The pseudo-change of power in 60's Hollywood

There is a common assertion among analysts that during the 1960's, power in Hollywood was given to a newer collection of directors bent on churning out mediocre movies as quickly as possible. However, Manhola Dargis's essay "60's Hollywood: Power Shifted (or did it?)" debates the exact opposite; though there was a change in management for each of the major film studios, the agenda was, and always had been, to imitate the style and ideals of the popular foreign movie studios. This agenda, despite proving useful for the earlier years, began to fail in the 1960's just as the change of directors took place in Hollywood due to the foreign obsession with concepts that were unpopular in America.

The bulk of this argument is held by explaining cultural phenomena, such as the Monkees, and how it was poorly emulated by 60's directors in Hollywood to create atrocious movies like "Head." The careful explanation of how these popular brands were picked up by popular Hollywood figures such as Jack Nicholson and mutated into something that American audiences would like certainly holds water; considering the stable popularity of many foreign films in America, directors naturally flocked to their ideas in order to become equally successful.

Despite the attempts of the directors, this attempt to copy the style of foreign directors ended in failure. Most notable to the author are the attempts by Bert Schnieder, Bob Rafelson, and Steve Blauner to create a series of movies heavily influenced by the nature of other successful foreign films. These films, which included titles such as "Drive, He Said" and "Five Easy Pieces," were obviously poor attempts at attempting to use the style of more successful directors outside of America in an American movie, and were generally considered inferior by critics. This failure to replicate the feel of the popular foreign film, Dargis argues, is the major reason that the 60's lacked the luster of previous decades.

source:

Dargis, Manhola. "'60s Hollywood: Power Shifted (Or Did It?)." New York Times (2010): n. pag. Web. 28 Nov 2010. .

From Pulpstyle to Innerspace: The Stylistics of American New Wave

I need to start off by noting that this article is the most usefull description of 1970's Hollywood I have found so far. It begins by giving the time period a new name that I had not yet come across in my research: American New Wave. The 70's were thus named this because, "it was characterized by an emphasis on style and experimentation." I felt like i needed to include the following quote verbatum because it says exactly what the author mean with the word style:
"Style--it implies a degree of self-consciousness which wasn't there before, an element of outrageous showmanship, defiance, detachment, and just a touch of narcissism. Style--it is the heart of the science fiction controversy in the sixties."
Obviously this "style" was prominent in 60's and 70's movies. Apparently the term "New Wave" more specifically refers to these science fiction movies between 1963 and 1975 because these movies define the era. The author speaks of a new use of "stylistic devices" in movies that reacted against movies of the classical era. The writers used a large amount of, "psycologically salient adverbs" and, "excessive anaphora." The writers also used highly "kinky" and "inapropriate" images to shock the audiences.
All of this aspects of "New Wave" literature and movies are what set it apart from the classical period. Writers were looking for an edge, something shocking to take their work to the next level. They wanted their audiences to be taken aback by the things they read and have to stop and think. I think this is highly thematic for late 60's and early 70's film.

Taylor, John W. "From pulpstyle to innerspace: The stylistics of American new-wave SF." Style 24.4 (1990): 611. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.

Saturday Night Fever

Saturday Night Fever is John Badham's film similar to the time. It defines the dance, atmosphere, clothing choices and feel of the time. This article tells us about the time after the 1960's and shows us what the 60's influence was on the new decade.

Online database. "moral growth and personal narrative in saturday night fever" by Joseph Kupfer

Interpreting 2001: A Space Odyssey

In this article on the movie of the same name, the author is attempting to decipher the meaning of 2001 based on his reflections on the year it was released. by examining the initial criticisms of the movie and the opinions of the era, the author hopes to understand the elusive meaning behind Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece. By examining the movie, the author eventually comes to the conclusion that Kubrick was arguing for the evolution of man through the course of instantaneous changes (called the jump theory of evolution) and that this change will allow us to transcend the need for worldly objects.

The author's bold conclusions are certainly ones that are convincing to the reader. The ideas that he suggests, especially Kubrick's subtle promotion of the theory of evolution, certainly make sense even if the reader has his own understandings of the movie. Furthermore, this hypothesis fits perfectly with the sentiments against humanity that were so popular among the younger audience at the time. Given the convincing nature of the article, there certainly must be some truth to the idea that Kubrick wants everyone to stop being human and evolve to the next stage of humanity.

