis (Telling) Literary - told by narrator who may or may not bereliable

Cinema combines thetwo for a wider range of storytelling techniques


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StoryNarratology - howstories work Structures Strategies Genres and their

symbolism

T he Adventures of Robin Hood


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Story All stories are communication from a sender to a receiver

but in film, who is the sender?

The Director?The Writer(s)?

The Producers?

The Stars?


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StoryStar

Hamlet & Lethal Weapon 2


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StoryTitle

E mma & Clueless


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StoryDirector

J urassic Park, SchindlersList & E.T.


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StoryKnowledge of history

U nforgiven & T he Searchers


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StoryNarrative

Realistic vs. Classical vs. Formalist

Guiding hand thatshapes the story.The boring bits areedited out.

Storyteller is overlymanipulative. Timeand events are

restructured to suit.Subjective pointof view.

Portray the worldwithout distortionbut It is also a

style. Plot islooser and lessdefined.


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StoryStrategies Realistic Narratives

True to LifeNo distortionConflict is graduallyexposedAvoidance of exaggeration

Avoidance of romanticizing cause& motivationPlain, straightforwardpresentation

Requiem for A Dream


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Story Formalist Narrative

Time is scrambledTheme is emphasizedInterludes of stylePersonality and viewsof author are imposedon subject matter

8 &1/2 & E ternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


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StoryClassical Paradigm Dominant narrative

structure in American Film

Protagonist - initiatesaction

Antagonist - resists action Dramatic question - How does the protagonist

get what he/she wants Conflict/opposition Patterns of action - cause

& effect until climax and

resolution

T he Searchers


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StoryDramatic unityPlausible motivationsCoherenceAll equal a smooth flow of actionDeadlines help move theactionOften Classical Narrative is a

journey, chase or searchProtagonist is goal-oriented -passive characters are notdeemed as interesting

T he Searchers


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StoryScreenplay Structure Three Acts

Act I - Set up First quarter of the movie Premise defined Obstacles laid out

T he Searchers


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Act II - Confrontation First quarter of the movie Protagonist fights obstacles Reversal of fortune in middle

T he Searchers


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Act III - Resolution What happens as a resultof the climax

T he Searchers


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StoryChekhovs Gun If you see a gun on

the wall in Act I, itbetter go off in Act III

Anton Chekhov, 1860-1904


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StoryTypes of Genres Way to organize the

story conveniently Conventions

understood byaudience

Archetypal storypattern

Conventions andartistic contributions

J ohnny Guitar


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StoryWesternMusicalMelodramaCrime/Gangster Thriller Horror Sci-Fi

ActionWar FantasyComedy


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StoryRepeated elementsFamiliar elements

H2OE yes Without a Face


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StoryCycles of Genre Primitive

T he Great T rain Robbery


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StoryCycles of Genre Classical

Stagecoach


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StoryCycles of Genre Revisionist

U nforgiven


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StoryCycles of Genre Parodic

B lazing Saddles


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StoryJohn FordMaster of the Westernalthough these were notconsidered serious filmsat the timeMore directing Oscarsthan anyone - 4 plus 2for WWII films for theNavy where he was aRear Admiral - he wasat Omaha Beach on D-Day


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StoryPartnered often withJohn Wayne (24 films)who he often mockedas a big idiot andmade him cryThough progressivepolitically, he was oftenidentified with theconservative politics of John Wayne & JimmyStewart


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StoryBegan as an actor - hewas one of the ridingKlansmen in B irth of aNationSoon was directingHit his stride in the 1930swith T he Informer Major player in 1939 - oneone the greatest years for Hollywood ever withStagecoach , Young Mr . Lincoln & Drums Along the Mohawk


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StorySimple, direct styleDirector & writer John Miliusdescribes John Ford's stylein terms of the Japaneseidea of "conservation of line", saying Ford can dowith a couple of "brushstrokes" what it takes otherssix or eight to doFord talked about what hecalled "invisible technique",to make an audience forgetthey were watching a movie

T he Searchers , 1956


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StoryLocation shooting - Shot manyfilms in Monument Valley, Utahno matter where they were set

The long shotCutting in cameraCited as a major influence bydirectors such as: Akira Kurosawa, Martin

Scorsese, Steven Spielberg,

George Lucas, Sam Peckinpah,Peter Bogdanovich, SergioLeone, Clint Eastwood, WimWenders, David Lean, OrsonWelles, Ingmar Bergman,Quentin Tarantino, FranoisTruffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard

John Ford Point


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StoryResponsible for someof the most enduringimagery in Americanfilm


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Story

T he Informer

She Wore a Yellow RibbonFort Apache

They Were Ex pendable


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Story

T he Searchers

Cheyenne Autumn

T he Quiet Man

T he Man Whop Shot Liberty Valance

Mister Roberts


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StoryT he Searchers 1956 Dir. John Ford John Wayne, Jeffrey

Hunter & Natalie Wood Voted #12 film of all time

by the American FilmInstitute

Fords first attempt toconfront the stereotypesand racial attitudes hehad helped create


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StoryThe Indian is very close to my heart...[they are] wonderful people... theyactually still live as they always have,simply and close to the land. Theyrenot greatly different than they were,particularly not at heart.

Theres some merit to the charge thatthe Indian hasnt been portrayedaccurately or fairly in the Western, butagain, this charge has been a broadgeneralization and often unfair. The

Indian didnt welcome the white man...and he wasnt diplomatic... If he hasbeen treated unfairly by whites in films,that, unfortunately, was often the casein real life. There was much racialprejudice in the West.

John Ford

sp 472 american film history ii, week 10

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