THE NEW HOLLYWOOD AND INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING(1970-1980)
Rocky (1967)
"Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds." - Martin Scorsese
The Beginning
The 1970's started of with financial and artistic depression. Due to the lack of people interested in going to the cinema to watch films the people of the film industry realized it was time to try something new. During this time restrictions for making films loosened up and became more widespread. Violence, sex and drugs, that were once forbidden, became the new era of film. These films were not like others, they carried genres such as horror and science-fiction. These movies can take you to a new place or even a whole new world, and make you see things like you never have before.
The "Movie Brats"
In the early 1970's the film industry decided to take more risks and to experiment with alternative young film makers and a new generation of filmmakers were born. Young directors helped lift the industries fortunes by producing films dedicated towards younger audiences. These young directors were know as the "movie brats" because unlike directors from the past these directors had gone through filmschool instead of climbing the ranks of the studio system. These "movie brats" studied film aesthetics and history such as the great movies and directors of the past. Each time they began a new production they would continue with normal traditions while trying some new things. Obsession (1976), Carrie (1976), Dressed to be Killed (1980), Raiders of the lost Ark (1981) and E.T. (1982) are all films that have been directed by the "movie brats."
Blockbuster films
MASH (1970)
Dirty Harry (1971)
The Godfather (1971)
The Exorcist (1973)
American Graffiti (1973)
Jaws (1975)
Rocky (1976)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star wars (1977)
Grease (1978)
Blockbuster
Filmmakers
Francis Ford Capolla
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screen writer. In the1970’s Coppola’s career hit an all time high when his film The Godfather became one of the highest-grossing movies in history. The film was a Best Picture Academy winner and won Coppola an Oscar for writing the screenplay and for Best Director. Three years later, in 1973, Coppola was the producer of American Graffiti, which was nominated for 5 different Academy Awards. His next project was working on the screenplay for the famous Great Gatsby in 1974. That same year Coppola started his own second film, The Conversation, which once again brought him Best Picture and Best Original screenplay Oscar nominations. Later that year he also came out with the sequel to his first film, The Godfather II. This film recognized Coppola’s tremendous work winning him Oscars for being a producer, director and writer. The next adventure for Copolla is know as one of his most ambitious films, Apocalypse Now in 1979, a story about a Captain in the Vietnam War who is sent into a dangerous mission to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe. The Apocalypse Now won two Academy Awards. Later on in his career Coppola would make his nephew, Nicolas Cage, a star.
Woody Allen is another great director, writer, actor and comedian of the 1970's and is know as one of the greatest filmmaker of all times because of his view on art and mastery of filmmaking. (Click on picture for more details)
Martin Scorsese is another wonderful director, producer, screen writer and actor from the 1970's who remains one of the best in the film industry to this day. Scorsese was the director of the Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). (Click on picture for more details)
After the 1970's By the time the 1980's rolled around home videos and cable television became very common. Hollywood blockbusters became less popular due to the expense, where home videocassette tapes were much cheaper. The 1980's was also a popular time for independently made films because filmmakers were abel to distribute their films to video companies. There were others who released theirs independently such as: The Return of the Secaucus (1980) by John Sayles, The Evil Dead (1981) by Sam Raimi, Blood Simple (1984) by Joel Cohen and She's Gotta Have It (1986) by Spike Lee. Rather than trying to initiate new trends like the previous decade did, 1980's films were produced for a mass audience appeal and for this reason not many films of the 80's have become well known classics today.
Martin Brody, played by Roy Schneider, is the new chief of police in the town of Amity. After discovering the beach attacks by the great white shark, Martin sets out to sea with shark hunter Quint, played by Robert Shaw, and the oceanographer Matt Hoper, played by Richard Dreyfuss, on Quints boat to discover the shark. They soon come to realize that they are dealing with one of the largest and most deathly creatures of the sea.
Observation
In this scene the emotion shown on, Martin
Brody's face as soon as he sees the shark says everything. He is astonished by what he sees, in the moment viewers watching would be captivated, waiting to see the shark for themselves and what will happen next.
Analysis
The music in this scene starts rapidly playing as the shark appears out of the water. Then slows down for the period of time that the camera is taken off the shark. This makes the sharks approach to the boat more suspenseful. The music gets faster and more intense the closer the shark becomes to the boat preparing the audiences ready for an intense moment. The suspense in this film is never ending, and that is what makes the audience so drawn to it.
Evaluation
Jaws is a thrilling movie that leaves most people terrified yet wanting more. The film leaves an impact on you that can last forever because it is very real life. Many people don't live near the ocean and don't have the opportunity to see sharks which makes the film so real and so scary. Jaws brought sharks to life. Every time your foot touches the water all you can think of is the theme music from Jaws, sending chills up your spine.
