In the 1950s, American culture was at its most unstable – societal values were in flux, and artistic movements were struggling to validate themselves. The Beat generation – a group of ambitious poets – took it upon themselves to fight for liberation from censorship and expose the inconsistency between idealization and realism regarding American society. Most importantly, this group of men and women fought through many tribulations to abolish “art for arts sake,” and to create an artistic culture that made an impact. One of the most involved but sometimes-slighted artists of the group was Bob Kaufman. Born in New Orleans, Kaufman became involved with the Beat movement when he met Burroughs and Ginsberg in New York and went on to become a founder of the highly influential Beatitude magazine. His works are often either personally lyric, or pieces of social commentary aimed at ignorant audiences unaware or ignorant of cultural distortion. The latter is the case of his 1959 collection Solitudes Crowded with Loneliness. Specifically, his critical poem “Hollywood.” The seven-stanza free verse poem is light and fast-paced, using wit and wordplay to boast a more menacing social observation regarding American culture; specifically, Kaufman takes it upon himself to expose the societal corruption, and the way Hollywood breeds ethical destruction. Kaufman uses personification, distinct metaphor, biting imagery and a tone that oscillates between sympathetic and satiric to suggest that American values are slowly deteriorating, and the blame could be placed in Hollywood. That said, there is a more distinct message in Kaufman’s poem: Though Hollywood and American surely house the more degenerate characters – pimps, strippers, prostitutes, drug-... ... middle of paper ... ...e they have been considered unsavory and breeders of corruption themselves for their art. It was important for the Beat movement to dissuade any art made simply for “art’s sake,” so Kaufman uses his wordplay, tone, and poetic artistry to not only defend the scapegoats of cultural corruption in Hollywood, but also to subtly defend himself and his fellow Beat poets from scrutiny and blame without due process. Works Cited Christian, Barbara."Whatever Happened to Bob Kaufman?" Black World 21 (Sept. 1972): 20-29. Kaufman, Bob. "Hollywood." Solitudes Crowded with Loneliness. New York: New Directions, 1959. 24-26. Print. Kaufman, Bob. “Unholy Missions.” Solitudes Crowded with Loneliness. New York: New Directions, 1959. 10. Print. Maha, Damon. “‘Unmeaning Jargon' / Uncanonized Beatitude: Bob Kaufman, Poet," South Atlantic Quarterly 87.4 (Fall 1988): 701-741.
Known for being the father of Pop Art, and a giant in pop culture, Warhol dominated the art scene from the late fifties up until his untimely death in 1987. However Warhol’s influence spread further then the art world, he also was a major player in the LGBT, avant-garde and experimental cinema movements. Born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Slovakian immigrant parents, Warhol came from humble beginnings. Becoming widely known for debuting the concept of ‘pop art’ in 1962. Warhol’s reach grew further when he started experimenting with film, becoming a major player in the LGBT, avant-garde and experimental cinema movements. Warhol’s artist studio, known famously as ‘The Factory’ became a hub for experimentation, and a go-to point for celebrities, musicians and trans folk. During this time, Warhol came out as an openly gay man, challenging the status quo of the day, a time when being homosexual was illegal. While also producing highly experiential films such as ‘Blow Job’ (1964) and ‘Sleep’ (1964) which were highly political and provocative, at the time. As art critic Dave Hickey asserts, “Art has political consequences, which is to say, it reorganized society and creates constituencies of people around it” (Hickey, 2007), Andy Warhol’s art and lived experience created a political constituency which can be best recognised in the function of the “Silver Factory” on
In The Pathos of Failure, Thomas Elsaesser explains the emergence of a new ideology within American filmmaking, which reflects a “fading confidence in being able to tell a story” (280) and the dissolution of psychologically relatable, goal-oriented characters. He elaborates that these unmotivated characters impede the “the affirmative-consequential model of narrative [which] is gradually being replaced by another, whose precise shape is yet to crystallize” (281). Christian Keathley outlined this shape in more detail in Trapped in the Affection Image, where he argued that shifting cultural attitudes resulted in skepticism of the usefulness of action (Keathley). In Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, this crisis of action is a key element of the main characters’ failure, because it stifles the execution of classical narrative and stylistic genre conventions.
While watching Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right and High Art, I realized how these films had similar themes. Of course the movie The Kids Are All Right is a comedy about a family and how they come together to overcome mistakes and difficulties; on the other hand, High Art is about photographers and editors of magazines living in New York and finding of love inter...
Warhol, Andy. The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: (from A to B and Back Again). Orlando: Harcourt, 2006. Print.
