Handout #1: Film Program Week 2: The Great Primitives and Before Hollywood Program 1: The Age of Entertainments

The Great Primitives (1894-1905)

Thomas Edison:
Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze
Sandow Flexing His Muscles
The Kiss
Boxing Cats
Pie Eating Contest
Ella Lola's Turkish Dance

The Lumière Brothers:
La Sortie des Usines (Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory), 1895
L'Arrivee d'un Train (Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat), 1895
Firemen Answering the Call
Snowball Fight
Demolition d'un Mur (Demolition of a Wall)
Watering the Gardener, 1895
Le Répas du Bébé (Feeding the Baby), 1985
Quarreling Infants
A Game of Cards
Children Digging Shrimp
Swimming in the Sea

George Méliès:
Les Voyages Dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), 1902

Edwin S. Porter:
Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show
The Life of an American Fireman, 1903
The Great Train Robbery, 1903

Cecil Hepworth:
Rescued by Rover, 1905

Before Hollywood: Program 1, An Age of Entertainments

ANNABELLE BUTTERFLY DANCE (Edison Manufacturing Company, 1895). Photographed by W.K.L. Dickson and William Heise. With Annabelle Moore.

ANNABELLE SERPENTINE DANCE (Edison, 1895). Photographed by W.K.L. Dickson and William Heise. With Annabelle Moore.

ANNABELLE BUTTERFLY DANCE (Edison, 1895). With Annabelle Moore.

SERPENTINE DANCE (Edison, 1896)

THE PASSION PLAY OF OBERAMMERGAU (SELECT SCENES): "Salome's Dance," "The messiah's Entry into Jerusalem," and "The Ascension" (Eden Musée, 1898). Produced by Richard Hollaman and Albert Eaves.

THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY (American Vitagraph Company, 1898). Produced by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith.

SOLDIERS AT PLAY (William Selig, 1898)

RAISING OLD GLORY OVER MORRO CASTLE (Vitagraph, 1899). Produced by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith.

BURGLAR ON THE ROOF (Vitagraph, 1898). Photographed by Albert E. Smith. With J. Stuart Blackton as the burglar.

A VISIT TO THE SPIRITUALIST (Vitagraph, 1899). Photographed by Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton.

THE TRAMP'S DREAM (Sigmund Lubin, 1899). Produced by John F. Frawley and Jacob Blair Smith.

SEARCHING RUINS ON BROADWAY, GALVESTON, FOR DEAD BODIES (Vitagraph, 1900). Produced by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith.

SCENES OF THE WRECKAGE FROM THE WATERFRONT (Lubin, 1900). Photographed by J. Blair Smith.

BEHEADING THE CHINESE PRISONER (Lubin, 1900). Produced by John F. Frawley and Jacob Blair Smith.

HOW THEY ROB MEN IN CHICAGO (American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1900). Produced by Wallace McCutcheon.

AN UNEXPECTED KNOCKOUT (A.M.B.C., 1901). Produced by Wallace McCutcheon.

HE FORGOT HIS UMBRELLA (A.M.B.C., 1901). Produced by Wallace McCutcheon.

A MIGHTY TUMBLE (A.M.B.C., 1901). Photographed by James Congdon.

NEXT! (A.M.B.C., 1901). Produced by Wallace McCutcheon and Frank Marion.

SMASH A JERSEY MOSQUITO (Edison, 1902). Produced and photographed by Edwin S. Porter.

THE BURNING OF DURLAND'S RIDING ACADEMY (Edison, 1902). Photographed by Jacob Blair Smith or Edwin S. Porter.

ELECTROCUTING AN ELEPHANT (Edison, 1903). Photographed by Jacob Blair Smith or Edwin S. Porter.

WHAT HAPPENED ON TWENTY-THIRD STREET, NEW YORK CITY (Edison, 1901). Photographed by Edwin S. Porter.

TRAPEZE DISROBING ACT (Edison, 1901). Produced and photographed by Edwin S. Porter.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE TUNNEL (Edison, 1903). Photographed by Edwin S. Porter. With Gilbert M. "Bronco Billy" Anderson.

PULL DOWN THE CURTAINS, SUZIE (A.M.B.C., 1904). Produced by Wallace McCutcheon.

MEET ME AT THE FOUNTAIN (Lubin, 1904). With female impersonator Gilbert Saroni as the Successful Woman.

RUBE AND MANDY AT CONEY ISLAND (Edison, 1903). Produced and photographed by Edwin S. Porter.

