70s Cinema Part I

Landmark Films of the 1970s

The 1970s

THE HOLLYWOOD BRATS

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The Godfather (1972)

 
Taxi Driver (1976)

The French Connection (1971)

THE GAME CHANGERS

Jaws (1975)

Star Wars (1977)



EXPOITATION

Mad Max (1979)

Super Fly (1973)

Shaft (1971)

Five Deadly Venoms (1978)

The Chase Is On

So this week we're looking at editing, and how a film editor manipulates time within a film. We just finished watching Run Lola, Run, which pretty much uses every editing trick in the book in an attempt to get us on the edge of our seats while Lola runs her guts out to save Manni - slow motion, graphic matches, flashbacks, dissolves, jump cuts...you name it.  Below you will find three film clips. They are all chase scenes, but each is from a different era. The first is from Buster Keaton's 1926 silent film The General. (Watch it on mute. Someone has dubbed Ozzie Osbourne over it.) The second is from the 1971 film The French Connection. And the third clip is from 2005's The Island directed my Michael Bay. Your task is the following: watch each clip, paying particular attention to the editors' use of editing techniques. (Have your study guide out for reference as you go.) Next participate in an online discussion over the next few days. Throughout the discussion, we will be answering the following questions:

1. How are the scenes different with regards to editing techniques and pacing?
2. How has chase scene editing changed over the decades?
3. Which scene is best edited?
4. What scenes use what techniques and for what effects?

Jet Bike Chase
The Island — MOVIECLIPS.com

Bonus Clips - Below you will find two additional clips. Both are from Gone in 60 Seconds. The first is from the original 1974 version; the second is from the 2000 remake. These can be a part of the discussion too, if you like.

Film Noir III: Neo-Noir (Post Noir)

Neo-noirs, or 'post noirs', are modern era noir films refashioned for present-day sensibilities. Starting in the 1960s, most neo-noirs attempt to re-establish the moods and themes of classic noirs and in a way reflect or comment on earlier noir films - a great example of films as film criticism.