Please join the Chicago Film Seminar at 6:30 pm on Thursday, March 13 to welcome Michael DeAngelis (DePaul) for his talk, "Reading the Bromance." Nick Davis (Northwestern) will provide the response. The CFS will be held at DePaul's Loop Campus in the Daley Building at 14 E. Jackson Blvd., Room LL 102, using the State St. entrance located at 247 S. State.
Thursday, March 13 at 6:30pm
Michael DeAngelis, DePaul
"Reading the Bromance"
Respondent: Nick Davis, Northwestern
DeAngelis describes his talk as follows:
“Bromance” has come to denote an emotionally intense bond between presumably straight males who demonstrate an openness to intimacy that they neither regard, acknowledge, avow, nor express sexually. This paper attempts to account for the widespread cultural popularity of the bromance phenomenon in popular media during the past decade, discerning what is thematically and formally unique about bromance, as well as its historical connections with a number of traditions in American culture. After noting antecedents within and beyond the realm of cinema, I proceed with a close analysis of the similarities and differences between bromance and the buddy film that emerged in American cinema at the end of the 1960s into the early 1970s, examining the very different ways in which these two genres configure intimacy between men, and focusing upon the role of the women and the domestic sphere in inter-male relationships. The paper concludes by discussing the critical usefulness of configuring “bromance” as both a generic “product” and a discursive “process.” Ultimately, I attempt to illuminate some of the paradoxical constructions of heteronormative masculinity that have emerged in a culture that finds homosexuality to be more increasingly visible, and that has accommodated this visibility by developing open, reflective, and introspective discourses of male bonding.
Film Strip image from Wikimedia Commons
Showing posts with label American Cinema. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Cinema. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
February 7: Thomas Elsaesser on Reevaluating 3D
Please join the Chicago Film Seminar at 6:30 pm on Thursday, February 7 to welcome Thomas Elsaesser (University of Amsterdam) for his talk, "Reevaluating 3D." Tom Gunning (UChicago) will provide the response. The CFS will be held at DePaul's Loop Campus in the Daley Building at 14 E. Jackson Blvd., Room LL 102, using the State St. entrance located at 247 S. State.
Thursday, February 7 at 6:30pm
Thomas Elsaesser, University of Amsterdam
"Reevaluating 3D"
Respondent: Tom Gunning, U.Chicago
Elsaesser's talk will tease out the implications of two of his recent articles, "Avatar- Access for All" (New Review of Film and Television) and "The Return of 3D" (Critical Inquiry), to ask if, in light of what we know about a hundred years of Hollywood, we can finally evaluate whether or not 3D has been a force for good (progressive, liberal, emancipatory, utopian) or bad (reactionary, ideological, spearhead not only of capitalism but also of the military-entertainment complex)-- or if this very question is wrongly posed to begin with.
Thursday, February 7 at 6:30pm
Thomas Elsaesser, University of Amsterdam
"Reevaluating 3D"
Respondent: Tom Gunning, U.Chicago
Elsaesser's talk will tease out the implications of two of his recent articles, "Avatar- Access for All" (New Review of Film and Television) and "The Return of 3D" (Critical Inquiry), to ask if, in light of what we know about a hundred years of Hollywood, we can finally evaluate whether or not 3D has been a force for good (progressive, liberal, emancipatory, utopian) or bad (reactionary, ideological, spearhead not only of capitalism but also of the military-entertainment complex)-- or if this very question is wrongly posed to begin with.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
January 17: Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece and Matt Hauske on Horizontality and Monumentality
Please join the Chicago Film Seminar at 6:30 pm on Thursday, January 17 to welcome Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece (Ph.D. Candidate at Northwestern) for her talk, "The Monumental Screen: Perfect Vision, Disembodiment, and American Theatrical Architecture in the Era of Widescreen," and Matt Hauske (Ph.D. Candidate at U.Chicago) for his talk, "The Western's New Horizons: Wide Screens, Big Canvases, and the Great Outdoors in the 1950s." Don Crafton (Notre Dame) will provide the response. The CFS will be held at DePaul's Loop Campus in the Daley Building at 14 E. Jackson Blvd., Room LL 102, using the State St. entrance located at 247 S. State.
