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  • American Cinema 1950

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    Cine americano 50s

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    Cine americano 50s

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    28 visualizações12 páginas

    American Cinema 1950

    Enviado por

    Cineclub CírculoKiné
    Cine americano 50s

    Direitos autorais:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Baixe no formato PDF ou leia online no Scribd
    Sinalizar o conteúdo como inadequado
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    American Cinema of the 1950 Themes and Variations MURRAY POMERANCE INTRODUCTION Movies and the 1950s MURRAY POMERA’ SEEN The Fantastic Fifties once that appeared on Amerie’ screens oviegoing population once ensconced securely inthe best waved to the suburbs, further {rom the bg move places (1986) Tecncoorsthreestip color process, or example. tesiment {hat was expensive, compllated we produce, and exhausting for flanker but thas yelded « saturated opie! senestion of unparteed gua, oe ttle inno fewer than 467 fms ftom | January 1980, throwgh ihe ene of 1958 alone (Hialnes 41-46). and vile in every colar ofthe satbow. ‘were lvshly costumed and expensively marketed studa beauties, such Marllya Monroe. Ezabeth Taylor end Ava Gardner, ‘Considerable motion plcure materia was fined ana trom the stl ‘nd much more was simulated In Hollywood, naw that tophinicaed tear Prolecion (pate) photography proceses had been developed and feed 4 order to make te pone t simulate virally eny background on the soundstage, mle action was set inthe South Sens, ln Europe In As to ‘Alsctlocales made somevha falar :o servicemen who hed fought in World Wer ft besute, but the sl of sctoolbookilusation and fntony fot most others Inthe middle and working class. Whether audiences mere ping at svelte Ausrey Hepburn zooming through Roman trafic othe back of de albercs Vespa in Roman Holiday (1933), at sun-burnished ‘Bort Lancaster batting for a copes emplte in is Majer O Ree (1954) at Bob Hope and Bing Crosby cavorting wh stronged Dorothy Lamour in The ‘ood Bal (1952) at Gloria Grahame in het spangly avocado des ing ‘an elephant under the big top The Gre Show a Earth (1953); 0 lene ‘sh epicaions—the chariot ace nthe “Roman Cltcum- bul by Edward trfagne and Witla Horning for Bov-tur(1939). Moses atop “Mount Sinal" in The To Commandnens(1956)—ihey had the unvtring sense of Delng taken, through the magi ofthe movler, to places iney hed ey ‘dreamed of seeing before. Mellwood tall was such apace: in The Badong ‘he Best sd Sunset Bd, among ether flim, we came to know the {aside ofthe sudo, topography that ha hitherto only been sketchea, and ‘eratnly never sketched with such ferecous ambivalence and cynics ‘But the gaudy intoxicating culture ofthe sreen wat pethape never so removed from the prestures and concerns ol everyday ie ss during this ecade, The deeply entenched racism ender in Amevea wos suesing pd beeing, anc Disters would erupt withthe cases of Brew» Boa fEéiceion Rosa Fars. andthe Rey. Marin Luther Klng Jt lesceship ot 4 boycott of publ anspertion in Montgomery, alabema. The stem snilliary-polta exabishment wasn paranoac turmoil over devclopmess ofthe hydrogen bomb, and Amesea had bepun a “Cold War” with Russa, ‘The Korean Wat. the increasing tenons withthe Communist bloc thn wes Betceived asa preender to word domination ales the tescuton of Were War the Red Sear nade the Untied Sites, the McCarthy and Howse Une ‘American Aces Commitee (HUAC) hearings in which patriots was ‘ably invesigeed. a the ensuog baci combined to reste» perv sive and ching senag of orl panic and sfed outrage, Mesh Freud thought had become commonplace popular opinion, with coor ‘epresion more and more frequently ecogriaed and antagonted by ates ‘nd te intelectual elite, From Daniel bell an Pasl Goodman 1 the Beas he buried voices of poet and seholaiy America made themselves heard ‘aloe theEsabshsent, agains