Knowledge

Formalist film theory

Source 📝

83: 744: 25: 218:
is an example of how these elements work together to produce a formalist effect: the shot selection goes from very wide to very close and tense; the length of shots decreases as the sequence progresses towards its end; the music builds. All of these elements, in combination rather than individually,
313:
First, the auteur theory was created to redeem the art of film itself. By arguing that films had auteurs, or authors, Truffaut sought to make films and their directors as accepted as art forms, such as literature, music, and painting. Each of these art forms is concerned with a sole creative force:
238:
People argue that when using an ideological approach, the style or 'language' of these films is directly affected by social, economic, and political pressures. It is this branch of criticism that gives us categories such as the classical Hollywood cinema, the American independent movement, the new
317:
Secondly, the auteur theory sought to redeem filmmakers who were looked down upon by mainstream film critics. This theory argues that genre filmmakers and low-budget B-movies are equally important as the prestige pictures given more press and legitimacy in countries such as France and the United
314:
the author of a novel, the composer of a piece of music, or the painter of a fresco. By elevating the director, and not the screenwriter, to the same importance as novelists, composers, or painters, the auteur theory is able to free the cinema from being discredited as a lesser art form.
292:
While the ideological approach is concerned with broad movements and the effects of the world around the filmmaker, the auteur theory celebrates the individual and how their personal decisions, thoughts, and style manifest themselves in the material.
318:
States. According to Truffaut's theory, auteurs took moldable material such as a thriller, a pulpy action film, or a romance and, through their style, made the pieces their own.
226:. In both these cases, the common denominator for formalist criticism is style. Ideologues focus on how socio-economic pressures create a particular style, and auteurists on how 230:
put their own stamp on the material. Formalism is concerned with style and how the film communicates ideas, emotions, and themes rather than on the themes of a work itself.
261:, "mood" music, and dissolves. The socio-economic ideological explanation for this is style involves Hollywood's desire to monetarily profit and appeal to ticket-buyers. 35: 686: 46: 193:, and the effects, emotional and intellectual, of that synthesis and of the individual elements. For example, a formalist views standard 707: 700: 496: 208:
A formalist considers the synthesis of several elements, such as editing, shot composition, and music. The shoot-out that ends
404: 280:: this is because during the war and post-war years filmmakers and filmgoers tended to have a pessimistic outlook. Also, the 242:
Two examples of ideological interpretations that are related to formalism are the classical Hollywood cinema and film noir.
254: 284:
immigrated to America and brought their stylized lighting effects and disillusionment due to the war to American soil.
421: 126: 104: 64: 97: 773: 281: 194: 578: 541: 489: 347: 250: 276:, is marked by lower production values, darker images, under lighting, location shooting, and general 728: 693: 643: 588: 357: 663: 526: 91: 39:
that states a Knowledge editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic.
558: 536: 186: 108: 42: 721: 482: 394: 768: 563: 258: 304: 297: 8: 573: 521: 159: 531: 342: 198: 633: 400: 352: 327: 167: 714: 653: 628: 605: 171: 146:
