Academic literature on the topic '190201 Cinema Studies'

Six decades after the romantic comedy emerged as a Hollywood genre in 1934, the first romantic comedies with a central lesbian couple, including Marita Giovanni’s Bar Girls and Rose Troche’s Go Fish, were released in 1994. This study argues that Bar Girls and Go Fish represent the first in a group of films whose numbers and similarities enable their consideration as a romantic comedy sub-genre, namely the ‘lesbian romantic comedy’. This study identifies and analyses this sub-genre. It contends that these films have emerged as the predominant (and perhaps only) form of mainstream lesbian feature film in the United States of America in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s. Yet, despite their relative prominence for more than a decade, they remain vastly under-examined areas in scholarship on both film genre and lesbian culture. This project aims to contribute to these areas by producing the first full-length survey of the sub-genre and the first study of any length to focus exclusively on it. This study concentrates on ten lesbian romantic comedies: Bar Girls (1994), Go Fish (1994), Maria Maggenti’s The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love (1995), Kelli Herd’s It’s in the Water (1996), Julia Dyer’s Late Bloomers (1996), Emma-Kate Croghan’s Love and Other Catastrophes (1996), Heidi Arnesen’s Some Prefer Cake (1997), Anne Wheeler’s Better than Chocolate (1999), Jamie Babbit’s But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), and Helen Lesnick’s A Family Affair (2001). While this project employs textual analysis as its primary methodology to examine these films, these analyses take place more broadly within a public sphere framework. Consistent with a wider shift in analyses of lesbian and gay cultural products, this framework allows a consideration of the larger public stakes of lesbian romantic comedies and, in particular, their introduction of lesbian content into a heterocentric genre. Specifically, this project argues that the introduction of lesbian content—or the replacement of ‘boy meets girl’ with ‘girl meets girl’—destabilises the genre in significant ways, but that the genre itself equally restricts the representation of lesbianism possible within it. Ultimately, this project proposes a reading of lesbian romantic comedies as conservative and progressive, conventional and subversive, but as nonetheless complex texts that offer a range of pleasures and readings to their audiences and a range of challenges to the genre itself. Such a reading reveals the complexity and negotiation inherent in these films’ position as independent films presenting culturally and politically marginal content in a mainstream genre.

The concern with the following arguments started during a study of national and international cinemas, from the desire to account for a cinema that internationally was doing well, but was undervalued domestically. The aims were to account for the renewal of Italian filmmaking from 1988, the New Italian cinema, and understand the conditions behind this renewal. The thesis identifies in the historical theme and in the recurrence of features from Italian cinema history elements of coherence with previous cinema production. The first consideration that emerges is that a triangulation between a new generation of filmmakers, their audience and recent history shaped the recovery of Italian cinema from 1988. A second consideration is that no discussion of Italian cinema can be separated from a discussion of that which it represents: Italian society and politics. This representation has not only addressed questions of identity for a cohort of spectators, but on occasions has captured the attention of the international audience. Thus the thesis follows a methodologic approach that positions texts in relation to certain traditions in Italian filmmaking and to the context by taking into consideration also industrial factors and social and historical changes. By drawing upon a range of disciplines, from political history to socio-psychological studies, the thesis has focussed on representation of history and memory in two periods of Italian film history: the first and the last decade of twentieth century. The concern has been not so much to interpret the films, but to understand the processes that made the films and how spectarors have applied their knowledge structures to make meaning of the films. Thus the thesis abstains from ascribing implicit meanings to films, but acknowledges how films project cultural contingencies. This is beacause film is shaped by production conditions and cultural and historical circumstances that make the film intelligible. As Bordwell stated in Making Meaning, "One can do other things with films besides 'reading' them" (1989, p. xiii). Within this framework, the thesis proposes a project that understands history films with the norms that govern Italian filmic output, those norms that regulate conditions of production and consumption and the relation between films from various traditions.

