Historical Context

An informed film viewer must first watch a movie within its historical context. The director, actors and all craft persons are working within their now, not ours, so current events during production may influence filmic depictions.

A quick example: Rebel Without a Cause was released in 1955. Viewed with a 21st century eye, the film is dated and some parts are almost silly. Jim, Judy and Plato, the main characters, agonize over seemingly trivial things until the end. The acting is heavy handed, and the ending thuds.

Now put yourself in 1955. The nation is racially, ethnically, religiously and sexually segregated. Pre-Civil and Women’s Rights, minorities and women are second class citizens with negligible socio-political power. Middle aged white men, represented by President Eisenhower, a decorated war hero, rule everything.

The mid-50s teen was raised an era of societal conformity. Expressions of individuality were frowned upon or outright shunned, and the allusion to homosexuality was verboten (the Hayes Code did not allow open discussions of “deviant” behavior).

Got your mid-century head on? Watch the film again. If your viewer is an adult, you might see a bunch of middle-class kids making much ado about nothing and blaming everything on the parents. But if your alter ego is young, Jim and Judy are at odds with their parents, while Plato is abandoned by his. Each is something of an outcast, equally desperate to be part of the group but also trying to find his/her way. You understand their angst, and maybe even identify with their plight.

Rebel was made in the 1950s about the 1950s, but the same is true about historical pieces. I’m not going to go into a long analysis of The Searchers, but remember the historical context. The 1956 film depicts the beginning of the end of the Wild West, when white settlers could do whatever they wanted to Indians, at the same time that Brown v. Board of Education made racially segregated education illegal.

Think about it.

Why American?

I speak American when I talk about movies. I'm guilty of being jingoistic about film.

Sure, the Lumieres was the first to put the camera and projector in the same box, but their films featured trains and people going into factories. Bleh! Thomas Edison knew how to woo an audience - show 'em a little titillation with a kiss.

Every industrialized society has produced films. Yes, German expressionism influenced film noir, and Leone's spaghetti westerns were a precursor to increased violence and quick cuts (can you say Bonnie and Clyde?). But for my money (granted, we're talking pennies here), American movies ruled 20th century cinema.

So, sorry Bergman, too bad Fellini, and maybe next time Kurosawa. For now, this blog's theme song is Hurray for Hollywood.

How It Started

When you hear "film school," do images of movie sets pop into your head? Dozens of people dressed in black scurrying about, eating bad food and waiting for the temperamental Spielberg or Scorsese wannabe to scream, “Action.”

I studied film production, and enjoyed it, but what really got me going when I returned to the classroom were discussions about the films themselves. Is it a strict genre film, or some hybrid? What was the significance of the sunset? Maybe the tunnel is just a tunnel? And wow, your explanation makes as much sense as mine.

I miss school, but not the term papers. I miss the research, but not struggling for a good grade. And mostly, I miss the give and take of a great debate. I've decided to indulge myself by selecting an old movie (pre-1990), and telling you why I think it's worth a couple hours of your time to watch.

I might be talking to myself, but that's OK - I still get to talk about film.