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COM 320 History of the Moving Image

COM 320 History of the Moving Image. Some Pre-WWII Points. Pre-WWII Points: The WWI Experience as a Precedent. e.g., D. W. Griffith-- Intolerance (1916) as pre-war “propaganda for peace”; Hearts of the World (1918) as propaganda for U.S. to enter war.

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COM 320 History of the Moving Image

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  1. COM 320 History of the Moving Image Some Pre-WWII Points

  2. Pre-WWII Points: The WWI Experience as a Precedent • e.g., D. W. Griffith--Intolerance (1916) as pre-war “propaganda for peace”; Hearts of the World (1918) as propaganda for U.S. to enter war

  3. Pre-WWII Points: The WWI Experience as a Precedent • e.g., The Big Parade (1925, D: King Vidor) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930, D: Lewis Milestone) as post-war realism

  4. Pre-WWII Points: • Throughout the 1930s, two major things colored Americans’ outlook: • (1) The Great Depression • (2) The War in Europe • 1933: Adolph Hitler named chancellor; Nazi party rules Germany • 1935: Leni Riefenstahl completes Triumph of the Will for Hitler, a film documenting the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg • 1937: Leni Riefenstahl completes Olympia for Hitler, a film documenting the 1936 Berlin Olympics

  5. Pre-WWII Points:Leni Riefenstahl & Triumph of the Will • Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) • Actress, dancer, director. . . Notably in “mountain films” (e.g., The Blue Light, 1932) • Hitler’s designated filmmaker beginning 1933 • Also directed Olympia (1937), covering the 1936 Berlin Olympics • Triumph of the Will (1935) • Lyrical propaganda! • Coverage of the 1934 Nuremberg Nazi rally, where 30,000 Germans gathered for four days • Crew of 172 people, including 36 cameramen and assistants (operating in 16 teams with 30 cameras) • Groundbreaking use of camera angles/locations/movement, as well as stellar editing, use of both diegetic and non-diegetic music

  6. Pre-WWII Points: • Before Pearl Harbor, WWII was “not our problem”--indeed, most Americans opposed the U.S. entry into the war • e.g., Caught in the Draft (1941)--Bob Hope as a comic draft-dodger • e.g., Chaplin’s The Great Dictator (1940) was viewed as tasteless, overstated • e.g., To Be or Not to Be (1942) was criticized for portraying Nazis so negatively--as buffoons (composer Miklos Rozsa backed out because of this)

  7. Pre-WWII Points:Charlie Chaplin & The Great Dictator • Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) • Great silent film comic (as you know)—his “Little Tramp” character was the most recognizable persona in the world • Emigrated from Britain in 1912 • Slow to move to sound (his Modern Times (1936) was still silent); The Great Dictator, his first sound film, proved his mastery • The Great Dictator (1940) • Satire of Nazi Germany; Chaplin criticized for his targeting of Hitler • Beautiful use of pseudo-German language in Hynkel’s speech • After the scope of Nazi atrocities became known, it was decades before Nazis were satirized again (Hogan’s Heroes, The Producers and “Springtime for Hitler”)

  8. Pre-WWII Points: Ernst Lubitsch & To Be or Not To Be • Ernst Lubitsch (1892-1947) • A German Jew, he first made films in Weimar Germany • Emigrated to Hollywood in 1922 • Warner Bros.  Paramount in 1935 (head of production)  MGM 1939  20th Century Fox 1943 • Known for the “Lubitsch Touch” • an unparalleled comic sophistication with guaranteed audience response! • Films with “The Touch” include: • Design for Living (1933) • Ninotchka (1939) • The Shop Around the Corner (1940) • To Be or Not To Be (1942)

  9. Pre-WWII Points: Ernst Lubitsch & To Be or Not To Be • To Be or Not To Be (1942) • Produced independently by Lubitsch For United Artists • Starring Carole Lombard (her last film before dying in a plane crash during a war bond tour), Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill, Sig Ruman • Lubitsch was criticized for his treatment of Nazis. . . Film shot before U.S. entered WWII • Influences include Mel Brooks (“Heil Myself”) • Many elements of early dark comedy • Characteristics of dark comedy? (See genre handout)

  10. Pre-WWII Points: • December 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy (i.e., Pearl Harbor) • A recognition that film is central to people’s lives, led to. . . • U.S. Office of War Information (OWI) requested that Hollywood concentrate on 6 subjects: the enemy, the Allies, the Armed Forces, the front, the home front, the issues. • No more war comedies; the Nazis aren’t funny anymore (until Mel Brooks, of course, and his “let’s make fun of Nazis” motif across many films)

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