Thinking about ‘unconventional’ in the sense of film, was most easily placed as a movie with no happy ending, or featuring a lot of philosophical writing. Today, unconventional film is not as easily defined by most, looking at the ways that our world and culture has evolved- what is unconventional to one person, may be the only kind of movie that another watches. I always found it interesting to compare movies from the past with movies from the present, and discover the different audiences and receptions of them. For instance, Journey to Italy directed by Roberto Rossellini, is commonly referred to as a classic romance movie by people today, however, during its time in the late 50’s it was not received well by many.

Journey to Italy was clearly marketed as a romance movie, it is about two affluent people struggling with their relationship in terms of the societal environment they are experiencing, these people are played by two very well known actors at the time, and the filming style seems to be more narrative, as if the audience is getting a peek into the actors private lives- which is why I think it is classified as a Neorealism film. It addressed the social and political contexts by challenging societal norms by forcing people to look realistically at relationships and it achieved authenticity while realistically painting parts of society as they were during that time, and even today. However, the film was received negatively by people when it first came out- which I think is because this type of film style was not common, and people were not used to it. In addition, the marketing of the film most likely threw people off who thought it was a romance, then realized it was actually much more of a contemplative film. Over time, people grew to appreciate this type of filming to the extent that many unconventional directors and auteurs found success. Wes Anderson, who directed The Grand Budapest Hotel has a reputation of creating unconventional movies- this is also a big reason behind why he is so successful. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel was created long after Journey to Italy, but contained a lot of similarities. Katherine Hyde expertly explains why two films that are opposites can be very alike. Both have strong Neorealism influence and focus on the time of WWII, while focusing on individual characters and how they were affected by the war. One thing I want to point out is that from the instant that The Grand Budapest was released, it was extremely popular. The film even won nine Academy Awards such as Best Director, and Best Picture, and won the  Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards. These two instances really goes to show how much people’s film preferences have changed throughout the years. I would like to argue a lot of this is attributed to do with social and political changes from the past few decades- people are exposed to so much today and are a lot less sheltered from things going on in the world both socially and politically. A lot of this may be due to social media, news outlets being available 24/7 with constant updates, etc.

Either way, the pattern is clear to see- audience preferences, and the film industry has shifted and changed drastically in just a small amount of time. As time goes on, people preferences change eve more, and I think people become more and more accepting of not only unconventional films but also of independent, and foreign films.

In 2001, a French foreign film, Amelie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, became the highest-grossing French-language film released in the United States, and one of the biggest international successes for a French movie. Not only was it financially successful, people in the U.S. loved it straight off the bat. 

Melisa Ensign does a great job at analyzing a successful foreign film, and why it was successful. 

These three films beautifully show the transition from a film industry that was built to entertain and had a few different purposes, into an industry that catered to multiple types of audiences and served extensive different purposes. Think about the types of genres of film there were to choose from in a movie store just ten years ago- I can remember there being: comedy, romance, mystery, sci-fi, horror, and a few others. Today there are genres like fantasy, disaster films, psychological thrillers, and tons more. Auteurs rethinking genres had a big impact on this, and another reason behind the genre growth has been technology.

Technology has enabled people to make movies that weren’t even possible before which in turn sparked more changed within the film industry, and in what audiences expect of movies. There is still a huge industry in film that promotes very conventional and conservative movies- a lot of new blockbuster movies have a well organized plot that people can easily follow. One film that comes to mind is the extremely popular and conventional film, Pleasantville directed by Gary Ross.

 Pleasantville was is very sentimental movie, and featured some controversial issues that the U.S. and many other countries have had to overcome and still struggle with today. As seen throughout the film, a huge form of symbolism is color vs. black and white- since the town of Pleasantville is set in the 50’s everything is black and white, but as people start to experience new things, and change, things begin to turn into color. In one scene, a local shop owner reads a book about art and it sparks something in him, as he begins to paint it turns into color- symbolizing change and being colorful and lively. In addition to the message of the film, the special effects used are quite impressive for it’s time. In most of the scenes, black and white is featured alongside color aspects, which is a difficult process- but the director knew it was an important part of the movie which is why he decided to take his time with the effects. “Pleasantville captures the transgressive power of art: It’s a stunning form of protest, an ability to address and subvert societal norms without violence. And the results can be gorgeous, like the mural painted by Mr. Johnson.” 

In one scene, a mother learns to become in touch with her more romantic side and in result turns into color. She is extremely ashamed and asks her son to cover up her colorful skin. This black and white vs. color is an obvious parallel of apartheid and the civil rights movements connected to them, which a film analyst known as Meredith Riggs added that “The colorized people are shamed and ostracized: an obvious reference to the pre-Civil Rights Movement era of the United States. Up until the mid-1960s, seeing “No Coloreds” printed on signs was seen as often as we see McDonald’s signs today.”

Looking at the overall layout and theme of Pleasantville, it does feature some controversial topics that I don’t think people would have received very well in an earlier time. Now, I think people are much more open and willing to discuss past and current mistakes and problems, so a movie like this has the ability to become a blockbuster, whereas I don’t think this same type of movie would have in the 50’s. In addition to having a sentimental theme, this film also integrated special effects perfectly into the plot, and this movie wouldn’t have been possible without the use of special effects that allowed there to be black and white and color side by side. Pleasantville is a somewhat conservative example of the ways that technology has progressed in film. Inception directed by Christopher Nolan is a prime example of the kinds of ways that technology can be used in movies.

Inception had completely mind blowing visuals. The whole aesthetic of the movie will impact many people’s minds and really sheds light on what amazing things can be accomplished with special effects. Tristen Gerkensmeyer does a great job at analyzing all of the different aspects in film technology. 

Part of the reason that Inception achieved it’s blockbuster title was because of the special effects. In a review of the movie, that supports the idea that the movie is not as introspective as it attempts to be, it does offer an interesting point that “…on the face of it, the project looks promising enough: nowadays, dreams reverberate with both mystery and moment. They appear to offer insights into the workings of the mind, a field that currently fascinates and perplexes. Therapy culture encourages us to believe they may unearth secrets that we’re hiding even from ourselves.” 

 

 

 

 

Inception used $160 million dollars to be created and grossed $828.3 million, in contrast, Pleasantville only cost $40 million and it grossed $49.8 million. The two financial comparisons lead me to believe that the modern day audiences may be more inclined to movies that are visually extravagant.

In the end, by analyzing the films as well as the film industry from the past, we can see that today both of those are very different- although the film industry has almost all of the same elements, themes, and genres as it did in the 50’s, it has changed in the sense that much more has been added- and audiences themselves have changed due to social and political aspects. One thing I can be sure about is that the term ‘unconventional’ today, is just another label for a movie, it doesn’t mean that the movie will be unsuccessful in it’s time, rather that there will be a specific audience for that. Over the years, people continue to become more diverse, and as we continue to do this, the film industry will evolve and change to fit our likes and dislikes no matter how popular or unpopular.