As to the question “Have movies changed dramatically since 1965? Or basically remained the same?” The answer is most defiantly yes, movies have changed. Over the course of this class, I have seen three major trends to support my conclusion. First, movies are a reflection of society standards and change over time.  Secondly, movie production technology has greatly improved causing movies to change.  Thirdly, as a result of technical and society change, large production companies are now creating movie experiences rather than simply films. The remainder of my blog will focus on these three influences on the movie industry.

The Bicycle Thief released in 1949 is from the Italian neorealism genre which places emphases on real life.  Audiences of the time could really relate to the plot of an honest hard working family man who finally catches a break with a good job only to have it stolen away by a thief.  The movie lacks complex dialog which I believe is common for this genre. However, what is not spoken is communicated via facial expressions, and the use of lighting and camera angles. You can “feel” the desperation of the situation throughout the film. The book Italian Neorealism and Global Cinema (Publisher: Wayne State University Press) that provides an excellent overview of neorealism genre including The Bicycle Thief.  Below is a quote from the book.

“…Filmmakers all over the world had been preoccupied with an issue that would become the primary concern of neorealism – how to reflect social reality…”

The above quote directly links this genre to society. Here is a link to another movie from the Italian neorealism era, Journey to Italy, written by one of my fellow students (http://collaboratex.com/2017/10/bonnie-clyde-vs-journey-italy/). Below is the trailer to the Bicycle Thief that illustrates the relationship between the movie and society of the time.

The Graduate was released in 1967. Filmsite.org describes the movie as “is one of the key, ground-breaking films of the late 1960s, and helped to set in motion a new era of film making” (http://www.filmsite.org/grad.html). The plot is about an older married women, Mrs. Robinson who seduces a young single man Benjamin Braddock. The following is a quote from the filmsite.org article that supports that society influence on filmmaking.

“There was already a growing dissatisfaction with the status quo and middle-class values, and the breakthrough film mirrored that anarchic mood perfectly for America’s youth of the 60s during the escalation of the Vietnam War.”

Although The Graduate tackles the topic of seduction, I found it very interesting that the movie lacks physical contact between Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin. Additionally, irrespective of the age differences, the relationship is traditional in the sense that it’s between a man and women. The lack of physical contact and the heterosexual relationship aligns with the society standards in the 1960’s. Here is a link to blog written by a fellow student with an analysis of The Graduate (http://collaboratex.com/2017/10/breathless-graduate-new-take-romance/). Below is the trailer for The Graduate the reflecting society standards of 1967.

Another example is the movie Basic Instinct released nearly 20 after the Graduate. Basic Instinct has an element of seduction like the Graduate (Catheryn seduces Detective Curran). However, where The Graduate lacks a display of the physical relationship, Basic Instinct leaves nothing to the imagination with graphic sexual scenes and violence throughout the movie. In addition, whereas The Graduate deals with a traditional heterosexual relationship, Basic Instinct includes heterosexual, lesbian and adulteress relationships. These differences can be attributed to how society changed in the 20 years between the two movies. The 1970’s included the “summer of love”. The 1980’s was another change dealing with wealth and showing off. “”Greed is good,” declared the lead character of the movie Wall Street… Young Urban Professionals, or YUPPIES, replaced the socially conscious hippie of the previous generation of youth.” (http://www.ushistory.org/us/59d.asp). Clearly society standards changed and the movies changed as well.

Basic Instinct is noteworthy for pushing the established moral standards for sexuality and violence. In fact, the film had to be edited to comply with audience rating requirements for an R rating. “Though gay rights activists protested what they saw as Hollywood’s demonetization of two marginalized groups — bisexuals and women — feminists praised the film’s progressive sexual politics” (http://www.like2do.com/learn?s=Basic_Instinct). The trailer for Basic Instinct is an excellent overview of not only the story line but also glimpses of the graphic sex and violence.

Despite the controversy over sex and violence, it didn’t stop audiences from watching as it grossed over $353M globally. This is another indicator that the movie was in line with societies standards as otherwise far fewer people would have watched the film. All three movies, The Bicycle Thief, The Graduate and Basic Instinct are reflective society’s standards of their time.

My second conclusion about movies changing is that film technology was a crucial factor. Recall that the Bicycle Thief comes from the Italian neorealism genre and was shot in black and white. This is consistent with other forms of technology of the era. A definite progression in film production is apparent in The Graduate; most notably it’s in color, although the quality is poor by today’s standards. Another technical advancement is evident by the use of aerial shots. Below is a screen shot of Benjamin driving across the Bay Bridge. This was an aerial shot that “panned” the movement across the bridge.

By 1989 film production quality has taken major advances forward. Consider the aerial shots from Basic Instinct; the aerial shot follows or tracks the vehicle in a car chase scene (as opposed to the much simpler “pan” from The Graduate). The color quality had also improved. Here is a link to a post on aerial filming from a resource post done in class (http://collaboratex.com/2017/10/aerial-shot-drones/).

The 1980’s included a huge growth in technical advance with the introduction of technology such as personal computers, cell phones etc. Society’s expectation for better, more entertaining movies was another factor in the change of movies. Consider the movie Pleasantville which was released in 1998. It had the distinction of “being the largest digital effects movie ever produced”. (http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=349) This film utilized digital technology to create effects never seen before; color filtering (the ability to combine black and white and color in the same shot). For additional analysis on Pleasantville follow this link for a blog written by a fellow student (http://collaboratex.com/2017/11/pleasantville-vs-curious-case-benjamin-button/). The trailer for Pleasantville is a good presentation of the new digital technology.

My third trend for causing change in movies is the business factor. The public was demanding more entertaining movies and technology ushered in a new era of quality and special effects. An early example of a technology inspired movie was the original Star Wars. Here is what the web site Quartz.com (https://qz.com/990219/the-11-million-spent-on-star-wars-in-1977-was-the-best-film-investment-ever-made/).had to say about Star Wars and technology.

“In making Star Wars, Lucas pioneered new camera technology, new filming styles, new sound design techniques, and, most importantly, a new way of thinking about science fiction.” “The technical success of Star Wars gave rise to other Lucas creations; including the audio company THX, the visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic… all of which were originally parts of Lucasfilm…”

However, the technology advances drove production costs much higher than ever before. The following screen shot is from the website quartz.com article that displays the steady increase in production costs for making films the public was demanding.

As production costs have risen, the business aspect of making movies has impacted the industry. Movie studios must make large profits in order to continue producing such expensive movies. At lease for the large production studios, movies have shifted from being an expression or an art form to technical achievements to ensure commercial success. However, new digital technology allowed many small film makers to create high quality films.

This has been an interesting study of the film industry. I think it is clear that society standards are big factor in movie making. Movies like The Bicycle Thief, The Graduate, Basic Instinct and Pleasantville are all reflective of the changes in society. The technical revolution of the 1980’s and beyond has changed the expectation of society and allowed movie studios to deliver bigger and more entertaining movies. As movies have gotten bigger and better, the focus on business aspect has become even greater. It’s hard to imagine what the future for movies will bring, but no doubt movies will change just as they have the past 50 years.