Film Appreciation
“Pura syllabus ka notes banana, abhi baaki hai mere dost”
- SUVAN
1. French new wave
2. German expressionism
3. Italian neorealism
4. Optical devices
5. Cinema du look
6. American new wave
7. Japanese new wave
8. Dadasaheb Phalke
9. Hollywood
10. Bollywood cinema
11. Film genres
12. Silent era
13. Dogme 95
14. Talkies
15. Indian parallel cinema
16. Angles
17. Composition
18. Framing
19. Rules of mid-en-scene
20. Idealism
21. Materialism
22. Camera movements
French New Wave (1959-1964)
- became popular in the late 1950s in Paris, France.
- aimed to give directors complete creative control over their work, allowing them to move away from complex
stories and instead focus on improvisational and existential storytelling.
- Filmmakers of the French New Wave made a significant impact on both French cinema and the global film
industry.
- They paved the way for modern independent filmmaking by emphasizing the director's personal vision.
- Francois Truffaut – The 400 Blows (1959, the directorial debut of Truffaut)
- Breathless (1960, directed by Jean - Luc Godard)
Visual Style of French New Wave
- Long tracking shots.
- Filled with irony and sarcasm, the films also tend to reference other films.
- often focused on personal feelings and the idea that life can be confusing and nonsensical.
- They explored themes about individual experiences and accepting the weirdness of being human.
German Expressionism (1919-1926)
- During World War I, Germany banned foreign language films to be shown.
- This made Germany start making their own movies to fill the gap.
- This gave birth to the avant-garde film movement known as German Expressionism.
- Avant-garde = Avant-garde refers to innovative and experimental works of art, culture, or ideas that challenge
traditional norms and are ahead of their time.
- Mid 1930s = Nazis deemed German Expressionism as degenerate and immoral (bad and wrong), forcing many
German directors to flee and relocate to Hollywood.
- Fritz Lang – ‘Metropolis’ (1927)
Fritz Lang (1890-1976)
- Born in Vienna
- Austian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and then the USA.
- dubbed as the "Master of Darkness" by the BFI (British Film Institute)
- Fritz Lang is recognized and celebrated for his exceptional skill in creating dark and atmospheric films.
- Known for the futuristic sci-fi film Metropolis (1927) and M (1931)
- Woman in the Moon (1929) showcased the use of a multi-stage rocket and rocket launch pad.
- He attended the Technical University of Vienna (studied civil engineering and eventually switched to art)
- 1913 = studied painting in Paris
- 1916 = began writing scenarios and ideas for films.
- He was soon hired as a writer at Decla Film, Erich Pommer’s (film producer) Berlin-based production company.
- Began working at the German studio UFA just as the Expressionist movement was building.
Visual Style Of German Expressionism
- features high-contrast lighting, dramatic camera angles, and sinister (threatening, evil) subject matter.
- artistic movement that emphasized the artist’s inner emotion rather than attempting to replicate reality.
- German Expressionist films rejected cinematic realism and used visual distortions and hyper-expressive
performances to reflect inner conflicts.
Set Design of German Expressionism
- Many critics see a direct tie between cinema and architecture of the time.
- The sets and scene artwork of Expressionist films often reveal buildings of sharp angles, great heights, and
crowded environments. (Tower of Babel in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis)
- Strong elements of Monumentalism and Modernism also appear.
- Monumentalism (Architecture) = Architectural style of the first half of 20th century (1900-1950s).
Perspectives :
- The German Expressionist painters rejected the naturalistic depiction of objective reality, often portraying
distorted figured, buildings, and landscapes in a disorienting manner that didn't follow normal rules of perspective
and proportion.
- Jagged, stylized shapes and harsh, unnatural colours, conveyed subjective emotions.
Interpretation of German Expressionism
- theory suggests that German films created before Hitler's rise to power and the establishment of the Third Reich
subtly foreshadowed (indicated) or hinted at the unavoidable emergence of Nazi Germany.
