However, with the growth of the New American Cinema Era, where this style of changing moods was replaced by a single, general mood, popular music became acceptable. Eventually, popular music would become the dominant style of musical scores from the 1940s to the 1970s. Beginning in the 1940s, a new style of music began to appear in movies with the scores of Aaron Copland. This style became known as American Nationalism. This style was identified by its wide melodic leaps and its mild dissonance, which would have made it difficult to sing along with.
Rebecca (1940) is a typical Noir film directed by the famous Hollywood film director Alfred Hitchcock. The film is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel of the same name. It is a gothic tale about the lingering memory of the title character, Rebecca, Maxim de Winter's dead first wife, which continues to haunt Maxim, his new bride, and Mrs. Danvers. As a typical Noir film, Rebecca has several characteristics of this genre. The first one is the portrait of Rebecca, a typical the femme fatale.
This film is in a non-serious tone. In a plan to yield enough credibility, reefer madness has a moral and serious form of dressing. Other names in reference to this American film of exploitation are doped youth, the provocative question, love madness and Doped addict. The music satire and a film base in 2005 got inspiration from this film. This film starts with classic styles and effects most eminent in movies of its time.
The elements of film noir, like the use of black and white, ads to the authentic nature of the film, almost touching on the style of a documentary. The use of black and white is purposely done, because at this time, it was possible to make films in colour. Not only does the black white give the film that realistic raw look on the docks, but also the use of the grainy, unclear filter that creates a poverty, dirty look over the film. Not only do the film noir elements give the film authenticity, but also the fact that the film is based on Malcolm Johnson’s Pulitzer Prize winning articles that expose the waterfront corruption and the film is shot on location in Hoboken, New Jersey. Although Terry, the protagonist, overthrows the philosophy of D’n’D (dumb and deaf) and becomes a conscientious person, he is partially responsible for his fate.
The American premium cable television network is currently producing in association with Ball’s production company one of the most successful American television series after The Sopranos, True Blood. It is created by Allan Ball, Academy Award winner for Best Original Screen Play for American Beauty. The show is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris. True Blood brings to the screen social motives, reflects pop-culture, and works as a perfect symbol of today’s consumer culture. The metaphysical, ethical, and social ramifications are shown in a very innovative, entertaining, exiting, and controversial fashion, without leaving the mystery aside.
The Role of Music in Casablanca Casablanca was a great American movie that came out in 1942. The American film institute rates Casablanca as America’s second greatest film, next to Citizen Kane. This movie’s music plays a critical role in developing characters in the movie. The film’s music was done by Max Steiner. This war time film was the story of events happening in a café, in French Morocco, owned by an American named Rick, which was a famous hangout place for European refugees.
Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein,' an epistolary Romantic novel inspired by elements of the Promethean myth, and Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner,' a science fiction film known for its promotion of film/tech noir elements are two texts which have come to challenge the dominant paradigms of their time. Through the study of these texts, the reflection
Listed in the above paragraph the first criteria (1) a genre similar to westerns, comedies or horror (2) a period tied to that era of the 40's and late 50's and (3) a cinematic style with its own unique look. It would be unfair not to mention that there are also purists out there that believe film noir cannot be in colour nor be a genre. Then, that would exclude my personal opinion, that the best film ever made other than Casablanca was Blade Runner. This brilliant film would fall short of the mark because it does not keep with the tradition of containing dark, shadowy images shot in black and white or scenes set in seedy run down city places of the 40's and 50's. Although the film does portray leading characters that are akin to Caligula or Nero with a touch of Caesar.
Navigate Introduction ∗Principal Works Criticism Further Reading Introduction Print PDF Cite Spike Lee 1957– (Full name Shelton Jackson Lee) American director, producer, screenwriter, nonfiction writer, and actor. The following entry presents an overview of Lee's career through 1996. INTRODUCTION Spike Lee has become a cultural icon in America. Known for his outspokenness as well as for his films, Lee has attracted both controversy and critical attention. Tackling such topics as racism, the life of slain African-American activist Malcolm X, interracial relationships, phone sex, and the world of drug dealing, Lee's work has met with mixed reviews.
This is clearly demonstrated through Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window(RW), Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound (TRIH), Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (SC) and Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, with the diversity present within these texts providing views that challenge societal norms and contribute to the enduring popularity of the genre as it investigates and reflects upon human nature in a variety of contexts. Crime is a genre that helps humanity understand ourselves and the world around us, as stated by Miller - “Genres act as social and cultural barometers.” Arising out of the McCarthyist and Cold War contexts of America, Hitchcock’s Rear Window offers an examination of the ambiguous nature of the investigative process, as well as a general critiquing