Post-War Cinema

This offering begins with a discussion of Deep Staging, a technique which uses foreground and background simultaneously to contrast to or to complement two scenes. Movies such as Stagecoach, Flesh and the Devil, Chimes at Midnight, The Maltese Falcon, and The Best Years of Our Lives embrace this. The opposite is Shallow Focus where tight camera shots are used. Of course, throughout the 40's, the war became central to what directors and producers did. This led to the Neo- Realist movement where everything, no matter how mundane, was subject matter for the films. This is the opposite of Hitchcock who said you only leave in the interesting parts.

In the late 40's, Film Noir was a significant form. Double Indemnity was the prototypical film. Fluffy musicals were extremely popular as well, with Betty Grable being the representative among many.

The Army/McCarthy hearing now took place which split Hollywood down the middle. There is much talk about Elia Kazan and his actions during the hearings. Many were blackballed; many never worked again.

There is a focus on Stanley Donen who did Indiscreet and A Matter of Life and Death. This episode closes out with an analysis of Carol Reed's The Third Man. It is not the way we would like it to be, but it is, and that's it. There is a nice commentary on the final scene. Certainly one of the greatest films of all time.