TCF 112 1st Edition Lecture 11Outline of Last Lecture I. New Hollywood and the Rise of the Blockbustera. Historicizing New Hollywoodb. Beyond the “CHS” Directorc. New HW Stylei. Common Elementsd. “Film School Brats”e. Birth of the Modern Blockbusteri. Significant Changes1. Business of the Blockbuster2. Technology of the Blockbuster3. Culture of the BlockbusterOutline of Current Lecture I. Blaxploitation, Indie Film, and Complex Narrationa. Blaxploitationi. Genre featuresii. Narrativesb. American Indiesi. John Cassavetes & The Independent Spiritii. Russ Meyer & Sexploitation Filmsiii. Andy Warhol & Experimental Filmsiv. Emile de Antonio & Political Documentariesv. George A. Romero & Social Traumavi. Jim Jarmusch & A Cinema of OutsidersThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.c. Complex and Ludic NarrationCurrent LectureBlaxploitation, Indie Film, and Complex Narration:Recent alt. cinemas and digital horizonsBlaxploitation:Emerged in the early 1970’s- Genre Features:Black actors in leading rolesBlack characters with tremendous agencyDrug use, sex, extreme violence, fancy cars, and fancy clothesPopular funk/soul musicGenre is celebrated: it gave high profile work to black cast and crewGenre is criticized: it perpetuated race and class-based stereotypes- Narratives:Gangster melodramas:“Hero” at political crossroads; must choose between self and needs of the people-Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971) 1st Blaxploitation film Written/directed/starred Melvin Van Peebles Made outside of the studio system MGM’s Shaft (1971), spawned many, many copycats-Super Fly (1972)-The Mack (1973)Radical gender revenge fantasy; black (usually female) protagonist destroys white power structure-Coffy (1973)-Foxy Brown (1974)-Cleopatra Jones (1973)-Black Mama, White Mama (1972)American Indies:1960s-1980sOutside the studio system- John Cassavetes & The Independent Spirit:Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence (1977)He acted to fund his own projectsFilms have seemingly unplanned visual design and emotional, raw performancesBlurs the line between “acting” and “being”- Russ Meyer & Sexploitation Films:Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)“King of Nudies”Wrote, directed, edited, and distributed his own filmsFilms satirize conservative values and artistic pretensionsCriticized for his use of womenCelebrated for woman’s narrative power- Andy Warhol & Experimental Films:Best-known American pop artistWorked in a wide range mediumsMade 60+ “factory films”-Empire (8 hour shot of the Empire State Building)-Sleep (6 hour shot of man sleeping)-Blowjob (man standing, smoking cigarette)-Chelsea Girls (double 16mm projections)- Emile de Antonio & Political Documentaries:Most influential political doc. Filmmaker of his generation Best-known films:-Rush to Judgment (1967)-In the Year of the Pig (1968)-McCarthy: Death of a Witch Hunter (1975)Used found footage and government archival footage to construct his critical, historical doc.- George A. Romero & Social Trauma:Night of the Living Day (1968) =most important horror film since Pyscho (1960)Re-defined sub-genre for a new generationUsed maligned sub-genre to critique social inequalities:-Night of the Living Dead (1968) = racism-Dawn of the Dead (1978) = consumerism-Day of the Dead (1985) = militarism-Land of the Dead (2005) = classRomero’s zombie films vilify callous humans, not monsters- Jim Jarmusch & A Cinema of Outsiders: Antithesis to mythical, studio films“My aesthetic is minimal. I make films about little things that happen between human beings.”-JarmuschComplex and Ludic Narration:Engineering Subjectivity:Literature: 3rd person; ideasCinema: 2nd person; ideas and sensoryGames: 1st person; ideas, sensory, and interactivityPopular “complex/puzzle narratives” in film:-Pulp Fiction (1994)-The Usual Suspects (1994)-Fight Club (1999)-Gone Girl (2014)Examples of “ludic narratives” in film:-Run, Lola, Run (1998)-Clue (1985)-Looper