Paragraphs (10 points each)
- Explain why the transition from silent films to synchronous sound films was problematic. Comment on technical problems, economic problems, logistical problems, and aesthetic problems associated with the transition.
- Describe the emergence of collective bargaining (unionization) in the American film industry. In what way did the National Industrial Recovery Act impact Hollywood unionization?
- Describe the attributes of the Hollywood style of filmmaking during the ascendancy of the studio system. What did this style seek to emphasize? What did it specifically de-emphasize, and why? What strategies were employed to cause these elements to recede into the background? Is Citizen Kane a good example of this style? Why or why not?
- Describe the use of window imagery in Citizen Kane as discussed in class. Speculate on why you think Welles may have chosen to make this a key visual element of the film.
Long Essays (30 points each)
- Describe the structure of the studio system; why it was so efficient; why it was legally problematic; why it endured so long given that it was legally problematic; its advantages and disadvantages for creative personnel, especially stars. What differentiated the eight major studios (the Big Five and the Little Three) from all the other studios? How did stars figure into the economics of the studio system? What was the nature of the management style? How did this affect the kinds of films that got made? By what means did the major studios seek to suppress competition?
- Answer ONE of the following:
A. Examine the dual nature of Gold Diggers of 1933, which is comprised of musical scenes directed by Busby Berkeley and nonmusical scenes directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Consider Berkeley’s distinctive style: What are its specific visual components? How does he use the camera? The editing? The staging of the performers? How does this cinematic style reflect the aesthetics of the music? Contrast Berkeley’s style with that of LeRoy. How do the differences in their styles reflect the difference between the mood of the musical scenes as contrasted with the mood of the nonmusical scenes? In what sense do these different styles cohere to form an aesthetically unified whole – or do they?
B. Examine Grand Illusion from the perspective of its rhetorical dimension. In what ways does the film present a critique of warfare? In what ways does Renoir suggest the importance of our common humanity over that which divides us? What is the meaning of the film’s title? How many illusions can you see portrayed in the film? What rhetorical point do you believe Renoir is attempting to make by emphasizing the concept of illusion in the context of the film’s narrative?
C. Examine Bringing Up Baby from the perspective of its presentation of traditional gender roles. In what ways does the film portray David in traditionally feminine contexts? In what ways does the film present Susan in traditionally masculine contexts? What forms of gender stereotyping exist in the film? How does the film’s treatment of gender roles tend to subvert the conventions of romantic comedy, of which screwball comedy is a subgenre?