英语选修课程-第一章

TheTeachingProgramofAppreciatingCinemaTheteachingobjectves:Toguidestudentstowardsanunderstandingofhowmoviescanbebetterunderstoodandappreciated.TodeveloptheirEnglish-languagecompetence,bettertheirknowledgeoftheWesternwayoflife,andimprovetheirunderstandingofEnglish-speakingculturethroughthinkinginEnglishandusingtheEnglishlanguagetodiscussissuesrelatedtothesubject.Lecture1

HistoryandGenre

电影史与电影类型Thischapterattemptsto:Introducethehistoryofearlycinema,classicalHollywood

cinema,andpost-classicalHollywoodcinemawithregardtotechnological,industrial,andartisticdevelopments.Introducetheconceptofgenreand,inparticular,thecategorizationofgenresandthefunctionsofgenre.HistoryandGenreHistoryandgenrearethetwobasicparameters(参数)usedwhencategorizingfilms:wewanttoknowbothwhenafilmwasproducedandwhatkindoffilmitis.Thehistoryoffilmissimplifiedbyitsshortness.InthecaseofHollywood,itisenoughtotalkaboutthreemajorhistoricalperiods---thoseofearlycinema,clssicalHollywoodcinema,andpost-classicalHollywoodcinama.Eachoftheseperiodsischaracterizedbycertaintechnologicaldevelopmentsandindustrialorganization.Artistically,too,filmsfromagivenperiodoffilmhistorytendtodisplaycertaincharacteristicfeature.History1ststage:EarlyCinema---Althoughthetechnologicalgroundwork（基础）forcinemawaslaidbytheinventionofphotographyin1826,itwouldbemanydecadesbeforeitcouldbeadaptedtocreateamotionpicture(电影).Themainproblemwiththeseearlyphotographs---fromthepointofviewofperspectivefilmmaker（电影制作者）---wasthattheexposuretimewastoolongfortheproductionofmovingimages.HistoryFasterexposuerswerelatermadepossible,butonlyonglassplatefilmthatcouldnotbefedthroughacemeraorprojector(投影仪).Thekeybreakthroughcamein1889withtheintroductionbyKodakofathinflexiblefilmbase(i.e.celluloid赛璐珞，明胶);ThenextstepisthedevelopmentofcamerasthatabletofilmmovingimageswhichwasmadeindependentlyinAmericaandFrancebyEdisionandLumierebrothersrespectively.HistoryFrance

TheLumimerebrothersproducedanimmensenumberoffilms---mainlyofimportanteventsandexoticdestinationsintheperiodofupto1905;TheFrenchphonograph(留声机)companyPatheFreres(帕太·弗雷尔公司)tooktheleadremainingthelargestfilmcompanyintheworlduntiltheWorldWarI.HistoryAmerica

Threemaincompaieshademergedandwerebeginningtoexhibit

theirfilmsthroughthenickelodeons(small-scalecinemaswhosecostofentrywasonenickel,orfivecents).Thesenickleodeonswereagreatsuccess:cinemanumber1,000in1905,to6,000in1908,andtoapeakof10,000in1910;26millioncustomerseveryweek.theearlyfilmindustrydeterminedtoexpanditsaudiencebase(catertothemiddleclasses).Andby1915audienceshadalmostdoubledagainreaching49millionperweek.History

industrystructure

Productionwasbasedinitiallyonthecameramansystem.Accordingtoitfilmsweretheproductionofoneindividual(thecameraman)whotookchargeofplanning,writing,filming,andediting.Towardingtheendoftheperiodthedirectorandproducerwereappointed.TheindustryinAmericawasmonopolizedbytwocompanies---EdisonandBiograph(贝尔格拉夫公司),thathadjointedsetupthMotionPicturePatentsCompany(MPPC)in1912.Historyaestheticpoint

Themostprominentcharacteristicoftheearlyfilmsisthattheycommonlysoughttorecordandrepresentaspectsof“reallife”.Theyusuallyconsistedsimplyofasinglelong-distanceshotofasinglefigure(oftenacelebrityorsportspersonality),place(perhapsascenicspot),oraction(somekindofeverybodyactivityornewsevent).History

Theearlycinemareliedonspectaclerathernarrative.Comedysketched,magicshows,orsimpleimagesofmovingvehiclesaretheheartoftheearlycinema.Thecinemaofattractions(展示性电影).History2ndstage:ClassicalHollywoodCinema(1920s-1950s)TheperiodofclassicalHollywoodcinemaisusuallytakentorunfromtheearly1920sthroughtothelate1950s.Itwitnessedimportanttechnologicaladvances,themostimportantofwhichwerethearrivalofsoundandcolour.