Thursday, January 17 at 6:30pm
Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece, Ph.D. Candidate, Northwestern
"The Monumental Screen: Perfect Vision, Disembodiment, and American Theatrical Architecture in the Era of Widescreen"
Matt Hauske, Ph.D. Candidate, U.Chicago
"The Western's New Horizons: Wide Screens, Big Canvases, and the Great Outdoors in the 1950s"
Respondent: Don Crafton, Notre Dame
Szczepaniak-Gillece describes her talk as follows:
Most histories of widescreen theorize that the expansive screens of the 1950s ushered in a moment of bodily immersion, where the spectator's entire physical form along with her eyes seemed swept up in the picture. This lecture will focus on other discourses of widescreen exhibition, where theatrical space and enormous screen were understood to work together to promote perfect disembodied vision. While a majority of exhibitors and promoters engaged primarily with sensation, others that I will focus on understood the gigantic screen as potentially empathically and psychically rather than bodily liberating. In this way, the architecture of widescreen in the American movie theater can be understood as material expressions of theories of the body's and the mind's proper place in aesthetic experience. By eliminating peripheral theatrical detail and moving the screen farther and farther into the space of reception, some screen and cinema designers sought to freeze spectators into their seats, struck dumb by the monumentality of the images filling the entirety of their line of sight.
Hauske describes his talk as follows:
This paper addresses at the appeal of widescreen cinema processes in the early 1950s via the western, a genre whose emphasis on landscape and action was thought to especially suit it to the new screen dimensions. Mainly discussed as a reaction to the economic and aesthetic threat of television, processes like CinemaScope and VistaVision also tapped into, and reacted against, other leisure practices that were increasingly popular among the growing, income-disposing middle class. In the context of the western, these practices included a host of "outdoor" activities, including camping, hiking, fishing, and water sports. The immersive horizontality of widescreen westerns stood in for outdoor experiences while simultaneously serving as promotions for them. This dual emphasis on immersion and horizontality is indicative of a larger cultural environment during the postwar years, one that focused on a break from the mundane reality of the "organization man" and suburban conformity and that also includes the loose program of Jackson Pollock's abstract expressionism.
Thursday, January 17 at 6:30pm
Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece, Ph.D. Candidate, Northwestern
"The Monumental Screen: Perfect Vision, Disembodiment, and American Theatrical Architecture in the Era of Widescreen"
Matt Hauske, Ph.D. Candidate, U.Chicago
"The Western's New Horizons: Wide Screens, Big Canvases, and the Great Outdoors in the 1950s"
Respondent: Don Crafton, Notre Dame
Szczepaniak-Gillece describes her talk as follows:
Most histories of widescreen theorize that the expansive screens of the 1950s ushered in a moment of bodily immersion, where the spectator's entire physical form along with her eyes seemed swept up in the picture. This lecture will focus on other discourses of widescreen exhibition, where theatrical space and enormous screen were understood to work together to promote perfect disembodied vision. While a majority of exhibitors and promoters engaged primarily with sensation, others that I will focus on understood the gigantic screen as potentially empathically and psychically rather than bodily liberating. In this way, the architecture of widescreen in the American movie theater can be understood as material expressions of theories of the body's and the mind's proper place in aesthetic experience. By eliminating peripheral theatrical detail and moving the screen farther and farther into the space of reception, some screen and cinema designers sought to freeze spectators into their seats, struck dumb by the monumentality of the images filling the entirety of their line of sight.
Hauske describes his talk as follows:
This paper addresses at the appeal of widescreen cinema processes in the early 1950s via the western, a genre whose emphasis on landscape and action was thought to especially suit it to the new screen dimensions. Mainly discussed as a reaction to the economic and aesthetic threat of television, processes like CinemaScope and VistaVision also tapped into, and reacted against, other leisure practices that were increasingly popular among the growing, income-disposing middle class. In the context of the western, these practices included a host of "outdoor" activities, including camping, hiking, fishing, and water sports. The immersive horizontality of widescreen westerns stood in for outdoor experiences while simultaneously serving as promotions for them. This dual emphasis on immersion and horizontality is indicative of a larger cultural environment during the postwar years, one that focused on a break from the mundane reality of the "organization man" and suburban conformity and that also includes the loose program of Jackson Pollock's abstract expressionism.
Monday, November 21, 2011
December 1: Catherine Clepper and Adam Hart
Please join the Chicago Film Seminar at 6:45 pm on Thursday, December 1 to welcome Catherine Clepper (Ph.D. Candidate at Northwestern) for her talk, "Death by Fright: Risk, Consent, and Sensation in the House of William Castle," and Adam Hart (Ph.D. Candidate at U.Chicago) for his talk, "Something to Be Scared Of: Fear, Anxiety and Phobia in the Horror Film." James Lastra (U.Chicago) and Jeffrey Sconce (Northwestern) will both provide the response. The CFS will be held, as always, in the Flaxman Theater, Room 1307 of the School of the Art Institute's building at 112 S. Michigan Ave.