- German Expressionist cinema is seen as a visual representation of Romantic ideals turned to dark and proto-
totalitarian ends.
Italian Neorealism (1942-1951)
- One of the most influential movements in film history.
- Marked a deliberate shift from the Hollywood style of filmmaking.
- Hollywood styles = less realistic characters serving a certain narrative.
- Themes = moral ambiguity, frank depictions of economic deprivation (financial hardships), and deep sympathy for
characters.
- Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini rose to fame during this time
- produced classic films like Bicycle Thieves (1948, directed by Vittorio De Sica) and Umberto D (1952, directed by
Vittorio De Sica).
- also known as the “Golden Age”
- Set amongst the poor and the working class.
- Filmed on-location, frequently with non-professional actors.
- Not documentary, but with a narrative focus, these films primarily tackled the challenging economic and moral
conditions in post-World War II Italy.
- They portrayed shifts in the Italian mindset and everyday life, highlighting issues like poverty, oppression, injustice,
and desperation.
- Italian neorealism emerged after World War II and the fall of Mussolini's government, causing the Italian film
industry to lose it’s centre.
- Neorealism was a sign of cultural and social change in Italy.
- Often shot on location as the Cinecitta film studios had been damaged significantly during the war.
Visual Style of Italian Neorealism
- Usually filmed with nonprofessional actors, although in some cases, well-known actors were cast in leading roles.
- They were shot almost exclusively on location, mostly in rundown cities as well as rural areas.
- Neorealist films typically explore the conditions of the poor and the lower working class.
- Characters often exist within a simple social order where survival is the primary objective.
- Performances are mostly constructed from scenes of people performing fairly ordinary and daily activities.
- Often feature children in major roles (though their characters are frequently more observational than
participatory)
Shift from Pure Neorealism (1944-1948)
- There was a shift from pure neorealism around 1944.
- Some directors explored allegorical (symbolizing deep meanings) fantasy, such as De Sica’s ‘Miracle in Milan’ and
‘Senso’ by Visconti.
Optical Devices
- Optical devices have played a significant role in the history of filmmaking, contributing to the evolution of the
medium.
1. Diorama
- three-dimensional model representing a scene, often enclosed in a display case.
- Typically used for education or recreation, dioramas depict landscapes, historical events, or nature scenes,
offering a detailed and immersive miniature experience.
2. Stereoscopes
- Stereoscopes are optical devices that present two slightly offset images to each eye, creating a three-dimensional
effect.
- Popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, they use stereoscopic pairs of photographs or illustrations to simulate
depth perception, providing a realistic and immersive viewing experience.
3. Phenakistoscope (1832)
- invented in 1832 by Joseph Plateau, is an early animation device.
- It consists of a rotating disk with evenly spaced slots around the edge.
- Users would look through the slots while the disk spun, viewing a sequence of images inside.
- This created the illusion of motion, illustrating the principles of persistence of vision and contributing to the
development of animation.
4. Zoetrope (1833)
- invented by William George Horner in 1833, is a cylindrical animation device.
- It features a series of images or drawings on the inner surface of the cylinder and vertical slits around the sides.
- When the zoetrope is spun, viewers look through the slits to see a rapid succession of images, creating the illusion
of continuous motion.
- It played a significant role in the history of animation and is an early precursor to modern motion pictures.
5. Kinetoscope
- developed by Thomas Edison and his assistant William Kennedy Laurie Dickson in the late 19th century, is an early
motion picture exhibition device.
- Introduced in 1891, it used a strip of perforated film to capture and display short moving pictures.
- Viewers peered through a viewing window to watch the images in motion.
- The kinetoscope marked a crucial step in the development of cinema technology, paving the way for the later
evolution of motion pictures.
- 46 frames per second
6. Bioscop
- The Bioscop was an early film projector developed by German inventors Max Skladanowsky and his brother Emil
Skladanowsky in the late 19th century.
- They demonstrated the Bioscop in 1895, shortly before the Lumière brothers’ Cinématographe.
