First Fifty Years of American Cinema - Term Paper Example

Fifty Years of American Cinema Introduction Today contemporary filmmakers stand on the shoulders of over 100 years of insights and stylistic innovations made by directors throughout the 20th century. A considerable amount of this innovation occurred during the early years of the cinema and were implemented and articulated to perfection in the first fifty years. During this period one witnesses Edwin Porter’s development of the western genre, and Georges Melies’ fantastical science fiction creations. The first fifty years of cinema were truly a golden age of artistic revelation. This essay considers the progression of stylistic devices during this period, and considers their relevance and influence for later filmmakers. M Fritz Lang’s 1931 film M constituted his first sound film. While Lang had made a number of silent films, including the seminal Metropolis, he would later say that this film constituted his greatest work. It was also the film that popularized Lang with American audiences, ultimately leading to his influence becoming an indelible aspect of American film culture. As an early sound film, Lang’s combination of visual and sound elements also constituted a stylistic breakthrough for the emerging medium. Even as the film is important for these reasons, perhaps its great importance and contribution to the film landscape is its articulation of the German Expressionist style that would come to influence to film noir and has even influenced contemporary filmmakers. While German Expressionism as a distinct stylistic approach to film has largely died out, its contemporary applications have lived on in throughout the 20th century in film noir devices. For instance, consider Sin City. Director Robert Rodriguez sets the film in the black and white world of the fictional city of Basin. Just as the M utilizes the dark expressionist imagery to convey the devilish interiority of the characters, so does director Rodriguez implement the stark black and white contrasts, shadowing many of the characters and settings, to convey the amoral and violent aspects of the city and the film’s overarching plot. Throughout the film the rigid and dark settings function as do the oblique backgrounds in M. For example, when the viewer is first introduced to Nancy she is held captive by her kidnappers. As they open the door the film situates her alone on the bench and the viewer only sees the dark silhouettes of her captures. Such stylistic devices are a direct result of devices used by Fritz Lang in films such as M. A Trip to the Moon In addition to being one of the most fantastical films of the silent film era, Georges Melies’ 1902 film A Trip to the Moon also constitutes one of the 20th century’s seminal films because of its groundbreaking stylistic innovations. While the Lumiere brothers had been influenced by photographic conventions, and in great part avoided sensationalistic subject matter, Melies was a magician and used the newly developed film medium as a means of implementing techniques he developed in his stage show on film. A Trip to the Moon was the culmination of this intention, and revolutionized the stylistic devices available for fiction filmmakers. The film itself implements an early instance of the science fiction narrative as a group of astronomers who meet and decide to plan a trip to the moon. A capsule is built and shot like a rocket to the moon. Upon reaching the moon the astronomers exit the capsule and soon encounter Phoebe goddess of the moon. They then descend into a cavern and encounter a number of hostile beings. They eventually make their way back to the capsule and escape back to Earth. Whereas the Great Train Robbery constituted one of the first westerns, it’s been noted that A Trip to the Moon constitutes one of the early science fiction films. The implications this holds for the development of 20th century American cinema is abundantly clear, as fantasy and science fiction constitute cornerstone elements of the contemporary cinematic landscape. In addition to this, Melies instituted a number of groundbreaking stylistic devices that continue to effect contemporary filmmakers. Melies’ use of special effects, including slow motion footage, dissolves, and superimpositions continue to be highly prevalent devices utilized in contemporary cinema. Highly unusual for the time, Melies also designed and constructed his own sets that were utilized within the film to convey the fantastical setting. The film’s subject matter was also highly prescient as in the early 20th century actually traveling to the moon was truly a matter of fiction, and actually considering it possible was as sensationalistic as many of the magical devices Melies’ utilized throughout the production of this film. It’s for these reasons that the film has become such a seminal element of the 20th century film canon, leading critics to label it as one of the hundred greatest films of the 20th century. The Great Train Robbery Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 film the Great Train Robbery constitutes one of the most important films of the silent era. While the film was only twelve minutes long its stylistic innovations are the reasons for its significance to the American film canon. The film implements an early instance of the western genre as robbers hold up a passenger car and rob the mail contained in the car. The bandits then escape on horseback. While initially knocked unconscious by the robbers, the