1895-1924 Silent1929-1945 Classical1946-62 Post ClassicalThese movies were huge, and we therefore have to understand the culture of the time to understand the movies46-62 = “TRANSITION”that is the key to unlocking this periodeverything in the US became unstuck – this creates chaos and panicWhy the stress?World War IIThis chaos is reflected in aesthetics in the post war periodClassicismRules clarified and crystallizedRules produced unity, balance, and orderClassical works tend to conformIn the 46-62 period there’s stll classicism around, but most of the significant and influential works are a breaking away from the classical periodSelf-reflexivity comes into play hereBecause this was a time of transition, there is a tendency to suppress the transition – to put the lid on it, ignore itCreated the cultural value of conformity, consensusSome films will try to cover it up, but these films also raise what they are hidingMost of the audience did not see this cover up in film, but some did see the subtextFrom Here to EternityIt features a brothel, but you couldn’t say that with censorship of this timeSo instead they just paint a social club and slip in subtle reference“The new congress club” reference to sexual congressthis is an example of subtextThese films are cultural artifacts by virtue of being such enormous hitsThey wanted to see them because they felt it helped define themselvesHistory exists on a continuumThis period is close to the present in the stress of changeThe male came apart in post war culture and he still hasn’t recoveredCasper will ALWAYS address genre in lectureThis week it’s male melodramathese are tried and true parameters for drawing an audiencepeople already KNOW that family melodrama is going to be about themthese formulas are emblems of cultureCasper will ALWAYS talk about styleStyle is the way of working in the genreTonight: Fred Zimmerman the director – very importantThe rebirth of Frank SinatraMale MelodramaCame into its own in this periodThis was the period in which the male came apartThis was not a pretty pictureFilm follows other leisure activitiesTherefore this was the number one selling fiction, immensely popular in filmThe story of male melodramaA series of adventures, professional labors, sexual episodes, and familial relationships of a male protagonist. Through these the male comes to some understanding about the meaning of life, which comes down to embracing spiritual values.Leaving the old job which paid more but was unfulfillingOpenness to lifeLoveAltruismMaybe he was dishonest and comes to a place of integrityMercyEnnobling concept of GodThe male becoming sensitizedIn classical films, the male was a man of actionNow the male is stymied, and we have to deal with all the reasonsAt the end he has to push through and realize that he has to change this – become more human, more sensitizedTorment and awareness – contemplation is keyFrom Here to Eternity - set just before WW2 but it’s not a war filmIt all takes place more in our minds than in the barracksFred Zimmerman was the directorThe script was drafted when he came onto the projectFZ imposed his own view on the scriptHe moved it according to his vision and sensibility – centered on the male (sometimes the female, but mostly the male)Men who had lost a sense of self and definition and they tried to get it backSociety tries to make the man lose his sense of self (this is From Here to Eternity)In the end there is a psychological conversionAnother story of male melodrama:He rises materially to fall spiritually – the man self-destructsIn post war – more and more people are working in the industry who are artists, individualsA dialectic between genre and the auteurA director who has so molded the formula that he made it in his own imageThe studios are breaking up at this point – directors are able to say more and more what they wantThe one who set this point was HitchcockFrom Here to Eternity (1951)Mammoth best sellerMid-cultThe war was the central subject of all of James Joyce’s novelsThe phrase is actually “Damned from here to eternity”Harry Cone – vicious runner of Columbia studiosBought it for $625,000Gave the work to a very good writer to write the adaptationWon the academy award for this adaptationZinnemann read the script and thought he could make a good movieEverything had to be proper based on the production codeThe production code administration has a lot of problems with itExample: the relationship between the captain’s wife and a sergeant who works for the captainThey had to give her a reason for adultery that is not in the bookThe profanity, vulgarity and violence are all excisedThe film won 8 Oscars, 13 nominationsMade around $25 million, made for about $1 millionZinnemannBorn in 1907 in Vienna, died in 1997Studied law, saw 3 films that were his role to DamascusWent to school for cinematographyHis style blends documentary and fictionHe worked with Robert Flaherty on documentaries:If you want to be an artist in the industry you have to be as independent as possible from the people financing your filmYou have to know how to accommodate contributions of other people without allowing it to corrupt your artistic integrityHe got a contract at MGM directing documentary shortsContracted to work with B films at MGM, once in a while these turned into A films (like The Search with Montgomery Cliff)When he left MGM he went independent (people are going rogue in this period)Concerned with being himself – if not now whenThe center of a Zinnemann film is man and his identityAble to convey meaning by business and staging, not just through actionThis is a time of location shootingEndings are open – this is a part of realismMale and Female RepresentationMontgomery Clift was BEAUTIFULWatch A Place in the Sun because it’s Casper’s favorite movie of all timeHe brought something new to the representation of the male on screenHe had both masculine and feminine traitsStrong and stubborn but vulnerable and, at times, masochisticEmbodied a dichotomous gender construct – the sensitive male, the anti-heroHe was ambiguous, always played the loanerBorn in Omaha, Broadway until he was discovered for moviesMethod actor – a new type of actors that started in NY and infiltrated the Hollywood feature filmFirst film was for Fred Zinneman, although the first that was released was Red RiverHe received 4 nominations, but Hollywood didn’t like him and he didn’t like