Sunday, September 29, 2013

Study of Film: Help Needed




I will be taking over a Study of Film class beginning this week until the end of the semester.  It is a high school elective class designed to show students how films developed over the decades and their impact on society.  There are chosen films already on the curriculum, some include: Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Star Wars Episode IV; A New Hope, King Kong, The Wizard of Oz and The Gold Rush.



In the comment section, please include any information of one or more movies listed that show how that movie:
  • changed how films were directed, financed or cast
  • changed cinematography 
  • influenced society
  • opened up doors for movies in the future
  • used main actors or actresses 
You may also include any information (regarding curriculum planning and fun activities) you believe could be beneficial to use in a Study of Film classroom.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.  I would like to add as much information as possible to a topic that I am not quite familiar with.
Thank you for your help.
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9 comments:

  1. ARockwellSeptember 29, 2013 at 8:05 PM

    Here is a very good review of Citizen Kane by Roger Ebert:

    http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-citizen-kane-1941

    In this review, he answers your questions regarding how it was financed, directed, and cast, changed cinematography, influenced society, etc. Also, he discusses Orson Welles', the director's, style of directing. This site may lead you to more information about the film. It has been many years, since I saw it. Now, I want to see it, again.

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    1. ARockwellSeptember 29, 2013 at 8:13 PM

      I forgot to add this quote:

      "Along with the personal story is the history of a period.'Citizen Kane' covers the rise of the penny press (here Joseph Pulitzer is the model), the Hearst-supported Spanish-American War, the birth of radio, the power of political machines, the rise of fascism, the growth of celebrity journalism. A newsreel subtitle reads: '1895 to 1941. All of these years he covered, many of these he was.'"

      Any of these topics could be used to teach about this film. For example, the "penny press."

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  2. ADeWittSeptember 30, 2013 at 7:47 PM

    Great website link, thank you! We will be looking into the parallels of the main character and the Hearst family. Great idea about the penny press!

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  3. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 2:55 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 2:56 PM

    Here is a link for The Gold Rush:
    http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E7D61531EE3ABC4F52DFBE66838E639EDE

    I hope it helps you in your search. I honestly do not know much about too many films and, sadly, have only seen one off of your list. I think I will try to watch some of them now, though.

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  5. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 3:00 PM

    Here is another link for Gold Rush on the Internet Movie Database. This is a great website to find information about movies and actors actresses. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015864/

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  6. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    When I was little, I watched the The Wizard of Oz. “The 1939 classic took more than a dozen screenwriters, three directors, six soundstages, 23 weeks to shoot and cost nearly $3 million -- MGM's most expensive film that year” (Luchina Fisher, page 1). This movie was unique in incorporating the use of black and white scenes. The special effects were new techniques that movie used such as the witch melting. Many movies started incorporating some of special effects in creating new movies. The images and songs influenced society. The message of the movie is that the best place to solve problems is home. In the 1939 version, Judy Garland played the lead in the movie. After the movie, she had a long career in acting because of her successful role as Dorothy.
    http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/back-making-wizard-oz/story?id=18668718
    http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html

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  7. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 5:59 PM

    The following is a website I found with tons of information about the Wizard of Oz:
    http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html

    The following is a wiki devoted to the wizard of Oz:
    http://oz.wikia.com/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Oz_Wiki

    I hope this helps!

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  8. ADeWittOctober 1, 2013 at 6:50 PM

    Great info Rebekah! You quoted a lot of details that I was unaware of. And I am like you Kellie, I have not watched several of the movies. I quite happy that I am taking over this class for a few months. So far, I've learned quite a bit about the development of cinematography.
    Thank you for the help!

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