rampant consumerism. agains corporeie ‘altute agains the right-wing miltay-idusial elie. Asan answer one {eoressive morlsancimony of Estes Kelauvers Senate Commitee invest tation of juvenile delinquency, whlch saw diorder. cage, Ath, der 'Won, ane enerupion everywhere it looked. the youth culture wan born, bringing with i the Keats of James Dean, Montgomery Chi, sna Merion Brando, the sounds of vs Presley ile Richard the Pater, and sachy Paul Anka, ang a bevy of Ceniron mental hygiene fils lll of “unflaer, ‘ing ose-ups and one dr more characters basting into teat” In when tecnages “ye. sulk. bre, bring shame on themselves. and ocesonly Atheaten to beat each otber up... The characters in Centon Bling were made sutler without reslutlon so that ceenagersia the fea! wore would beet recognize and i was hoped, resolve similar problems in their own ‘mesa ives" (Smith 11). The consumer utopia ong held oat by big bus. ‘ess became an everyday realy, slong withthe redomeniested Howse te whom Betty Friedon (inspiring 2 feminitrevluton| would diagnose ay {uflering (rom he “feminine mystique” as Westinghouse and Gener Clee tric made kitchen applances in cove pink and turquolse to A nto reaona on plans. 36 the big automobile companies designed cars that would {usin ike rockers, athe social iniastrctute was elashioned vo suppon home bulding. nertnietavl fst ood busnese. mate! empies, sn in {genera the profitable confuence of strangers, All ofthe following saw the ight of day fr the fst te dering sis evod: tranquilters. the “Ten Most Wanted Criminals Int the Reron ‘machine the Sony ape recorder. Peau. Mis Clalol(-Does she o dociny 87), automatic elevators. Smokey the Bene. scary. Minute Rice, color tclevlon,ansitors (and pocke-site transsioe radios tranustorted hear, 08 lds trnsistovzed TV sets, Dena the Menace. the Lacoste si, oe ‘ontacepives, the Salk vacine. videotape, Mad mapatine, solide tne ellos Sugar Frosted Fakes (28 percent sugar), MeDonal’s the Me "am Ioumigraion Aat. DNA, LSD. polyethylene ltetpped cigaetes, 17 Guide. ayy. Kellogg’ Sugar Smacks (56 percent supa), I Dateien, ‘Spor tsrwed. eX Bm, the cha che, Swanson toten WW sners te redniione, The National Review. The Vilage Ye, Disneyland horde rootpase, Colonel Sanderss Kentucky Sried Chichen francis, tne Plars mnie Midas Matfer shops. Comet canter Deron the Felsbee ansolace et service, the Grammy award Psa Ho culuraliy im general the 19505 were ecund and fansite. When they ‘erent atthe mevie. people were lntening to wch anthems of Wied op Imi and open-eyed volt as trving Gordon's “Uniorgerale Georte Shessings“Lalaby of Birdland,” Hark Wilismys “Your Chest’ teats Tomale Conners “1 Saw Momma Kising Sana Claus” Willam “Bi Haley's “Rock Around the Clock.” Charles Edward Anderion “Chuck Berry's “Roll Over, Beethoven” Elvis Presley and Veta Maton “Love Me Tender? Jerry Leber and Mike Stellr's Hound Dog." Joheny Cash Fo fom Prison Blues" Flee and Boudeaux Bryant's “Bye Bye, Lave: fon sdatarins “The Chipmunk Song.” and “Put Your Heed on My Sholder™ ‘by Pel Anka. To varying degrees they were mouralng the deaths of kor ‘Anastasia, ose Stalin, Max Beckmann, Chalm Welamenn. Brains George YL Bthel and Julio Rosenberg. the Aga Khan, Fernand Poin, Lyon Felnlnger, El Nolde, Jackson Pllack, Walt Disney. and Georpe Berend Shaw tending The fen Sacey,Noked Lunch, Erode DF. No Dt Baga The apprentehiy of Duty Krav. The Ar ef Loving. The Guanes Bot of Word Rel, Lts Eat Rsk Key Chavos We. heading to Boaday to ate Come Back Lit Sheds, Lang Day Journey ta Night, Th Ring an | ondrl Town, Rist, The Tahoe ofthe dagat ton, The Poona Gooey 284 Ha Th Rf, Sune et Campotel, The Word of Sue Wong, Wang for Godt, The Zo Say, Th Sound of Mase. The Dery of Anne Frank ting te {cont ofthe television se—mmore of them every nth in Int of sicker and bigger and soon more clorul seisto watch “The Today Shows “Whar by Line?" “Amerlcan Bandstand “Captain Kangaroos “Howdy Doody." “The Mickey Moote Club ashe World Turns" Fey bout he Ais copes ofthe Par Review