Thursday, December 1 at 6:45pm
Catherine Clepper, Ph.D. Candidate, Northwestern
"Death by Fright: Risk, Consent, and Sensation in the House of William Castle"
Adam Hart, Ph.D. Candidate, U.Chicago
"Something to Be Scared Of: Fear, Anxiety and Phobia in the Horror Film"
Respondents: James Lastra, U.Chicago, and Jeffrey Sconce, Northwestern
Clepper describes her talk as follows:
From the onset of what Kevin Heffernan has called William Castle’s "middle-career" (beginning with 1958’s Macabre and ending, roughly, with Mr. Sardonicus in 1961) the independent director deftly conflated notions of cinematic suspense and spectatorial fun with those of physical risk and safety. Macabre's now famous Lloyd's of London insurance gimmick, guaranteeing $1000 to beneficiaries should any patron die of fright during the film's initial run, established a prescient agenda for Castle features to follow. In addition to emphasizing the outlandish rituals of promotional ballyhoo that distinguished Castle's career amongst other mid-century showmen, the insurance scheme importantly reminded audiences of the sensations felt within the cinema, namely fear, anxiety, morbid fascination, and (particularly, in the case of later Castle productions) physical shocks and vibrations. In this way, the process of insuring oneself against “death by fright” impressed upon Castle’s audiences the critical relationship between risk and consent as part of the interactive moviegoing experience. Risking unpleasantness (if not death) and consenting to disorientation, Macabre’s viewers were, as Linda Williams has argued, simultaneously more attuned to and distracted by the cinema’s sensorial spectrum; or, in other words, moviegoers anticipated and consented to their own bodily shocks. This talk explores how Macabre’s complex promotional strategies dovetailed with later campaigns for Castle’s House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler (both 1959). As Castle productions became more outlandish both on and off the screen, I argue that emphases on risk, consent, and sensation became even more foregrounded as part of Castle’s non-diegetic prologues as well as his extracinematic gags and installations. I also contend that as Castle’s films integrated excessive amounts of hullaballoo, viewers responded by adjusting their preconceptions about proper viewing habits and initiating an alternative shock-centric mode of spectatorship.
Hart describes his talk as follows:
In the two decades after Psycho, the horror genre underwent major changes. Where the genre was once characterized principally by the display of fearsome supernatural creatures, in the 1970s more human threats became commonplace. Along with this much-discussed transition from exotic monsters (often in foreign lands and older eras) to contemporary scenes familiar to Western middle-class audiences was a significant stylistic shift. The privileged object of display shifted from the extraordinary bodies of monsters to the abjected bodies of victims, with monsters - supernatural or not - kept off screen for much of the movie, sometimes never fully visualized until a climactic final sequence. This talk attempts to provide an understanding of the monster's function within the horror film given its somewhat marginalized position in the post-Psycho genre. Using accounts of anxiety and phobia as models, I posit a conception of the monster as an objectification of abject or undefined threats, a locus within which unspecified signals of danger can be contained.
Thursday, December 1 at 6:45pm
Catherine Clepper, Ph.D. Candidate, Northwestern
"Death by Fright: Risk, Consent, and Sensation in the House of William Castle"
Adam Hart, Ph.D. Candidate, U.Chicago
"Something to Be Scared Of: Fear, Anxiety and Phobia in the Horror Film"
Respondents: James Lastra, U.Chicago, and Jeffrey Sconce, Northwestern
Clepper describes her talk as follows:
From the onset of what Kevin Heffernan has called William Castle’s "middle-career" (beginning with 1958’s Macabre and ending, roughly, with Mr. Sardonicus in 1961) the independent director deftly conflated notions of cinematic suspense and spectatorial fun with those of physical risk and safety. Macabre's now famous Lloyd's of London insurance gimmick, guaranteeing $1000 to beneficiaries should any patron die of fright during the film's initial run, established a prescient agenda for Castle features to follow. In addition to emphasizing the outlandish rituals of promotional ballyhoo that distinguished Castle's career amongst other mid-century showmen, the insurance scheme importantly reminded audiences of the sensations felt within the cinema, namely fear, anxiety, morbid fascination, and (particularly, in the case of later Castle productions) physical shocks and vibrations. In this way, the process of insuring oneself against “death by fright” impressed upon Castle’s audiences the critical relationship between risk and consent as part of the interactive moviegoing experience. Risking unpleasantness (if not death) and consenting to disorientation, Macabre’s viewers were, as Linda Williams has argued, simultaneously more attuned to and distracted by the cinema’s sensorial spectrum; or, in other words, moviegoers anticipated and consented to their own bodily shocks. This talk explores how Macabre’s complex promotional strategies dovetailed with later campaigns for Castle’s House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler (both 1959). As Castle productions became more outlandish both on and off the screen, I argue that emphases on risk, consent, and sensation became even more foregrounded as part of Castle’s non-diegetic prologues as well as his extracinematic gags and installations. I also contend that as Castle’s films integrated excessive amounts of hullaballoo, viewers responded by adjusting their preconceptions about proper viewing habits and initiating an alternative shock-centric mode of spectatorship.
