Question and answers

Question and answers

1. Name five reasons for the success of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT in 1934.

1. Having been an immigrant, Capra used the film to express his experience. He provided the audience with a detailed description of a country that gave him hope as an immigrant. The idea of democracy resonated with many Americans during this period.
2. Using childlike cheerfulness in the movie, he presented moral issues during his time in a sensitive and dignified manner. This gave viewers a feeling of hope

3. Most of his endings were optimism, and the hero emerges victorious against forces of evil using virtues of honesty to conquer certain powers.

4. Capra used populist mythology to the comic was to express and explore complex issues. The movie gave birth to comedy at a time when the country needed some release, which could only be found in laughter movies like It Happened One Night..

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5. he used comedy as a distinctive genre of the second half of the depression decade, which Capra always portrayed insignificant people rising against all the odds .this  made his film a success  during when movies  gave Americans avenue to  see hope  out of the  despair of the 1930s

2. What was the significance of “The Golden Age of Comedy” (Jon Lewis) to the age in which it was created? Discuss the works of Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd in connection with this era?
   

The golden age of comedy in the early centuries was a period where the movie industry witnessed huge growth. The golden age began with silent movies where Harold Clayton Lloyd performed silent comedies alongside Charles Chaplin, and Buster Keaton., Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd were unique comedians, with their eccentricity. However, it was Chaplin who was popular than the two. Chaplin showcased exceptional talent such as taking a broken alarm clock and reducing it to a pile of seemingly unrelated metal objects, Chaplin skillfully integrates politics and social concerns into his as his messages being apparent.

3. We discussed three important genres that defined American film in its first 30 years. Cite at least two films of each genre that acted as precedents for many others to follow.

Three important genres that defined American film in the first 30 years were the silent film which reached its artistic peak in the early centuries. Cinema developed into to present issues that resonated with the American audiences. From 1930 to 1940 film emerged and was divided into opposing views, he first was the sound film which existed before the world war and triumphed in. Hollywood. The film targeted a wider audience. The second form of film was filmed with complete harmony of images and sounds, which was an ideal form of expression of moral theme. The transformation to sound made film dynamic sound enhanced the illusion of reality in film, making it more attractive to audiences. The third genre was the use of sound, and panchromatic film .the growth of film was enhanced by improved studio equipment, opening up new ways in a radical way. Photography emerged where visual values were modified .free to shoot in studio with smaller aperture eliminated the soft-focus background which was once considered essential

4. Many film scholars and historians have lamented the end of the Pre-Code Era. But when we analyze it more deeply in retrospect, how can you argue that the strict censorship that followed helped to provide a significant benefit for the film industry?

Before the advent of sound technology, the government-controlled film content. As early as 1907, the city of Chicago established a board to control movie production.  With other states adopting similar steps. The increasing pressure from the public forced the government to enforce strict censorship to help to raise living standards and promote world peace. Through government censorship, film studios were required to maintain the highest artistic and moral standards. This meant sexual, violent, and other pessimistic themes were not permitted the government prohibited any degrading character in fiction which was considered a backward step toward growth. The government believed that film producers could only fulfil their moral responsibility through censorship. Since the film was mobile and could easily dispersed it was not easy to control it once it had been distribution thus it required a drastic prescription therefore prior censorship was necessary to stop the problem at the source of production.

5. Why was it necessary for African American filmmakers to pioneer their own industry?

African American filmmakers needed to pioneer their industry for better representation.  Using their films, African –American could present an authentic vision of their lives. They were able to control the entrepreneur aspect of the movie through their channels of distribution to reach directly to the audience and other communities.

6. I have assigned some films on Criterionchannel.com. Select three films you enjoyed the most and summarize the reasons for their importance to the Social History of American Cinema.

The General (1926) – Original piano score by William P. Perry is a true story of an event that happened during the American Civil War. The story presents a release which was needed since it is an action-adventure comedy that gave the audiences the much-needed hope during the silent era.

The Story of Temple Drake (1933) it reveals the varied reaction about the social evils during the period. The movie question human morals, with themes of prostitution, rape and murder versus justice in unlawful vengeance as some of the questionable ways of life.

Harold Lloyd the Freshman 1925 is one of the best-remembered and well-crafted films, and that gave Lloyd success. The story theme revolves around social acceptance and the importance of remaining true to oneself. Using comedic set pieces, Lloyd present comedic satires supplemented with well-crafted titles as common genres used 1920 to attract the audiences.

7. DANCE, GIRL, DANCE was selected for the Film Registry in 2007. Why? Can you ascertain that the film was directed by a woman—namely Dorothy Arzner

A woman directed because the theme rises above its contemporaries which is more progressive. The movie discusses the salient views through a feminist lens.

8. Here’s that conceptual question I discussed in class; at least the framework and parameters:

I said that we would trace a pattern of movements in American Cinema over its entire history.   Let’s begin here with (a) the move to Los Angeles for the film industry and the establishment of the Classical Hollywood Studio System; (b) the battle over censorship and the Pre-Code Era; (c) the maintenance of audiences during the Great Depression; and (d) Hollywood’s reaction to the rise of Hitler from 1939 to World War II.  Address both the change in film style (CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY is an excellent example) and the business adjustment Hollywood was confronted with.

Confessions Of A Nazi Spy is a movie based on the real life of Nazi species operating in the US  which depicts an emergence of  Nazi spying ring in New York  City.  Which gives a detailed description of the Nazi threat to America? The movie elicited a harsh reaction from the American government. Such movies emerged during Precode Era, thus avoided any explicit reference to Nazi anti-Semitism; however, it depicts scenes of Nazism showing its barbaric nature which is contrary to Americanism. The movie gives the audiences the reality where many people relate to these experiences. Through the movie, many people became aware of Nazi Espionage in the US and the German atrocities towards the US. Despite the grave subject matter, the film ends with optimism and build a sense of patriotism.