“Film as Art” – Script 2
Part II of the slide/cassette presentation of “Film as Art” covers the
development of American film from World War II to the present. It shows how films
reflected the country’s psychological and social problems and how they dealt with
the conflict between new and old values in a changing world. Following is an
outline of the shift in values as America progressed from World War II:
A.World War II Films
1. Reflected ideas of democratic system
2.Paralleled war and comedy heroes
3.Developed from propaganda pieces to realistic art form
a)“A Walk in the Sun” – stressed a dislike for killing
b)“The Sands of Iwo Jima” – stressed value of teamwork
B.“High Noon”
1.Reflected the reality of post-war anxiety
2.First adult western—presented a psychological study
C.Movies of the 1950’s
1.Movies as a reflection of rebellion against traditional values—
James Dean
2.Movies which reflected traditional values
a) Bible movies
b)Musicals
D.Movies of the 1960’s
1.Reflection of blurred values
2.Loss of traditional concept of law and order (“Bonnie and Clyde”)
3.The troubled 60’s as reflected in “Easy Rider”
a)complex value system
b)traditional American values
E.American Films Mirror the Changing Cultural Climate
1.“My Fair Lady”
2.“Shaft”
3.“The Green Berets”
4.“Take the Money and Run”
Follow the slide/tape presentation which coincides with the attached script,
following the ever-changing values of American society.
Ask your instructor for “Film: A Reflection of American Values,” Part 2.
Take Test 2. After you finish Test 2, review and take the closed-book
midterm exam.
PART TWO
OUTLINE FOR THE BLACKBOARD
American Films from World War II to the Present
A.World War II Films
1. Reflected ideas of democratic system
2. Paralleled war and comedy heroes
3. Developed from propaganda pieces to realistic art forms
a) A Walk in the Sun—stressed a dislike for killing and regimentation
b) The Sands of Iwo Jima—stressed the value of teamwork
B..High Noon
1. Reflected the reality of postwar anxiety
2. A psychological study (first adult Western)
C.Movies of the 1950’s
1. Movies as a reflection of rebellion against traditional value systems
(James Dean hero—a symbol of the individual seeking values in an
empty affluent society)
2. Movies which reflected traditional values—reassured audiences that
old values were sound
a) Biblical movies
b) Musicals
D.Movies of the 1960’s
1. Reflection of blurred values
2. Loss of traditional concept of law (Bonnie and Clyde, The French
Connection)
3. Easy Rider as a reflection of the troubled 60’s
a) Presented complex values
b) Upheld many traditional American values
E.American Films Mirror the Changing Cultural Climate
1.My Fair Lady
2.Shaft
3.The Green Berets
4.Take The Money and Run
AN ESSAY ON AMERICAN FILM
A New Hero for a New America
by Len Galiulo, Assistant Professor of English, MercyCollege
Part II of Film: A Reflection of American Values covers the rapid development
of the American film from post-World War II to the present. It shows how
films reflected the country’s psychological and social problems and how they
dealt with the conflict between new and old values in a changing America.
During World War II, countless war films were used as propaganda to
reinforce American ideals of democracy. The hero was the American GI,
who retained the same poise and bravery as his counterpart, the American
cowboy. By the end of the war, however, films like A Walk in the Sun and
Battleground showed the brutal reality of war, and the soldier heroes, no
longer romanticized, were shown engaged in the drudgery of warfare.
By the end of the war, a new shift in film had occurred. The focus was now
on social problems. The Lost Weekend, released in 1945, was a serious and
realistic study of the problems of an alcoholic. Ten years later The Man with
the Golden Arm took a hard look at a drug addict.
The growing concern in postwar America centered around the burden of
world leadership. This anxiety was reflected in the film High Noon, released
in 1952. The first adult Western, High Noon was a major breakthrough in
film. It dealt with the psychology of fear, community indifference, and
personal involvement. It was an important commentary on the interest in
individualism in the 1950’s, a time when Americans sought to solve problems
on their own rather than become involved in massive conflicts that might
result in another world war.
