Download - 70s8. Genre and Mise en Scene in Cabaret
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US Cinema of the 1970s:
Genre and Mise-en-Scene in Cabaret
Prof. Julia Leyda
September 10, 2013
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the musical genre
defined by its form: a movie with several musical
production numbers
typical plot patterns
backstage musical: main characters are singers and
dancers performing for an audience in the story (Moulin
Rouge)
straight musical: people sing and dance in “ordinary life,”
not for a show in the story (The Wizard of Oz)
often a romance plot and/or children’s story
often brightly lit with crane shots and high angles
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the historical film
usually focuses on an important event, era, or
character
attempts to portray the time period authentically
through mise-en-scene, especially costumes, hair and
makeup, and props
emphasizes personal or cultural values important at
the time when the movie is made; sometimes
revisionist
focalizes the big picture of history through a few
carefully developed individual characters, allowing
audiences to feel emotionally involved in events of
history that may seem dull in textbooks
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social function of genre
reflectionist: at certain times in history, the stories,
themes, values, or imagery of the genre reflect social
attitudes
be careful not to overemphasize the reflectionist
approach in your analysis
remember the industry’s profit motive in production
decisions that give the people what they want
popular movies both express and influence social
attitudes, and not always accurately
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Cabaret (1972)
won 8 Oscars including director, actress, supporting
actor, music
backstage: set at the Kit Kat Klub, but only one main
character is a performer
historical: set in Weimar Republic 1931, just before
the Nazi era
shot on location in East and West Germany
Bob Fosse, director and choreographer
choreography: jazz dance with turned-in knees,
sideways shuffling, rolled shoulders, and jazz hands
costume and prop motifs: bowler hats, gloves, canes,
chairs
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Cabaret as revisionist musical
not bright: dark, decadent, adult / sexual atmosphere
not for kids: cynical romance, adultery, gigolos /
golddiggers, also features transvestites, gay
characters
dark themes of nihilism / hedonism, ignoring reality
ominous historical / political subtext of anti-Semitism
and Nazi rise to power in pre-WWII 1930s Germany
not happy ending
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sexually promiscuous lifestyles
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bisexual love triangle
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Nazi party gaining support
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Natalia: victim of anti-Semitic terror
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red communist symbol in background
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spoofing militarism in performances
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ambiguous politics of performances
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ending: in the distorted mirror…
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ominous ending: “life is a cabaret”--?
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discussion questions
Discuss the musicals Saturday Night Fever (1977)
and Cabaret (1972) in terms of genre conventions and
revisionism. Compare them to other musicals you
have seen.
How does Cabaret (1972) compare with our other
historical film, Chinatown (1974)? How authentically
do they portray their respective settings?
How do these pairs of movies reflect the social
attitudes of the 1970s? Are they similar in these ways
to other movies we’ve discussed this semester?
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costume in cinema
sometimes aims for realism and authenticity, other
times for expressiveness and exaggeration
conforms to contemporary body shapes and sense of
fashion
contributes to the visual style in color, texture,
movement
expresses a character’s personality (aggressive, shy,
masculine, feminine) or identity (class, nationality,
etc.)
matches or clashes with other characters and with
sets and decor
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costume: men’s style
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costume: hats
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costume: hats
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costume: mannish style
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costume: closeup, political costume
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hair and makeup in cinema
emphasize actor’s expressiveness: eyes, eyebrows,
mouth
express personality: naturalistic, theatrical, more for
performers
character’s relation to fashions of their time: trendy or
classic, classy or tacky, showy or understated?
create resemblance to historical characters, or
emphasize resemblance to other stars (including
relatives)
make characters attractive or less so depending on
their function and role in the story
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hair and makeup: in performance
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hair and makeup: theatrical
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hair and makeup: naturalistic
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hair and makeup: sleeping in makeup
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hair and makeup: less makeup, Judy
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discussion questions
Discuss the way hair and makeup in Cabaret support
the themes and meanings of the film.
How do you think the costumes in Cabaret were seen
in the 70s? As authentic or as anachronistic?
Did the hair and makeup and/or costumes in Cabaret
remind you of any of the other films we’ve discussed
so far? In what ways?