Silent Period -- I was impressed by how this chapter explains the development of film and the innovations people like Porter and Griffith made that would help to define the techniques that evolved into modern cinema.
Early Sound -- One of the things I liked about this chapter is how it explains the purpose of synced sound in film; sound enhances an image by sonically creating meaning.
Imaginative Documentary -- This chapter succeeds in demonstrating how propaganda, or politically charged film, can influence individuals. However, this chapter could use more examples of how documentary and propaganda come together.
The Influence of the Documentary -- This chapter succeeds at providing good parallels between film and real world events, and it makes good use of images to further support the examples presented. On the downside, the chapter contains too much filler information to the point that the conclusion best summarizes the chapter.
The Influence of the Popular Arts -- I liked this chapter because it successfully explains the influences of vaudeville, musicals, theatre, and radio on film, however, it places too much influence on editing without first explaining the role of editing in film (something that is not touched upon in any of the chapters in great detail).
Chapter 7: New Technologies -- One of the greatest strengths of this chapter is its ability to analyze the historical development of technology, with an emphasis on the impact of aspect ratios on cinema and shooting....
Silent films were caught in the cross-hairs of all this. Buster Keaton: Silent Film Visionary -- Too Much Imagination Yet, that sort of nightmare world of industrialization both inspired and was depicted in silent film. The Lumiere brothers were innovative geniuses who devised a portable camera, better equipped for transfer than Edison's bulky machine, and photographed technological marvels (like that train engine) to entertain audiences. One of the great comics of
Silent Film And How Critical Reception Shifts Over Time The objective of this study is to examine the film Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari or 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and to examine silent film and how critical reception shifts over time. The film Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari or 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" echoed the German psychological warfare that had been waged against the people by Hitler and throughout the
Silent Film: Robert Flaherty and Nanook of the North Robert Flaherty is one of the most renowned filmmakers of all time. He was born in 1883 and died in 1951, so that his life and work encompassed what is frequently referred to as the Golden Age of cinema. Although Flaherty was an American, he lived near the U.S./Canadian border, and went to Toronto for his schooling. His early work experience was
The first scene of The Great Train Robbery takes place inside the railroad telegraph office when two masked bandits are able to force the telegraph operator stop a train that is approaching the station so that they can climb aboard. After getting the telegraph operator to lie about a water stop, the next scene finds the train at the water tower by the station where the bandits will sneak onto
For approximately three quarters of the film it is without dialogue but, "It was for the clink of plates, the rattle of ice cubes, the sound of a man singing, of two people talking, that silent films died." (Eyman 76). The lively exuberance of Al Jolson was truly what made this film an instant classic and demanded the continuation of Warner Brothers and the talkies. For the first time,
Silent Film Melodrama, Race, and the Oppression of Missionary Idealism: "Broken Blossoms" (1919) and "The Color Purple" (1985) Both Steven Spielberg's rendition of Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" and the 1919 silent film directed by D.W. Griffith entitled "Broken Blossoms" function as melodramas of racial misunderstandings. This silent film tells the story of an opium-addicted Chinese man who fosters an illegitimate Cockney waif, played by Lillian Gish. The young
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