All posts tagged: 2019

SCARFACE and the Italian

Published by Angela Peticca

In the United States during the early 1930s, Prohibition became a gateway for criminal activity that led to a fight for control over the different aspects of illegal goods and services. This new era of criminal underworld, brimming with riches ripe for the taking, attracted the likes of those such as Al Capone, Charles “Lucky” Luciano, and Frank Costello. America became fascinated with these gangsters and their illegal organizations, in part due to the economic status of the early 1930s, with the gangster representing a challenge to social institutions and the instability of the government and economy. Unlike the usual criminal, the gangster was smart and organized, an example of success and wealth, sought out public and media attention, and evolved into the embodiment of a Great Depression anti-hero.[1] Even though the Great Depression gravely impacted the United States’ economy and most industries, Hollywood managed to stay afloat through various marketing strategies and by providing a sought-after diversion.[2] To increase movie attendance, Hollywood quickly capitalized on America’s recent era of captivation with gangsters. Being the …

Angela Peticca is a recent graduate of Oakland University who minored in Cinema Studies.

Shifting Depictions of Mental Illness in Film

Published by Haley Spencer

Mental illness is an underlying force in a variety of films dating back to the 1940s. Illnesses such as mental disorders, drug, and alcohol addiction are referenced, yet because of the censorship laws, these ideas were either ridiculed or dismissed. In order to call action to these issues, the film industry had to adjust their mode of attack to relay the messages to audiences efficiently. Throughout the 1940s-1960s the censorship laws changed drastically.[1] In 1930, the Hays office implemented a new code to maintain moral values. This code required studios to submit their work for approval prior to filming. Only with this seal of approval, could production begin. The Hays office requested edits and changes of the script until it met their guidelines. The anxiety about the booming film industry stemmed from how the messages shown would affect the youth and society as a whole.  Led by Catholic advocate Joseph Breen, the Production Code Administration (PCA) was formed in July of 1934. Films were heavily censored under Breen’s leadership as he worked with the Catholic …

Classifying a Film as Noir Through Themes

Published by Amanda Ibrahim

Introduction The topic this paper assesses is the use of certain themes in film noir of the 1950s; namely the themes of wealth and the ever-present strain on the protagonists to attain wealth or sustain financial stability and security. This topic is important because it explains the motivations of the characters’ actions in noir films. The plot is almost driven by the protagonists’ need to find some sort of sustainable income, whether it be legal or not. This drive for security or chase for wealth arouses hasty and irrational behavior that leads to a series of traumatic events. The dreadful circumstances the protagonists’ actions put them in is what gives film noir its niche. Assessing the theme of wealth and security, understanding the motives behind the characters is important because it helps the audience understand why the film ended the way it did- with an unfortunate finale. To helps define the films as film noir, I will be analyzing Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) and John Huston’s Asphalt Jungle (1950). Background and Review of Film …

Amanda Ibrahim is a graduating senior and a Cinema Studies minor.

Patterns for Clarity, Narrative for Style. An Analysis of the Cinematic Techniques used in ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Published by Dani Parker

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry uses patterns enhanced by the cinematic techniques of Joel’s memories to make sense of the complicated narrative he presents. With so many themes, elements of symbolism, and the creative structure, these patterns help to guide the viewer and reinforce the lesson he wants the viewer to take from Joel’s story. Gondry allows the viewer to sympathize with Joel and even encourages them to contemplate their own memories. Joel strips away his good, bad, and ugly memories, revealing a sense of regret that the viewer is then encouraged to respond to. Slowly and meticulously, Gondry uncovers the underlying sorrow (through mise-en-scène, cinematography, sound, and editing), and palpable sense of tragedy (through the circular narrative) in Joel’s memories to show the viewer the tragedy of love and loss. Apparent throughout the film, Gondry uses patterns in the mise-en-scène and cinematography to keep the viewer in tune with Joel’s thought process and mentality. Even when it is not a memory, the focus is still on Joel and his reactions …

Dani Parker is a rising junior and a Cinema Studies major.

Queer Cinema: Hegemonic Negotiation of Repressive Dominant Ideologies in CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

Published by Troy Walker

Since the turn of the 21st century, Hollywood has seen a growing number of queer narratives being produced and marketed to mass audiences. Although these representations are being made, they are still few in comparison to the amount of films that portray the ideals and values that can be considered the dominant ideologies of American culture. That is to say, films that are made largely for individuals who fall within the heterosexual, white, Judeo-Christian, and male populations of American citizens. According to Antonio Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony, these ruling forces of influence “must be won and re-won” through a constant “negotiation with subcultural artifacts [such as film], ideas, and/or social movements” that oppose them.[1] So what makes hegemonic negotiation relevant to contemporary queer cinema? Harry Benshoff believes there can be two approaches toward hegemonic negotiation. In this case, it means that even though queer stories are breaking through to mainstream audiences, their content remains partial to the overarching heterosexual ideologies. However, in a more optimistic stance that this paper will take, it also means …

Troy Walker is a graduating senior at Oakland University with a major in Creative Writing and a minor in Cinema Studies. Troy is currently working hard on his first feature-length screenplay and hopes to get it financed and produced soon. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in both the book publishing and filmmaking industries, as well as write his first novel. He is also the proud father of two adorable cats who (when they're not taking long naps) like to watch movies with him.

