1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.
The theme around last week's class was the beginning of the self censoring Hollywood that would dominate the movie business and control what films were made and not. Hollywood censorship came from the many scandals involving stars from back in the silent movie days. Stars like Fatty Arbuckle and the Pickford/Fairbank affair left Hollywood with a mark that led many to believe that Hollywood was out of control and needed to be controlled and censored. Instead of having the government interfere directly it requested Mr. Hays to self censor films while working inside of Hollywood and not directly working for the government. From this office Hays had the ability to control what movies made it onto the big screen. No longer did movie goers see attractive women in loss fitting clothes but an image of the "well respected" woman who would wear business suits and hold down a job. We see this in "It Happened One Night" a movie without passion even though the lead roles are falling for each other and even sleep in the same room together. A divider seperates the two as if to prevent any passion at all. This was the Hollywood of the early 20th century and the moral code would control the distribution of movies until the 1960's.
2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content. You may use the library or the Internet.
The article surrounds the beginning of the Hollywood Censorship and the Hays Office. Movies didn't fully bloom until the 1920's but even then movies were silent and were full of slapstick humor, however that would change with the advent of the talkie. Religious leaders believed that the talkies were filled with smut that was tempting the youth. The religious leaders would then complain to the government and from there Hollywood allowed someone regulate censorship rather than the government regulate movies itself. Hays helped sell the idea of censorship by helping the studio's money woes after the stock market crash. " Hays sold the Code as the money-saving measure they were searching for. Instead of paying to revise the film after the censorship boards made their edits, the studios could simply follow the Code before making their movies and everyone would be happy. The Code was adopted in 1930."
Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.
3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?
The article, found on PBS, was an article regarding Hollywood censorship and how the Hay's Office was in control of movie distribution starting at about 1934. "It Happened One Night" was one of the first movies to be effected by the censoring. Images of the bashful Colbert in full pajamas seperated by a full blanket wall would ot have been see years prior. Hays reportedly sold studios on the idea; "Hays convinced the studios that accepting the Code was the safest and cheapest answer to their troubles. If the movie industry policed itself, it could ward off the high probability of government intervention." Instead he became a powerhouse, himself, in the movie business by allowing some movies to pass but not others.
The article, found on PBS, was an article regarding Hollywood censorship and how the Hay's Office was in control of movie distribution starting at about 1934. "It Happened One Night" was one of the first movies to be effected by the censoring. Images of the bashful Colbert in full pajamas seperated by a full blanket wall would ot have been see years prior. Hays reportedly sold studios on the idea; "Hays convinced the studios that accepting the Code was the safest and cheapest answer to their troubles. If the movie industry policed itself, it could ward off the high probability of government intervention." Instead he became a powerhouse, himself, in the movie business by allowing some movies to pass but not others.
4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.
"It Happened One Night" was a fun quircky movie about total strangers who wind up falling for each other. It is a tale that could even stand strong today, but other than it being a fun movie, it is a movie that stands the test of time because it was one of the first of the Hays movies that were censored by the Hays' Office. It was a different sort of film, it was a movie that lacked passion but still audience members felt the love between the two and the tension they create. This is the sort of movie that could be made today and still speak to movie goers.
Plagiarism Statement: Attach this to the end of every journal assignment.
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: _____Alex Lukasiuk_________________________________ Date: _________9/30/14_________
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