Creativity occurs within the context of society: this is unavoidable as even artists who view themselves as outside of the 'mainstream' are constructs of society: their social construction of reality is inevitably grounded in the discourse and belief structures of the society they inhabit and were formed by, however much they choose to struggle. Indeed, philosophers such as Foucault argue that it is impossible to escape one's own society due to the effects of language and meaning being so closely intertwined. Within the context of our own society post-modernist art, especially film making, seeks to undermine the dictates of broader society in relation to meta-narratives – yet to make movies that can be easily inserted into the market costs money. Here I discount mass-market pulp-fiction success such as 'Paranormal Activity' as these are not aiming to be an expression of pure art. Those movies that aim to have a story that challenges the 'norms', that undermines the capitalist/materialist meta-narrative of the major movie production houses therefore face a struggle that in some ways parallels the struggle that young artists themselves face. This struggle can, for young artists just as much as for any citizen, be a stressor that leads to drugs and death.
The noir style is showcased in Sunset Boulevard with its use of visually dark and uncomfortable settings and camera work, as well as its use of the traditional film noir characters. In addition, the overall tone and themes expressed in it tightly correspond to what many film noirs addressed. What made this film unique was its harsh criticism of the film industry itself, which some of Wilder’s peers saw as biting the hand that fed him. There is frequent commentary on the superficial state of Hollywood and its indifference to suffering, which is still a topic avoided by many in the film business today. However, Sunset Blvd. set a precedent for future film noirs, and is an inspiration for those who do not quite believe what they are being shown by Hollywood.
Snead, James A., Colin MacCabe, and Cornel West. White Screens, Black Images: Hollywood from the Dark Side. New York: Routledge, 1994. Print.
"Burn, burn, burn," says Kerouac, and that is what the Beats were all about. From the all-night, smoke-filled jazz clubs of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, to the trendy bars of San Francisco, the artists known as the ‘Beats’ were interested in one thing, and only one thing: living. To them, life was a series of adventures to be lived. Going from one high to the next, in search of that thing that will, in the end, transform them into that "blue centerlight" about which everyone says "Awww!" But a few questions must be addressed regarding the Beats. Was theirs the correct choice? Was the fun they had worth the pain that they caused, and the pain that they had to endure? And ultimately, what impact did the Beats have on society as a whole, and was that impact, is that impact, positive or negative? Jack Kerouac, the most prominent of all Beat poets, and the gang hanging out at the famous 115th Street apartment helped to mold two generations of young Americans, and have made a permanent impression on the landscape of American culture through their literature, and most of all, through their lives, and their desire to live. This is the contribution of the Beats: a legacy of s...
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
Firstly, the group of friends and writers most commonly known as the Beats evolved dramatically in focal points such as Greenwich Village and Columbia University, and subsequently spread their political and cultural views to a wider audience. The three Beat figureheads William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac each perceived an agenda within American society to clamp down on those who were in some way different from the accepted ‘norm’, and in response deliberately flirted with the un-American practices of Buddhism, drug use, homosexuality and the avant-garde. Ginsberg courted danger by lending a voice to the homosexual subculture that had been marginalised by repressive social traditions and cultural patterns within the United States.
I will begin my essay by looking closely at the narrative of Sunset Boulevard to see where and how the film represents the Hollywood Studio System. At the beginning of the film the audience is introduced to Joe Gillis, a script writer who is struggling to pay his rent as he in unable to sell his scripts to the ‘majors’ of Hollywood. The film follows Joe to ‘Paramount Pictures’ one of the major studios in Hollywood, which the film pays a large self reference to as the producers of Sunset Boulevard as well as representing the studio system.
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
In recent times, such stereotyped categorizations of films are becoming inapplicable. ‘Blockbusters’ with celebrity-studded casts may have plots in which characters explore the depths of the human psyche, or avant-garde film techniques. Titles like ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Fight Club’ (1999) and ‘Kill Bill 2’ (2004) come readily into mind. Hollywood perhaps could be gradually losing its stigma as a money-hungry machine churning out predictable, unintelligent flicks for mass consumption. While whether this image of Hollywood is justified remains open to debate, earlier films in the 60’s and 70’s like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967) and ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976) already revealed signs of depth and avant-garde film techniques. These films were successful as not only did they appeal to the mass audience, but they managed to communicate alternate messages to select groups who understood subtleties within them.
The "Beat Movement" in modern literature has become an important period in the history of literature and society in America. Incorporating influences such as jazz, art, literature, philosophy and religion, the beat writers created a new vision of modern life and changed the way a generation of people seen the world. The generation is now aging and its representative voices are becoming lost, but the message is alive and well. The Beats have forever changed the nature of American literature. They offered a method of escape from the unimaginative world we live in. There are many different writers who's work contributed to the literature of the beat movement; however; Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsburg were the most famous authors.
To say that the Beat generation has affected modern culture seems at first to be no great revelation; it is inevitable that any period of history will affect the time that follows. The Beat generation is especially significant, though, because of its long lasting impact on American culture. Many aspects of modern American culture can be directly attributed to the Beat writers, primarily Allen Ginsburg, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady, and Jack Kerouac. (Asher) Their influence has changed the American perception of obscenity, has had profound effects on American music and literature, and has modified the public’s views on such topics as sex and drug use.