- The Bioscop projected short films to audiences, contributing to the early era of cinema.
- While not as commercially successful as some other devices of its time, the Bioscop played a role in the
development of film projection technology.
Cinema Du Look (1989-1991)
- Cinema du look was an electrifying decade of French cinema.
- Trinity of directors: Jean-Jacques Beineix, Luc Besson, Leos Carax
- French critics Raphael Bassan classified these filmmakers as directors of the “look”
- A film movement that emerged in France during the 1980s. This movement is characterized by a strong emphasis
on visual style, often featuring extravagant and stylized visuals, a focus on youth culture, and a break from
traditional narrative conventions.
Visual Style of Cinema du look
- They favoured style over substance, spectacle over narrative.
- Slick, gorgeous visual style, and focus on young, alienated characters who were said to represent the marginalized
youth of Francois Mitterrand’s (president of that time) France.
- Themes = doomed love affairs, young people more affiliated to peer groups than families, a cynical view of the
police, the use of scenes in the Paris Metro to symbolize and alternative, underground society.
- Mixture of high culture (like opera music) with pop culture was another key feature.
American New Wave (1969-1980)
- American New Wave / American Independent Cinema / The New Hollywood / Post-Classical Cinema
- They are all terms to describe the period following the decline of the studio system in the 50s and 60s and the end
of the production code.
- It is defined by a greater tendency to dramatize such things as sexuality and violence in films
- New approaches to drama and characterization played upon audience expectations acquired in the
classical/Golden Age period: chronology may be scrambled, storylines may feature “twist endings,” and lines
between the antagonist and protagonist may be blurred (typical distinction between the bad guy and the good
guy could also be unclear).
- The roots of post-classical storytelling may be seen in film noir, in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ (1955), and in
Hitchcock’s storyline-shattering ‘Psycho’.
- In 70s, Hollywood was experiencing a financial and artistic depression, but it became a creative high point in the
US film industry.
- Restrictions on language, adult content and sexuality, and violence became less strict and these things started to
appear more often in films.
- Hollywood was renewed and reborn with the earlier collapse of the
- studio system, and the works of many new and experimental filmmakers (nickname : Movie Brats) emerged.
Movie Brats
- Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Paul Schrader, Brian DePalma, Steven Spielberg, John Milium.
- They learnt their craft at film school, and they were raised for the most part on TV.
- Coppola went to UCLA, Lucas and Milius at USC, Scorsese at NYU, DePalma at Columbia.
- They collaborated extensively.
- George Lucas shot second unit for The Godfather
- Scorsese asked for input from Speilberg for Taxi Driver.
- Everyone helped George Lucas finish Star Wars.
- We can feel the impact of the Movie Brats in the works today of Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Danny
Boyle.
Japanese New Wave (1975 – 1985)
- In Japan, the Nuberu Bagu (new wave) , a fractured movement spurred on by social turmoil, brought yakuza
(mafia), criminal superheroes and all manner of subversion to the big screen.
- The more austere stylings of Ozu and Mizoguchi (filmmakers) fell out of vogue as directors like Nagisa Oshima,
Shohei Imamura and Susumu Hani, rejected the old ways — formal framing, historical tales and traditional
characters.
- They wanted to make stories about troubled youths, explicit sexual expression and broken societies.
- The Nuberu Bagu filmmakers originated from within film studios in Japan, unlike their European counterparts.
However, they still faced opposition and censorship.
- The wave began to break in the early 70s as the studio system deteriorated and funding became scarce.
- Its main bellwethers headed off in search of various pursuits: Shinoda returned to more conventional filmmaking,
Imamura revisited documentaries, and Oshima looked abroad.
Visual Style Of Japanese New Wave
- The influences on these filmmakers were diverse. Oshima’s antecedents have been seen in the theories of
Vsevolod Meyerhold and Bertolt Brecht and in the Japanese Leftist theatre.
- Yoshida was an outspoken admirer of Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman.