watched ihe frst movemenis othe Mere Cunninghame Dance Company. heard the fst modernist chor rw the Dave Brubeck Quart all ofthis eft ne wil for moves tne movies limo! sbvay deo: {oglally conservative and tools o dat repression ould be outageeuy slyly Wigers Some Lite Har (1959), Frank Tashi’ Recs te Baby (1988) agonaigly serie Langs The ig Heat (1933) (a Bie wth the keenest sights no the ways power fees and works” [Harvey ety [Bia Keza’s On rhe Waterfront (188): tpi got exsely Rasdedged Stanley Kramers On the enh (1958, Saney Donen Raye! Wesng (41951), blopraphical ckers—Amioay Mann's The Glew Mile sor (1954), John Maxon’ Mein Reuge (1952): adventurous (an, with respee to gender ident. polis, and patos Recey peaagogial)—Anhony. Mann's Sati Air Command (1933), Delmer Daves Erker Arrow (1950) laveh and emotlonaly|overwheiming—Doupas Sik’s All Tat Henn ‘lows (1955), Vincente Minneli's The Band Wagon (1953: tery blarre— Nichols Ray's Joho Gute (1954), an anno weser” (Hovey 327), [Richard Millar's The Lone ex (1958) In which enua confusion prevents ‘man from Being integrated ito consumer cute (ee Seheeler 219) oF tite genuine and revolutionary masterpiees—Jean Reno's The Gelder ‘ouch (1954), Jeles Dassn's Nght andthe Ci 190), Chater Chapin ‘Limelight (1952), taney Kubek’ The Kling (1986), Sam aller Picton South ee (1953, Wile there was cerainly a rial audience for Alm at the time Bosley Crowther of the Mew York Time bad one ol ls leading veces— sioema scholarship and cites as we have lt todey wats yet unknown, ‘There ace thus atleast Wo dstint audiences for fm of she 1950s, one looking backward with afond reverence for auteurs principles Bnak ng kl and me tecnica and naraive glois diplayes at the ine, and another constituting the people whe palé money atthe box ofc to st {othe theater when the geting was 300d How iterenting it sto note In is context, that the ten toparesing atraclons of the decade inthe United States. as selected by the Motion Pure Herald and he Metin Pure Dat, were these: Annie Get Yur Gun (George Sidney, 1950), An American i Pers Mente Anne 1951): The Aram Quen (or 1952: Jone Huston, feleaied 1951; From Here © Burry (Fred Ziemann, 1953}: apache (ober Aldrich. 1954); Bale ry (Raoul Wale 1955) The Bed Seed Mervyn LeRoy, 1986), An Afar Remember (Leo McCarey, 1957), The Bridge onthe ‘Rove Rt (lor 1958, Davié Leen, leased 1937), ant Anatomy of Marder {Quo Peminger 1959), nat single one ofthe eepreseming the werk of ‘he Aimmykers most eis and scholars now mos request places the Dlanaele of flmmaking atthe same time: Alles Hichenck. John Fore. Howard Hawks. Richard Brooks. Niehola Ray. or Douglas Sth Hleheoch ‘to elect one, made in this deeade an astounding mumber os tat have been canersed Including. among others, Sanger on Ten, Dil Mor Murer Rear Window, Tach Thi The Mem Who Knew To Much, The Wong Man, Vertis, and North by Norhwet yet mot one ofthese made Io the top 10 box office ist, natwihstanding he fac that Siang capped the eae of Rober: Walker. Bear Window peaked the cater ofthe inimble Grace Kelly and xed James Stewart forever in the fingong Imagintion 2 # ‘man Wappen a whekeatr wii a powersl camera. Urge mas perhaps 1e most haunting Aim ot all ne, and Sesh by Northwest introduced the ‘ome 0 Bn cory ‘To ganee at other mar dlecots whose work id not sop the box lfc: John Ford made Rs Grenge and The Serchers Howard Mrs soe Gentomen Pree Blonde nd Rio Brow: Rchard Brooks made The Sahoo Jungle and Caton a Hot Tn Roof Douglas Sick made Widen onthe Wind od ‘AU The Heevn Ali: ond Nicholas Ray made the poetic and doth tn ‘Loney Past ond On Dangerous Grund. bu these fms and oters om these ‘tector have gained more in cepuation among eel ewer looking beckward than they ever had at the time. Numerous examples of eels uated and well-received genre work, popular with audiences and sign 9g the continuing power (nthe feof ieevsion of the Hollymood dio machine, were corned out as canvemionsl studio product John Huson ‘Afizan Quer, Raoul Walsh's The Neteé onthe Dea. Leo