On Annie Hall

Annie Hall introduced several innovative narrative conventions into the romantic comedy genre that were a departure from the classical Hollywood style and were greatly influential on the genre as it evolved into the 1980s and 1990s. Identify two conventions/qualities that stood out to you along these lines and discuss why you think that they are innovative and/or influential. The film is very much seeped in 1970s culture but approaches the era from a much different (i.e. comedic) perspective. What similarities and differences does it have to other films that we have viewed in class this semester?

FINAL PROJECT ALERT!!!

I apologize for the confusion about the due date for the final project. I have decided to extend the deadline in order to help out those who need extra time. (If you still want to submit your project in class, next Wednesday, the 5th, please feel free.)

Here is the schedule for the remainder of the semester:

Wednesday, December 5: Class discussion of Annie Hall and screening of Raging Bull

Monday, December 10: Final Projects due by 5 PM. See below for specifications regarding where you should submit your project:

• Written component (Everyone) : E-mail (as a Microsoft Word attachment) to your TA (Defne: dtuzun@uwm.edu/Andrea: andreamaio@earthlink.net) by 5pm. Those submitting written projects should have their images embedded in the body of the document.
  

• Visual Project, with still images: Save as .jpg files, and burn on to a DVD or CD. Submit in person to Prof. Schreiber in her office (Mitchell B55A) between 3 and 5 pm or by 5 pm to your TA's mailbox in the Film Department Office (Mitchell B70).

• Visual Project, with moving images: Save as a Quick Time movie file, and burn onto a DVD (follow still images submission protocol listed above).

Wednesday, December 12: Presentation of final projects (off of course blog).

On Network

After reading Chapter 10 of Lost Illusions, identify and discuss two ways in which television influenced film exhibition in the 1970s.

How does this speech by Mr. Jensen (Ned Beatty) fit in to Network's portrayal of the intersections between news, entertainment, and commerce? Compare and contrast the representation of the news media in All the President's Men and Network.

On All the President's Men

What stood out to you most about All the President's Men? What were your impressions of the film's representation of historical events? According to David Cook (in Lost Illusions) what impact that "bankable stars" such as Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford have on the film industry? After reading Chapter 8 of Lost Illusions, which of the various forces that affected the film industry do you see as being the most important and/or as having the most significant impact?

On JAWS

In response to the JAWS phenomenon, critic Stephen Farber said "Movies were a form of circus spectacle long before they began to tell stories - and long before they were considered an art...[A]nd that is the backwards direction they seem to be taking in the seventies."

Using Cook's discussion of the blockbuster film in Lost Illusions (cite the text at least once) and making specific reference to JAWS, present arguments for and against Farber's contention that the film is representative of a shift in seventies filmmaking. What characteristics does the film share with others we have seen in class thus far? How does it differ?

On Chinatown

Director Roman Polanski said "I saw Chinatown not as a 'retro' piece or conscious imitation of classic movies shot in black and white, but as a film about the thirties seen through the camera eye of the seventies." Do you think that he is successful in making a period piece that reflects 1970s culture?

Throughout the film there are repeated references to "Chinatown." Given that the only scene in the film that actually takes place in this location is the final one (see below) what you think "Chinatown" is meant to represent in the world of Chinatown? Make specific mention of its significance with regard to the closing scene (and last line) of the film.