(1895) The first film created by the Lumiere brothers was called “Workers leaving the factory”

(1897) A phantom ride was when a camera was attached to the front of a vehicle, giving the illusion of the spectator moving through air at speed

(1903) “Life of an American Fireman” – Directed by Edwin S. Porter, was special for its innovation to piece together different shots into a coherent story

(1903) “The Sick Kitten” – Directed by George Albert Smith, was special for its innovation to use a close up shot, allowing the spectator to notice key details the director intends them to see

(1906-1937) The first Hollywood film star was Florence Lawrence, also known as ‘The Imp Girl’. She used publicity in the press to her advantage, tricking the public into believing she died, or had other bazar things happen.

I’d give this film an 8/10

a memorable scene for me was near the start of the film, when they took a house, and then found the original owners. I liked this because it showed that despite they’re questionable morals, they still show compassion and kindness to the people who have been wronged by the law.

an Iconic scene for me was when the barrow gang went up to the couple in the car making faces, creating a very unsettling, yet humorous scene. I feel like this scene really personifies who they were, light hearted at nature, however still capable of horrible things.

The French New Wave was a movement by French filmmakers when they rejected the traditional conventions during the late 1950s, partially because of their lack of budget in post WW2 France. They opted for a new, more experimental editing/visual style.

Stylistic/structural elements:

• discontinuity, involving:

• jump cuts
• freeze frames
• non-diegetic sounds
• repetition of scenes/shots
• abrupt cutting
• (basically any violation of the continuity rules)

• disjunctive editing, which makes itself visible to the audience compared to the invisible style of editing.

• Breaking the 180degree camera rule
• rapid changes in scenes
• long tracking shots

These techniques are used to make the audience aware that they are watching a film, to wake them up.

Films/directors that inspired Arthur Penn:

This Film, Breathless (1960) directed by Jean-Luc Godard heavily inspired Arthur Penn.

New Hollywood was a movement after the Studio system was outlawed, and this mainly meant that the directors had more of a key role in the production compared to the studios.

prevalent films/actors/directors:

This film defined a lot of the Hollywood, and had Actor Warren Beatty and director Arthur Penn.

This film was an independent film directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Harvey Keitel and Zina Bethune.

This was a thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Roy Scheider.

Prevalent Events:

America gained a new fear on communism, which greatly affected film stars such as Charlie Chaplin who was feared to be a communist

The Vietnam war, a war revolved around communism was happening for around 10 years, and the soldiers who came back weren’t seen as heroes

The Cold war introduced the fear of atomic weapons

their was corruption in the American Senet, with Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal. there as also inequality in America.

Humphrey Bogart (Rick) was already a star, who played roles in: The Maltese Flacon(1941), Dead end(1937), and Midnight(1934). Warner Bros. had repetitively cast him as a gangster/villain role with no intention of raising his profile, and even lied about his birthday as they couldn’t see a villain being born on Christmas day. He was was under contract for $550 a week by Warner Bros.

Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa) was already a star, featuring in films such as: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde(1941), and Intermezzo(1939). Bergman was offered a studio contract and placed under director Gustaf Molander. She played a lot in relationship dramas.

Paul Henreid (Victor) was already a star, featuring in films such as: An Englishman’s home(1941), and Goodbye Mr Chips(1939). He was under contract with Warner Bros. however after the war his contract was cancelled. Paul was a romantic lead in his roles.

Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser) was already a star who featured in films such as: The man who Laughs(1928), and Waxworks(1924). He fled from Germany and became influential on American movies, also playing very menacing roles.

Sydney Greenstreet (Signor) was already a star who featured in films such as: They Died with Their Boots On(1941), and The Maltese Flacon(1941). He was signed in a long-term contract with Warner Bros.

Peter Lorre (Ugarte) was already a star who featured in films such as: M(1931), Mad Love(1935), and The Maltese Falcon(1941). He was already contracted under Warner Bros. on a picture-by-picture contract until 1943. He played in comedic roles and as a romantic type.

I’d give this film a 5/10

I liked the film, and a lot of shots were very well done and flowed very well, however I found the story very all over the place, and few times actually grabbing my attention.

This is an iconic shot for me as this really brings the audience outside of the gloomy reality they live in, and into this fantastical romance, and its composed so they are in the centre and we focus just on them, nothing else.

a memorable scene for me was when they were battling over each other in the bar with the music, which showed people uniting with excitement and emotion which was a much needed shift in tone.