Oral Presentation Part 2 & 3: Historical/Institutional/Socio-Cultural - Context & Factors

II. Historical and Institutional Factors-
Consider the film as a text that is part of the industry of critics, and awards.  What do we learn about the film in relation to the body of critical reviews that surround the film as well as the awards and special recognition the film has received. What evidence do you find in the film's financial/economic to the film's success?

1. What are the institutional factors that may be important?

I think the production of the film was very advanced for it's time. The innovations of Billy Wilder and the time of the film has a lot to do with how the film came out in the end.

a. as a production of a specific producer (i.e. Walt Disney), institution (Disney Studios), specific economic factors (Studio Film), or a political background? (U.S. politics 1959)
Billy Wilder had changed film with his newly created genre of Noir that became a standard base convention of modern day films. It was produce under Paramount Studios which gave a high budget for the production of the film. The budget for the film was approximately $1.75 million. The time period was post WWII, which means that U.S. politics were still on edge from the war and were in an era of Communism. The McCarthy hearings targeted a lot of directors, writers and producers to be considered Communists and would exile them.

2. What is the film’s historical significance?
This film became one of the first of it's kind. It was one of the first films to be categorized under the Noir Genre.

a. as a document of its time?
The film was extremely advanced in all aspects. It had an experimental storyline with new kinds of characters, the editing was close to modern day styles and

b. as a part of history of film?

This film helped create the conventions of the Noir genre.

III. Socio-cultural context-

Explore what the film says about it's country of origin and the artists who made it.

1. What do the film's themes say about the culture it's part of?

It creates almost a stereotype to it's country of origin. It can even be broken down into stereotype of the ethnicity of the characters in the film. A lot of films could portray it's country of origin's political system in a more radical depiction and things like that. It also shows the thinking or thought process of the director and writers as they collaborate to create whole film.

2. What is the film's geographical and historical context?

The film was made in 1950. This was post WWII and during the McCarthy hearings. Communism was spreading throughout much of the world and the U.S. wanted to do what they can to avoid the spread into the U.S.. Talkies had been out for awhile now and the use of dialogue had advanced through this movie because of the newly designed characters.

3. What big questions does the film address?

- How does social structure apply to us?
- What role does the Femme Fatale character play

4. How does the film add to the ongoing discourse?

It brought back the idea of big films coming back out and doing well. The invention of the television at the time of all of this overran the movie industry because people were able to stay at home and watch whatever they pleased.

5. Where does it fall in the evolution of the genre? Primitive/Classic/Revisionist/Parody

The film falls in the "Primitive" state of evolution of the genre.

6. What is the film’s socio-cultural context?

The film goes back to social structure.
a. as a work from a specific country?

  I think it represents class structure of the time and how it relates back to the people.

b. As a work from a specific culture?

 It has a lot to say about the American culture. Louie B. Meyer claimed that the film had ruined the image of Hollywood.

c. As a work representing a specific part of its society?

It represents the upper class of society. It depicts them in a way to make it seem as if money and fame drives people into madness.

d. As a work made for a specific audience?

This makes the mature young adults or adults see a social hierarchy in the region and depicts the upper classes in a violent and aggressive manner.

e. As a work made for a specific reason?

 It was made in order to push the boundaries on the restrictions of film and further evolve the culture.