Preview

Mainstream Cinema: A Form of Reflection

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3152 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mainstream Cinema: A Form of Reflection
Out with the Old…
Mainstream cinema is always, in some form, a reflection of the time or place it was made in. This reflection can be present within the filmic language in numerous ways; ideologically, technologically, geographically, culturally, ethically etc. It is because of this that non-contemporary films sometimes struggle to find a new audience within contemporary culture. As time passes, culture changes, and as a result films can quickly become out dated. Screen writer Charles Mortiz explains that narrative characters who share the same values and moral structure as their audience are more likable and sympathetic (2008). Consequently if the cultural context the film was created in is not present within an audience a films potential impact can be lost and it can fade into obscurity or worse; be scrutinized. An extreme example is Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will (1934); a film which supported the Nazi ideologies of the time which, in both western and modern German culture, are out dated and frowned upon. The cultural context that Riefenstahl’s film was created in no longer exists and as a result Triumph of the Will is considered German Ideology propaganda film, instead of a classic piece of cinema.

Attack of the Remake!

Perhaps loss of cultural context is the reason that the ‘Hollywood Remake’ is has become more and more prevalent in mainstream cinema. The ability for a studio to remake a movie allows a simple retelling of a story updated for modern audiences. It’s seems there are countless example of this, particularly in the Horror genre. Some noteworthy examples of non-contemporary western films that have been remade include; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, Remake 2003), Amityville Horror (1979, Remake 2005), Prom Night (1980, Remake 2008), Friday the 13th (1980, Remake: 2009), When A Stranger Calls(1979, Remake 2006), The Omen (1976, Remake 2006), My Bloody Valentine(1981, Remake 2009), The Last House on the Left



References: Grant, B. (1996). The Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film. Texas, University of Texas Press. Harper, S. (2007). “”They’re Us”: Representations of Women in George Romero’s ‘Living Dead’ Series ” Intensities: The Journal of Cult Media 1(3). Kirkman, R. (2007). The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye. California, Image Comics, Inc. Moritz, C. (2008). Scriptwriting for the Screen. United States, Routledge. Paffenroth, K. (2006). Gospel of the living Dead: George Romero’s Visions of Hell on Earth. Texas, Baylor University Press. Russell, J. (2005). Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema. England, FAB Press. Waller, G. (1986). The Living and the Undead : From Stoker’s Dracula to Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Illinois, University of Illinois Press. Williams, T. (2003). The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead. United Kingdom, Wallflower Press.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, has many parallels to…

    • 513 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Historical tools were employed to tell the story of the zombie concept. The author patently drew the subject of awareness by making the majority of the article’s body very informative and narrative. This manner gave the impression that the author aimed to educate the readers with the subject. The image of zombies was shifted into a different light, a story the hoi polloi seems to be oblivious to. In the author’s introduction, it was demonstrated how zombies are now a large part of popular culture, being a favorite in Halloween and all. But more than Halloween, today’s society, or significant parts of it at least, have put zombies into a very high pedestal of ubiquity. Famous movies and TV shows like “The Walking Dead” and “Zombieland” are everywhere. Party themes, charity events, etc. have been adapting zombies as a hip event concept. And they have also penetrated the game world with Plants vs. Zombies. And there are just so much more varieties that have plastered zombies to their brand. In other words, the zombie concept might be taken for granted nowadays, and people do not see through, or even think of seeing through the history and meaning behind the popular craze of the undead.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Williams, Kitty, and Stevie Mack. Day of the Dead. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2011. Print.…

    • 2679 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rot & Ruin

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This book offers a different view point of zombies and how they are not just mindless monsters who need to be destroyed. Most people forget that these zombies were once people and while yes they are very dangerous they should still be treated with the respect of any…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gender roles have been a theme for many films throughout time. One movie that particularly challenges the idea of gender roles in the horror genre is that of Halloween (1978). In many horror films, women are depicted as weak and rather ignorant victims of the killer that is coming to attack. That is very different from how Halloween depicts the heroine of the story. She is seen as an intelligent woman trying to protect both herself and her children in a way that is both smart and productive. Siskel and Elbert view the film as more of an upbeat horror film in their movie critique. They view it as a positive that the women are given a more dominant presence and therefor making the focus of the film something so much more than a senseless murder of a women who could not defend herself.…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Over the past decade, interest in zombies in pop culture has sky rocketed. There have been over 100 games and movies featuring the living dead. George Romero’s 1978 film Dawn of the Dead, sequel to Night of the Living Dead, gives its audience insight into these evil symbolic structures known today as zombies. In this film, there are four survivors that take refuge in a huge shopping mall, sealing the doors and creating a zombie-free hideout. This movie is often referred to as one the best horror films of its time and a door way to today’s interest in zombies. Throughout the film, the four survivors deal with hundreds of zombies and at the climax are also having to deal with a biker gang. Although not all four of these characters survived, the mall was a perfect spot for the movie to take place according to a review done by the Spinning Image Company. “The mall is a brilliant location, not just for the satirical possibilities it offers Romero, but also for creating some clever, unsettling imagery,” said Daniel Auty in his review. Auty is speaking of the several times throughout the film where Romero would cut to a scene of just zombies roaming random parts of the mall. These zombies were different than what we see today however. “[The zombies] look silly, they fall over a lot, and Romero mostly shoots them in either broad daylight or the stark fluorescence of the mall” (Auty).…

