Film Studies Midterm Practice: Recognition, Comparison, and Analysis

What is Dogme 95?

A Danish filmmaking movement founded in 1995 by Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, and Christian Levring, aimed at purifying cinema.

Who are the founders of Dogme 95?

Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, and Christian Levring.

What is The Celebration?

A film directed by Thomas Vinterberg that is part of the Dogme 95 movement.

What country is The Celebration from?

Denmark.

When was Dogme 95 established?

In 1995.

What prompted the creation of Dogme 95?

A response to the perceived failure of the New Waves of the 1960s and a backlash against Hollywood filmmaking.

How did Dogme 95 view digital technology?

The movement was concerned about digital innovations but embraced the democratization of filmmaking in the 1990s.

What was the global goal of Dogme 95?

To become a global movement/style while retaining elements of Danish state-subsidized filmmaking.

What is the Dogme 95 Manifesto?

A document co-authored by Thomas Vinterberg and Lars von Trier that banned certain filmmaking techniques to purify cinema.

Where was the Dogme 95 Manifesto presented?

It was printed on red paper with black ink and thrown into the Odéon theater in Paris in 1995.

What does the Dogme 95 Manifesto criticize?

It criticizes the auteur concept as 'bourgeois romanticism' and Hollywood for its illusionism and predictability.

What is the Vow of Chastity in Dogme 95?

A set of rules filmmakers must follow, rejecting many conventional cinematic techniques.

What is one Dogme rule regarding location?

Filmmakers must shoot on location; sets are prohibited.

What is one Dogme rule regarding sound?

Only sound occurring with the image may be used.

What is one Dogme rule regarding camera use?

Only handheld cameras may be used.

What is one Dogme rule regarding lighting?

No special lighting may be used.

What is one Dogme rule regarding genre?

Genre movies are prohibited.

What is New Extremism?

A New European cinema movement emerging in the 1990s characterized by graphic violence and taboo subjects.

What are common characteristics of New Extremism?

Extremely graphic violence, candid representations of taboo subjects, discomfort, and shock.

What taboo subjects are often explored in New Extremism?

Incest, rape, suicide, torture, and sexual violence.

What is Un Chien Andalou?

A 1929 film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, an early example of cinema designed to shock.

What is the significance of Funny Games?

Directed by Michael Haneke, it critiques bourgeois privilege and explores themes of violence and spectatorship.

What themes are prevalent in Funny Games?

Violence, voyeurism, media, power, control, and audience complicity.

Who are Paul and Peter in Funny Games?

The two violent intruders who treat violence as a game.

What does the rewind scene in Funny Games emphasize?

It gives the perpetrators control over the narrative and highlights the artificiality of cinematic violence.

What is the role of spectatorship in Funny Games?

The film asks viewers to recognize their own participation in and possible pleasure from watching violence.

What does the film suggest about bourgeois manners?

It suggests that normal bourgeois manners and social rules can be understood as games.

What does the film 'Funny Games' suggest about social rules?

The film suggests that normal bourgeois manners, decorum, hospitality, and social rules can themselves be understood as games.

What is the contradiction analyzed in 'Funny Games' clips?

If a clip features polite behavior alongside disturbing violence, it highlights the contradiction between bourgeois decorum and brutality.

What is 'Raw'?

A film directed by Julia Ducournau; it is a French New Extremism/body-horror film.

What are the main themes of 'Raw'?

Female sexuality, bodily autonomy, appetite, cannibalism, family, desire, transformation, and social expectations.

How does 'Raw' explore identity?

The film uses bodily transformation and disgust to explore identity and the pressures placed on female bodies.

What is New Extremism in film?

A movement that uses graphic bodily imagery and taboo material to create discomfort while exploring sexuality and identity.

Who are notable New Extremist filmmakers?

Catherine Breillat, Claire Denis, and Julia Ducournau, who use extreme representations to explore sexuality, gender, bodily autonomy, and female relationships.

What characterizes Post-Franco Spain cinema?

Spanish cinema after the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, marked by democratization, cultural experimentation, sexual freedom, and challenges to conservative traditions.