THE EUROPEAN REST CURE (Edison, 1904). Produced and photographed by Edwin S. Porter.

MC66 Assignment #1

Papers are due in section Feb. 14 or 15. Papers should be two pages (8 1/2 x 11), one side, typed, double-spaced, small margins (no more than 1/2"), using a reasonable and readable type font. Put your name, section leader, and section time on the back of the second page. Keep a xerox or computer copy of all your papers. Please staple the two pages together.

You have very little space, so use it wisely. No introduction or repetition of the question is necessary--begin "in the middle of things." Describe a shot or scene only if you use it in the development of your argument or analysis. Assume your reader has seen the film but would like to understand more fully what meanings the film produces and how it produces them. In other words--do not simply describe. Analyze the film, try to reveal its structure, its signifying strategies, its effect on the spectator. All papers should activate in their analysis one or more theoretical concepts drawn from the lectures or from the essay by Colin MacCabe. Be as specific as possible, with reference to both filmic and theoretical citations. Do not attempt to cover too much material--one shot or scene and one theoretical concept are sufficient.

Choose one of the following:

1. Select one shot (moving or still) from either Strangers on a Train or Blade Runner and discuss it in relation to the concept of the frame (as developed in lectures). In your discussion you should activate the notion of "diegesis." You may also want to bring into play the concepts of "voyeurism" and "fetishism." What is the status of the frame in the shot? Does it represent an absolute limit or does it suggest a space beyond its edge? Does it imply the existence of other gazes besides those directly shown? What is your relation as spectator to the frame? You may want to mention other parts of the film relevant broader themes but your analysis should center on the single shot.

2. Choose one scene from Strangers on a Train or Blade Runner and analyze it in relation to the concept of "realism" (as discussed in lecture and in MacCabe's essay). Discuss the construction of space (the diegesis), editing strategies, and the relation of characters' "looks" to one another, being careful to specify what constitutes the "effect of the real." How do MacCabe's arguments about the ideological implications of the realist tendency relate to this particular scene in this particular film?

Examples of scenes you might want to analyze (you are by no means restricted to these scenes):

1. the scene of the murder in Strangers on a Train
2. the scene in which Deckard tests Rachel in Blade Runner
3. the scene in which Rachel shows Deckard the picture of her mother in BR

3. Choose one scene from Blade Runner and analyze it in terms of its similarities and differences from the Classical Hollywood Text of the 1930s through 1960s (e.g., in relation to editing, use of sound, use of history, characterization, mise-en-scene--Strangers on a Train can be a reference point if you like). Keep in mind that there are classical instances of science fiction as well (hence, its status as science fiction does not necessarily make it non-classical). In your view, how important are the differences (if they exist)?

MC66 Assignment #2, option #1

Papers are due March 14 or 15, in section. They should be 2 pages, double-spaced, with your section leader's name, section number, and your name on the back of the second page. Staple the two pages together. All papers must engage in some way with theoretical concepts and frameworks presented in the reading and use detailed references to specific scenes and shots in the films. Do not simply repeat points made in lecture about the films. Answer one of the following:

1. Compare and contrast Chinatown and Mystery Train with respect to their activation or non-activation of "suspense" as it is described by Bonitzer. How does the organization of space and time in each film relate to the generation of suspense? How does each film activate the "blind spot" of film described by Bonitzer? Compare the films in terms of their representation of their own central "mystery" or enigma. Use specific shots and scenes from the films in the development of your argument.

2. Discuss the implications of the use of voice-off (or sound-off) in Mystery Train. How is this use (or its lack) linked to the construction of the diegesis of the film? How would you characterize its work in the structuring of the overall narrative of the film? Refer to specific shots and scenes from the film. How is the spectator positioned by this film?

3. Is Bonitzer's analysis of the "labyrinth" in film helpful in understanding the narrative structure and the organization of space and time in Chinatown? Pay careful attention to the editing, shot scale, and the use of cinemascope. Be sure to cite specific instances from the film.

4. Discuss the temporal organization of Mystery Train and its relation to the task of story-telling (both in terms of its own narrative structure and its use of stories within the diegesis). Does time have the same density that it has in Bonitzer's description of the category of suspense? Pay careful attention to the use of the frame and the construction of the diegesis as well as the separation of the three different stories.

