Please complete your Metropolis papers. They are due today. If you finish early, please go on to learn about Hal Roach and watch some short films.
The 1930's: The Golden Age of Film
The 1930's is considered the Golden Age of Film. Please review and take notes on these following film clips. You should note who is starring in which roles and how certain actors and directors helped shape the genres we now recognize in film today. You will be tested on the material found here, so please watch attentively and make some observations about film in the 1930's.
As for camera work, there are few tricks being used with cameras. Angles are mostly eye-level, with medium, long, and close up shots being used with transitions such as the wipe, the iris, fade to black to indicate scene changes. There is still rear projection, tracking shots, dolly shots, and elaborate sets (particularly for war and epic films), but overall, the feel of 1930's film is like watching a play.
With the invention of sound, movies rely on written dialogue to move the plot and develop character (as opposed to using solely a visual medium). Famous directors and writers such as Frank Capra, Walt Disney and writer George S. Kaufman to name only a few make their appearance in this era. Since sound is a new invention, the use of music is an important element. See what other details you can observe as you watch the clips:
Hell's Angels (1930) Premiere clip (not the film, but the hubbub about the film)
Hell's Angels (1930) clip with Jean Harlow
Anna Christie (1930) With Greta Garbo
Tarzan, The Ape Man (1932) Johnny Weissmuller
Morocco (1930) with Marlene Dietrich
Grand Hotel (1932) with Joan Crawford & John Barrymore
King Kong (1933) starring a large gorilla, Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Clark Gable & Charles Laughton
Captain Blood (1935) with Errol Flynn & Basil Rathbone (documentary clip)
Hal Roach was born in Elmira, NY (near us!), before moving to Hollywood. He worked for the Pathe Exchange Co. before working for MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) as a producer. He is best known for producing the comedy teams of Laurel & Hardy and The Our Gang comedies (or Little Rascals).
Laurel and Hardy
Not all silent film stars made the transition to talkies. One comic duo that did, however, was Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. This iconic duo made over 100 films together, initially short films, before expanding into feature length films by the end of the 1930s. More can be examined by clicking on the link of their name above. Here are a few clips/films:
- The Music Box (1932) Winner of the Academy Awards for Best Short Subject
- Our Wife (1931) Laurel & Hardy with comedian Ben Turpin (see Slapstick section several posts ago!)
- Sons of the Desert (1933) clip/trailer
- Babes in Toyland (1934) clip/trailer
- Way Out West (1937) (full film)
- The Flying Deuces (1939) (full film)
- Nothing But Trouble (1944)
- Utopia (1951)
- 3 Men in a Tub
- Honkey Donkey
- Spooky Hooky
- Beginner's Luck
- Mama's Little Pirate
- Bored of Education
- Readin' & Writin'
- Mush n Milk
- Little Rascals (Greatest Hits, 1) Whatever Happened to the Little Rascals (information, although a bit grim)
- HOMEWORK: A Technicolor treat: watch this Disney film and notice: A). how sound is used & B). If you notice the caricatures, note who these famous actors are and get a point of extra credit for each recognizable famous actor. Turn in answers Thursday.
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