Dominant cinema VS Counter cinema

       Dominant cinema 

Dominant or mainstream cinema refers to the predictable and expected constructions which predominate in most Hollywood narrative and mass production films. “Such feature-length movies are made and distributed along lines common to Hollywood productions which in turn are replicated throughout the world by other major film industries” (Simon, 2009). The film genre (western, musical) and films stars involved are easily identifiable.  

The science-fiction film Avatar (2009) directed by James Cameron conforms to the Hollywood filmmaking standards. The story takes place in 2154, where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic former marine, is sent to the moon Pandora, with the mission of bringing back supplies of a mineral (unobtanium) that can solve Earth's energy crisis. He is sent through the avatar programme, changed as one the Na'vi inhabitants of Pandora.

The story was conceived years before its release in the mind of James Cameron but delayed until technology could adapt to his vision. Avatar was a much anticipated film because of its advances in the use of 3D. Such emphasis was made on it that Avatar could almost have successfully distracted us from the very simplistic story-line that could have well been inspired by Pocahontas. The detailed and majestic world of Pandora is not fascinating enough to hold the attention for such a long film (2h40min). The story-line follows the mainstream standards of action and fantasy films (a hero, the “good guys against the bad ones”) and displays traditional family values (through the Na’vi inhabitants).  

Avatar is conforming to Hollywood filmmaking standards in that it satisfies the viewers’ expectations through its predictable story-line and yet offers them something innovative enough (3D) to entertain them.

Counter cinema 

Counter cinema aims to break away from dominant cinema by offering an opposite film construction and techniques. Peter Wollen (1972) set and explained seven counter cinema values: narrative intransitivity, estrangement, foregrounding, multiple diegesis, aperture, un-pleasure, reality.

Some of these characteristics can be identified in the film Babel directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and released in 2006. It relates four different stories (set in the United States, Mexico, Japan and Morocco) which are organized around one tragic event.

The film shows an unconventional choice of narrative structure in that it constantly swaps between the four stories. The chronology of the linked stories is often disrupted which gives the audience a feeling of unpredictability and confusion. Susan’s shooting (Cate Blanchett) for example, is constructed as an accident; the viewer doesn’t learn and understand the actual cause of the shooting until nearly the end of the film.

The name of film refers to the biblical story of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11v1-9)  . The film reflects the passage through the different miscommunication stories, both across and within culture. For example, Richard (Brad Pitt) desperately tries to ask for help when his wife gets shot but struggles because he doesn’t speak the language.   

Babel shows counter-cinema technique with the use of “shaky hand-held camera, temporal disruption and multiple narratives” (Tierney, 2009). By setting stories in four different countries, Iñárritu also makes an emphasis on the differences between them and the class groups within them and portrays the reality of the world.  

References

Keenan, J. (2013) Counter cinema. Available at: http://rgucinemasociety.blogspot.co.uk/ (Accessed on 01 Mar 2013).

Peter Wollen (1972) “Godard and Counter Cinema: Vent d’Est,” [e-book] Available at http://books.google.co.uk (Accessed on 02 March 2013).

Rottentomatoes.com (1997) Avatar. [online] Available at: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/  (Accessed on 02 Mar 2013).

Simon, C. (2009) Dominant vs Counter cinema [Online] Available at: http://filmtheoryandcriticism.wordpress.com/research-topics-source-materials/new-wave/dominant-vs-counter-cinema/  (Accessed on 02 March 2013).

Tierney, D. (2009) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu: Director without Borders. [online] Available at: http://www.academia.edu/1065538/Alejandro_Gonzalez_Inarritu_Director_without_Borders  (Accessed on 03 Mar 2013).

WHAT MAKES A FILMMAKER AN AUTEUR?

Auteur theory was first introduced by French director Truffaut in his essay "A certain tendency of the French cinema" (1954). The idea is that a filmmaker exercises an authorship over his work that is identifiable in all of his films and recurring themes. They represent and reflect his personal and creative vision. Auteur theory came to America in the 60s through film critic Andrew Sarris. He suggested that “over a group of films a director must exhibit certain recurrent characteristics of style, which serve as his signature” (1962). 

Wes Anderson, an American director and screenwriter can be considered as an auteur. He is the author of seven films. During his years at the University of Texas at Austin, he became friends with Owen Wilson, a co-writer and actor in many of his films. Together they worked on Wes Anderson’s first film, Bottle Rocket (1996), the acting career starting point of brothers Owen, Andrew and Luke Wilson.  

His films reflect a universe that is deeply-inspired and influenced by his personal vision and life experience. Rushmore (1998) was inspired by his school years (his private school is actually featured in the film) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) family issues could be related to his parents’ divorce when he was eight and recalls as being “the most crucial event of my brothers and my growing up” (e.g. Rotten Tomatoes). His films are easily recognizable through the use of recurring themes such as family ties, fatherhood, coming of age, need for approval and Wes Anderson’s personal life experience.

Anderson shows consistency in his choice of actors by sticking to the same ones such as Owen and Luke Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray who star in at least three of his films. His characters tend to be eccentrics, creative, precocious and intellectuals. Another aspect of consistency would be the choice of costumes that never change and seems to stick to the characters as a reflection of who they are and represent. This is particularly obvious in The Royal Tenenbaums (e.g. picture below)

His signature lies in well-used slow motion sequences as seen in the scene below in the Royal Tenenbaums (Margot Tenenbaum walking towards Richie) or in The Darjeeling Limited (2007) when Peter Whitman (Adrien Brody) out-runs a man (Bill Murray) to jump on the train.

His second film Rushmore (1998) is the coming of age story of Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzman debut), an eccentric 15-year-old boy who attends the tenth grade at Rushmore Academy. The coming of age theme can also be seen in recent Moonrise Kingdom (2012) where two adolescents fall in love (reference is made to Anderson's memories of childhood literature in Suzie’s attachement to her books). The clip below shows Wes Anderson particular way of introducing the things his characters do or like (here the ridiculous amount of Max’s extracurricular activities).

The royal Tenenbaums (2001) is a comedy portraying the reunion of a dysfunctional family. Parents and children are successful in their specific area, geniuses even but when the abrupt departure of the father leave the family scared. This film shows the fatherhood and family relationships theme (also deeply-rooted in Fantastic Mr Fox). It also displays Wes Anderson’s particular way of elaborating detailed sets as can be seen below for the Belafonte boat in Life Aquatic but also the family house in Moonrise Kingdom.

References

Truffaut, F. (1954) A certain tendancy of the French cinema. http://soma.sbcc.edu/users/DaVega/FILMST_101/FILMST_101_FILM_MOVEMENTS/FrenchNewWave/A_certain_tendency_tr%23540A3.pdf  (Accessed on 28 February 2013).

Sarris, A. (1962) “Notes on the Auteur Theory of 1962.”  Film Theory and Criticism, Fifth Edition.  Ed. Leo Braudy.  New York: Oxford UP, 1999.  pp.515-518. Available at:  http://people.virginia.edu/~jrw3k/enwr//106-7/readings/Sarris_Notes_on_the_Auteur_Theory.pdf (Accessed on 28 February 2013).

Keenan, J. (2013) Auteur theory. Cinema and Society. [online] Available at: http://rgucinemasociety.blogspot.co.uk/  (Accessed on 01 March 2013).  

Rottentomatoes.com (1969) Wes Anderson Biography - Rotten Tomatoes. [online] Available at: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wes_anderson/biography.php (Accessed on 01 Mar 2013).

Cinema pioneers: 5 defining moments of cinema pre 1930's

Les frères Lumières - L’arroseur arrosé (1895)

“L'Arroseur arosé" (in English known as The Waterer Watered) is a silent black and white short film by French directors Lumière Brothers in 1895. They are well-known for being pioneers in early film-making with the help of their invention of the Cinématographe in 1895. This film is 49s long and its scene takes place on a single set. The story-line is very simple but effective with a practical joke. The film introduces what is now known as “slapstick” (“a type of physical comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, usually violent action”, Britannica.com) with the gardener disciplining the boy. This film is innovative as it can be considered as one of the first to include comedy.

Georges Méliès  - Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902)

French filmmaker Georges Méliès directed A trip to the Moon in 1902. This silent film, introduced the science fiction genre. It lasts 10 minutes which at the time was considered extremely long. The film depicts a meeting of astronomers that decide, after a long discussion, to take a trip to the moon. Six of them agree to go and the second part of the film focuses on the discovery of the life on the Moon. By telling a story this film displays an early understanding and use of narrative film technique. Méliès was also among the first director to use changing sets and costumes (1.49s). Most of all, the film shows an early and innovative use of special effects such as the landing of the spaceship on the eye of the Moon (4.46s).

Edwin Porter – The Great Train Robbery (1903)

The Great Train Robbery is a silent black and white film by Edwin Porter. It was based on an 1896 story by Scott Marble. It is one the first narrative films and also announced the beginning of the Western film genre. It features, as the title implies, bandits holding up train passengers and robbing them before escaping. This film used the innovative technique of parallel editing: showing separate events happening at the same time but in different places (the bandits running away with their loot / the telegraph operator trying to escape/ and the dance hall). The film ends with an emotive close-up, the chief bandit pointing and shooting his gun directly into the camera and therefore, the audience.

Sergei Eisenstein - Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Russian film Battleship Potemkin by Eisenstein relates a violent mutiny that occurred in 1905. The sailors of the battleship Potemkin rebelled against the brutality of their Tsarist officers. Although Eisenstein does not picture a literal and faithful version of history, it is inspired by real events. The clip shows the famous “Odessa steps sequence” where soldiers shoot rioters and innocent on the steps. The film’s strength relies on Eisenstein’s innovative use of montage which is particularly illustrated in this clip. Eisenstein manipulates the viewer’s perception by making the running of the steps last much longer than it would in reality. He also alternates images of events happening to individuals to provoke an emotional impact on views such as the runaway of a baby carriage (6.43s).

Alan Crosland - The jazz singer (1927)  

Films such as Don Juan (1926) introduced sound in cinema but the influence of The Jazz Singer (1927), cannot be underestimated. This American musical film was indeed widely accepted as the first feature-length sound movie with synchronized dialogue sequences. It was directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros who had previously invested in a Vitaphone sound system for Don Juan. Al Jolson performs six songs in the film, which is based on The Day of Atonement, a play by Samson Raphaelson. This clip shows the well-known scene of Jakie (Al Jolson) singing “Blue skies” to his mother. It also shows the limits of the sound with the sudden break between the synchronized dialogue and song with the inter-titles (1.02s).  

References

Earlycinema.com (1867) EarlyCinema.com. [online] Available at: http://www.earlycinema.com/timeline/index.html [Accessed on 15 February 2013].

Encyclopedia Britannica (n.d.) slapstick - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/548077/slapstick [Accessed on 28 February 2013].

Filmsite.org (1903) The Great Train Robbery (1903). [online] Available at: http://www.filmsite.org/grea.html  [Accessed on 02 Mar 2013]

Rgucinemasociety.blogspot.co.uk (n.d.) Cinema and Society. [online] Available at: http://rgucinemasociety.blogspot.co.uk/  [Accessed on 01 March 2013].  

Rottentomatoes.com (n.d.) Movies | Movie Trailers | Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes. [online] Available at: http://www.rottentomatoes.com [Accessed on 01 Mar 2013].