Doctor Zhivago

The movie Doctor Zhivago is based off a Russian novel. According to the article the goal of the narrator in the movie is to, " seek throughout to express history's horrors in the written word." The article speaks of how the movie is able to take history and draw from it. It doesn't just lay down the facts, it creates something more.
The article also speaks a lot about the metaphors the movie presents. It says, "the characters of Doctor Zhivago do their best to find meaning in the historical self-destruction of metaphors." Metaphors were a integral part of this movie.
Although this is a Russian movie I think this article helps explain a lot about the tone of movies at this time. It is obviously a very deep movie that presents a complex mix of metaphors to recall a tragic history. It is based on real events but is more than a documentary.

Etkind, Aleksandr. "Doctor Zhivago." n. pag. Web. 7 Nov 2010.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

In this review of the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde it discuses how the film by Warner Brothers intertainment was a "slapstick comedy" and that it was not a real representation of the actual film. It also goes on to say that "Arthur Penn, the agressive director, has evidently gone out of his way to splash the comedy holdups with smears of vivid blood as astonished people are machine-guned." This movie review is bashing the film for its contents and not what it is good for, saying that this film is a slapstick comedy is like saying the godfather is funny. But then at the end of the article the author goes on to say that "This is the film that opened the Montreal Film Festival!" So what is he really saying? I believe the author is torn from this film because of its vast differences of any other film in the late 1960's. Movies back then were not as graphic or grusome but if they were they were nothing like some mid west bank robbers. Non the less this film has changed the way critics think and the way movies have been made ever since that time on. It should be one of the most recognized films in the world.

Sources:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173CE361BC4C52DFB266838C679EDE

The history of Hollywood

In "History of Hollywood: 1895-1960's," the author discusses the history of Hollywood cinema and the dawn of film making. Beginning at the end of the nineteenth century, the year that inventor Louis Lumiere gave the world the first motion picture camera, the author discusses each of the decades in Hollywood history that had the most impact on film making, from the end of silent movies to the creation of the major motion studios such as 20th Century Fox and Paramount. Though the article is a brief one, it certainly does a good job of mapping the progression of Hollywood cinema from the very beginning.

In regards to the 60's, this article summarizes the decade as owing to Hollywood's bias toward more "melodramatic, sentimental, celebrated inspirational religious and spiritual," movies. Naturally, this over-the-top style of movies lends itself naturally to movies that are highly unrealistic and have little truth to them. This idea is certainly enforced by the advent of science fiction movies, such as 2001: a Space Odyssey, which became popular in the 60's. Given the advent of such styles of film, when compared to the silent, simple types of movies that were so popular in earlier decades, many people viewed the movies of the 60's as ridiculous and absurd. It is this absurdness that Bob Dylan expressed his anger against when he accused Hollywood of being fake and silly in his interviews.

"History of Hollywood: 1895-1960's."library.thinkquest.org. Thinkquest, n.d. Web. 31 Oct 2010.

The Cinema of Martin Scorsese

This article is based on Martin Scorsese. According the the article Scorsese has, "recognized status as the forefront of post-classical Hollywood." It goes on to talk a bit about Scorsese's youth claiming that it is cause for the, "tormented male protagonists at the center of his films." Although Scorsese is known as a groundbreaker for post-classical Hollywood films, his work is also deeply rooted in classical Hollywood. The article claims that there is the presence of themes such as, "guilt and redemption, loneliness, sexual frustration and the quest for celebrity." These themes sound very characteristic of the late 1960's early 1970's. The article also compares Scorsese's work with that of Joyce, Fitzgerald, Conrad, Milton, and Shakespeare. Scorsese's work is known to, "transport us to physical and emotional places we might never otherwise choose to visit." This is definately representative of Scorsese's move from classical to post-classical. Studying Scorsese's work definately helps understand what post-classical Hollywood consisted of in reality.

Potter, James C. "The Cinema of Martin Scorsese." Historical Journal of Film,
Radio and Television 19.2 (1999): 272+. Academic OneFile. Web. 29 Oct. 2010.

Repeating Style in Hollywood: 1960 to present

In an article titled "Hollywood Needs New Blood: Where are the Revolutionaries?", internet commentator Rob Young discusses the various similarities between the production methods of Hollywood in previous decades and present-day producers. In an attempt to dispel the idea that the plots of movies today are more "stale" than they used to be, Young describes the various recurring ideas in each decade's production values, such as using "safe" plot lines and recycled ideas, to explain how complaints regarding the superiority of older movies is unfounded. Of special importance is his explanation of the forces behind the 60's, where he believes that the growing TV industry forced producers to stick to the tried-and-true styles that had gotten them through the previous decade in order to retain their enormous profits.