Who was Francisco Franco?

A fascist dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975.

What was Francoist Spain?

A fascist dictatorship characterized by national conservatism, Catholicism, restrictions on women's rights, anti-LGBTQ attitudes, and suppression of non-Castilian languages.

How did Franco's regime affect language in Spain?

Franco's regime banned or restricted non-Castilian languages as part of Spanish nationalism.

What was the ideology regarding women under Franco?

Francoist ideology opposed women's rights and promoted traditional gender roles.

What was the Franco regime's stance on LGBTQ people?

The Franco regime was hostile toward LGBTQ identities and sexual nonconformity.

What is National Catholicism?

A central ideological component of Francoist Spain emphasizing Catholic morality and conservative social values.

What was the Movida Madrileña?

A countercultural movement based in Madrid during Spain's transition to democracy.

What historical context gave rise to the Movida Madrileña?

It emerged during democratization, economic growth, and a desire to develop a new post-Franco Spanish identity.

What characterized the style of the Movida Madrileña?

Punk rock, synthetic pop, bright colors, heavy makeup, revealing clothing, gender experimentation, sexual expression, and drug use.

How did the Movida Madrileña relate to Francoism?

The movement rejected Franco-era conservatism, Catholic morality, sexual repression, and traditional gender norms.

Who is Pedro Almodóvar?

A Spanish filmmaker associated with Post-Franco cinema and the Movida Madrileña.

What are notable films by Almodóvar?

Talk to Her and All About My Mother.

What is the aesthetic of Almodóvar's films?

Glossy, colorful visuals, elaborate costumes, makeup, props, and heightened visual style.

How does Almodóvar use melodrama?

He situates many films within melodrama, a genre historically associated with female spectators.

What themes are prevalent in Almodóvar's films?

Communication, loneliness, caregiving, desire, gender, ethics, spectatorship, intimacy, and obsession.

What is the significance of machismo in Spanish culture?

An ideology of masculine authority associated with traditional Spanish culture and Francoist conservatism.

How does Almodóvar challenge machismo?

His films challenge sexism and traditional machismo through female-centered stories and alternative gender identities.

What is New Romanian Cinema?

A film movement characterized by realism, minimalism, long takes, dark tones, black humor, and stories about social/institutional failures.

Who are major filmmakers of New Romanian Cinema?

Cristi Puiu, Cristian Mungiu, Christian Nemescu, and Radu Muntean.

What historical setting do many New Romanian films explore?

Many films look at Romania under the oppressive Ceaușescu dictatorship in the 1980s.

What does New Romanian Cinema examine in post-communism?

Some films examine the loss of humanity during Romania's transition to democracy and free-market capitalism.

What is the significance of the 1989 Romanian Revolution?

A revolution that ended 42 years of Communist rule and resulted in Ceaușescu's execution.

What was Decree 770?

A 1967 Romanian policy that prohibited abortion and contraception except under limited conditions.

What was the purpose of Decree 770?

The government attempted to increase Romania's birth rate.

How did Decree 770 affect women?

Women were required to undergo reproductive surveillance, including gynecological monitoring.

What was the impact of Decree 770 on maternal mortality?

The policy contributed to extremely high maternal mortality from unsafe abortions.

What is the plot of '4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days'?

Otilia helps her friend Gabita obtain an illegal abortion.

What themes are explored in '4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days'?

Female friendship, reproductive control, state surveillance, fear, bureaucracy, exploitation, sacrifice, and authoritarianism.

How does '4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days' create realism?

The film's long takes and minimal cinematic manipulation create a sense of immediacy and realism.

What is realism in film?

A style characterized by long takes and minimal cinematic manipulation to create a sense of immediacy and authenticity.

What is The Death of Mr. Lazarescu?

A Romanian New Wave film directed by Cristi Puiu that explores themes of healthcare, bureaucracy, institutional failure, and post-communist Romania.

Who is Cristi Puiu?

The director of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.

What are the themes of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu?

Bureaucracy, institutional indifference, aging, death, healthcare, social alienation, and loss of humanity.

What does The Death of Mr. Lazarescu suggest about capitalism?

