Nothing in Excess — Classical American Art of the Yesteryears!!!
The American Cinema
It is customary to associate works of art with the name of the artist and write the history of art form in terms of related artists’ names. Every work of art is authenticated by two things: the name and person of the artist and the general historic setting. In American cinema, individual artistic styles exist within the context of a larger national style, or in Heinrich Wolfflin’s words, “a history of art without names.” And this has come to be known as classical Hollywood style.
The fundamental style and technique of every American film of whatever vibe and caliber is drawn on the machinery of the classical Hollywood cinema which brings together diversities of styles, skills, dramatic forms and techniques, and conveys the temper of an age and nation as well as those of related artists. American cinema, from its evolution stages in the 1910s and 1920s, has provided narrative machinery far superior to those of past eras in art history.
In fact, it has been favorably compared to the modern production assembly-line process which has made the production of automobiles and other consumer goods ever more streamlined and economical. There is an effective forward and backward integration of every aspect of the industry to make it a highly effective mode of passing across all forms of messages.
The system makes it easy for every aspect of the production process to gear itself towards providing a smooth flow of thought and narrative. As a result, the narrative is provided so effortlessly and efficiently to the pleasure of viewing audience. Classical American art gives much respect to the popular Greek principle of maden agan — nothing in excess.
Classical narrative process provides an orderly pattern as follows: one initial event is introduced, then another one that disrupts the original state of things. Other events will attempt to restore normalcy or bring further disruptions. A final event will come at the end of the film to recover the original order. Rear window by Alfred Hitchcork (1954), is a classic example. Hence, a murder mystery like The Matese Falcon, 1941) would begin with the discovery of a dead body and end with the solution of the crime.
The classical adventure story Raiders of the Lost Ark , (1981) opens with the case of loss of a valuable object and concludes with the discovery thereof. Pretty Woman (1990) begins with a chance encounter between two prospective lovers and ends with a marriage of the two. Styles of different types of films reveal further how all events and acts within a film's narrative process move systematically towards achieving a perfect conclusion that will pass a wholesome message.
Classical Hollywood cinema is a primarily a character-centered cinema. It is also plot or action driven. As a character-centered industry, all narrative structures are built around the goals of individual characters and all basic elements of film style are geared towards character exposition and dramatic development.
David Bordwell explains that as a character-centered industry, characters in American cinema are relatively stable, knowable and psychologically coherent individuals with well-defined goals and objectives (John Belton, chpt. 2, pg 24). Plot or Action drive means that characters are at the center of the action and that there is perfect interaction between these characters and the events in the film.
Plot expectations are set by the specific goals of individual characters or by the role they are to play. Classical principles of narrative economy and efficiency have laid out ways and manners Filmmakers can execute these processes.
Movie going involves what is known as willing suspension of disbelief. Even though most spectators know that films are not real acts, they cannot afford to lust after its pleasures. American cinema has continued to thrill the world with its ability to create wider interests and provide a greater pleasure through the movie art. The narrative patterns and structures of mainstream Hollywood cinema are relatively deep and less visible. They function to provide needed pleasure.
In trying to analyze film narratives, we shall look at the issue of segmentation and fragmentation. Most cinema audiences view films as continuous and a seamless whole rather than a string of fragmented episodes. This illusion of is stylishly created by the film making process. Modern film analytical techniques provide a system whereby films are broken down into basic narrative units. This process is known as segmentation.
The concept of film segmentation is based on traditional theory of dramatic unities of action, time and/or space propounded by Aristotle and contemporaries. Segmentation can apply to single scenes parts of scenes, or entire films.
Only a handful of motion pictures observe these three unities as does Oedipus the king by Sophocles. These include The Gold Rush (C. Chaplin, 1925), Rope (Hitchcock 1948). Chaplin’s the Gold Rush observes a strict classical narrative symmetry which distinguishes it in classical Hollywood Cinema as a perfect example of the interdependence of form and function.
Most other contemporaries basically observe unities of action and space. Hitchcock’s Lifeboat (1944) and Rear Windows (1954) are among them. Others like ‘Some Like it Hot’ (1959), do not always maintain in their narrative patterns the circular flow consistent with classical Hollywood cinema.
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