Film History

What are the four basic approaches to studying film history

Aesthetic, Technological, Economic, Social History.

What does the aesthetic approach focus on

Artistic significance and influence of films/directors.

What does the technological approach examine

Development of film technology and its interaction with aesthetics and production.

What does the economic approach emphasize

Box office success and financial aspects of films and studios.

What does film as social history study

Relationship between films and society, including cultural trends and exhibition practices.

How is Citizen Kane viewed under the aesthetic approach

As a milestone in American cinema art.

How is Citizen Kane viewed under the economic approach

As a product for profit; it lost money at the box office.

How is Citizen Kane viewed under the social history approach

As a commentary on power and Hearst’s life.

What technological innovation is associated with Citizen Kane

Deep-focus photography and special effects.

Who took the first photograph and when

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, 1827.

Who invented the first color photo and when

James Clerk Maxwell, 1861.

What was Edison’s motion picture viewer called

Kinetoscope.

When did the first Kinetoscope parlor open

April 14, 1894.

Who invented the Cinématographe and when

Lumière Brothers, 1895.

What was significant about December 28, 1895

First paid public film screening in Paris.

Typical length of early silent films

10 minutes or less.

Who directed A Trip to the Moon and when

Georges Méliès, 1902.

What is considered the first animated cartoon

Fantasmagorie (Emile Cohl, 1908).

Key developments during this era

Studio system, standardized production, continuity editing, genres.

Main traits of German Expressionism

Subjective perspective, distorted visuals for emotion.

Examples of German Expressionist films

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, Metropolis.

Two main styles

Impressionism and Surrealism.

What did Impressionism emphasize

Psychological depth, dreams, POV shots.

Example of Surrealist film

Un Chien Andalou (1929).

What is montage

Editing technique to manipulate perception through juxtapositions.

Key directors

Eisenstein, Vertov, Kuleshov, Pudovkin.

Examples of Soviet Montage films

Battleship Potemkin, Man with a Movie Camera.

What is the “Golden Age of Hollywood”

1927–1947.

Big Five studios

MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., RKO, 20th Century Fox.

Little Three studios

Columbia, Universal, United Artists.

When was the Production Code enforced

1934–1968.

When did color films emerge

1930s.

Main characteristics

Real-life focus, location shooting, non-professional actors, downbeat endings.

Examples

Rome, Open City, Bicycle Thieves, Umberto D.

Key features

Auteur theory, jump cuts, handheld cameras, playful tone.

Examples

400 Blows, Breathless, Jules et Jim.

What ended the Production Code

Late 1960s breakdown.

Influences on New Hollywood

Neorealism, New Wave, Japanese cinema.

What film started the blockbuster era

Jaws (1975).

What are the Big Six

Major corporations owning most media.

What is Bollywood

Hindi popular films from Bombay, melodramatic, colorful, musical.

Influential Japanese director

Akira Kurosawa.

Traits of indie films

Low budget, edgy content, art house audiences.

Examples

Do the Right Thing, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs.

What dominates recent blockbusters

Comic book superhero films.

What major change in exhibition occurred recently

Streaming and simultaneous online/theater releases.

Who was W.K.L. Dickson and why significant

Edison’s key collaborator; major innovations leading to Kinetoscope/early film tech.

What is the significance of 1910 in film history

Start of Classic Hollywood silent cinema era (1910–1927).

Name 3 German Expressionism filmmakers.

Robert Wiene, F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang.

Name 2 French Avant‑Garde filmmakers.

Jean Epstein; Luis Buñuel (with Salvador Dalí).

Name 4 Soviet Montage directors.

Eisenstein, Vertov, Kuleshov, Pudovkin.

Name 2 Italian Neorealism directors.

Rossellini; De Sica.

Name 2 French New Wave directors.

Truffaut; Godard (also Demy).

Name 4 New Hollywood filmmakers (as listed).

Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Coppola, Polanski, Pollack (any four).

Name key Blockbuster‑era filmmakers

Steven Spielberg; George Lucas.

Besides Asia, note other national film industries mentioned.

Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, Africa (art‑house trends).

Briefly list one advantage and one disadvantage of media conglomerates controlling film.

Advantage: capital & distribution scale; Disadvantage: concentration may narrow diversity/independence.