Week 14: International Television, Bollywood, HBO

Raja Harishchandra

• First Indian Film

Bollywood

• Name is combination of Bombay and Hollywood

• Truly began with Alam Ara, India’s first sound film

• Only refers to Hindi-language films made in Mumbai

• Other Indian film industries produce films in different languages

• More of a focus on music, dance, and family structure

Masala Films

• Indian blend of variety of genres

• Literally means “mix of spices”

R.K. Narayan

• Wrote short stories Malgudi Days

• One of India’s greatest writers in the English language

• Light stories with Indian Independence Movement as a backdrop

Shankar Nag

• Helped adapt Malgudi Days

• Actor, director, screenwriter, producer

• Began acting in 1978

• Popular in martial arts films despite having no formal martial arts training

• Started theatre company

• Passionate about affordable housing and modernizing public transit

• Died at age 35 in a car crash

Tokusatsu

• Inspired by Shotaro Ishinomori

• Roots in kabuki theatre and puppetry

• Superheroes, giant monsters and robots

• Typically live action with practical effects

• Often used Henshin

Henshin

• Japanese word for “transformation”

• Inspired by Shotaro Ishinomori

• When a character transforms their identity into a superhero identity before battle

• Often used in Tokusatsu genre

Shotaro Ishinomori

• Started as assistant to Osamu Tezuka

• Holds record for most comics published by a single author

• Created Super Sentai series

• Influential to Japanese superhero shows, particularly in Tokusatsu and Henshin

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

• Highest grossing Indian film of 1995

• Translated as “The Brave-Hearted Will Take the Bride”

• Written and directed by Aditya Chopra

• Tradition vs. modernity

Malgudi Days

• 1996 TV series based on short stories by R.K. Naranyan

• Slice-of-life stories with backdrop of Indian Independence Movement

• Adapted by Shankar Nag

Chojin Sentai Jetman

• 15th Super Sentai series

• Translated as “Birdman Squadron Jetman”

• Still a kids’ show, but a bit darker than other Super Sentai shows

• Success saved Super Sentai from cancellation overall

The Tribe

• Post-apocalyptic teenage soap opera

• Ran for 5 seasons

• Spawned sequel series, The New Tomorrow

• Breakdown of society after virus wipes out all adults while kids are unharmed

• Similar in tone to DeGrassi despite the premise

Xena: Warrior Princess

• Filmed in New Zealand

• American fantasy series

• Spin-off of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

• International success, aired in over 100 countries

• Co-developed by Sam Raimi

• Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, wrote for the show, later wrote the first two Transformers movies and created several Star Trek shows

• Helped inspire more action shows starring women

• Writers leaned into sapphic subtext

Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger

• Adapted into Power Rangers for American audiences, fight sequences were used in Power Rangers

• 16th Super Sentai series

HBO Beginnings

• Founded in 1972

• Consisted primarily of current movies starting in the evenings

• Occasionally aired sports events and comedy specials

• Became known for boxing, specifically the Foreman vs Frazier match

• Expanded to 8 to 12 hours in the Mid-Atlantic region

• Uncensored comedy specials

• Started airing original programming, like Fraggle Rock and 1st & Ten, a typical sitcom

Home Box Office

• HBO name meaning

• Referenced watching movies at home

HBO Move to Satellite

• Wanted to expand from the Mid-Atlantic region

• Required satellite communications for transmission

• Hesitant and new at the time

• First network to launch through satellite, paved the way for national cable channels

The Thrilla in Manilla

• Launched HBO’s satellite service

• Boxing rematch between Muhammed Ali and Joe Fracier

Garry Shandling

• Created The Larry Sanders Show

• Offered a late night show, chose to satirize format instead

Least Objectionable Programming

• Network TV’s strategy

• Intentionally inoffensive programming unlikely to alienate the majority

Niche Programming

• HBO’s strategy

• Aimed at specific audiences

• Weren’t scared of alienating audiences

Tom Fontana

• Created Oz

• Originally worked on St. Elsewhere

• Showrunner for Homicide: Life on the Street

David Simon

• Created The Wire

• Book inspired Homicide: Life on the Street

David Chase

• Created The Sopranos

• Previously worked on The Rockford Files and Northern Exposure

• Worked on the later seasons of The Wonder Years to make Kevin an older and edgier character

The Wire

• Created by David Simon

• Follows drug dealers and police force in Baltimore

• Literary themes, pessimistic

• Part of the Prestige TV Movement

The Larry Sanders Show

• Created by and starring Garry Shandling

• Helped establish HBO as airing more niche and unique programming

• Satire of late night talk shows

• Influential on future comedies, particularly mockumentaries

The Sopranos

• Part of the Prestige TV Movement

• Mafia drama

• Created by David Chase

• Hugely popular despite HBO’s limited reach

• Modeled antihero protagonist

• Originally intended to be a feature film