There were other films that dealt with the problem of the individual against
society. In Bad Day at Black Rock, Spencer Tracy fought a single-handed
battle against a corrupt town which was trying to cover up a murder. In
Inferno, a wealthy playboy, left to die in the desert by his unfaithful wife and
her lover, reassessed his values while struggling to survive. Like many other
films of the time, it was produced in narrative form. In Inferno, as in The
Old Man and the Sea, the narrative form was perfected in order to facilitate
an in-depth study of the central character. This new interest in individuality
was also mirrored in the wave of psychological films, The Three Faces of Eve,
The Shrike, The Snake Pit.
Movies also began to uncover social corruption—on the waterfront (On the
Waterfront), in politics (All the King’s Men), and in sports (The Harder They
Fall). Corruption in the entertainment field and the media world was also
exposed during the 50’s. Though this field provided an area in which the
common man could rise above his status, it was also a world which required
dirty dealings for success and survival. The Great Man showed contrivances
of the radio business; Sunset Boulevard revealed the deterioration of a
silent-movie queen and the not-so-glamorous life of a Broadway stage actress;
The Big Knife and The Producer depicted the manipulation of people in the
movie industry. Other movies of the 50’s portrayed the sterility and emptiness
of suburban life, and the competitive atmosphere of the business world—
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Death of a Salesman, and The
Fountainhead.
In 1953, with The Wild One and Rebel Without a Cause, the reality of the
turbulence of that time became very evident. Rampant juvenile delinquency
in conflict with unsuspecting affluent parents widened the generation gap.
The character of a young man who didn’t know which way to turn in order
to survive became a symbol of the times. Despite the melodrama of such
films, they had an immense impact in terms of questioning American values;
they were a far cry from the Andy Hardy movies of the 40’s which presented
the average American kid as an Ivy-Leaguer with high ideals.
In sharp contrast with the rebel movies of the era were the light musicals,
religious spectaculars, and horror movies. Singin’ in the Rain and An
American in Paris proved to be very popular, while Spartacus, The Robe,
and The Ten Commandments reassured people that the old values were still
valid. Detective movies and mystery movies kept Americans on the edge of
their seats while horror movies tickled American curiosity with every sort
of beast from the ocean and stratosphere.
Films in the 1960’s began to deal more seriously with problems of injustice.
The Ugly American exposed the image of the Yank overseas; To Kill A
Mockingbird showed an unjust attempt to convict a black man of rape; The
Pawnbroker portrayed modern man trapped by his environment. Prison
movies (Cool Hand Luke and The Fixer) pointed out the injustices of the
penal system more strongly than ever before. In films like David and Lisa
and Last Summer, adolescents were no longer creatures simply to be fed and
clothed, but real people with genuine problems. The 1960’s saw a wave of
youth protest movies (The Graduate and The Strawberry Statement). In Easy
Rider, two young men choose a type of freedom different from the
middle-class American ideal and are shot because of it.
Again, in contrast to the films which questioned prevailing values, there
were still many escape films—beach parties and rock-festival movies.
Science-fiction movies could be escapist or a reminder that we would return
to primitivism again in the cycle of history (2001: A Space Odyssey). But
some science-fiction movies, warning of impending doom, advised man to
pause and evaluate the emphasis on technology (On the Beach).
A new breed of Westerns was also introduced in the 60’s—The Magnificent
Seven, Midnight Cowboy, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. By the
end of the 60’s, elements of black humor filtered into films like Mash, Catch
22, and Slaughterhouse Five. Rampant sexual comedies, increasing nudity,
and free-flowing obscenity began to appear in films like Where’s Poppa.
Americans were presented with different and even flattering images of the
gangster in films like Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather, The French
Connection, Superfly and The Getaway. New ethnic images were created
for blacks, Italians, Spanish-speaking peoples, and Orientals, and the
middle-class American, once symbolized by the cowboy hero, now became
an object of pity and scorn.
INDEX OF SLIDES
SCRIPT: PART II
Time: 15 Minutes
NEWSCASTER:
(1)“Nuremberg, Germany—AdolfHITLER ADDRESSING CROWD
Hitler attends a parade of 60,000Anonymous
youths at the Nazi PartyWide World Photos, Inc.