In this scene Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, will take on the undefeated heavy weight champion of the world, Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, who many call the "master of disaster." Apollo comes into the fight toying with Rocky and taunting him as if Rocky has no chance at victory. But Rocky knocks down the champion for the very first time this season. He puts up a fight and by the end of the fight has Apollo tanking.
Observation
The big crowd really builds the atmosphere in this scene, aswell as the commentary. The excitement or dullness in the commenters voices helps you recognize when the momentum is shifting in someone favour over the other during the fight. The facial expressions used in this scene are also very important. As you can tell Rocky is in extreme pain and Adrian is searching for him in extreme concern.
Analysis
Both men are very exhausted by the end of the fight because they fought a full 15 rounds which is the longest that has ever been done in history. At the end of the fight Rocky can barley see out of his eyes due to the hard fought battle. In this moment the only thing that Rocky wants and the only person he wants to see is Adrian.
They both realize that they have been avoiding telling each other how they truly feel, and for Adrian seeing Rocky put through a fight like that she was emotionally disturbed and scared for him. This fight made them both comprehend the feelings that they had towards one another and brought them closer together.
Evaluation
Rocky, written by Sylvester Stallone, was meant to be more than just another boxing movie. Rocky inspired many people to believe that you could make yourself from nothing and enthused several people to strive for their dreams. Sylvester Stallone portrait the classic street-like character who is misrepresented by the way he looks, the way he talks, and the way he walks. But with tremendous amount of dedication and hard work Rocky Balboa becomes one of the greatest heavy weight fighters in the world. This film became so well known and liked that there would be four more sequels to come.
The duel of Obi-wan and Darth Vater ends in Obi-wan giving his life so the hero can escape. All of the heroes jump on board of their aircraft, and fly into hyperspace. The TIE fighter then come after them and this is where the scene begins. The TIE fighter attack scene starring Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa, and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, shows the rue victory of the heroes over the
Observation
The actors show very strong emotion in this scene. They are extremely focused on their job of Killing the TIE fighters and when they do, extreme excitement come across their faces. The music also adds major affect to this scene. It builds up towards the ending of this clip to show a climax where the final TIE fighter is killed.
Analysis
TIE fighters are fictional star fighters in the Star Wars universe. This scene shows the fresh idea's that Star Wars borrows many real-life scientific and technological concepts in its settings. Laser technology is used in the form of weapons and solar power technology is used as a distinct feature of the TIE fighters where their solar panels provide large scales of energy in force. This scene captures all of the various amounts of technology that Star wars portraits throughout the movie.
Evaluation
Star Wars is a film that changed cinema history forever. This film brought you into a whole new world, with different people and a different way of life. The technology and inventiveness that was displayed in this movie was very futuristic. Many people are drawn to Star Wars because it is so out there and unrealistic. Even those who do not like the film know what it is about and the key characters in it. There is no movie like Star Wars.
"Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, they open doors and minds." - Martin Scorsese
The Beginning
The 1970's started of with financial and artistic depression. Due to the lack of people interested in going to the cinema to watch films the people of the film industry realized it was time to try something new. During this time restrictions for making films loosened up and became more widespread. Violence, sex and drugs, that were once forbidden, became the new era of film. These films were not like others, they carried genres such as horror and science-fiction. These movies can take you to a new place or even a whole new world, and make you see things like you never have before.
The "Movie Brats"
In the early 1970's the film industry decided to take more risks and to experiment with alternative young film makers and a new generation of filmmakers were born. Young directors helped lift the industries fortunes by producing films dedicated towards younger audiences. These young directors were know as the "movie brats" because unlike directors from the past these directors had gone through filmschool instead of climbing the ranks of the studio system. These "movie brats" studied film aesthetics and history such as the great movies and directors of the past. Each time they began a new production they would continue with normal traditions while trying some new things. Obsession (1976), Carrie (1976), Dressed to be Killed (1980), Raiders of the lost Ark (1981) and E.T. (1982) are all films that have been directed by the
"movie brats."
Blockbuster films
MASH (1970)
Blockbuster
Filmmakers
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screen writer. In the1970’s Coppola’s career hit an all time high when his film The Godfather became one of the highest-grossing movies in history. The film was a Best Picture Academy winner and won Coppola an Oscar for writing the screenplay and for Best Director. Three years later, in 1973, Coppola was the producer of American Graffiti, which was nominated for 5 different Academy Awards. His next project was working on the screenplay for the famous Great Gatsby in 1974. That same year Coppola started his own second film, The Conversation, which once again brought him Best Picture and Best Original screenplay Oscar nominations. Later that year he also came out with the sequel to his first film, The Godfather II. This film recognized Coppola’s tremendous work winning him Oscars for being a producer, director and writer. The next adventure for Copolla is know as one of his most ambitious films, Apocalypse Now in 1979, a story about a Captain in the Vietnam War who is sent into a dangerous mission to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe. The Apocalypse Now won two Academy Awards. Later on in his career Coppola would make his nephew, Nicolas Cage, a star.
