The Modernist period: 1963-1976Conditions and causes for modernist in American Film1. The anti-establishmentarianism of the age of aquarious2. The impact of European film3. The end of censorship4. Conglomerate takeover of the studios5. Director as auteorModernismModernism and filmMyth of modernist workThere is a protagonist in the work who is not going to accept the world as it is, he/she is going to seek something that is more compatible to himself/herself. Literary or figurative journeySubconsciously questions social and moral valuesSituation ethics vs natural law ethicsSituation: abortion; ok if woman was raped. Natural law: abortion is always wrongSituation ethics wins in a modernist worldThe world is a world that is absurd; there is no cause and effect, everything is a matter of chance. Film is not put together logicallyModernisms two basic tenants:Thematically: self-conscious engagement with social and moral valuesFormally: experimentation with formal strategies of the respective art form/mediumNew ways of telling storiesNew type of narrativeRecall how “Backstreet” was told, Chronologically, one protagonist’; in the hours you have three different protagonists and three different ways the story is toldGo back and forth between past and presentPoint of viewPlay around with POVReflexivitySelf-reflexive ex: Singin the rain. A musical about how to make a musicalOpen textureIncorporation of one text from many textsEx: “The hours”, you have to go outside to other film textsModernist works use materials and structures from other films to create meaningEx: singin in the rain; they were using musicals from the 20’s (Singin the rain was a modernist film long before modernism took off)Filmic intertexutalityNon-filmic intertexulatityTaking text from other disciplines; painting, cuisine, photography, etc to create meaningEx: Funny Girl; about a high fashion model, so while watching the movie, director tried to make the audience feel like they were flipping though a high fashion magazineExtra-filmic intertexualityGo outside of the film to a non-artistic medium; ie Business practices, or Study of Birds, or cultural antrhopologyIncorporation of different materials and stylesVarious other ways that break with the classical modeClassical texts versus modernist textsTransitivity vs non-transitivityPlot vs non plotOmniscient POV vs selective POVIdentification vs distanceSingle vs multiple charactersClosure vs nonclosureTransparency vs self-reflexiviityContainment vs intertexualityPleasure vs confrontationBackstreet (classical) vs The Hours (modernist)Backsteet (Classical)TransitivityIt’s a wholeCharacter has goals; all very concrete; more identifiable charactersPlot orientedThere is closure which answers questionsTransparent: to make a formal structure of the work erase itself as it creates itselfYou do not see the formal systems although they are used; you connect with character and plot insteadPLEASURE: aristotles definition of pleasure; imitation of ourselvesNon-intertextual; will not go outside of itself to define/create itselfThe Hours (Modernist)Modernist female melodramaNontransitivitySpacial and temporal fragmentationCharacters don’t issue into a plot; it issues into a theme, into issuesYou will not identify with any of the characters; but you are not MEANT to; you keep outside of the characters.Forces you to have your own perspectiveBecause there is no universal truth, it is all very relativeMakes you focus on social and moral issues, not on the charactersNO closure; may not know what it all means until you think and discussNOT transparentYou see literary design, sound design, etc all make itselfReflexivityNot pleasureable to watch; it is confrontational, it will shake you upIntertextual; will go outside of itself to create itself using other films, other art forms, non art formsImplications of modernismDISCUSSIONPaperlook at world of the two movies separaretly. Arrive at a connection between the two films. See if their has been an evolution of the genre between time periods. Look at what was going on in the world culturally. UNDERSTAND YOUR GENRE; iconography, myth. State the period they belong to and why and how this effects the way the movie is made.If youre doing dark comedy, go back to comedy. Study original genre (COMEDY) and study the icons, myths, etc. Why did comedy go into dark. How did this effect peoples understanding of comedy?ModernismThematicallySelf conscious (audience and film knows that its questioning these norms) engagement of social and moral valuesQuestions moral and social values in order to subvert themOften told in episodic structure due to heterogeneity1. Metaphorical/ literal journeys to arrive at an answer2. Views world as heterogeneous; things just happen, the world isn’t black and white. Acknowledges the fact that there are meanings and spaces within. Ambiguity in life3. More than one truth, truth is relative4. Cause for different ethical system5. Change and happen chance are happens of existenceFormallyRepresents experimentation of formal strategiesQuestions art form/mediumNew ways of teliing stories; plays with narrativeThe way the story is told is equally important as what is being toldMostly episodic structure in order to express ambiguityModernism uses subjective POVReflexity, the film shows itself. The art of the filmmaking is exposed to the audienceTwo ways in which film does thisEmphasize the formal properties in a manner that the audience cant help but notice themShowing filmmaking process itselfEx: the Hours, the editing allows audience to recognize the deliberate acts of the filmmaking of connecting the time periods. SCENE: when they are putting the flowers down in the three different time periods.Reason for reflexivityTo distant you from the film’s world so you can step outside the film and analyze it. Don’t get absorbed in the storyOpen textureUsing other films, other aestheic sourcesMythWorld is absurd; world doesn’t have strict meaningProtagonist is not going to accept the world at face value. He is going to search for a meaning withinWeek 12- Female Melodrama Modernist 07/11/2010 19:09:00← The Modernist period: 1963-1976←← Conditions and causes for modernist in American Film- 1. The anti-establishmentarianism of the age of aquarious- 2. The impact of European film- 3. The end of censorship- 4. Conglomerate takeover of the studios- 5. Director as auteor← Modernism- Modernism and filmoMyth of