Max Ophuls reste un cinéaste méconnu. Plusieurs de ses films (Liebelei, Lettre d’une inconnue, La Ronde) l’ont associé à la Vienne fin de siècle et à la littérature autrichienne, faisant oublier sa relation avec l’Allemagne, son pays natal, et avec Goethe. Cette thèse propose une nouvelle approche auctoriale fondée sur l’étude de sa relation avec l’écrivain. Il s’agit d’examiner la façon dont le matériau goethéen travaille les œuvres inspirées de Goethe et nourrit les conceptions esthétiques du cinéaste. La première partie s’attache à Goethe en tant que source d’inspiration créatrice. Elle repose essentiellement sur l’analyse du Roman de Werther, film français de 1938, et de la Nouvelle, pièce radiophonique allemande de 1954. Cette nouvelle lecture d’œuvres considérées comme mineures montre l’évolution de la relation à Goethe et met en évidence le rapport d’Ophuls à la culture allemande et à l’Allemagne dans le contexte mouvementé du XXème siècle. La seconde partie établit sur un plan plus théorique les liens entre la conception de l’art d’Ophuls et l’esthétique goethéenne. L’analyse des Réflexions sur le cinéma (pièce radiophonique allemande de 1956) montre l’importance de Goethe comme référent théorique. L’examen d’écrits de natures diverses d’Ophuls met au jour une poétique implicite du cinéma, fondée sur l’esthétique organique goethéenne
Max Ophuls remains a neglected film maker. Several movies he directed (such as Liebelei, Lettre d'une inconnue, La Ronde) have linked his name with fin de siècle Vienna and Austrian literature, overshadowing his relationship with Goethe and with Germany, his native country. Our thesis proposes a new approach to Ophuls, based on a study of his relationship with the German writer : we examine the way in which the Goethean sources both operate in the works directly inspired by Goethe and influence the aesthetic tenets of the director. The first part of our work deals with Goethe as a source of inspiration. It is mostly based on the analysis of the 1938 movie Le Roman de Werther, and of the 1954 radio drama Novelle. This new approach to works considered of lesser importance reveals the development of Ophuls's relationship with Goethe and highlights his connection with Germany and German culture in the turbulent context of twentieth century. The second part, on a more theoretical level, traces the paths linking Ophuls's conception of art and Goethean aesthetics. Our analysis of Thoughts on Film (Gedanken über den Film), a 1956 radio drama, highlights the importance of Goethe as a theoretical frame of reference: other texts of different nature allow us to describe an implicit poetics of cinema, based on Goethean organic aesthetics