After the 1970's
By the time the 1980's rolled around home videos and cable television became very common. Hollywood blockbusters became less popular due to the expense, where home videocassette tapes were much cheaper. The 1980's was also a popular time for independently made films because filmmakers were abel to distribute their films to video companies. There were others who released theirs independently such as: The Return of the Secaucus (1980) by John Sayles, The Evil Dead (1981) by Sam Raimi, Blood Simple (1984) by Joel Cohen and She's Gotta Have It (1986) by Spike Lee. Rather than trying to initiate new trends like the previous decade did, 1980's films were produced for a mass audience appeal and for this reason not many films of the 80's have become well known classics today.
Clip Analysis
Jaws (1975)
Directer: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb
Description
Martin Brody, played by Roy Schneider, is the new chief of police in the town of Amity. After discovering the beach attacks by the great white shark, Martin sets out to sea with shark hunter Quint, played by Robert Shaw, and the oceanographer Matt Hoper, played by Richard Dreyfuss, on Quints boat to discover the shark. They soon come to realize that they are dealing with one of the largest and most deathly creatures of the sea.
Observation
In this scene the emotion shown on, Martin
Brody's face as soon as he sees the shark says everything. He is astonished by what he sees, in the moment viewers watching would be captivated, waiting to see the shark for themselves and what will happen next.
Analysis
The music in this scene starts rapidly playing as the shark appears out of the water. Then slows down for the period of time that the camera is taken off the shark. This makes the sharks approach to the boat more suspenseful. The music gets faster and more intense the closer the shark becomes to the boat preparing the audiences ready for an intense moment. The suspense in this film is never ending, and that is what makes the audience so drawn to it.
Evaluation
Jaws is a thrilling movie that leaves most people terrified yet wanting more. The film leaves an impact on you that can last forever because it is very real life. Many people don't live near the ocean and don't have the opportunity to see sharks which makes the film so real and so scary. Jaws brought sharks to life. Every time your foot touches the water all you can think of is the theme music from Jaws, sending chills up your spine.
Rocky (1976)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Writer: Sylvester Stallone
Description
In this scene Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, will take on the undefeated heavy weight champion of the world, Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, who many call the "master of disaster." Apollo comes into the fight toying with Rocky and taunting him as if Rocky has no chance at victory. But Rocky knocks down the champion for the very first time this season. He puts up a fight and by the end of the fight has Apollo tanking.
Observation
The big crowd really builds the atmosphere in this scene, aswell as the commentary. The excitement or dullness in the commenters voices helps you recognize when the momentum is shifting in someone favour over the other during the fight. The facial expressions used in this scene are also very important. As you can tell Rocky is in extreme pain and Adrian is searching for him in extreme concern.
Analysis
Both men are very exhausted by the end of the fight because they fought a full 15 rounds which is the longest that has ever been done in history. At the end of the fight Rocky can barley see out of his eyes due to the hard fought battle. In this moment the only thing that Rocky wants and the only person he wants to see is Adrian.
Evaluation
Rocky, written by Sylvester Stallone, was meant to be more than just another boxing movie. Rocky inspired many people to believe that you could make yourself from nothing and enthused several people to strive for their dreams. Sylvester Stallone portrait the classic street-like character who is misrepresented by the way he looks, the way he talks, and the way he walks. But with tremendous amount of dedication and hard work Rocky Balboa becomes one of the greatest heavy weight fighters in the world. This film became so well known and liked that there would be four more sequels to come.
Star Wars (1977)
Director: George Lucas
Writer: George Lucas
Description
The duel of Obi-wan and Darth Vater ends in Obi-wan giving his life so the hero can escape. All of the heroes jump on board of their aircraft, and fly into hyperspace. The TIE fighter then come after them and this is where the scene begins. The TIE fighter attack scene starring Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa, and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, shows the rue victory of the heroes over the
Observation
The actors show very strong emotion in this scene. They are extremely focused on their job of Killing the TIE fighters and when they do, extreme excitement come across their faces. The music also adds major affect to this scene. It builds up towards the ending of this clip to show a climax where the final TIE fighter is killed.
Analysis
TIE fighters are fictional star fighters in the Star Wars universe. This scene shows the fresh idea's that Star Wars borrows many real-life scientific and technological concepts in its settings. Laser technology is used in the form of weapons and solar power technology is used as a distinct feature of the TIE fighters where their solar panels provide large scales of energy in force. This scene captures all of the various amounts of technology that Star wars portraits throughout the movie.
Evaluation
Star Wars is a film that changed cinema history forever. This film brought you into a whole new world, with different people and a different way of life. The technology and inventiveness that was displayed in this movie was very futuristic. Many people are drawn to Star Wars because it is so out there and unrealistic. Even those who do not like the film know what it is about and the key characters in it. There is no movie like Star Wars.