passenger car’s conductor eventually wakes up and hurries to organize a posse. The film concludes as the posse, which set out to bring the robbers to justice, finally catches up and surrounds the robbers. Porter, who had worked as a technician for the Edison film company, was already familiar with many of the stylistic devices utilized at the time, and also was particularly attuned to creating sensational and engaging narratives, in this film instituted techniques that were truly cutting edge for the time. Perhaps most prominent of which is the utilization of the Western theme. What would eventually become a cornerstone of American filmmaking, Porter’s film has been described as the first Western. In addition to its development of this genre, Porter foregrounded a number of stylistic elements. One of the most pervasively utilized in today’s cinematic environment is the close-up. Another foundational element that was implemented in this film was the technique of cross-cutting; namely, in cutting between the parallel action of the bandits escaping on horseback, and the passenger car conductor organizing the posse and their eventual pursuit of the robbers, the film popularized a new form of narrative exposition that would later be adopted by D.W. Giffith and ultimately become a cornerstone element of narrative filmmaking. In addition to these elements, the film is also recognized for its early use of double exposure composite editing, on location shooting, and camera movement within the shot. The Battleship Potemkin Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 film the Battleship Potemkin is one of the 20th century’s most influential films and has been hailed by critics as both the greatest propaganda film of all time, as well as the greatest film of all time. The film itself was commissioned by the Russian government to commemorate the anniversary of the 1905 uprising against the Tsarist regime. The film’s plot explores this uprising from the dejected soldier’s on the battleship Potemkin. The uprising extends to land wherein individuals opposing the Russian Tsarist regime are brutally massacred along the Odessa steps. This Odessa steps scene has come to be recognized as one of the influential film scenes in history for its innovative and powerful use of montage editing techniques. Indeed, while the film was commissioned by the government, it’s clear that its propagandistic element didn’t stifle Eisenstein’s creative potential as the film utilizes these experimental editing techniques to great effect. In constructing the Odessa step sequence, and other emotional occurrences throughout the film, Eisenstein attempted to create a montage sequence that would cause an incredibly powerful visceral impact on the viewer. This montage sequence masterfully plays on the viewers’ emotions, beginning with a sequence of shot depicting unsuspecting citizens, including children and the disabled, enjoying their afternoon. These terrified individuals are then chased from the steps by the Tsarist troops; the scene is intercut with shots of individuals falling dead to the ground, and the pursuing troops. Eisenstein’s use of montage has had an indelible impact on American filmmaker’s, with both Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola stating the tremendous influence Eisenstein had on their work. The General Buster Keaton’s 1927 film the General is today considered one of the greatest films of all time. The film’s depiction of the Civil War and various aspects surrounding it represents an American culture coming to terms with its conflicted past. However, the film’s most notable elements are Keaton’s elaborately staged slapstick comedic scenes. In these regards, Keaton foregrounds much of the stunt-centered action films of the future of cinema, as well as much of the physical comedy that would come to be cornerstone elements of the genre. Consider contemporary films, such as the popular Jackass films that implement stunts to such comedic effect. Casablanca Michael Curtiz 1942 film Casablanca has come to be regarded as one of the most seminal films in the American canon of filmmaking. Elements of the film have transcended the film landscape and have come to be reflective of the entirety of American culture. While there are no specific stylistic innovations that mark Casablanca as uniquely innovate, the film nonetheless constitutes perhaps the pinnacle of Hollywood filmmaking. It makes perfect implementation of the stylistic devices established by earlier filmmakers within the perfect Hollywood narrative. While the performance of Humphrey Bogart has gained the most recognition, perhaps the greatest testament of the film’s longevity and esteem is due to its perfect realization of the Hollywood formula. Conclusion In conclusion, it’s clear that filmmakers during the first fifty years of cinema made an indelible impact on the artistic options available to filmmakers. During this period one instances the solidification of generic conventions including westerns, science fiction films, and the film noir conventions. Montage and editing are also articulated to great lengths in films such as the Great Train Robbery wherein cross-cutting is implemented, and the Battleship Potemkin where Eisenstein utilizes montage to great emotional effect. It’s ultimately the contributions made by these early filmmakers that have established the foundation for today’s film and filmmakers, making it one of the most engaging elements of contemporary culture. Read More