that is focused on the formal or technical elements of a film: i.e., the lighting,
337: 214: 190: 679: 672: 623: 595: 568: 450: 223: 163: 762: 638: 600: 583: 376: 648: 505: 209: 175: 155: 748: 513: 143: 332: 273: 151: 147: 16:
Emphasis on style & form over content or possible meanings of films
269: 277: 202: 201:" for how it creates a comforting effect and non-continuity or how 474: 227: 222:
Formalism incorporates ideological and auteurist branches of
422:"How Fritz Lang's Flight from Nazi Germany Shaped Hollywood" 396:
Out of the Shadows: Expanding the Canon of Classic Film Noir
239:
queer cinema, and the French, German, and Czech new waves.
174:. Today, formalist film theory is a recognized approach in 36:
personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay
383:, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1976, Part I. 233: 464:; Oxford University Press; 6th edition (March 2004). 189:
considers the synthesis of the multiple elements of
760: 687:Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television 462:Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings 490: 300:and the other young film critics writing for 287: 245: 302: 497: 483: 471:; Prentice Hall; 10th edition (March 2004) 708:New Review of Film and Television Studies 127:Learn how and when to remove this message 65:Learn how and when to remove this message 701:Journal of Popular Film & Television 392: 381:The Major Film Theories: An Introduction 257:: continuity editing, massive coverage, 90:This article includes a list of general 457:; McGraw-Hill; 7th edition (June 2003). 761: 154:, use of color, shot composition, and 478: 419: 255:institutional mode of representation 76: 18: 296:This branch of criticism, begun by 234:Formalism in ideological approaches 13: 96:it lacks sufficient corresponding 14: 785: 742: 504: 253:uses a style referred to as the 205:editing becomes disconcerting. 158:. This approach was proposed by 81: 23: 310:, was created for two reasons. 420:Hunt, Kristin (May 21, 2020). 413: 386: 370: 272:, which was given its name by 1: 444: 264: 7: 321: 181: 10: 790: 729:Television & New Media 579:Psychoanalytic film theory 393:Phillips, Gene D. (2012). 348:Neoformalism (film theory) 288:Formalism in auteur theory 251:Classical Hollywood cinema 246:Classical Hollywood cinema 738: 694:Journal of Film and Video 662: 616: 589:Structuralist film theory 512: 455:Film Art: An Introduction 358:Structuralist film theory 363: 111:more precise citations. 774:Formalism (aesthetics) 537:Linguistic film theory 303: 45:by rewriting it in an 722:The Velvet Light Trap 552:Formalist film theory 527:Cognitive film theory 282:German Expressionists 212:'s Spaghetti Western 140:Formalist film theory 564:Feminist film theory 469:Understanding Movies 259:three-point lighting 574:Marxist film theory 399:. Scarecrow Press. 532:Historical poetics 460:Braudy, Leo, ed., 343:Medium specificity 199:continuity editing 142:is an approach to 47:encyclopedic style 34:is written like a 756: 755: 664:Academic journals 634:Sergei Eisenstein 467:Gianetti, Louis, 406:978-0-8108-8189-1 353:Russian formalism 328:Clement Greenberg 305:Cahiers du Cinéma 298:François Truffaut 168:Sergei Eisenstein 137: 136: 129: 75: 74: 67: 781: 747: 746: 745: 654:Kristin Thompson 629:Thomas Elsaesser 606:Schreiber theory 596:Critical methods 499: 492: 485: 476: 475: 438: 437: 435: 433: 417: 411: 410: 390: 384: 374: 308: 219:create tension. 