SoundwasfirstintruducedbyWarnerBrotherinDonJuan(唐璜)in1926.HistoryFromtheindustrialperspective,theperiodischaracterizedbytheemergenceofthe“studiosystem”(制片厂制度)andthedominationoffivemajorcompanies(theso-called“BigFive):WarnerBrother(华纳兄弟公司)，Loew’s-MGM(米高梅公司)，Fox（福克斯公司)，Paramount(派拉蒙公司)Radio-Keith-Orpheum(RKO雷电华公司).History

Alongsidethefivemajorsweresmallercompanies(the“LittleThree”):Columbia(哥伦比亚公司)Universal(环球公司)UnitedArtists(联美公司)

Theseeightcompaniestogetherconstitutedanoligopoly(寡头垄断)isobvious:Verticalintegration(垂直统一管理)ensuredcontrolofthewholeprocessfromproductiontoexhibition,sothatacompanycouldguaranteethatfilmswereproducedaccordingtoitsownspecificationsandexhibitedasrequired.History

Comparativelyspeaking,iftheearlycinemawasprimarilya“cinemaofattractions”,ClassicalHollywoodCinemawasacinemaofnarrative.FromtheperiodofclassicalHollywoodonwards(向前),thenowfamiliarnarrativeingredientsoffilm—suchascausality(因果关系),temporal(时间的)logic,motivatedaction(行为动机),andplotresolutions（情节完整）—wereallinplace.Inaddition,filmmakersmasteredtheartofcontinuityeditting(连续剪辑),withtheresultthatcuttingbetweenoneshotandthenextwouldbecomemuchlessconspicuous.HistoryClassicalHollywoodwastheerainwhichthe“Star”wasborn,and“starvehicles”(明星媒介)---filmsbuiltspeciallyarroundanumberofmajorstars---becamethemostreliableprofitableoftheHollywoodproductions.TheperiodofclassicHollywoodwas,finally，theperiodinwhichthemajorcinematicgenresemerged.Mostofgenres---horror(恐怖片),gangster(黑帮片),sciencefiction(科幻片)andwar(战争片),aswellasfilmnoir(黑色电影)---developedintorelativelywell—definedformsinthisperiod.HistoryTheideologyofclassicalhollywoodcinema

Property,enterprise,initiative:thefundamentalAmericanvaluesTheworkethicMarriage,family,andhome:“myhouse,mywife,mychildren”Progress,technology,thecity:“NewYork,NewYork,It’sawonderfultown.”Successandwealth:“moneyisnoteverything;moneycorrupts;thepoorarehappier.”AmericanasaLandofHappinessTheidealmaleTheidealfemale:theidealfemaleiswifeandmotherHistory3rdstage:Post---classicalHollywoodcinema(1960s--)Hollywoodfacedanumberofsignificancechallengesfromthe1960sonwards.Thestatisticsgiveaclueabouttheproblem:in1946,onethirdoftheAmericanpublicwenttothecinemaonceaweek;in1980,thenumbershaddroppedtofewerthanonequartergoingonceamonth.Thesituationwasworsenedbythegrowthoftelevisioninthe1950s,drawingaudiencesawayfromthebigscreenandtowardsthesmall.HistoryAmericaneconomy:prosperous;manyAmericansfromcitiestothesuburbs.Hollywood:over-investmentinproductionHistory

Theindustryhadnochoicebuttorespond.

Onetactic(策略)wastoadjustthesupplyanddemanddynamicby(restrictingthesupplyoffilms;seekingtostimulatedemandbyincreasingtheproportionofbudgetsspentonmarketing).Anothertacticwascooperatewithtelevisionratherthandirectcompetition---byselling/leasingfilmstoTV,makingfilmsespeciallyforTV,orevenmergingwithTVcompanies.Associatedproblemscreatedbythepopularizationofvideo,DVD,pay-per-view(付费点播电视服务)Tvandcableweretackledinasimilarlycooperativemannerthroughtheuseof“distributionwindows”toensurethatthemaximumaudiencewouldbecaptured.History

Post-classicalHollywoodisacinemathatdrawsonthetraditionsofclassicalHollywoodinaflexible,eclectic(兼容并蓄的，变通的)manner.Genresremain,buttheirconventionsareobservedlessstrictly.Causalrelationships(因果关系)stillformthebasisofHollywoodnarrative,buttheconnectionsbetweeneventsarelooserandtemporallogicmayoccasionallybe