FILM 110 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Racism, Wood, Widescreen
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
FILM 110
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
FILM 110A - 001
Cinephilia
Cinephilia = the love of cinema
o The goal of this class is to deepen that pleasure by teaching people to investigate film and
go below the surface. If you only enjoy films that make you feel casually comfortable, you
will be disappointed
o Also includes the pleasures that can be had in critique, and in the hatred of certain films
The "end of cinema" has been claimed many times, including by Susan Sontag in a 1996 article
called The Decay of Cinema, in which she said that people didn't want to go to the movies
anymore. (TO READ)
Cinephilia needs to be constantly reinvented for our current historical moment. Now, we can see
new blockbuster films on our cellphones, which would have appalled Susan Sontag.
Background on Film
The Player, dir. Robert Altman (1992)
o Written by Michael Tolkin, based on his own 1988 novel of the same name
o 65 celebrities making cameo appearances
o The film received three nominations at the 66th Academy Awards: Best Director, Best
Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing
o Won two Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, and Best Actor -
Comedy or Musical (for Robbins)
o A satirical film about the film industry (in Hollywood)
Robert Altman (1935-2006)
o Sam Wasson said that "Altman was understood to be an enemy of the studio system"
o Known for mobile camera and overlapping audio design
o A favourite among actors; knew how to work with actors
o Had one foot outside of Hollywood
o Got an Oscar nomination for Best Director 7 times, never won
Important Terms
Satire = the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize the vices,
flaws, or stupidity of people, groups, or institutions
Irony = the use of words and/or images to express something other than, and especially the
opposite of, the literal meaning
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
FILM 110A - 001
My Notes
Legend: yellow = meta, blue = mistreatment of women, minorities, or POC
o How meta to start a film class by watching a film about how toxic the making of a film is
o Intro screen: noose made of film strip implies that Hollywood (more specifically the film
industry) results in some sort of death (mental death, creative death, literal death)
o Treatment of Japanese tourists highlights the casual racism and stereotyping that is
prevalent in the industry
o "of course someone gets killed at the end, someone always does in political thrillers" -
predictability of big budget block buster cinema
o Famous kids always they can do anything, and people let them because they have money -
Reggie knows nothing about films or actors, but wants to become a producer, and the
studio treats him like he can and like they want to have a positive relationship with him
(purely due to his liquid assets)
o Deaf actress represents the fetishization of palatable difference (obsession with a small
"flaw" that largely does not effect the social nature of the person or their work - allows
them to feel charitable without actually doing any work)
o They pulled a similar cinematic move to the one they just ridiculed - cut to hot tub jets
during sex scene vs. cut to horses
o Overlaying of conversation creates a more realistic feel and sense that this is about
Hollywood and not just about this single instance
o Also, to be fair, a quirk of Altman's (audio overlap)
o The watching outside the window sequence represents the invasive nature of Hollywood on
those who wish to exist outside it (also foreshadowing for how she "will be his" and will
essentially lose this creativity and individuality that exist when he is not inside her life)
o Continuously cuts to movie posters for foreshadowing - incredibly cheesy, adds subtle
comedy, and reconnects to the overall toxicity of the film industry
o The pompous nature of the "holier-than-thou" independent writers shown clearly in David;
they feel as though their film is more meaningful and real than anyone else's, that they
deserve the chance to make it more than any other writer, even if, in reality, their work is
largely unremarkable
o June calls David's work "uniquely untalented"
o The drowning of David consequently proves how Hollywood drives people to this point of
insanity where they feel untouchable
o Further delusion shown in how Griffin even staged it to look like a robbery gone
wrong in the heat of the moment; he immediately had a plan despite the fact that the
murder was not premeditated
o Film industry: "lets cut costs by not hiring writers" - essentially puts the less privileged
members in said industry out of jobs and severely undersells the difficulty of creating a
story and writing a script. Proves that these people are not about quality or art, but are about
profit.
o "Society is responsible for this murder" - interesting to critique society and Hollywood
whilst still wishing to play into its hands
o In a way, this is satire on the film itself, which satirizes Hollywood whilst still using
its resources to its advantage
o When June says "David's gone and I'm somewhere else already" she is displaying pure
acceptance of who she is, and is unabashedly showing it off, making her distinct un-
Hollywood
o By associating with Griffin Mill, she is opening herself up to losing that part of
herself, she is opening herself up to becoming Hollywood
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Cinephilia = the love of cinema: the goal of this class is to deepen that pleasure by teaching people to investigate film and go below the surface. If you only enjoy films that make you feel casually comfortable, you will be disappointed: also includes the pleasures that can be had in critique, and in the hatred of certain films. The "end of cinema" has been claimed many times, including by susan sontag in a 1996 article called the decay of cinema, in which she said that people didn"t want to go to the movies anymore. (to read) Cinephilia needs to be constantly reinvented for our current historical moment. Now, we can see new blockbuster films on our cellphones, which would have appalled susan sontag. Robert altman (1992: written by michael tolkin, based on his own 1988 novel of the same name, 65 celebrities making cameo appearances, the film received three nominations at the 66th academy awards: best director, best.
