Change In Film

The definition of the word ideology can be represented in many ways. Today’s basic understanding of the word can be defined as “the body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture” (Farlex, 2009).Gus Van Sant’s exceptional biopic Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008) depicts the story of Harvey Milk, the slain gay-rights activist who became the first openly gay man elected to any substantial political office in the history of the planet. Harvey Milk’s life changed history – his courage still motivates people today, his ideals still teach people today and his hope still inspire people today. The release of Milk in 2008 has helped to bring back a new sense of

How are we made aware of the filmmaker's attitude towards change? Refer to three specific episodes from the film. (excl. concl. stages)In Pleasantville, the filmmaker, Gary Ross, conveys his attitude towards change through the characters of David and Jennifer who are transported into the 1950s sitcom "Pleasantville". He doesn't necessarily demonstrate change to bear a positive result; rather, he addresses that change is essential to the development of society and self and that it is important to understand and accept change. Ross contrasts the ignorance and mindlessness of the unchanged people of Pleasantville with the hunger for knowledge that the changed (or coloured) people possess, communicating to the viewer that change and knowledge

Both Laura Mulvey and bell hooks describe the idea of the “gaze” in film. In both of the theories presented by Mulvey and hooks, the “gaze” is the way in which viewers are subjected to a particular perspective because of their social standing. In Mulvey’s case, she argues that the “gaze” in which the audience is forced into is that of the “male gaze” while hooks argues a more nuanced “gaze” including the “oppositional gaze”. While some of Mulvey’s argument is accurate, hooks argues that it leaves out important other factors, in particular, race. Both arguments have many similarities and differences, and can be seen exemplified in many films, such as Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It.

The magazine article describes the stark contrast in the portrayal of female sexuality between pre-Code and post-Code movies. Pre-Code movies are flagrantly sexual; although some contemporary film critics believe that women were simply embracing their sexual freedom through these pre-code films, the marketing for many of these brazenly sexual films often included derisive comments from males, suggesting that the intent of overt sexuality in films was more crude. Post-code films often used screenwriting strategies to stay within bounds of the Code. Denby argues that this censorship actually created a net benefit for women, who were given stronger personalities and more interesting plot lines instead of simply being sexual objects. The article suggests that censorship led to the inception of the screwball comedy genre, which was forced to “create sex without sex.”

1955 marked the year in which Nicholas Ray's film Rebel Without a Cause was released as the latest Hollywood success. With its revolutionary acting and modern style, Rebel Without a Cause proved to be an ideal example of progressive, contemporary cinema. Amidst these factors is the intricate screenplay regarding a rebellious adolescent and his troubled relationships with his family and new found friends. Unfortunately, this was a film that was produced in the mid-1950s, a time when the self-censorship board in the U.S. did not permit certain political and societal issues to be addressed in films. As a result, various controversial matters could only be suggested or implied, opposed to directly dealt with. One such issue that Rebel

As political climates change, so do the themes found within cinema. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of change for America. Feminism, civil rights movements, and gay rights movements were all progressing, and liberal values were becoming more and more prevalent among the younger generation. For conservatives, the 60s and 70s were seen as a time of decline; as a low point in American history, and a time of regression in American society. The progressive and liberal values were not positive changes for all Americans, but the changes were coming about nonetheless. However, in the late 1970 's and the 1980 's there was a dramatic shift in the themes found in American cinema that reflected the neo-conservative political changes. With the

Much like it’s cinematic contemporaries Rebel without a Cause is a product of postwar American society. The depiction of Jim Stark’s attempts to deal with the world around him provide a narrative rich with examples of both the relative economic prosperity and generational conflicts that came to characterize this period in American history, and while facts of life such as these are utilized by the filmmakers to a large extent they are not the film’s principal themes. Rather than prioritizing these aspects of American life, the focus of the film is shifted to examining the often overlooked issues of the era and the reactions that they had elicited from those who lived through them. In particular those of traditional gender roles, peer pressure,

The 1950’s were a very crucial time period that had an abundant amount of different situations going on, one being the growing conflict between parents and their adolescent children. For example, parents were beginning to get divide from their children and losing connection with them, allowing for the children to enter a rebellious state. Another growing conflict that was occurring during this era was the tensions between different races. For instances, during this time there was a lot of different civil right movements that had began to take action, which helped build momentum towards equality and desegregation for different races. In the following paper two different movies, Blackboard Jungle & Rebel Without a Cause, will be critiqued and the similarities and differences between

Through the movie’s gender, race, and class representations, Boyhood is a criticism on modern America’s ideals and desire for conformity.