It suggests that Romania's transition from communism to capitalism did not automatically lead to more humane institutions.

What are the recognition clues for New Romanian Cinema?

Long takes, ordinary locations, minimal music, naturalistic acting, bureaucratic interactions, dark humor, and grim realism.

What is the Greek Weird Wave?

A Greek film movement emerging during the Great Recession, characterized by themes of absurdity, alienation, authoritarianism, and pessimism.

What was the Greek Financial Crisis?

The 2007-2008 financial crisis that led to austerity, poverty, unemployment, and social discontent in Greece.

How does the Greek Weird Wave reflect austerity?

It reflects grief, loneliness, discontent, absurdity, cynicism, and pessimism about Greece's future.

What are common characteristics of Greek Weird Wave protagonists?

They are often alienated, disempowered, isolated, and trapped in authoritarian systems.

What is the visual style of the Greek Weird Wave?

A flattened, matter-of-fact visual tone with dialogue that normalizes abnormal behavior.

What is the significance of animals in the Greek Weird Wave?

Animals serve as symbols or narrative elements that expose the boundaries between instinct and social behavior.

What is Attenberg?

A film directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari that is part of the Greek Weird Wave.

What are the themes of Attenberg?

Alienation, sexuality, death, family, animals, social behavior, and difficulty connecting with others.

What is Dogtooth?

A film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos that explores themes of authoritarianism, family, and social conditioning.

What does Dogtooth depict about family dynamics?

The family functions as a miniature totalitarian system controlling information, language, movement, and sexuality.

What is the metaphor of cannibalism in Amores Perros?

It symbolizes a capitalist world where people and resources are consumed.

What are the themes of Y tu mamá también?

Youth, sexuality, friendship, class, political inequality, Mexican identity, desire, death, and social divisions.

What is the significance of the 1994 Mexican Economic Crash?

It influenced Mexican film production and contributed to new approaches to independent filmmaking.

Who are notable 1990s Mexican auteurs?

Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Guillermo del Toro.

What is the role of Cha Cha Cha in Mexican cinema?

A production company that supported Mexican film production associated with Cuarón, Iñárritu, and del Toro.

What is the relationship between Iñárritu and Hollywood?

Iñárritu initially resisted Hollywood before becoming internationally prominent.

What is the significance of the Mexican Golden Age of Cinema?

A period from roughly 1930-1960 when Mexican cinema had major national and international influence.

What are major themes in Mexican cinema?

Socio-economic divisions, national identity, tradition, religion, borders, youth culture, and globalization.

What is the Apotheosis of the Banal?

The tendency of the Greek Weird Wave to make conformity and ordinary behavior appear strange or absurd.

What does the term 'Totalitarian Administration' refer to?

The idea that authoritarian culture becomes visible through institutions that regulate everyday life.

Y tu mamá también

A film that explores the friendship between Julio and Tenoch across class lines, highlighting their different social backgrounds.

Y tu mamá también Youth

The film uses the sexual and emotional experiences of young people to reflect on Mexican society.

Y tu mamá también Narrator

An omniscient narrator who interrupts the story to provide insights into Mexican politics, history, geography, and class.

Y tu mamá también Realism

Utilizes handheld camerawork, location shooting, long takes, and documentary-like observations to create a realist aesthetic.

Mexican Cinema Recognition Clues

Features realist handheld camera work, long takes, Mexican locations, youth, sexuality, class inequality, and political/social commentary.

Asian New Waves

Film movements in Asia influenced by art cinema, modernity, social change, innovative editing/cinematography, and urbanization concerns.

Hong Kong First New Wave

A film movement that began in the late 1970s/early 1980s, featuring directors like Ann Hui and Tsui Hark.

Hong Kong First New Wave Style

Characterized by 16mm filmmaking, influences from Truffaut, and experimentation outside commercial cinema.

Hong Kong Second New Wave

A movement starting around 1984, including directors like Wong Kar-wai and Stanley Kwan.

Hong Kong Second New Wave Style

Known for innovative editing, cinematography, sound, and a mix of lyrical and commercial filmmaking.