Congress here today. In Hitler’sphoto
speech, he . . .”
(2)“Premier Benito MussoliniMUSSOLINI ADDRESSING CROWD
addresses a huge crowd atAnonymous
Treviso in northern ItalyWide World Photos, Inc.
declaring that ‘all Italiansphoto
are united . . . and are ready to
fight and win.’ II Duce said . . .”
(3)“Japan’s Foreign MinisterJAPAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER IN
arrives in Berlin for a meeting ofBERLIN
the Axis powers. Seen here areAnonymous
German Marshal Wilhelm Keitel,Wide World Photos, Inc.
and on the right, Foreignphoto
Minister Yosuke Matsouka, as
they marched. . .”
NARRATOR:
(4)December 7, 1941, PearHarborU.S.S. “SHAW’ (DESTROYER)
America went to war.Anonymous
Wide World Photos, Inc.
photo
(5)The movie industry soonGUADALCANAL DIARY
followed.Twentieth Century Fox Productions
movie still
TITLE:
(6)FILM: A REFLECTION OFTHE SANDS OF IWO JIMA
AMERICAN VALUES, PART IIRepublic Pictures
movie still
NARRATOR:
(7)World War II was unique in ourSOLDIER
history. Never before had anU.S. Army photo
American military base beenTime-Life Picture Agency
attacked without provocation.photo
There would be hell to pay.
(8)In 1942, alone, 80 war films wereTO HELL AND BACK
made in Hollywood—all with theUniversal Pictures
same basic themes. In fact, sixmovie still
companies wanted to name their
movies Remember Pearl Harbor.
(9)These films showed how GUADALCANAL DIARY
Americans were supposed to actTwentieth Century Fox Productions
in wartime, and thereforemovie still
reflected many ideals of the
democratic system.
(10)The war hero was brave underTHE SANDS OF IWO JIMA
attack, calm under fire. He wasRepublic Pictures
a leader among men, who nevermovie still
feared what lay beyond the
bunker.
(11)He was very like the silent-screenDetail of slide 10
cowboy hero—only this time, his
stereotyped enemies were the
Japanese and the Germans.
(12)The values reflected in these warTHE SANDS OF IWO JIMA
movies were of a time when noRepublic Pictures
one was slightly good or slightlymovie still
bad. And during World War II,
films became more propaganda
than art.
(13)The heroes were just too brave;THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA
Republic Pictures
movie still
(14)the villains just too evil.THE PURPLE HEART
Twentieth Century Fox Productions
movie still
(15)But by the war’s end, a sense ofTHE SANDS OF IWO JIMA
realism slowly trickled back intoRepublic Films
combat films. Assured of victory,movie still
movie-makers didn’t have to
worry so much about boosting
morale.
(16)A Walk in the Sun, produced inA WALK IN THE SUN
1945, probed the depths of warTwentieth Century Fox Productions
and stressed the averagemovie still
American’s distaste for killing
and regimentation, as well as
his capacity for heroism.
(17)In many of these later war films,Same as slide 6
the American value of teamwork
was stressed. In The Sands of
Iwo Jima, for example, there
was no separate hero. Rather, it
was a platoon, acting as a group
hero, that helped bring victory to
America.
(18)But victory in World War II heldDEAD SOLDIERS ON BUNABEACH
a different meaning for us. Forby George Strock
the first time in our history,Time-Life Picture Agency
winning a war didn’t mean thatphoto
all questions were settled and
everyone could go home.
(19)On the contrary, AmericansBERLIN WALL
slowly realized that winningby Paul Schutzer
merely settled who would carryTime-Life Picture Agency
the burden of world leadershipphoto
until the next war came along.
(20)Winning also brought awarenessBUCHENWALD CONCENTRATION
of German concentration campsCAMP
and atomic warfare. Postwarby Margaret Bourke-White (Amer.)
security suddenly became anTime-Life Picture Agency
illusion replaced by the reality of
postwar anxiety—and American
films reflected this.