- The documentaries that Hani made during the 1950s had introduced a style od cinema verite documentary to
Japan.
- Themes = radical politics, juvenile delinquency, uninhibited sexuality, changing roles of women in society, racism
and the position of ethnic minorities in Japan.
- Aesthetically raw and expressive films featuring confrontational social criticisms and innovative approaches to film
structure.
- Took a transgressive form, particularly in respect to the oppressive traditions of the conservative Japanest
patriarchal society of the time.
Woman in the Dunes - by Hiroshi Teshigahara
- Allegorical drama about an entomologist who has strayed into the desert in search of insects.
- After missing the last bus back to the city, he stays at a village nearby, waking to find out that there is no escape.
- Surreal, dreamy, avant-garde film
Dadasaheb Phalke
- Phalke is claimed as the Father of Indian Cinema because he laid the foundation for the future of the Indian film
industry and because he trained several young filmmakers in his studio in Nashik.
- Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra (3rd May, 1913)
- Phalke established his studio in 1913 after his return from England with plenty of enthusiasm and dedication
- After Raja Harischandra, Phalke started other projects, but could not complete them due to lack of funds.
- Other silent films began to come out of Calcutta studios: for example Satyavaadi Harishchandra (1917) and
Keechakavadham (1919).
- But Phalke’s Nashik studio was the first regular studio where he could also train many promising young people as
film technicians.
Hollywood
- Hollywood cinema is a vast and dynamic industry known for producing a significant portion of the world’s most
popular and influential films.
- It’s centered in Los Angeles, California, but its impact extends globally.
- Here are some key aspects of Hollywood cinema:
History
- Silent Era (Late 19th century to 1920s): Hollywood began to rise as the centre of American film production during
this period, marked by the pioneering work of filmmakers like D.W. Griffith.
- Golden Age (1930s to 1950s): Hollywood’s peak, producing classics and establishing iconic genres, studios, and
stars, including the emergence of names like Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, and films like “Gone with the Wind” and
“Casablanca”
- New Hollywood (Late 1960s to 1980s): A period of significant change and innovation in filmmaking, marked by
the rise of auteur directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, with groundbreaking movies like “The
Godfather” and “Taxi Driver”
- Modern Era (1990s to Present): Hollywood has become a global industry, heavily reliant on franchises, special
effects, and blockbusters, with the dominance of studios like Disney and the rise of independent filmmaking.
Characteristics
- Genres: Hollywood cinema covers a wide range of genres, from action, drama, comedy, and romance to sci-fi,
horror, fantasy, and more.
- Star System: Hollywood is known for its cultivation and promotion of stars, whose personas often become as
important as the films themselves.
- Technology and Special Effects: Advancements in technology have significantly impacted Hollywood, allowing for
groundbreaking visual effects, CGI, and immersive experiences.
- Studio System: Historically, Hollywood operated under a studio system where major studios controlled most
aspects of film production, distribution, and exhibition.
- Blockbusters and Franchises: Hollywood is recognized for its creation of high-budget, high-earning films, often
part of larger franchises or series.
Influence
- Global Reach: Hollywood films have a widespread global audience and significantly influence international
cinema.
- Cultural Impact: Many Hollywood films have a profound impact on popular culture, shaping societal discussions,
fashion, and even language.
- Awards and Recognition: Hollywood’s influence is evident in prestigious awards like the Oscars (Academy
Awards), Golden Globes, and other industry accolades.
Challenges and Diversity
- Representation: The industry faces ongoing discussions and challenges regarding representation and diversity in
storytelling, both in front of and behind the camera.
- Streaming Services: The rise of streaming platforms has disrupted traditional film distribution and exhibition,
altering consumption patterns and business models.
- Hollywood continues to evolve, adapting to new technologies, audience preferences, and societal changes while
remaining a powerhouse in the global film industry.
Bollywood
- The term “Bollywood” was coined in the 1970s, when conventions of Bombay-produced Hindi films was
established.
