removed. (August 2010)
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles. Their stories may be fiction, based on history, docudrama, biographical, or even alternate history fiction.
The term anti-war film is sometimes used to describe films which bring to the viewer the pain and horror of war, often from a political or ideological perspective.
One of the most influential silent films from the beginning of the twentieth century is Birth of a Nation (1915), the first half of which established many conventions for War films and Motion Pictures in general. This film has been described as a great movie for a terrible cause. Protests and violence erupted in the wake of its opening and it became one of the first films to raise the issue of cinema's potentially detrimental effect on mass culture.
The effects of the Vietnam War tended to diminish the appetite for fictional war films by the turn of the 1970s. American war films produced during and just after the Vietnam War often reflected the disillusion of the American public towards the war. Most films made after the Vietnam War delved more deeply into the horrors of war than movies made before it (This is not to say that there were no such films before the Vietnam War). Later war films like Catch-22 (set in WWII) and the black comedy MASH (set in Korea), reflected some of these attitudes.
In the decades following the War, the American film industry produced many war films either critical of American involvement in Vietnam, depicting American war crimes or the negative effects of war on combatants. These films included works by the most prominent actors and directors in American film and garnering the highest accolades and commercial success including:
Taxi Driver (1976) — nominated for four Academy Awards, directed by Martin Scorsese.
Coming Home (1978) — winner of three Academy Awards, directed by Hal Ashby.
The Deer Hunter (1978) — winner of five Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Picture, directed by Michael Cimino.
Apocalypse Now (1979) — winner of two Academy Awards, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Full Metal Jacket (1987) — directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Casualties of War (1989) — directed by Brian De Palma.
The success of Steven Spielberg's realistic Saving Private Ryan in 1998 helped to usher in a revival of interest in World War II films. A number of these, such as Pearl Harbor and Enemy at the Gates were aimed at the blockbuster market, while others, like Enigma, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and Charlotte Gray, were more nostalgic in tone. Others were trying to represent a more gritty side of the reality of the war such as Joseph Vilsmaier's Stalingrad, Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot and Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line
Codes and conventions
There are many codes and conventions in war films, however there are some that are used mroe than others.
Beach scenes are seen a lot in some films as it is a vast space that is used to make trenches with vehicles and hundreds of soldiers, such as Red Car beach in Attonement.
Easier things to identify is Equiptment, uniforms and guns. There will always be guns and army uniforms in war films, in MASH the cast are usually wearing army uniforms even thought the film focuses on the casualties of war rather than fighting. Also Jarhead's soldiers always have uniforms and guns with them even thought they encounter no fighting (which is what you would expect in a war film).
Thursday, 10 February 2011
They Hays Code/BBFC
I am going to be looking at two recent films that have been certificated by the BBFC and why they recieved the rating they have.
ALL AMERICAN ORGY is a film about six friends who go to a remote farm in order to have sex with each other. The film was classified '18' for very strong language, strong sex and sex references.
The BBFC's Guidelines at '15' state 'The strongest terms (for example, 'cunt') may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable'. There are a number of uses of very strong language in ALL AMERICAN ORGY. One of them is used in an aggressive and threatening manner and was therefore more appropriately classified at '18. The Guidelines at '15' further state 'There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable'. The references in ALL AMERICAN ORGY are often very strong and include joking references to necrophilia. The scenes depicting strong sex include a moment where two characters have sex with each other. The woman withdraws her consent and the man pulls away, but not before he appears to ejaculate onto the face of his partner’s husband. The Guidelines at '15' allow for sexual activity provided it is 'portrayed without strong detail'. Although detail of the mechanics of the sex may be lacking, the simulated ejaculation was strong enough to warrant an '18' classification.
Catagory; 18
Contains very strong language, sex and sex references
Director; Andrew Drazek
__________________
SANCTUM is an action adventure set in underground caves. When a tempest traps cavers beneath the surface, they must find another way to get out. The film was classified '15' for strong language.
The film contains multiple uses of strong language. These exceed the BBFC's Guidelines at '12A'/'12' where there may be only infrequent strong language but are permissible at '15' where the Guidelines state 'There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, 'fuck')'.
There are numerous scenes of moderate violence throughout as various characters meet their end in the attempt to escape the cave.
Catagory; 15
Contains strong language
Director; Alister Grierson
ALL AMERICAN ORGY is a film about six friends who go to a remote farm in order to have sex with each other. The film was classified '18' for very strong language, strong sex and sex references.