Hart describes his talk as follows:
In the two decades after Psycho, the horror genre underwent major changes. Where the genre was once characterized principally by the display of fearsome supernatural creatures, in the 1970s more human threats became commonplace. Along with this much-discussed transition from exotic monsters (often in foreign lands and older eras) to contemporary scenes familiar to Western middle-class audiences was a significant stylistic shift. The privileged object of display shifted from the extraordinary bodies of monsters to the abjected bodies of victims, with monsters - supernatural or not - kept off screen for much of the movie, sometimes never fully visualized until a climactic final sequence. This talk attempts to provide an understanding of the monster's function within the horror film given its somewhat marginalized position in the post-Psycho genre. Using accounts of anxiety and phobia as models, I posit a conception of the monster as an objectification of abject or undefined threats, a locus within which unspecified signals of danger can be contained.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Feb 3: Gregory Waller on Nontheatrical Cinema
Please join the Chicago Film Seminar on Thursday, Feb 3 at 6:30pm to welcome Gregory Waller for his talk "Tracking the Nontheatrical: The American Cinema in 1915." Gregory Waller is a professor in the Department of Communication and Culture at Indiana University. Scott Curtis (Northwestern) will respond. The CFS will be held, as always, in the Flaxman Theater, Room 1307 of the School of the Art Institute's building at 112 S. Michigan Ave.
Thursday, Feb 3 at 6:30pm
Gregory A. Waller (Indiana University), "Tracking the Nontheatrical: The American Cinema in 1915"
Respondent: Scott Curtis (Northwestern)
Waller describes his talk as follows:
Instead of asking "what is cinema?" I propose reframing this question: what was cinema in a specific time and place-say, in the United States in 1915, the year of the Mutual Decision and The Birth of a Nation, Chaplin’s The Tramp and the continuing consolidation of Hollywood? And, further, how was this historically specific cinema constituted and constructed not only though films, production practices, and industry-driven discourses, but also though the circulation and exhibition of moving pictures outside as well as inside of what we think of as the film industry and the commercial movie theater? Framed in this way, the nontheatrical figures as an essential aspect of the history of cinema. Like the often-related notion of educational film, the nontheatrical has no singular or constant meaning, for it is historically grounded, always subject to redefinition and realignment. Focusing on the traces left in local newspapers, trade magazines, and other publications, I'll track, in a preliminary way, how certain versions of the non-theatrical and the educational--separately or in tandem--were understood, promoted, and put into practice in 1915.
Thursday, Feb 3 at 6:30pm
Gregory A. Waller (Indiana University), "Tracking the Nontheatrical: The American Cinema in 1915"
Respondent: Scott Curtis (Northwestern)
Waller describes his talk as follows:
Instead of asking "what is cinema?" I propose reframing this question: what was cinema in a specific time and place-say, in the United States in 1915, the year of the Mutual Decision and The Birth of a Nation, Chaplin’s The Tramp and the continuing consolidation of Hollywood? And, further, how was this historically specific cinema constituted and constructed not only though films, production practices, and industry-driven discourses, but also though the circulation and exhibition of moving pictures outside as well as inside of what we think of as the film industry and the commercial movie theater? Framed in this way, the nontheatrical figures as an essential aspect of the history of cinema. Like the often-related notion of educational film, the nontheatrical has no singular or constant meaning, for it is historically grounded, always subject to redefinition and realignment. Focusing on the traces left in local newspapers, trade magazines, and other publications, I'll track, in a preliminary way, how certain versions of the non-theatrical and the educational--separately or in tandem--were understood, promoted, and put into practice in 1915.
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