The close of a decade

Hollywood’s attack on tv Television is now a permanent fixture Hollywood’s attack: No movies were to be shown on television No movie stars were to appear on a television program ban on actors lifted in 1956 Used technological advances to lure people out

Technological Changes Color Film Advent of wide-screen cinematography These two effects created effects that the television could not match. 2 competing systems created the wide-screen film: Cinerama CinemaScope

Cinerama 3 cameras 3 projectors A large curved screen “How the West Was Won” Proved to be too costly and impractical

Cinemascope 1 camera Was more effective and less expensive Soon other studios werer creating similar wide-screen formats

The Blockbuster Lavish, lengthy and spectacular Came into existence in 1956 with 3 epics: Around the World in 80 Days War and Peace The Ten Commandments The Bridge on the River Kwai

Blockbusters cont.. Because of costs, the extravagant epic would enjoy a limited life span. Some of these films can be considered to be among Hollywood’s greatest productions containing some of Hollywood’s finest music. Religious films are the most sensational epics of the time.

A New American Cinema

60’s transformation Peak of the Cold War Threat of total nuclear annihilation Civil rights Assassinations Moon landing The Vietnam War

The Influence of tv Television cameras recorded many historic events. Instead of bringing people together, it illustrated the issues that separated them. Division based on race, sex, and age led to open and often violent confrontations. Traditions and authority were questioned in every aspect of life.

New Wave Cinema Huge French influence on film in the late 50’s early 60’s Auteur-director/artist Just as an author controls all aspects of a book, the auteur manipulates every detail of a film: Script Cinematography music

New wave… Traditional narrative techniques from the 30’s are no longer adequate New trends: Innovative plots (unclear beg and endings) Ambiguous moral implications Unconventional plot lines Allowed exploration of: slow motion, jump cutting, and freeze frames

New wave directors Showed great concern for psychological importance of mise-en-scene and music Music was used to help establish a mood No more mirroring the action, underscoring individual emotions, and loud endings. Music created atmosphere and was detached from the details of the story

Psycho st outstanding film score relecting new wave ideas. Alfred Hitchcock Chose to shoot in black and white Most famous creative shot: The shower montage Moves rapidly between 87 shots with a cutting technique that seems as violent as the scene itself.

Cont… By the end of the shower montage the audience imagines that it has seen nudity and a knife stabbing a body, but both are implied, not shown.