The BBFC's Guidelines at '15' state 'The strongest terms (for example, 'cunt') may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable'. There are a number of uses of very strong language in ALL AMERICAN ORGY. One of them is used in an aggressive and threatening manner and was therefore more appropriately classified at '18. The Guidelines at '15' further state 'There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable'. The references in ALL AMERICAN ORGY are often very strong and include joking references to necrophilia. The scenes depicting strong sex include a moment where two characters have sex with each other. The woman withdraws her consent and the man pulls away, but not before he appears to ejaculate onto the face of his partner’s husband. The Guidelines at '15' allow for sexual activity provided it is 'portrayed without strong detail'. Although detail of the mechanics of the sex may be lacking, the simulated ejaculation was strong enough to warrant an '18' classification.
Catagory; 18
Contains very strong language, sex and sex references
Director; Andrew Drazek
__________________
SANCTUM is an action adventure set in underground caves. When a tempest traps cavers beneath the surface, they must find another way to get out. The film was classified '15' for strong language.
The film contains multiple uses of strong language. These exceed the BBFC's Guidelines at '12A'/'12' where there may be only infrequent strong language but are permissible at '15' where the Guidelines state 'There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, 'fuck')'.
There are numerous scenes of moderate violence throughout as various characters meet their end in the attempt to escape the cave.
Catagory; 15
Contains strong language
Director; Alister Grierson
Robert Altman
Question 1;
Who is Robert altman?
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.
His films MASH, Nashville and McCabe and Mrs. Miller have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Altman's ancestry was German, English and Irish, his paternal grandfather, Frank Altman, changed the family name from "Altmann" to "Altman". Although he would not go on to practice Catholicism in later life, Altman had a strong Catholic upbringing.He was educated at Rockhurst High School, a Jesuit school in Kansas City, prior to joining the Army at the age of 18; over the course of World War II, Altman flew over 50 bombing missions in Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. Upon his discharge in 1946, Altman moved to California and worked in publicity for a company that had invented a tattooing machine designed for the identification of dogs. entered filmmaking only as a whim, selling to RKO the script for the 1948 picture Bodyguard, which he co-wrote with George W. George. Altman's immediate success encouraged him to move to New York City, where he attempted to forge a career as a writer; he enjoyed little luck, however, and in 1949 he returned to Kansas City, accepting a job as a director and writer of industrial films for the Calvin Company. Here he had his first experiences working with film technology, as well as with actors.
In 1969 Altman was offered the script for MASH, an adaptation of a little-known Korean War-era novel satirizing life in the armed services, which had already been passed over by over a dozen other filmmakers. Altman agreed to direct the project, and though production was so tumultuous that stars Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland even attempted to have Altman fired over his unorthodox filming methods, MASH was widely hailed as an immediate classic upon its 1970 release. It won the Grand Prix for the Best Film at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and netted six Academy Award nominations. It was also Altman's highest grossing film. Now recognized as a major talent, Altman's career took firm hold with the success of MASH, and he followed it with other critical breakthroughs such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974) and Nashville (1975), which made the distinctive, experimental "Altman style" well known.
In 1980, he directed the musical Popeye, based on the comic strip/cartoon of the same name, which starred Robin Williams in his big-screen debut. Though seen as a failure by some critics, the film did make money, and was in fact the second highest grossing film Altman directed to that point
Altman died on November 20, 2006, at age 81 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. According to his production company in New York, Sandcastle 5 Productions, he died of complications from leukemia.
Film director Paul Thomas Anderson dedicated his 2007 film There Will Be Blood to Altman.He was employed as a standby director for A Prairie Home Companion (2006) for insurance purposes, and in the event that ailing 80-year-old Altman was unable to finish shooting.
2, Films he is involved with;
MASH
Brewster McCloud
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Images
The Long Goodbye
Thieves Like Us
A Perfect Couple
And many more
3, What kind of comments can you find to help to describe his style of filmmaking?
Elliot Gould Donald Sutherland "unorthadox filming methods"
4. How did Robert Altman come to direct M*A*S*H?
In 1969 Altman was offered the script for MASH, an adaptation of a little-known Korean War-era novel satirizing life in the armed services, which had already been passed over by over a dozen other filmmakers. Altman agreed to direct the project, and though production was so tumultuous that stars Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland even attempted to have Altman fired over his unorthodox filming methods, MASH was widely hailed as an immediate classic upon its 1970 release. It won the Grand Prix for the Best Film at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and netted six Academy Award nominations. It was also Altman's highest grossing film. Now recognized as a major talent, Altman's career took firm hold with the success of MASH, and he followed it with other critical breakthroughs such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974) and Nashville (1975)
5, How old was ALtman while directing M*A*S*H?