The idea that movies of the 60's were plagued by the same problems of those that appear today is fascinating for a few reasons. Most importantly, it coincides perfectly with bob Dylan's own complaints of Hollywood and his vision of it as a place with fake actors and shallow ideals, as discussed in his interviews. Furthermore, drawing parallels between the Hollywoods of the past and present allows us to understand the past through a modern perspective, which is incredibly helpful in understanding what the Hollywood of the 60's was like.

(source:http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/6785-hollywood-needs-new-blood-where-are-the-revolutionaries.html)

Bill Flanagan interview of Bob Dylan

In 2009, MTV producer Bill Flanagan sat down with Bob Dylan to discuss several topics pertaining to his 33rd album, Together Through Life. Flanagan pressed Dylan on a number of topics, including his opinions on The Rolling Stones, Hollywood actors, and Hitler's Germany. In his typical interview fashion, Dylan offered cryptic answers to all the questions asked, leaving Flanagan a bit off guard.

The most valuable information in this interview is Bob Dylan's opinions on the differences between acting and performing. Initially, Dylan explains to Flanagan how his performances are "me who's singing that, plain and simple," totally different from actors who "will say 'my character this' and 'my character that.' It's like beating a dead horse." He goes on to explain how this act is not even sincere to him, since Alec Guiness' portrayal of Hitler to him still means "he's not Hitler. And neither is anybody else. Hitler was Hitler." These comments By Dylan give us an excellent insight into Dylan's impressions of Hollywood acting, an integral part of understanding the relationship between the two entities.

Hollywood fashions of the 1960's

The 1960's was a huge move for Hollywoods fashions. The women went from wearing one pieces to bikini's and skirts above their knees which later became known as the mini skirt. "They threw away or publicly burned their bras opposing the restrictive rule’s governing a woman’s appearance." A night time tuxedo was made for women. Andre Courreges developed go-go boots. At this time women started wearing head scarves, false eye lashes and thick eye liner. Hollywood changed fashion all over America at this time.

http://www.uhollywood.com/1960s-style-fashion-ideas/

Civil Rights in Hollywood

The Civil Rights movement ofthe 60's proved to be equally relative to hollywood as it was everywhere else in America. In earlier decades, blacks were mostly cast as degrading roles, such as servants and criminals. This created an issue for black actors attempting to gain larger roles, since this mindset essentially cypecast every black actor in hollywood as a submissive role. Furthermore, this action was criticized as incredibly racist by civil rights leaders.

Due to criticism, Hollywood began to give larger roles to black actors. In order to appease the public, roles originally written for whites would be reassigned to blacks. However, in doing this, new problems have arisen in hollywood for blacks. Though they recieved roles intended for whites, black actors often recieved roles which involved being the victim of violence or roles with little screentime. Many people critique this new form of discrimination in Hollywood, which is only now beginning to be resolved.

(source:http://www.spectacle.org/1295/blacks.html)

The "New" Hollywood

This article begins with claiming that the 1960's was a time in Hollywood of style and innoviation. As the decade continued, however, Hollywood's films became very "anti-establishment" and directed at the youth. The article also mentions an interesting fact about the intended audience at this time, "By the early 1960s, an estimated 80 percent of the film-going population was between the ages of 16 and 25". This article should be useful on the project because it does a good job of naming the most important films of this time period and why they were significant. An example is the Graduate which the article claims, "celebrates a youthful rebellion."
The article also presents an interesting point that although the Vietnam war was one of the most controversial issues of the 1960's it was not seen in film until 1970. The article outlines several films that deal with this issue.

Digital History. Web. 07 Oct. 2010. .

Stanley Kubrik

One of the most highly regarded directors spanning several decades, Staney Kubrik was a powerful and versatile director throughout Hollywood history. However, it is important to take special note of his films produced within the 1960's, many of which are his greatest works. During this time, Kubrik produced classics such as Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odysssey, movies whose themes say a lot about the feelings and worries of the time that Bob Dylan was simultaneously referring to in his music.

Dr. Strangelove and 2001 both deserve mention because their plots and themes are a reflection of the 60's itself. While Strangelove is direct in it's response to US/Soviet Union relations, 2001 portrays the feelings of the people more subtly by making major characters such as Hal 9000 into metaphors for various important figures of the decade. These movies relate to people's feelings of doubt and uncertainty towards the government and society, feelings that Dylan was also preaching about in his own music.