The Rocky display features a bruised Stallone with Westmore’s prosthetics pasted onto his swollen eye and broken nose (Fig. 3) and would be moved to the lower right hand corner of the exhibit. This rugged and overt machismo offered by Stallone starkly contrasts the sensuous display of Hepburn in the other corner, denoting the spatial configuration of femininity and masculinity. Notably, Tyburczy expounds on Judith Butler’s theory of performativity and spatial configuration by stating that it is the “process of socialization whereby gender and sexual identities are produced through regulating and citational practices” (Tyburczy 12). The regulations that Westmore and the curators maintain are that “monolithic” structures of gender are essential to Hollywood media, placing binaries of both masculinity and femininity. To avoid siphoning off past histories and straying from the rigid boundaries of masculinity, placing video footage of actual representations of marginalized communities would disrupt the power struggle between queer communities and dominant communities. Specifically, footage of the Stonewall Riots in the 1960’s would introduce discomfort politics and therefore would unleash a new conversation about rigid masculinity in mainstream media. Moreover,

During the time of the 1920’s America experienced many social and cultural changes that shaped the way society is viewed today. Things like fashion, people, and entertainment expanded, making the 1920’s decade full of new and exciting experiences. The people in the nineteen-twenties took a great amount of pleasure in the new forms of entertainment that were being introduced. These people would spend time and money to watch movies about amusing and carefree things that would take them away from reality. That was until David Griffith released a movie that “changed the history of American cinema” (Stokes). Originally known as The Clansman, then renamed The Birth of a Nation, Griffith’s movie started a revolution unlike anything ever seen before. This cinematic adventure not only depicted the Ku Klux Klan as “would-be heroes” (The Birth of a Nation), but also pushed the limits of movie making which cause divergent reactions throughout the world.

The 1950's known for its greaser styles, doo-wop music, and breakthrough rebilous movies, the 50's have remained memorable decades after its passing. Its styles and morals have continued to be an inspiration and find admiration even in today's life. The 2000's technicolor, technological, techno-you-name-it. The 2000s completely re-mastered modern living. iPhones, E-mails, 360 cameras, and the spectacular special effects in movies; with such drastic differences, how could the 1950s and the 2000s be even remotely the same?

Attitudes towards cross-dressing, transvestitism and transsexuality have changed greatly since the conformity of the 1950’s. Today, the drag queen RuPaul sells cosmetics and a female character with a penis can become a sympathetic addition to a prime time drama such as Ally McBeal. These transgressions from normative gender roles are frequently employed by filmmakers to examine the complexity and fluidity of modern masculinity and femininity. The roots of these explorations can be seen as far back as 1959’s Some Like it Hot, but only in the 1990’s were directors able to use these sliding identities to their fullest extent. By examining Billy Wilder’s, Neil Jordan’s and Kimberley Peirce’s use of

This transformation is illustrated in The Graduate (1967) and Shampoo (1975), two of the most notable satire romantic comedies of the Modernist era. While both films exemplify the move away from the innocent, puritanical mindset that preoccupied post-war America, Shampoo presents its story much more explicitly with its straightforward presentation of nudity, profanity, and visible sex sequences. On the other hand, The Graduate, which debuted near the denouement of the Production Code, is less explicit and more suggestive, brimming with heavy implications of sexual encounters but devoid of any display of nudity or intercourse. Throughout the Modernist era, social satires have escaped the shackles of the Hays Code and evolved beyond simply a comic relief to also become a force that highlights and ridicules social vices, behaviors, and

The cinematic world has stretched for over a century. Naturally, lots of different era’s have had their cycle and have grown alongside with the evolvement of films over time. Either through story concepts, production, or even character developments, the time period in which movies are made have a long lasting effect on the tone and direction of the film. The films Body and Soul by Oscar Micheaux, Modern times by Charlie Chaplin and Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein are films that have great influence from the time period that they were made which is roughly in the early 1910’s to mid 1920’s. Time period has a great influence on the film that are made during it.