160:Hugo Münsterberg 132: 125: 121: 118: 112: 107:this article by 98:inline citations 85: 84: 77: 70: 63: 59: 56: 50: 27: 26: 19: 789: 788: 784: 783: 782: 780: 779: 778: 759: 758: 757: 752: 749:Film portal 743: 741: 734: 658: 612: 508: 503: 451:Bordwell, David 447: 442: 441: 431: 429: 418: 414: 407: 391: 387: 375: 371: 366: 338:Formalism (art) 324: 290: 267: 248: 236: 215:Dollars Trilogy 191:film production 184: 133: 122: 116: 113: 103:Please help to 102: 86: 82: 71: 60: 54: 51: 43:help improve it 40: 28: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 787: 777: 776: 771: 754: 753: 739: 736: 735: 733: 732: 725: 718: 711: 704: 697: 690: 683: 680:Film Quarterly 676: 673:Cinema Journal 668: 666: 660: 659: 657: 656: 651: 646: 644:Christian Metz 641: 636: 631: 626: 624:David Bordwell 620: 618: 614: 613: 611: 610: 609: 608: 603: 593: 592: 591: 586: 581: 576: 571: 569:Film semiotics 566: 556: 555: 554: 546: 545: 544: 539: 534: 529: 518: 516: 510: 509: 502: 501: 494: 487: 479: 473: 472: 465: 458: 446: 443: 440: 439: 412: 405: 385: 368: 367: 365: 362: 361: 360: 355: 350: 345: 340: 335: 330: 323: 320: 289: 286: 266: 263: 247: 244: 235: 232: 183: 180: 164:Rudolf Arnheim 135: 134: 89: 87: 80: 73: 72: 31: 29: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 786: 775: 772: 770: 767: 766: 764: 751: 750: 737: 731: 730: 726: 724: 723: 719: 717: 716: 712: 710: 709: 705: 703: 702: 698: 696: 695: 691: 689: 688: 684: 682: 681: 677: 675: 674: 670: 669: 667: 665: 661: 655: 652: 650: 647: 645: 642: 640: 639:Colin MacCabe 637: 635: 632: 630: 627: 625: 622: 621: 619: 615: 607: 604: 602: 601:Auteur theory 599: 598: 597: 594: 590: 587: 585: 584:Screen theory 582: 580: 577: 575: 572: 570: 567: 565: 562: 561: 560: 557: 553: 550: 549: 547: 543: 540: 538: 535: 533: 530: 528: 525: 524: 523: 520: 519: 517: 515: 511: 507: 500: 495: 493: 488: 486: 481: 480: 477: 470: 466: 463: 459: 456: 452: 449: 448: 427: 423: 416: 408: 402: 398: 397: 389: 382: 378: 377:Dudley Andrew 373: 369: 359: 356: 354: 351: 349: 346: 344: 341: 339: 336: 334: 331: 329: 326: 325: 319: 315: 311: 309: 307: 306: 299: 294: 285: 283: 279: 275: 271: 262: 260: 256: 252: 243: 240: 231: 229: 225: 220: 217: 216: 211: 206: 204: 200: 196: 192: 188: 179: 177: 173: 169: 165: 161: 157: 153: 149: 145: 141: 131: 128: 120: 117:February 2008 110: 106: 100: 99: 93: 88: 79: 78: 69: 66: 58: 48: 44: 38: 37: 32:This article 30: 21: 20: 740: 727: 720: 713: 706: 699: 692: 685: 678: 671: 649:Laura Mulvey 551: 542:Neoformalism 506:Film studies 468: 461: 454: 430:. Retrieved 425: 415: 395: 388: 380: 372: 316: 312: 301: 295: 291: 268: 249: 241: 237: 221: 213: 210:Sergio Leone 207: 185: 176:film studies 150:, sound and 139: 138: 123: 114: 95: 61: 52: 33: 769:Film theory 559:Continental 426:Daily.JStor 172:Béla Balázs 144:film theory 109:introducing 763:Categories 548:Classical 514:Approaches 445:References 333:Clive Bell 274:Nino Frank 152:set design 92:references 55:March 2023 270:Film noir 265:Film noir 224:criticism 195:Hollywood 187:Formalism 617:Scholars 522:Analytic 432:June 21, 322:See also 278:nihilism 203:jump cut 182:Overview 428:. JSTOR 228:auteurs 156:editing 148:scoring 105:improve 41:Please 715:Screen 403:  170:, and 94:, but 364:Notes 434:2024 401:ISBN 765:: 453:, 424:. 379:, 178:. 166:, 162:, 498:e 491:t 484:v 436:. 409:. 197:" 130:) 124:( 119:) 115:( 101:. 68:) 62:( 57:) 53:( 49:.

Index

personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay
help improve it
encyclopedic style
Learn how and when to remove this message
references
inline citations
improve
introducing
Learn how and when to remove this message
film theory
scoring
set design
editing
Hugo Münsterberg
Rudolf Arnheim
Sergei Eisenstein
Béla Balázs
film studies
Formalism
film production
Hollywood
continuity editing
jump cut
Sergio Leone
Dollars Trilogy
criticism
auteurs
Classical Hollywood cinema
institutional mode of representation
three-point lighting

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.