Mary's ae Afr Remember, Robert Aldi’ Ki Me Deny and The Big Rae tnd Alms by George Stney, Mervyn LeRoy, Budd Beecher Jean Measles Wills Wyle, Joseph 1. Mankewier. Edward Dryiyk. Michet Curie, fi he aging impresario Cec B. DeMille, whose The Greaten Show om anh 40d The Ten Commandments brought both Charlton Heston andthe spec slr witha cast of thourands tothe anention ofthe movegsing worl om Har Tien By the onset of he 19505 he Holywood movie system had fallen on hard times. for» number of rearons, aimee watching ed, tally afer the Second World War from an economy with 4 subyantal suraian base 0 an urban esos. With the development ot Levuown: he ‘terstate highway sytem, and the consumer economy the subutbs Came me ther ow as an Increasingly dominant ecenomle.culial and soca domain, Whereas athe all end ofthe wat, viualy hall he population of the United States—some ninety mlion peope—was placng te! ins movie audence once a week, these numbers ult suddenly Sesee to doe 8 people concenraed on subutben lanly Ie. home eterloment omesbullding, redecorating family vacationing. and shopping as ene, tsinment. The #8¢ room, the remodeled kitchen the patio, ll aborted much interest, while tips downtown tose the new move releases were ‘more and more expensive and more ond more ime consuming. ‘On op of this as reteced in many of theese inthis volume, ile vison had bepun to appear in the American home-a malor competioy With movies forthe eyes and eas cf the popuston, While in 1846 Day Zanuck of Twentieth Cepnury Fox could s4y, “People will oon get ted of ‘arog a prwood box every nigh” with cas ceting about $1400 and ieewsions about a quarter of that, within a year there were tore than £0000 seis in the county (and thousand times at many adios). By Octo Ser 1980, there were 8 milion television, a number that wes 10 mush- room. “I Love Lucy” slone was watched in 1046 milion homes by 1932: 3 {year lcerelevsion wasn more than 28 millon tomes (more that half he homes in he country) i in 1957 41 malln homes hadi By 1959, with the minimum wage aan allsime hgh of $1.09 an hous (and mika $1.01 2 gallon). many homes had more than one set newsohie). Who, Imany Ameccans wondered. heeded mole mytery and noir when they had Craig Stevens roaming to Menty Mencin's musi a “Peter Gunn.” of Jack Webb pounding the beat or merogating wineses with his trademare fat delivery n “Dragnet or Reed Hadley in “Racket Squad"? The weseen format nas been usurped, by “Rawhide” (with Clint Eastwood and John Ireland). “Bonanza” (with Loene Greene and Michael Landon). “Gone ‘ooke” (with James Agnes), “Cheyenne” [with Clint Walken “Mave ‘Gun—wil Travel” with Richard Boone) “The Lone Ranger" (with Clayton Moore and Jay Siverhebis), “Sky King” (with Kiby Grand. “Bat Maser 00" (with Gene Bary, “Roy Rogers “Death Valley Days” (with Ronald Reagan, The Life and fegend of Wyat Earp” (with Hugh O'Brian), “The Rifleron” (with Chuck Connors. ~Sergeent Presion ofthe Yukon” (with Alcuré Simmons) and gehen. The plea middle-ass Amesean howe. wien mont of he watching was being done, wat ull ekled an pared by a number of programs inciucing “I Love Lucy “The Adventues of (Otic and arse,” “Leave It 19 Beaver” “The Jack Benny Program." “Our ‘Miss Brooks" "The Moneymooners” and “The George Burns and Grade ‘Allen Show. of which presented characters nea enough to he atdes, ‘4 life condons of suburban TVowatcners that they coulé never have ound equivtens onthe big sereen. They could ee, atl, visually pon laneousskincomedy on “The Jacke Glesion Shom “The Mien Bete ‘Show. and “You Show of Shows” (with it Cacia, imogen Coe, Howard Monts. and Car Reiner, ‘By the early 1990s, move stendance thus came 10 be half of what had been in 1946, To make mates wore the US. Department of Justice had launched an antitrust suit against the Big Five Sim compantes—P mount. RKO, Twentieth Cemury Fox, Warner Biot, and MGM=in 1940, and alter @aht years of butktoom nepoistion, thete and the “Lhile ‘Three"—

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