Female-Driven Films: Reception and Impact of ROUGH NIGHT

Published by Sheridan Nunnery

The movie Rough Night follows the reunion of five friends who get together to have a bachelorette party. Jess (Scarlett Johansson) is getting married, and a fun night away in Miami with her friends is exactly what she needs to take her focus off of a stressful state senate campaign. But the celebration is cut short when a freak accident ends with the entertainer the women hired died on their floor; by their hands. To say that they have a rough night is a pretty large understatement. Not only does this movie feature a mainly female-cast, but it is also the directorial debut of Lucia Aniello a female filmmaker, settling this film in the category of female-driven films due to its involvement of women in the production of the movie. This film is female-driven too because every decision these women in the film drives the plot forward. Do they hide the body, or call the police? Women have a central role both on and off-screen, making this a female-driven film. Without these women, this movie …

Sheridan Nunnery is a rising junior and a Cinema Studies major with a specialization in filmmaking.

Technological Success, Emotional Failure: Civilization and Unhappiness in THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Published by Bushra Varachia

Happy is the man free of business cares, who, like the men of olden days, ploughs the family fields with his own oxen and neither lends nor borrows. — Horace, Beatus Ille[1] In his essay, Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud seeks to connect the unhappiness of man as an individual to civilization and society, exploring concepts such as the sexual and death instincts, the relationship between technological development and happiness, and, to some extent, the god-complex. Freud defines civilization as “the achievements and the regulations which distinguish our lives from those of our animal ancestors,” “protect men against nature,” and “adjust their mutual relations.”[2] He remarks especially upon the “exploitation of the earth by man,”[3] or the domination of nature in order to then wield it as a tool to aid human progress. Freud also claims that civilization requires the renunciation or limitation of the sexual and death instincts.[4] Thus, civilization becomes “largely responsible for [mankind’s] misery,” and man would be more satisfied in his primitive state.[5] Each of these key concepts from Freud’s …

Bushra Varachia is a Cinema Studies filmmaking major with a minor in Spanish. After graduation, she hopes to edit videos to help her pay her way through Europe. If she's not at Kresge Library, you can probably find her in her car, driving 2,000 miles to walk around some rocks and sleep on some dirt.

SPARTACUS and the End of the Blacklist

Published by Madeline Theodoroff

During the time of the blacklist, a group of screenwriters were forced into hiding because of the HUAC trials. Many of those writers, and some directors, were not able to work because of the outcome of those trials. This group, called the “Unfriendly Ten”, were pushed out of Hollywood almost entirely because of the trial outcome, many never recovering after being sent to prison or even being cleared of all charges. There were plenty of writers and directors that did name names, and even though this allowed them to continue working in Hollywood, they also did not recover from the complete betrayal of their peers. However, one notable screenwriter that was punished due to the blacklist, Dalton Trumbo, continued his writing career in secret, writing under pseudonyms “loaned” to him by other writers free of the plague of the blacklist. He wrote quite a few films, some of the most noteworthy ones being Roman Holiday (1953) and The Brave One (1956). Some of his films, like The Brave One, took slight jabs at the blacklist …

Madeline Theodoroff is a graduating senior and a Cinema Studies major with a specialization in filmmaking.

Scopophilia and Spectacle: The Pleasure of Looking at “Chicago”

Published by Rachel Sarasin

Looking at women as objects in film is not a new concept; it has been around since the beginning of motion pictures. Before that, it was also a concept in photographs and clubs. Men love to look, and some women love to be looked at. This is discussed in Laura Mulvey’s essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.”[1] Specifically, she describes the idea of scopophilia, or the pleasure of looking. This is what I will be mainly focusing on for this essay. I want to showcase how scopophilia is displayed in the film Chicago.[2] In this musical film from 2002, directed by Rob Marshall, with a screenplay by Bill Condon, women criminals take the concept of scopophilia, and the male gaze, and use it towards their advantage. By putting on a show, or a spectacle, they are able to get what they want. In the way Chicago is filmed and edited, there are the “reality” scenes and the “fantasy” scenes that are intertwined. The fantasy scenes throughout the film then visually represent these spectacles, and provide …

Rachel Sarasin is currently a Cinema Studies student at Oakland University. Rachel hopes to pursue a career in production management in the film industry. Her friends love to take advantage of her passion for planning and organizing, but she doesn’t mind. If you’re one of the lucky people that receives the OUTV channel, you may spot her as the host of “OUt and AbOUt,” a monthly series documenting events happening around Oakland University. She’s also a Yooper, so if you see her around, feel free to ask her about the many mysteries and histories of the Upper Peninsula.

Hollywood Prefers Blondes: Analysis of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES and the Cinema of the 1950s

Published by Kelsie Schueneman

American cinema of the 1950s saw many changes and challenges. On January 1, 1950 the Paramount Decree had gone into effect, making it illegal for studios to control exhibition of their films. Additionally, the rising popularity of television meant that studios now had to compete for viewers and tried numerous methods, including color and widescreen, to draw in audiences. One film from this era that exemplifies the changing climate of cinema is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Released in 1953 and directed by Howard Hawks, this film serves as a microcosm of the 1950s. Hawks’ filmmaking career began in the early 1930s with gangster films such as Scarface and The Public Enemy. Hawks was conscious of the changes occurring in the film industry however and shifted the style of films he was making. He “suggested that Hollywood needed to make pictures with imagination that sustain interest because television is taking over the trivia.”[1] By the 1950s, Hawks was making screwball comedies such as Monkey Business and, of course, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Examination of the film Gentlemen Prefer …

Kelsie Schueneman is currently a junior at Oakland University from Milford, Michigan. Kelsie is majoring in Cinema Studies and minoring in Creative Writing. She is an editor of Screen Culture. Kelsie is passionate about female representation in film. This essay was written for Prof. Brendan Kredell's "Methods of Cinema Studies" course.