- Key to this was Nasir Hussain and Salim-Javed’s creation of the masala film genre, which combined elements of
action, comedy, romance, drama, melodrama and musical.
- Their film “Yaadon Ki Baaraat” (1973) has been identified as the first masala film and the first quintessentially
Bollywood film.
- Bollywood cinema refers to the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India.
- It’s one of the largest film industries globally, known for its vibrant storytelling, colorful musicals, and diverse
themes. Here’s a detailed overview:
History
- Early Years: Bollywood traces its roots to the early 20th century with silent films and the first talkie ‘Alam Ara’
(1931)
- Golden Era: The 1950s to the 1970s marked a golden age with legendary actors like Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and
Dev Anand and directors like Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy creating iconic movies.
Characteristics
- Music and Dance: Bollywood is famous for its musical numbers and dance sequences, often incorporating
elaborate choreography and catchy tunes. Songs are pivotal in storytelling, expressing emotions, and enhancing
the narrative.
- Masala Films: These movies blend various genres like romance, action, comedy, drama, and melodrama,
appealing to a wide audience.
- Cultural Diversity: Bollywood movies often reflect India’s diverse culture,
- languages, and traditions, showcasing the country’s different regions and customs.
Evolution:
- Modernization: With changing times, Bollywood has evolved. Filmmakers explore more diverse themes, breaking
away from traditional storylines.
- International Collaboration: Bollywood has seen collaborations with international industries, and some Indian
films have gained recognition globally.
Key Figures:
- Actors and Actresses: From legends like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aamir Khan to contemporary
stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra, Bollywood boasts a plethora of talented actors
and actresses.
- Directors: Filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and Anurag Kashyap have made significant
contributions, each with their unique storytelling styles.
- Music Directors: Composers such as A.R. Rahman, Pritam, and Vishal-Shekhar have created memorable
soundtracks.
Influence:
- Cultural Impact: Bollywood has a profound impact on Indian culture, fashion, music, and language.
- Global Reach: Indian cinema, including Bollywood, has gained a worldwide audience, contributing to the global
appreciation of Indian art and storytelling.
Challenges and Controversies:
- Stereotypes: Criticism often revolves around stereotypical portrayals of certain characters or communities.
- Plagiarism: Some instances of plagiarism in storylines or music have sparked controversies.
- Representation: Discussions about inclusivity, representation of women, and sensitive portrayal of social issues
continue to be prominent in Bollywood.
- Bollywood is a dynamic industry that continuously adapts to changing tastes, while also retaining its unique
essence. Its influence extends beyond entertainment, reflecting the socio-cultural fabric of India.
Film Genres
1. Action - Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues,
battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, eg James Bond ‘fantasy’
spy/espionage series, martial arts films.
2. Adventure - Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or
often paired with the action film genre.
3. Comedy - Comedies are deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) the
various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies,
black comedy (dark satirical comedy)
4. Crime Gangster - Crime films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly Bank
robbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way
through life.
5. Drama - Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and
stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects,
comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets.
6. Epic/Historical - Epics include costume dramas, historical dramas, war films, medieval romps, or ‘period pictures’
that often cover a large expanse of time set against a vast, panoramic backdrop. Epics often share elements of the
elaborate adventure films genre. Epics take an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure,
and add an extravagant setting and lavish costumes, accompanied by grandeur and spectacle, dramatic scope,
high production values, and a sweeping musical score.
7. Horror - Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking
finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience.
8. Science Fiction - These films are often visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets,
impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology,
unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters (“things or creatures from space”), either created
by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc.
9. War - War (and anti-war) films acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting
(against nations or humankind) on land, sea, or in the air provide the primary plot or background for the action of
the film.
10. Animation - Animations are not a strictly-defined genre category, but rather a film technique, although they often
contain genre-like elements. Animation, fairy tales, and stop-motion films often appeal to children, but it would
marginalize animations to view them only as ‘children’s entertainment’