Altman was 44 when he directed MASH
6, What did ALtman do prior to M*A*S*H
in the 1950's in his home town Kansas City Altman made industrial and documentary films for the Calvin Comapany
7, Interviews from Donald Sutherland and Elliot Guold explaining what happened during the filming of M*A*S*H in regards to Robert Altman and the crew
Elliott Gould tells a story about how he and Sutherland tried to get Altman fired because they thought he didn't know what he was doing. Gould said they were a couple of prima donnas.We Don't know Sutherland's feelings but he never worked with Altman again.
8, Wich film studio produced M*A*S*H and what was the estimated budget for the film?
The film was produced by 20th Century Fox with a budget of $3,500,000.
Who is Robert altman?
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.
His films MASH, Nashville and McCabe and Mrs. Miller have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Altman's ancestry was German, English and Irish, his paternal grandfather, Frank Altman, changed the family name from "Altmann" to "Altman". Although he would not go on to practice Catholicism in later life, Altman had a strong Catholic upbringing.He was educated at Rockhurst High School, a Jesuit school in Kansas City, prior to joining the Army at the age of 18; over the course of World War II, Altman flew over 50 bombing missions in Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. Upon his discharge in 1946, Altman moved to California and worked in publicity for a company that had invented a tattooing machine designed for the identification of dogs. entered filmmaking only as a whim, selling to RKO the script for the 1948 picture Bodyguard, which he co-wrote with George W. George. Altman's immediate success encouraged him to move to New York City, where he attempted to forge a career as a writer; he enjoyed little luck, however, and in 1949 he returned to Kansas City, accepting a job as a director and writer of industrial films for the Calvin Company. Here he had his first experiences working with film technology, as well as with actors.
In 1969 Altman was offered the script for MASH, an adaptation of a little-known Korean War-era novel satirizing life in the armed services, which had already been passed over by over a dozen other filmmakers. Altman agreed to direct the project, and though production was so tumultuous that stars Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland even attempted to have Altman fired over his unorthodox filming methods, MASH was widely hailed as an immediate classic upon its 1970 release. It won the Grand Prix for the Best Film at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and netted six Academy Award nominations. It was also Altman's highest grossing film. Now recognized as a major talent, Altman's career took firm hold with the success of MASH, and he followed it with other critical breakthroughs such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974) and Nashville (1975), which made the distinctive, experimental "Altman style" well known.
In 1980, he directed the musical Popeye, based on the comic strip/cartoon of the same name, which starred Robin Williams in his big-screen debut. Though seen as a failure by some critics, the film did make money, and was in fact the second highest grossing film Altman directed to that point
Altman died on November 20, 2006, at age 81 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. According to his production company in New York, Sandcastle 5 Productions, he died of complications from leukemia.
Film director Paul Thomas Anderson dedicated his 2007 film There Will Be Blood to Altman.He was employed as a standby director for A Prairie Home Companion (2006) for insurance purposes, and in the event that ailing 80-year-old Altman was unable to finish shooting.
2, Films he is involved with;
MASH
Brewster McCloud
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Images
The Long Goodbye
Thieves Like Us
A Perfect Couple
And many more
3, What kind of comments can you find to help to describe his style of filmmaking?
Elliot Gould Donald Sutherland "unorthadox filming methods"
4. How did Robert Altman come to direct M*A*S*H?
In 1969 Altman was offered the script for MASH, an adaptation of a little-known Korean War-era novel satirizing life in the armed services, which had already been passed over by over a dozen other filmmakers. Altman agreed to direct the project, and though production was so tumultuous that stars Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland even attempted to have Altman fired over his unorthodox filming methods, MASH was widely hailed as an immediate classic upon its 1970 release. It won the Grand Prix for the Best Film at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival and netted six Academy Award nominations. It was also Altman's highest grossing film. Now recognized as a major talent, Altman's career took firm hold with the success of MASH, and he followed it with other critical breakthroughs such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974) and Nashville (1975)
5, How old was ALtman while directing M*A*S*H?
Altman was 44 when he directed MASH
6, What did ALtman do prior to M*A*S*H
in the 1950's in his home town Kansas City Altman made industrial and documentary films for the Calvin Comapany
7, Interviews from Donald Sutherland and Elliot Guold explaining what happened during the filming of M*A*S*H in regards to Robert Altman and the crew
Elliott Gould tells a story about how he and Sutherland tried to get Altman fired because they thought he didn't know what he was doing. Gould said they were a couple of prima donnas.We Don't know Sutherland's feelings but he never worked with Altman again.
8, Wich film studio produced M*A*S*H and what was the estimated budget for the film?
The film was produced by 20th Century Fox with a budget of $3,500,000.
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