(21)High Noon was made in 1952.HIGH NOON (1952)
It starred Gary Cooper as WillUnited Artists
Kane, the Marshal of Hadleyville.movie still
(22)At high noon, his enemies areHIGH NOON (1952)
going to come after him for a United Artists
showdown. In most earliermovie still
Westerns, the townspeople would
have rallied to the marshal’s side.
(23)But Will Kane can’t get a posseHIGH NOON (1952)
to support him. Each person heUnited Artists
approaches tells him to run awaymovie still
--not to get involved. A close
friend says:
VOICE:
(24)“You risk your skin catchingSame as slide 71, Part I
killers, and juries let them go so
they can come back and shoot at
you again. If you’re honest,
you’re poor your whole life, and
in the end, you’ll end up dying
alone on a dirty street, or some
stinking alley. For nothing. . . a
tin star.”
NARRATOR:
(25)High Noon illustrated manyHIGH NOON (1952)
aspects of the postwar decade. ItUnited Artists
showed how fear and anxiety canmovie still
eliminate many personal values.
(26)It also showed people seeminglyHIGH NOON (1952)
sick of heroics, and cynical ofUnited Artists
leadership and personalmovie still
involvement. When asked, “What
price heroism?” they answered,
“Better safe than sorry.”
(27)The ending of High Noon was aHIGH NOON (1952)
first for American Westerns,United Artists
because Kane remainedmovie still
unreconciled with the town. After
defeating the killers by himself,
he threw his badge in the dust
and rode away.
(28)High Noon was one of manyHIGH NOON/SCARFACE
films that reflected the blurring
of values, first begun in
Depression gangster movies. It
was in the 30’s that morality
began to get complicated.
(29)And it was in the 50’s that youngTWO YOUTHS
people started not only tophoto
question traditional value
systems, but to rebel against
them.
(30)Rebellion was easy because theREBEL YOUTHS
affluence of the post-World Warphoto
II period did much to alienate
children from their parents.
(31)Young people, not oppressed byYOUTHS STANDING
the hardships of the war, hadTime-Life Picture Agency
time on their hands—time to bephoto
critical of what they considered
the materialism and emptiness of
their parents’ lives.
(32)And at this time, an actor wasEAST OF EDEN
making films that met theWarner Brothers
troubled 50’s head-on. An actormovie still
who portrayed values the older
generation couldn’t understand.
(33)James Dean. Dean was the rightREBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE
combination of elements. He wasWarner Brothers
young, rebellious, sensitive,photo
melancholy.The times were right
for Dean’s type of hero.
(34)Heroism, to those youngJAMES DEAN FIGHTING
audiences, meant rebellionmovie still
against emptiness. And Dean fit
this definition perfectly.
(35)In East of Eden and RebelREBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE
Without a Cause, he portrayedWarner Brothers
a young person reacting againstmovie still
his parents’ values while trying to
find meaning in his own life.
(36)Dean soon became the symbol ofEAST OF EDEN
a generation of young peopleWarner Brothers
who had no new worlds tomovie still
conquer, no real way to be heroic.
(37)But films that reflected moreTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
traditional values had a greatParamount Pictures
appeal for young and old alike. movie still
In the late 50’s, some of the most
popular films made were
religious spectaculars.
(38)Typical of these big-screenTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
biblical epics was The TenParamount Pictures
Commandments, released inmovie still
1956. The film offered
reassurance that the old values
and traditions were still around.
(39)It featured miracles in gloriousTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
technicolor,Paramount Pictures
movie still
(40)and heroes who looked and actedTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
as if they were carved from stone.Paramount Pictures
movie still
(41)The immense popularity of thisTHE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
film, reflecting the most basicParamount Pictures
Judeo-Christian ethics, gave birthmovie still
to other religious spectaculars in
the years following—
(42)Spartacus and Ben Hur. ForSPARTACUS
the price of admission, theUniversal Release
troubles of society could beposter
left outside the theater door.
(43)And for genuine, unabashedAN AMERICAN IN PARIS
escapism, there were musicalmovie still
comedies like An American in
Paris, with Gene Kelly and Oscar
Levant.
(44)In Singin’ in the Rain, Kelly wasSINGIN’ IN THE RAIN