Film studies global cinema

No Country for Old men does not fit neatly into Stuart Halls theory of spectatorship due to its post modern nature as a neo western that deconstructs genre, rather subverting this theory through eluding a clearly defined preferred reading; however the constructed chaos in the film does still lend itself to a variety of spectator responses through its elusive meaning, with characters full of contradictions and characters that cannot understand these contradictions.  Stuart Hall’s theory of spectatorship can help explain multiple readings of the character of Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. The preferred reading would be to fear Chigurh from this scene, he is anomalous to the western genre, especially in his twisted sense of morality which is hard to understand and grasp. The tension of the scene helps establish this reading through micro features; sound is utilised through a subtle naturalistic soundtrack, blowing wind that underscores the soft spoken dialogue to heighten the...

Stuart Hall’s theory of spectatorship can help explain multiple readings of the character of Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. The preferred reading would be to fear Chigurh from this scene, he is anomalous to the western genre, especially in his twisted sense of morality which is hard to understand and grasp. The tension of the scene helps establish this reading through micro features; sound is utilised through a subtle naturalistic soundtrack, blowing wind that underscores the soft spoken dialogue to heighten the tension of the scene. The slow track in also works to create tension, equally subtle and less perceptible which helps sutra the spectator into the diegesis of the film to heighten this tension. This tension builds fear towards Chigurh which is built further through subverting genre expectations with Chigurh’s elusive moral code. The mise en scene establishes western conventions with the shop keeper wearing a plaid shirt and overalls, cowboy hats sit in the background as ...

Main theme of Spectatorship - in Paper 1 1) Western genre established from the outset w/ narration + wide open American desert landscapes 2) reflective sombre mood 3) Western Key areas: . Ideology . Spectatorship Spectatorship: . How micro features engage spectators . Ideology and how they align the spectator to it . Active vs passive . Impact of social and cultural influences . Expectations of a Cohen brothers film . Spectatorship generalises  -  more about the relationship of the individual to the screen/ film . Audience response more about the money it took, less about what they thought of the film . Spectatorship theory - how different individuals would react differently Spectator reaction factors: . Are they tired . Are they delirious . Where they're watching it - regional/ culture . Who they're watching it with . When? seasonal, context . Quality of the cinema . Who; Age, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political alignment, nationality, socio-...

How far are your chosen films impacted by their production contexts?  Both Apocalypse Now and Casablanca are deeply Influenced by their production contexts, especially the institutional and political which are often entwined, seen through micro features in these films. Casablanca is saddled with the weight of an over bearing producer as it existed during the studio system; politically it also represents the context with an easily digestible message of American exceptionalism and globalism, which is furthered by the institutional contexts behind it through the micro features it facilitates with budget and location on a permanent set. Apocalypse Now’s only burden was Coppola’s self imposed madness; in line with the institutional context of Hollywood at the time Coppola received a large amount of money and freedom to create the film he wants, so here the institutional context of New Hollywood theoretically removes the influence of production context. The political context however...

B) Compare how far your chosen films reflect the different production contexts “Studios had faces then. They had their own style.” Billy Wilder states how, in  Casablanca , we can see the Warner Bros signature style – notably, the big screen realism of the melodramatic love triangle, the elements of crime, and a charismatic male protagonist… [Having directed over a hundred films at Warner Bros, Curtiz might be considered an auteur in his own right, but there is debate over how much creative control he actually had, with the studios exerting influence over all stages of production.] Elements of Classical Hollywood film form are apparent in the opening of the film, when the spectator is introduced to the protagonist Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart. The sequence begins with an exterior establishing shot of the sign for Rick’s Bar Americain, with the camera then tilting down and tracking in to the bar itself. This technique is a key trope of Classical Hollywood, with a...

. Past vs Present . Archive home footage, Paparazzi, Professional . Juxtaposing these to construct his version of Amy, downtrodden by the Paparazzi, Archive footage showing   . Kapadia utilises a variety of new digital technologies to construct his own version of Amy, often juxtaposing these technologies to challenge the constructed image of Amy in the press. Archive footage is used to create an intimate feeling towards Amy from the spectator