    • 1808 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our Zombies Ourselves

    • 870 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The name of the article is Our Zombies, Ourselves written by James Parker. In this article Parker discusses the historical backdrop of zombies and talks about where it is that they started from. Parker additionally raises exceptionally fascinating point on the notoriety of zombies and a short timeline on zombies. He also talks of different sorts of popular cultures which incorporate zombies and are utilized, for example, the movies Night of the Living Dead, White Zombie, the books The Zen of Zombies, Zombie Haiku, and the television series The Walking Dead.. By utilizing these references Parker helps demonstrate to us how zombies appear to ceaselessly draw our interest. The article additionally educates the reader about how zombies came and which prominent movies began to truly make the zombie what it is today. Parker also discusses the role and development of zombies and talks about how we have yet not reached the peak point of zombies. However not agreeing with Parker, it could be concluded that in fact zombies have reached the peak point.…

    • 870 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The variety of films mentioned aims to provide an extensive inquiry into both modern and traditional films. To substantiate this inquiry, an article by Paste Magazine has been supplemented, containing some of the most well-known and endorsed films of the 21st century. The logic behind including an article of this nature is to examine mainstream/dominant culture as it communicates the disposition and context of…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Social and Historical Effects Responsible for the Conception of the Fantastic and Supernatural in Gothic Horror…

    • 2536 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Hollows, Joanne, and Mark Jancovich, eds. Approaches to Popular Film. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995. Print.…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    The theme of deeply ingrained values is also present in A Nightmare on Elm Street…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Is Jaws a Horror Movie?

    • 1239 Words
    • 5 Pages

    From here horror moved on to the witchcraft and the undead, films such as Peeing Tom (1960) and The Night of Dead (1990). New films brought with them new conventions. Zombie films trapped the audience, where claustrophobic attack scenes where a key feature. Zombies travelled closer towards the audience and crowded camera leaving the audience terrified. Horror finally became horror we know today, with the slasher movie era. Horror films became more realistic but also they became more stylised. Based on a real life tragic such as, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Halloween (1978) and Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), our screens where awash with blood. This is where we see the…

    • 1239 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Kane, Tim. The Changing Vampire of Film and Television: A Critical Study of the Growth of a Genre. Jefferson: McFarland, 2003. Print.…

    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wp1110 Unit 9 Final Paper

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What makes us feel horror in contemporary culture? What are the modern traits of monstrosity? How does aesthetic horror re-define itself in political and social terrors? We shall base our seminars on the reading of academic texts from various disciplines and of two films that re-defined the horror genre: the ultimate zombie-film The Night of the Living Dead by George Romero (1968) and Funny Games US by Michael Haneke (2007) which offers a radical critique on mediated representations of horror. Through the close reading of articles and the two films, we shall explore the many facets of horror and discover the common ‘ingredients’ of the horrifying experience in art, politics, sociology and…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bad Girls Don't Die

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Katie Alender was born and in South Florida in the late 1970s. She is the third of four children, three girls and one boy, and is the child Katie is a graduate of the Florida State University Film School and is currently living in Los Angeles where she works as a producer and writer. She is the third of four children (three girls and a boy) and the child of three very loving and encouraging parents. The author enjoys writing, reading, sewing (especially quilts), practicing yoga, photography, visiting friends’ blogs, eating delicious high-calorie foods, and hanging out with her husband, Chris, and her spoiled rotten Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Winston. When she’s not novels or producing television shows, she is usually found in her sewing room, making things for her friends, her dog, or even her friends’ dogs! Katie Alender has written three books, ‘Bad Girls Don’t Die’, ‘From Bad to Cursed’, and her most recent novel, ‘As Dead as it Gets’. The title ‘Bad Girls Don’t Die’ was influenced by the song ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, which was popular in the 1960s. Katie wrote down ‘Bad Girls Don’t Die’ as a joke, but ironic enough, everybody at the publisher loved it.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays