code: hayes 1934-1968. guideline that determined what was acceptable on screen. As a
indirect result, the screwball comedy subgenre of the romantic comedy was created. To
bypass the haze code by disguising sexuality in comedy. In 1968, replaced by the rating
system
Screwball comedy: "sex comedy without the sex"
o Slapstick: large physical, violent
o Farce
o Witty dialog/sophisticated humor
o Battle of the sexes
o Pro protagonist
o Fast paced, overlapping, loose dialog
o marriage
o sexual/romance
Rating System: PG, PG13, R, X
2 Legends, Hepburn and Grant...
Katherine Hepburn
o
o
o
Born in US, with east coast/British accent
Confident, large screen presence
signature image: suit and pants
Cary Grant (2nd greatest screen legend)
o
#1 romantic lead
Expressionism/Expressionist Movement (after WWII): focused on angst of being alive,
style of film that uses imagery to reveal a hidden meaning (usually political or social
commentary)
o striking sound abstract effects, sets, darker lighting, shadow
o allegorical/lots of symbolism
o grotesque characters
o visually driven story
Expressionistic Acting: style of acting in Expressionist films
unrealistic
Metropolis (1927): Expressionist film.
o
machine/robot like characters
representational, Formalism
first scene: like modern dance
Realism vs Formalism (opposites of a spectrum, not black and white)
o
o
o
Realism: an absence of style and distortion to emulate real life. This emphasizes
the actors. (Ex: What's Eating Gilbert Grape)
o Formalism: style is dominant over subject matter, attention drawn to style, more
cinematic (Ex: Edward Scissorhands, Metropolis)
2 dimensional character ("cardboard cutout"): no deep emotional connection, simple,
"filler characters" (Ex: stereotypes like a villain, bully)
o
3 dimensional character: fully fleshed out, full emotional/psychological connection,
complex (Ex: Edward Scissorhands, Gilbert Grape)