Cette étude décrit le marché des films allemands en Moselle pendant l'annexion du département à l'Allemagne nazie. Elle analyse la politique locale du cinéma mise en place par les nouvelles autorités (partie 1), la programmation des films (partie 2), leurs circulations et leurs consommations par les spectateurs (partie 3). Privilégiant une approche anthropologique du cinéma, l'observation essaie d'interroger l'efficacité des mécanismes d'hégémonie culturelle qui ne se réduisent ni à une entreprise de manipulation politique, ni à l'imposition implicite d'une vision du monde. Elle porte son attention sur le plaisir comme moteur de la conduite esthétique et expression d'une sensibilité partagée.Dès juillet 1940, le cinéma est entièrement « germanisé » : l’organisation de l’activité cinématographique est placée sous le contrôle du NSDAP et les films (Deutsche Wochenschau, Kulturfilm et longs-métrages) sont tous projetés en allemand. Pour autant, le cinéma demeure l’activité-phare de l’annexion. La fréquentation des salles de cinéma est massive notamment du fait de la qualité d'une filmographie qui était déjà la première en Europe avant l'avènement du nazisme. L'analyse du marché montre également la faible présence des films de propagande les plus spontanément associés au cinéma nazi et la normalité d'un divertissement de culture germanique centré sur le succès des genres les plus populaires (comme les films musicaux, les mélodrames, les films historiques) et sur le prestige et la beauté de vedettes admirées (Viktor de Kowa, Marika Rökk, Viktor Staal, Ilse Werner, etc.).L'étude de la réception des films allemands en Moselle annexée est l'étude de l'expérience qu'en font les spectateurs, notamment les plus jeunes d'entre eux, dont nous avons pu raviver les souvenirs par l'intermédiaire d'enquêtes orales. Les films sont un moyen de se divertir, de s’extraire d'un quotidien coercitif et répressif, et d’observer les tensions sociales inhérentes à la société de l’époque. Cette appropriation des films est à l’origine d'une neutralisation des effets idéologiques des plus virulents d'entre eux, et d’un attachement profond des spectateurs au cinéma allemand en général. Son plaisir est entretenu. Il fait l'objet d'échanges, de discussions, de partages. Mais l'assimilation systématique de tous ces films à l'idéologie nazie a rendu impossible sa transmission après la chute du Troisième Reich et la fin de la seconde guerre mondiale.Pensé volontairement comme un vecteur essentiel de la germanisation des populations de l'Est de la France appelées à devenir des Allemands à part entière, utilisé comme un instrument de propagande de l'idéologie nazie et une vitrine culturelle de l'Allemagne, le cinéma en Moselle annexée est un loisir sous influence qui se vit pourtant librement. Le plaisir du cinéma allemand est à la fois ce qui permet aux autorités de s'imposer politiquement dans l'ordre du loisir et dans le même temps, ce qui rend possible, par le biais du jeu, caractéristique de l'homo ludens, le souci de soi et l'estime des autres. Cette ambivalence paradoxale est le propre de l'hégémonie culturelle
This study describes the German film market in Moselle during the annexation of the department to Nazi Germany. It analyses the local politics of cinema put in place by the new authorities (part 1), the programming of films (part 2), their circulation and their consumption by the spectators (part 3). Focusing on an anthropological approach to the cinema, it attempts to question the effectiveness of the mechanisms of cultural hegemony that are not reduced to political manipulation, nor to the implicit presentation of a worldview. The focus is on pleasure as the driving force of aesthetic behaviour and the expression of a shared sensibility.From July 1940, the cinema is completely "Germanized": the organisation of the film industry is placed under the control of the NSDAP and the films (Deutsche Wochenschau, Kulturfilm and feature films) are all screened in German. However, the cinema remains the core activity of the annexation. Cinema attendance is significant, particularly because of the quality of films that were the best in Europe before the advent of Nazism. Market analysis also shows how few propaganda films, of the kind most readily associated with Nazi cinema were shown and that Germanic cultural entertainment focused predominantly on the most successful genres (such as musicals, melodramas, historical films) and on the reputation and beauty of famous celebrities (Viktor de Kowa, Marika Rökk, Viktor Staal, Viktor Rökk, etc.)The study of German films in annexed Moselle is essentially a study of the experience of the viewers, especially the youngest of them, whose memories we have been able to revive through oral surveys. The films are a way to have fun, of escaping a coercive and repressive daily life, and the social tensions inherent in society at the time. This appropriation of film is aimed at neutralising the more dangerous ideological ideas, and the profound attachment of viewers to the German cinema in general. The gratification continues because it is the subject of exchanges, discussions, sharing. However, the systematic assimilation of all these films to Nazi ideology made it impossible to show them after the fall of the Third Reich and the end of the Second World War.Deliberately conceived as an important tool in the Germanisation of the peoples of eastern France (who were expected to become fully-fledged Germans) and to be used as a propaganda tool for Nazi ideology and a cultural showcase for Germany in annexed Moselle, cinema was a free-spirited leisure activity. The popularity of German cinema is what allowed the authorities to politically manipulate leisure-time, moreover, it was made possible through cultural play or 'homo lumens' and by caring for oneself and the esteem of others. This paradoxical ambivalence is characteristic of a cultural hegemony