(source:http://movies.toptenreviews.com/directors/reviews/d22710.htm)

Breakfast at Tiffanys

This source is a picture of Audrey Hepburn in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. I thought this would be significant because the film was shot in 1961, the very begining of the Post Classical period, and was extremely well recieved. Hepburn went on to star in other films throughout the sixties such as My Fair Lady and Charade. When talking about 1960's Hollywood Hepburn's name must atleast be mentioned because of her unbelievable popularity and presence in Hollywood during this time. This picture is also signficant because of her attire. Hepburn has been a member of the international best dressed list since 1961. Her dress during this time started a trend among women that is still followed today. Her style was classic and elegant and women in the 60's tried to emulate this same class. Hepburn was definately a significant icon for 1960's women
"Denveralamode.com | Entertainment | TCM Names the 15 Fiercest Fashion Movi.es."
Denveralamode.com | Reporting on Denver Fashion, Beauty and Style. Web. 27
Sept. 2010. .

Elvis

In 1954 Elvis came out and was a huge hit. by the late 1950's elvis's singing career came to a stand still but by 1968 he tried to make a come back by wearing a black all leather outfit to his performance interview on TV.  This sight just tells us about him before the period were talking about - what it was like before it changed-

(source: http://history1900s.about.com/od/entertainers/a/elvis_2.htm)

The Sound of Music

As on of the most famous films of the 60's, The Sound of music had an enormous impact on the movie industry. The film won best picture, best sound, best music, and best director for its year. In terms of earnings, it outsold Gone With the Wind to become the best-selling movie of all time, a title it held for almost a decade.

The film was a major game-changer for Hollywood directors. It defined the idea of a musical film, and inspired several more attempts at the musical film genre. However, imitations such as Dr. Doolittle and Hello, Dolly proves less successful.

(source:http://www.filmsite.org/soun.html)

Films in the 60's

1963 was the worst year for US film production in fifty years (there were only 121 feature releases). And the largest number of foreign films released in the US in any one year was in 1964 (there were 361 foreign releases in the US vs. 141 US releases).

With movie audiences declining due to the dominance of television, major

American film companies began to diversify with other forms of entertainment: records, publishing, TV movies and the production of TV series. For example:

• in July of 1961, TWA Airlines began the first regular in-flight movies in first-class during a NYC to LA flight, with a Bell and Howell projector aimed at a screen to show the glossy soap opera By Love Possessed (1961), starring Lana Turner
• in September of 1961, Saturday Night at the Movies premiered on NBC with the first wide-screen comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) - it marked the start of the trend to broadcast Hollywood movies on TV
• in 1965, Columbia released folk/rock singer Bob Dylan's album Highway 61 Revisited
• separate awards for Black and White and Color Cinematography were eliminated by AMPAS for 1967 (and after) films, because most films were being made in color

(Tim Dirks. The History of Films: The 1960's. Online. 9/19)

http://www.filmsite.org/60sintro.html 

source: http://www.movieactors.com/60s.htm

This site provides a wonderful database for information regarding the film careers of major actors and actresses of the 60's. It lists their Oscar awards and nominations for best actor, along with a brief biography and list of film credits. It is a great source of quick information on 60's actors and actresses for a research paper.

Hollywood's New Breed of Soft Young Men

This is an article from 1962 talking about the new standard for male actors in Hollywood. According to the article the standards are being greatly lowered because of the need for actors fast. They are less trained and less mature. In fact, the cathphrase at the top of the article says, "The movie's frantic search for young stars with snap, crackle,and pop may he ushering in a new era of slop, cackle and pap." In 1962 Hollywood's leading men were beginning to lose the suave class of actors like Bogart,Cable, and Cooper. The article then goes on to give mini biographies of a few of the leading men at the time.

Lewis, Richard. "Hollywood's New Breed of Soft Young Men." Saturday Evening Post 1 Jan 1962, Print.

Source:http://www.filmsite.org/60sintro.html

This article is an excellent source for our topic. It gives a brief summary of several influences within the movie industry of the time, such as changes in leadership and financial issues. It also discusses events taking place outside of the industry, including a list of major events of the decade. Overall an incredible source of information for the 60s Hollywood topic.

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey's monumental movie was Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961. It's a movie about a high class girl who is determined to take a boy away from his older girlfriend. Audrey was the well rounded sweet heart of the 60's and was loved by all.

Source 1: Profits Bring Joy to Industry Beset by Drop In Production, Labor Woes

This is a great New York Times article from Jan 3, 1960. It's a great starting off point for the research because it summarizes Hollywoods year in 1959 and projects how major movie corporations will operate in the future. It discusses how production companies, such as Columbia Pictures, are starting to let independent producers come and produce films while the companies pay the bill. This is definately a forshadowing for how the movie industry changes in the 60's.

Schumach, Murray. "Hollywood Year." New York Times 01 Jan 1960, Print.

Ariel

Ariel

jackie

jackie