The coffeehouse readings have been moved to Friday at 7:00 in the Ensemble Theater. Sorry for the confusion.
Take a look at these clips. Choose one category and respond in writing to this question:
After viewing the sample clips here, choose a contemporary film that reminds you of what you watched. Explain the connection and answer: do you think the connection is on purpose or by accident? Why? This comment/response will be due next class (June 7).
1960's Epic/Costume Drama Films:
Spartacus (1960) Tony Curtis, Laurence Olivier, Charleton Heston
El Cid (1961) Charleton Heston
Cleopatra (1963) Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
Becket (1964) Richard Burton & Peter O'Toole
The Sound of Music (1965) Julie Andrews & Christopher Plumber
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
The Lion in Winter (1968) Peter O'Toole & Katherine Hepburn
Angry Young Man Films:
Look Back in Anger (1959)
The Loneliness of the Longdistance Runner (1962)
The Caretaker (1963)
The Leather Boys (1963)
If (1969)
Easy Rider (1969)
Beatles' Films
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Help! (1965)
Yellow Submarine (1968)
Famous/Influential Directors:
Stanley Kubrick: Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove (1964)
John Ford: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
George Pal: The Time Machine (1960), Jason & the Argonauts (1963), One Million Years BC (1966)
John Frankenheimer: The Young Savages (1961), The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Arthur Penn: The Miracle Worker (1962), Bonny & Clyde (1967), Alice's Restaurant (1969)
Alfred Hitchcock: Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964), Torn Curtain (1966)
James Bond Films: Dr. No (1962), Goldfinger (1964)
African American Films:
Sidney Poitier: A Raisin in the Sun (1961), Lilies of the Field (1963), To Sir With Love (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
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6 comments:
Savannah Goole –
The 1960’s Epic/ Costume Drama Films are lavish and over the top. They were made, it seems, to bring people in the theatre to another world. The sets were large, along with the cast. I’m sure the budget was quite a bit larger for these films, expecting them to do well because they were, in fact, epics.
Movies like Titanic, and even more newly “Avatar” remind me of these epic 1960’s films. These movies were also made to be classics, to be epics and with very large box-office grossing and large budgets. The set designs for both of the films, whether a large ship in the ocean or Pandora are both places few people in the theatre have ever been able to reach. Titanic, especially, being created based on a true event would draw large audiences. Films like the Sound of Music and Titanic could be put together as movies under which “you can’t be serious…you’ve never seen that!”
I do think the connection was on purpose. These movies were made to be epic, classic, see-again films. The budget was large from the beginning just for that reason. The amazingly extravagant set designs, locations, special effects and costume design makes all of these movies epic costume dramas.
In the eyes of ordinary people, famous musicians and performers are usually assumed to lead extravagant and far-from-normal lives. Sometimes, this thought becomes so exaggerated and hyperbolic that people believe these entertainers to somehow be, superhuman. Anyhow, in the series of Beatles films that are posted, the Beatles live lives that are more than extravagant. One contemporary film that is similar to these Beatles films is, The Cheetah Girls: When in Spain.
In this particular Cheetah Girls movie, a lot of unusual things happen to the girls. Fresh out of high school a group of best friends who are very talented singers, end up being able to travel to Spain to perform and heighten their musical careers. On this very mystical trip, somehow, one meets and falls in love with a prince and ends up dating him. Now we all know that not everybody gets to go to Spain soon after high school and ends up meeting a prince and falls in love. This just isn’t reality. In the Beatle’s film Help!, the guys find themselves in a series of situations in which they are all threatened by danger and suddenly escape. In the movie that proceeded Help! the boys get away with a lot of things that regular people wouldn’t get away with. This is true in some of the Cheetah Girls movies as well.
In some ways I do believe that the connection is made on purpose. As human beings we are fascinated by things that are much larger than we are. Other humans, who live lives that are unimaginable when compared to ours, often catch our eye. This hasn’t changed over the years. I believe that film-makers know and understand this which is exactly why most movies are based upon things that we wish would happen to us or know that can’t happen to us. Obviously, the connection between the films wasn’t exactly a direct one being that they did not follow the same plot lines. However, some of the underlying themes have been purposely implanted because the filmmakers know that this kind of thing is what will draw audiences to the theatres.
The 60s epic/costume drama films offer an escapist experience that is still a big draw for movie audiences today. They have huge budgets are are set on a grand scale, often portraying history and royalty ("Cleopatra," "The Lion in Winter") or epic battles ("El Cid"). These are the kinds of films that audiences can't relate to much, at least in terms of individual experience. But that is probably why audiences liked they so much--because they are a portal to new and magical places that the audience wants to go to but can't.
Watching the clips, I was reminded of the "Lord of the Rings" movies that are so popular today. "Spartacus" and "El Cid," particularly brought LOTR to mind with grand battles scenes and intense action. I don't think this connection is accidental. In the 1960s, moviemakers knew what their audiences wanted, and that hasn't changed much. We still want to escape from reality by watching elaborate, epic productions.
The 1960's Epic/ Costume Films were very extravagant but they reminded me a lot of modern action films like "300" and "Avatar". These 1960s hits were very large budget films similar to the modern hits of this day. These films take an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure, and add an extravagant setting and lavish costumes, accompanied by grandeur and spectacle and a sweeping musical score. Everything about these films was done to a huge degree.
These films are filled with action and even romance which finds a much larger audience than other genres. They follow the continuing adventures of the hero, who are presented in the context of great historical events of the past. Avatar and especially 300 both use historical events.
Everything about the 60s Epic films were larger than life and I feel that is why that genre was and is so popular. It is something people can only see in the movies. Most things in the films are so epic that it makes people want to go see them to be amazed.
The "Angry Young Man" films of the 1960s tapped into the rebellious and radical nature that was often associated with attractive, brooding young actors. When I watched the trailer for "Easy Rider," the first contemporary movie that came to mind was "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" by the Coen brothers. The main similarity I viewed between them was that "cross country" vibe where the main characters travel the country and stumble upon a multitude of interesting people. Also, in both films, the main characters seem to be running from the law, whether for drug-dealing in "Easy Rider" or because they are searching for hidden money in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" However, I am nearly positive that these connections were not intended by the filmmakers, because the inspiration for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" was Homer's "The Odyssey." I just think that the main reason I thought of those two movies as being similar had to do with the all-male leads trekking across the country.
The Beatles films brought the band's massive popularity to the screen in fun, adventurous movies. The films also feature the Beatles' original music and performances.
There are many modern films that include their stars performing original songs. For example, there are several Disney movies starring performers such as Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, and the Cheetah Girls who must deal with mishaps and adventures and then perform. While these movies are not always of high quality, they share similar themes as the Beatles films.
In addition, Across the Universe used the Beatles music and created a story line surrounding it. While this film has a very different feel from the Beatles films, it still uses their music as a central element.
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