FILM 251 Final Review

Hollywood Production Code

A set of industry moral guidelines enforced from 1930–1968 by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), led by Will Hays. It restricted depictions of sex, crime, religion, and violence to maintain “decency” and avoid government censorship.

Hollywood Ten

A group of screenwriters and directors blacklisted in 1947 for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) about alleged communist ties.

Hollywood Blacklist

An informal industry ban on suspected communists or sympathizers during the late 1940s–1960s, preventing them from working in Hollywood.

Male Gaze

A concept coined by Laura Mulvey in 1975, describing how cinema positions women as objects of heterosexual male desire through camera perspective and narrative framing.

Bechdel Test

Created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985, it measures female representation: a film must feature two women who talk to each other about something other than a man.

Donald Bogle’s Five African-American Stereotypes

The Tom (loyal servant), The Coon (comic buffoon), The Mammy (maternal caretaker), The Mulatto (tragic mixed-race figure), and The Buck (violent, hypersexual male).

Revisionist Genre Films

Films that subvert or challenge traditional genre conventions, often by questioning myths, adding ambiguity, or presenting morally complex characters.

Genre Conventions

Narrative conventions are the most important criteria for defining a genre. Film scholar Rick Altman argued that conventions are how genres are defined.

Subgenres

Smaller categories within genres that mix conventions with unique traits. Examples: romantic comedy, spaghetti western, slasher horror.

Six Major American Film Genres

Western, Horror, Musical, Comedy, War, and Science Fiction. Each has conventions: e.g., Westerns feature frontier settings and moral conflict; Horror emphasizes fear and monsters.

Hybrid Genre Films

Films that combine conventions of two or more genres. They require recognizable traits from each genre to be blended (e.g., sci-fi horror like Alien).

Star Persona

Coined by Richard Dyer, it refers to the constructed public image of an actor, shaped by roles, publicity, and audience perception.

Star Vehicles

Films designed to showcase and promote a star’s persona, often tailored to their strengths and appeal.

Types of Roles and Actors

Lead, supporting, cameo, extras. Actor types include personality actors (playing themselves), chameleon actors (transforming roles), and nonprofessional actors.

Acting Styles

Classical (controlled, external), Method (emotional, internal), and Contemporary (hybrid approaches).

Performance Analysis

Includes gestures, facial expressions, voice, movement, interaction with mise-en-scène, and consistency with character.

Auteur Theory Origins

Developed in France in the 1950s by critics at Cahiers du Cinéma. It emphasized directors as the “authors” of films, shaping style and meaning.

Andre Bazin’s Warning

Bazin cautioned against reducing films solely to the director’s vision, urging attention to collaborative aspects.

Francois Truffaut’s Contribution

He argued that directors imprint personal style and worldview across films, sparking auteur theory debates.

Sarris-Kael Debate

Andrew Sarris promoted auteurism in America; Pauline Kael criticized it as elitist and reductive, sparking a major critical divide.

Andrew Sarris’ Criterion

He evaluated auteurs by technical competence, distinguishable style, and interior meaning across their body of work.

Multiple-Author Approach

Created by Peter Wollen, it considers films as products of multiple creative contributors, not just directors.

John Grierson’s Definition of Documentary

“The creative treatment of actuality,” emphasizing real-world subjects shaped artistically.

Types of Documentaries

Expository (voice-over narration), Observational (fly-on-the-wall), Participatory (filmmaker interacts), Reflexive (questions documentary form), Performative (subjective, personal), Poetic (artistic impression).

Voice of Authority & Talking Heads

Refers to authoritative narration or interviews with experts/participants explaining events in documentaries.

Six Modes of Documentary

Bill Nichols theorized: Expository, Observational, Participatory, Reflexive, Performative, Poetic—each with distinct traits.

Nanook of the North (1922)

Directed by Robert Flaherty, it was the first feature-length documentary, pioneering ethnographic film though criticized for staged scenes.

Avant-Garde

Means “advance guard”; in film, it refers to experimental works that challenge mainstream conventions.

Fred Camper’s Traits of Experimental Films

Traits include personal vision, opposition to narrative, exploration of film form, and emphasis on perception.

Experimental Film Meaning

Often created through abstraction, juxtaposition, or formal innovation rather than narrative storytelling.

Experimental Film Questions

They often ask: “What is cinema?”—challenging how films create meaning and experience.

Phases of Filmmaking

Preproduction (planning, script, financing), Production (shooting), Postproduction (editing, sound, distribution).

Classical Hollywood Studios

Big 5: MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, RKO. Little 3: Universal, Columbia, United Artists.

Decline of Studio System

Caused by the Paramount Decree (1948 antitrust ruling), rise of television, and changing audience tastes.

Studio vs Independent Systems

Studio system: vertically integrated, controlled production/distribution/exhibition. Independent system: decentralized, project-based, reliant on outside financing.

Modern Hollywood Influences

Factors include globalization, technology (CGI, streaming), franchise economics, audience demographics, and marketing strategies.

Vittorio De Sica – Bicycle Thieves

Exemplifies Italian Neorealism by critiquing postwar poverty and using nonprofessional actors, on-location shooting, and natural lighting. The bicycle symbolizes fragile survival; its theft devastates Antonio’s family, leading to moral ambiguity and an unresolved ending. Unlike Classical Hollywood’s polished sets, stars, and closed narratives, the film rejects glamour and resolution, presenting open-ended realism and social critique.

Billy Wilder – Double Indemnity

Film noir traits: fatalistic flashback, voice-over, femme fatale (Phyllis), themes of crime, lust, greed, betrayal, downfall. Stylistic form: low-key lighting, shadows, Venetian blinds, claustrophobic interiors. Neff’s confession shows noir’s fatalism and moral ambiguity. Other genres: crime thriller (murder plot, investigation), melodrama (emotional conflict, doomed romance). Unlike Classical Hollywood, the film rejects resolution and moral clarity, embracing ambiguity and corruption.

Bong Joon-Ho – Parasite

Theme: climbing social class leads to tragedy. Formal elements: vertical geography (semi-basement vs. hilltop mansion), mise-en-scène blocking (Parks above Kims), editing contrasts (fluid upward cuts vs. frantic survival cuts), cinematography (tracking chaos in flood, confined framing). Key scene: birthday party climax, where blocking, cutting, and the “smell” motif fuse to show aspiration colliding with class contempt, ending in violence. Unlike Classical Hollywood’s resolution, Bong emphasizes inequality, inevitability, and destruction.

Yorgos Lanthimos - The Lobster

Theme: conformity leads to dehumanization. Formal elements: cinematography (deep focus, flat lighting in hotel check-in, constant surveillance), mise-en-scène (uniform clothing, sterile symmetrical interiors, rigid blocking erasing individuality), editing (repetitive rhythmic cuts of daily routines, mechanical pacing suppressing emotion). Key scene: hotel check-in and routine montage, where visible framing, identical attire, and repetitive cuts show guests stripped of identity. Unlike Classical Hollywood’s emphasis on individuality and resolution, Lanthimos presents a bleak, absurd system where rules erase humanity.