MC66 Assignment #2, option #2

Papers are due March 22 (in section leader's mailbox at 155 George St.). They should be 2 pages, double-spaced, with your section leader's name, section number, and your name on the back of the second page. Please specify by number which question you are addressing. Staple the two pages together. All papers must engage in some way with theoretical concepts and frameworks presented in the reading and use detailed references to specific scenes and shots in the films to support your arguments. Do not simply repeat points made in lecture about the films. Answer one of the following:

1. Analyze the structure of Un Chien Andalou. How are shots and scenes linked together? What is the film's relation to classical narrative cinema? Is the film a critique and, if so, what are its primary targets (narrative, religion, the bourgeoisie?) and how, precisely, does it produce its critique? You may focus your analysis on one series of shots or one scene but be sure to move outward to discuss the implications for the film as a whole.

2. Peter Wollen discusses the tension between an ontology of film that stresses film's relation to the pro-filmic event or outside world (Bazin) and an ontology that stresses the characteristics of the film medium itself (the Co-op movement or structural film). Discuss Zorn's Lemma in relation to this tension. Does it favor one pole of the opposition? Or does it play with the tension between the two poles? Refer to details of the film to support your arguments.

3. What is the function of repetition in Meshes of the Afternoon? What is this film's relation to narrative? To feminism?

4. Analyze the relation (or non-relation) between the soundtrack and the image track in Geography of the Body. What are the effects of extreme close-ups of the body that tend to make it strange, illegible, or indecipherable? Why is this a geography and why is the body associated with a colonialist or imperialist discourse?

5. Analyze the way in which Thriller uses references to other texts (La Bohème, Psycho, French theory) to construct its feminist argument. Why does it rely so heavily on stills rather than moving images? Or black and white as opposed to color? In your opinion, is it successful in its attempt to critique a patriarchal ideology?

MC 66 Assignment #3, option #1

Papers are due in section, April 18 or 19. Remember to put your name and section leader on the back. All papers must engage in some way with theoretical concepts and frameworks presented in the reading or lectures and use detailed references to specific scenes and shots in the films.

1. With reference to Rey Chow's analysis of the film, analyze the use of image and soundtrack (and the relation between the two) in Yellow Earth. What is the relation between the linear movement of the narrative and the continual emphasis upon the huge expanse, emptiness and/or grandeur of the landscape? How are the folk songs situated in that space and how do they function in the film? Do you agree or disagree with Rey Chow's analysis?

2. Analyze the representation of language and access to language in Camp de Thiaroye. How is language linked to power? What is the status of muteness (e.g. that of Pays) in the film? How are language and dialogue used to convey cultural specificity and complexity? How would you link this emphasis to the film's general project?

3. How would you describe/analyze Yellow Earth's position on the relation between the Communist Party (in its early phases) and the "people" (of the rural areas of China). Is the recording of folk songs a form of exploitation or a celebration of the traditional ways of these people? How does the film activate the opposition between traditional and modern?

4. How would you analyze Diatta's pivotal role as mediator in Camp de Thiaroye? How does his access to Western culture through language, literature and music underline the problematic status of the "native" in a colonial culture? How is this question connected with his misrecognition as a black American soldier?

MC 66 Assignment #3, option #2

Papers are due in lecture April 22. Two pages double-spaced. Put your name and section leader on the back, along with the number of the question you are addressing. All papers must engage in some way with theoretical concepts and frameworks presented in the reading/lectures and use detailed references to specific shots and scenes in the films.

1. Using Laura Mulvey's discussion of the relay of gazes in the cinema, the "masculinization" of the spectator, and the relation between narrative and spectacle, analyze the representation of the woman in Gilda. Pay close attention to the mise-en-scene of the film and its narrational strategies in the development of your analysis. Feel free to concentrate on a single scene (and move outward from that) if you wish.

2. With reference both to Bonitzer's discussion of the voice-over in "Silences of the Voice" and Mulvey's feminist film theory, analyze the use of the voice-over in Gilda. What is the effect of the "embodiment" of this voice? What is the voice's relation to knowledge and power? How would you describe the relation between the voice and the image in this film?

3. Is Mulvey's use of the categories of fetishism and scopophilia helpful for an analysis of Lili Marlene? Keep in view the historical context of Nazism and the film's discourse on fascism and the resistance to fascism.

4. Analyze the relation between commodity, spectacle, and fetish in Lili Marlene. How does the fact that the film can circulate, on a record, on radio, affect the relation between the Nazis and mass audiences?

5. Outline and analyze the relation between spectacle and narrative in Lili Marlene with particular emphasis on the representation of the woman. You may want to pay particular attention to the use of mirrors and glass doors as well as the Nazi-organized spectacles. Is there a sense in which this film operates like a back-stage musical?