L’objectif de cette thèse doctorale intitulée « Les stars et la cinéphilie dans la culture cinématographique espagnole du début du XXe siècle : le cas Greta Garbo » est d’analyser l’impact que cette star a pu produire dans la société espagnole de l’époque, en tenant compte du fait que cette société était traversée par des débats ayant trait à la renégociation des rapports entre les sexes et à des questions de différenciation sexuelle. Les principales sources utilisées à cet effet sont les revues de cinématographie publiées en Espagne à la fin des années 20 et la première moitié des années 30. Ce travail étudie d’abord la réception des premiers films muets de Garbo qui impliquent l’apparition d’une image féminine inédite. Cela permet de montrer que la culture cinématographique de la fin des années 20 présente Garbo comme une véritable artiste investie d’un grand pouvoir créateur. Ensuite, au cours des années 30, la presse cinématographique révèle un changement d’orientation, ce qui est en partie lié à l’évolution du discours cinéphilique, un discours « genré » qui se construit au détriment des femmes et des stars. Dès lors, l’image de Garbo est remise en cause par une légion de journalistes qui entendent servir le prestige d’un auteur : le réalisateur du film. Ce revirement est ici interprété à la lumière des tensions que Garbo provoquait parce qu’elle incarnait un modèle féminin transgressif. La fin de ce travail montre également que l’image de Garbo était encore bien présente dans les premières années du franquisme, la culture cinématographique de cette période comprenant des similitudes et des continuités avec celles des années 20 et 30
The purpose of this doctoral thesis entitled « Stars and cinephilia in the early XXth century Spanish cinematographic culture: the example of Greta Garbo » is to analyse the influence that this star may have produced in the Spanish society at that time, taking into account that this society was going through some debates related to the renegociation of the relations between sexes and to sexual differentiation issues. The main sources used in this respect consist of the journals published in Spainthroughout the late twenties and the first half of the thirties. First of all, this research focuses on the reception of the first silent Garbo movies that implies the appearance of a new female image. By doing so, one can see that the cinematographic culture of the late twenties introduces Garbo as a real artist with a great creative power. Then, in the thirties, the Spanish film journals reveals a change ofdirection which is in part due to the evolution of cinephilic discourse, a gendered discourse which develops at the expense of women and stars. From then on, the Garbo image is questioned by a legion of journalists pretending to defend the prestige of an “auteur”: the film director. In this study, this reversal is interpreted in the light of the tensions that Garbo provoked as she embodied a transgressive female image. The end of this research also shows that the Garbo image was still alive through the first years of Francoism, the cinematographic culture of this period including similarities and continuities with the twenties and thirties’ one

James Phillips’s Sternberg and Dietrich: The Phenomenology of Spectacle reappraises the cinematic collaboration between the Austrian-American filmmaker Josef von Sternberg (1894–1969) and the German-American actor Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992). Considered by his contemporaries to be one of the most significant directors of Golden-Age Hollywood, Sternberg made seven films with Dietrich that helped establish her as a style icon and star and entrenched his own reputation for extravagance and aesthetic spectacle. These films enriched the technical repertoire of the industry, challenged the sexual mores of the times, and notoriously tried the patience of management at Paramount Studios. Sternberg and Dietrich: The Phenomenology of Spectacle demonstrates how under Sternberg’s direction Paramount’s sound stages became laboratories for novel thought experiments. Analyzing in depth the last four films on which Sternberg and Dietrich worked together, Phillips reconstructs the “cinematic philosophy” that Sternberg claimed for himself in his autobiography and for whose fullest expression Dietrich was indispensable. This book makes a case for the originality and perceptiveness with which these films treat such issues as the nature of trust, the status of appearance, the standing of women, the ethics and politics of the image, and the relationship between cinema and the world. Sternberg and Dietrich: The Phenomenology of Spectacle reveals that more is at stake in these films than the showcasing of a new star and the confectionery of glamor: Dietrich emerges here as a woman at ease in the world without being at home in it, as both an image of autonomy and the autonomy of the image.

This chapter discusses not only the first known examples of film shot in the polar region, but also elucidates the role polar expedition films played as cinema was becoming of broad attraction globally. Analysing footage from archives around the world, Diesen contextualises how mass media and technological developments for capturing and relaying to the world feats of exploration, often in the service of nationalism or personal gain, have come to shape the perception of the Arctic region to this day. Case studies in this chapter includes: documentation and media coverage of the Baldwin-Ziegler, Nobile, and Amundsen-Ellsworth Expeditions, including films by Anthony Fiala, Walter Wellman, George Hubert Wilkins, Georgi and Sergei Vasilyev, and Oskar Omdal and Paul Berge. Diesen also considers the propagandistic value of these films for various nation states and their mass media appeal for news companies.