9/3leisure activities had an enormous effect on moviesTV contributed to decline in movie attendancedecline in original films, most are adaptationsit is a melodrama because it is a mystery (which husband ran off with Addie Ross?)Comedydisillusionanti-conformistperiod of immense economic resurgence (46-52)writing is most important to comedy, studios no longer had contract writersdoesn’t need location shooting, new technologies that were popular at the time, censorship still in place but you could hide it in comedyeverything in comedy needs to be stylized so the audience can recognize the underlying messagehowever there are 5 prominent comedic writers: Hawks, Tashlin, Billy Wilder, Josesocial satire: looking at society and seeing shortcomings, blending a critical attitude with humor and witcharacter separates himself/herself from society and comments on itsociety’s limitations are exposed with laughter, makes it digestiblecomedy comes mainly from dialogue9/10the government was after the motion picture industry (because of a monopoly) MGM, Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Foxthey were vertically integrated (owned theaters, production, distribution, exhibition, etc.)studios decided to get rid of exhibition, made TV much more popularrise of suburbia led to loss of movie audience (movie palaces are in cities)  major decline in product, and shift to making BIG films, spend more $$$ on less filmsmore stars, better directorsbox office is up in Europe but down in America because Europe doesn’t have televisionfilm must have international appealmust develop a more economic way of making movies  shift to independent productionindependent producers, directors, writers, and stars approached big studios with “packages” including a budget to pay for the filmmaking process for 30% of profits, and if they distribute in Europe or Canada they get 36%Otto Preminger: most important producer/director in undermining of censorship at the time, an auteur who knew the language of cinemaHis canvas does not have heroes or villains“Anatomy of a MurderBook by Robert TraverHear for the first time the words “rape, sperm, contraception, bitch…#7 in box office in 1959won 8 academy award nominations9/17huge dip in market between 1948-1950major studio RKO closed in 1957Disney was on the rise (only in production at the time), formed Buena Vista as Disney’s distribution company in 1953AIP (American International Pictures)  to make pictures for teenage audiences1948-1953 40 blatant anti-communist pictures, tens of people subpoenaed for speculation of being communistexpansion of overseas market (52% of profit in Europe and Asia), new markets in distributiondistribution fee increased from 30-36% by mid 1950’ssix engagements in films being released, started with film palaces and spread out further, kept movies out for 6 months-1 yearmovies now ran 2 ½ - 3 hours, have 10 showings per week, reserved seatsrereleases are very importantmore movies in summer than winter, record goes into slump and TV is in rerunsmarketing strategies began to change in 1950’stheaters are closing due to loss of audience (specifically negro theater), alternative theaters opening uptheaters to accommodate Cinerama, passion pit (drive-in),documentary films began playing in art houses5 Elements of Family MelodramaThe outsiderFamilial traumatizationComing of AgeComing to terms with life despite familyRestoration and ReinventionPicnicRosemary and Howard: people often live lives of desperation (both quiet and apparent)See the relationship between character and environment (product of the Midwest)Piece takes place in 24 hours on labor day, there is no plot but it is all characterization, no good heroes or villains, just human beingsFeminine hygiene is touched uponJoshua Logan was gay but still in the closet (was married with kids)Went to Princeton and Stanislavski (method) in RussiaVery concerned with transitions from scene to scene, no vision but directed beautifullyHelped immensely by the scoreCamera mounted on dollyDomestic melodrama – the period of family melodrama, defining genre of postwar HollywoodAmerican family was coming apart at this time5 different plotsarrival of stranger into a familysibling rivalry, ethical disparityadults who revert to childhoodfamily reinvention or substitutionold vs. newproblems of confronting middleagednessdesire for wealth robbing America of its moralityminorities portrayed against mass culturesetting was always contemporaryfamily melodrama almost always deals with outcasts impacting the familyPlay vs. FilmFilm makes material much more sensualPaper: How cinemascope effects the drama and appeal of the film?9/24First time in history of movies where technology begins to be foregroundedTechnicolor, cinemascope, and stereophonic soundAntidote to loss of audience to televisionRomantic comedyFew genres that respected the intelligence of the femaleMale and female are both protagonists and antagonistsBiggest fragmentation is that a man is a man and a woman is a woman, two different species trying to be oneBattle of the sexes - to ensure a state of peace and harmonyConventions of Romantic ComedyMust have a center, a lynchpin that holds the piece together  a conceitMakes it start up, ripple on, and work itself outBrings life into piece, must be outrageousImportance of castingMale and female must have strong personas, must hold their own and be strongMust be contrastedVery different personalitiesMust have confidantsDialogueRepartee – quick talk back and forthWordplay is foreplayPillow TalkProduced by 2 gay menSexual revolutionRock Hudson’s first comedy, wolf who transforms into a lambDoris Day was wholesome, sunny, etc.She also ate on screen which no other actresses would doAbove all, she played focuses womenCinemascopeGreater clarityShows living space10/1Censorship1930: advent of production code association, run by Will Hayes1934: Joseph Green is head of PCA and Catholic Legion of DecencyStandards become more and more strict between 1938-1940Censors gradually became more laxOpen discussion of sexual moresDesensitization to violence (broadcasts of gangsters, Korean war, etc.)Changing face of men, women, and families in the U.S.TV is now mass media, subject matter must be more containedMovies have more freedom being shown to smaller groupAnti-trust decreesEconomic factorsHollywood was taken over by liberalsEstes Kefauver: committee oversaw movies filled with sex and violence, investigation led