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Consumerism in films
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Rainer Werner Fassbinder is one of the most prominent Brechtian filmmakers of the New German Cinema Period. His work closely resembled that of Brecht which could be due to that they had similar ideologies and backgrounds in the sense that they both saw problems with the people of their country becoming passive consumers and less becoming active producers. This was achieved by making the audience aware of what they are watching and allowing them to see the political aesthetics. According to Alan Lovell, “Brecht’s political aesthetics have spawned due to capitalism and the development of consumption after World War Two in countries such as the United States and Japan.” What Lovell mean here is that Brecht’s political aesthetics were created because he saw the faults in capitalism, this is why filmmakers such as Fassbinder turned to creating films which countered the conventional ways of cultural commodities, the conventional way West Germany’s cinema was operated wasn’t working anymore and change had to happen. This being the case, West Germany’s political and economic state took some effect in why Fassbinder and many other filmmakers turned to the work of Brecht and abandoned their old dominant cinema. Filmmakers such as Fassbinder saw potential in turning to the work of Brecht because they wanted an audience that would be able to respond to intellectual cinema. Brecht’s characters detachment from emotion is vital, it allow the audience to gather rational thought and apply it the images they are being shown without being distracted by emotional attachment. Almost all Fassbinder’s characters in Katzelmacher have peculiar emotional responses to the events and interactions within the film. Another example would be in Kluge’s Yeste... ... middle of paper ... ...atre is the main reason why many filmmakers turned to his work, especially in West German Cinema, Brecht’s saw how capitalism was creating passive consumers rather than active producer which is why he wanted to make his audience aware of the social political state of the western world. This development of consumerism is the cause to the stagnation in West Germany and resulted in the filmmakers creating a new cinema and rejecting the old dominant cinema. Works Cited Silberman, M (1995). German Cinema. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. P181-182. Lovell, A. (1982). Epic Theatre and the Principles of Counter Culture. Jump Cut. 27 (1), 64-68. Willet, J (1964). Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. 2nd ed. Methuen: the University of Michigan. p14. Lovell, A. (1982). Epic Theatre and the Principles of Counter Culture. Jump Cut. 27 (1), 64-68.
Theatres and How We Had Fun." Little, Brown, and Company. (Boston, Toronto, London); 1991. P. 139, 144.
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory." Theatre Journal 40.4 (1988): 519-31. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 11 May 2011.
Motion pictures from Hollywood had taken Broadway’s place as the king of entertainment. The main reason behind this was that because it was culturally relevant and coming out with new flashy techniques such as Todd-AO and Cinerama.
Guadagnini. W. 2009. The Visionary and Silent Theatre of Roger Ballen [Online]. Available: http://www.rogerballen.com/articles/the-visionary-and-silent-theatre-of-roger-ballen [2014, Feb. 16]
Introduction," from Braudy, Leo and Cohen, Marshall, eds. Film Theory and Criticism 5th. ed. (New York : Oxford University Press,1999)
Charney, Leo. “Historical Excess: Johnny Guitar's Containment” Cinema Journal 29, No. 4 (1990): 28-30. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
The triviality of melodrama is so often the theatrical scapegoat that boils the blood of the modern-day critic: the sentimental monologues, the martyred young lovers, the triumphant hero, and the self-indulgent imagery. Melodrama would seem the ultimate taboo; another failed Shakespearean staging or even worse, an opera minus the pretty music. Ironically, Bertolt Brecht, dramatic revolutionary and cynic of all things contrived found promise in the melodramatic presentation. Brecht examined and manipulated the various superficial and spectacular aspects of theatre, establishing a synthesis of entertainment and social criticism as his fundamental goal. Bertolt Brecht employs various facets of melodramatic technique in The Jewish Wife, ultimately reconfiguring the genre and conveying his central theme; a society rendered immobile at the will of a totalitarian regime.
The economic recovery, West Germany experienced in the mid-1950s, enabled its film industry to produce more domestic film outputs as it continuously featured American films, which enjoyed great commercial success during the period. The domineering control of the US over the distribution of American films in West Germany prompted the West German government to render support to domestic filmmakers – a move supported by the growing economy of the nation at that time. Although West German films did not fare well commercially in the domestic market due to the continued dominance of American films in West Germany, international success did follow through the international acclaim of domestic filmmakers, many of them having gained working experience in Hollywood. The emergence of New German Cinema in 1962, through the Oberhausen Manifesto, was characterized by support coming from the West German government, the economic resurgence of the nation and the shift from nonpolitical and positive themes that somewhat denies the sordid political mishaps of Germany prior and during the Second World War, to highly political features that addressed pre and post-Second World War issues critically.... ... middle of paper ...
During the Splendid adaptation, it was clear that they mainly focused on style, using a Brecht as an influence. At the beginning of the performance, the audience was greeted
Miller, D. A. Place for Us: Essay on the Broadway Musical. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print.
Night." eNotes to Twelfth Night. Seattle: Enotes.com LLC, October 2002. Ed. Penny Satoris. 20 February 2005 .
Bertolt Brecht and Constantin Stanislavski are regarded as two of the most influential practitioners of the twentieth century, both with strong opinions and ideas about the function of the theatre and the actors within it. Both theories are considered useful and are used throughout the world as a means to achieve a good piece of theatre. The fact that both are so well respected is probably the only obvious similarity as their work is almost of complete opposites.
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
Garner Jr., Stanton B. "Theatricality In Mankind And Everyman." Studies In Philology 84.3 (1987): 272. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.
In the seventies, we could do anything. It was the rainbow coalition, anti-Vietnam, all of those elements. And then we morphed over to where it became extremely straight-laced and non-risk taking. I think we are beginning to take risks again but within those societal norms.” Theatre only goes so far as society will allow it, as showcased by the Conservatory and it being influenced by the culture surrounding it. The mirror that is theatre reflects a culture and what it may want or not want to know, depending on how far it is allowed to