Cinema attention normally falls onto Hollywood cinema. Every time you ask someone, what their all time favorite movie is, 99.9% of the time their answer will be a Hollywood film. Not much focus is on is placed on WORLD CINEMA – world cinema focuses on global cultural flows. World cinema refers to French, Spanish, and many other types of different cinema. World cinema aims to question the notions of classic Hollywood – classic Hollywood refers to the flowing narrative structure that a films flows, the way in which Hollywood films portray social historical facts, and the way in which classic Hollywood creates a stirred universal appeal; and the way Hollywood categorizes their movies into certain genres, example the gangster genre.
French and Spanish cinema is excellent examples of World Cinema that serves to question the notions of Classic Hollywood.
The French New Wave Cinema featured a host of extraordinary directors, from the likes of FRANCIOS TRUFFAU (1932 – 1984), whom directed 21 feature films; to JEAN-LUC GODARD (1930 - ), whom up and until today challenges the classic Hollywood cinema.FRANCIOS TRUFFAU’s film LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS / 400 BLOWS (1959) reveals personal experiences and portrays the childhood of Truffau. In this movie Truffau challenges the notions of freedom and education in society.
JEAN-LUC GODARD is a highly intellectual film maker; he refuses to meet the normal audience’s expectations, and almost always intertwines Hollywood genres into his films. His 1959 production A BOUT DE SOUFFLE / BREATHLESS contains both the Hollywood gangster genre and the film noir genre; where his characters constantly make reference to or imitate famous Hollywood actors and directors.
These two directors produced some of the best French cinema, and compete with likes if ALFRED HICTCOCK (1899 – 1980), a world famous classic Hollywood director. 
PEDRO ALMODOVAR (1949 - ) is one of Spain’s most famous and talented directors. He directed 16 feature films, and his latest production was his 2004 VOLVER. Almodovar questions the notions of classic Hollywood, he constantly questions gender roles and how they are portrayed within society.
He makes his films in such a way that the audience never makes judgments on or about the range of different sexual and social identities that make up the cast of his films, rather we understand the cast. Almodovar is a gay director, and in his movies he looks deep into the friendships that women share with each other. An excellent example of this is his 1999 production ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER.
As individuals we need to explore and take an interest in world cinema, by doing this we will be able to learn so much about the different cultures that surround our very existence. World cinema refers to African, Italian, Asian and many more types of cinema.
We need to look beyond classic Hollywood and start understanding issues and the way in which other countries portray them. World Cinema forms a big part of new media, and definitely impacts on our identities and subjectivities as human beings.
POSTED BY
NIRVANA DOODLA
6 comments:
World Cinema offers its viewers an alternative to Hollywood cinema.
If people really take the time to think about it, Hollywood films have become predictable so watching films made by directors from different parts of the world can be very interesting. Given the chance, people would definately appreciate the techniques and styles used by these 'foreign' directors.
After studying films from World Cinema, I have surely become appreciative of it!
A well descriptive and informative post!
yes thats so true girl. I think the reasi=on for people only mentioning hollywood cinema is because other films from other countries are not exposed in the mass media. we live in a mass culture were our buying and movenment is somewhat influenced by the mass media. so i think the solution is to let iother fils from other countries be ashown on cinema. eg asian films, african films
The excitment of world cinema offer the viewer the simple tastes of each genere.The cinematic world has evolved into a cultural form. The various directors have great and influential impact on the world.
It is not often that we step back a watch a movie as the director sees it, with lots of meaning and passion. We are a new media generation that is slowly learning to interpret signs and understand movies in a newer context.
Great work!
iT IS REALLY INTERSTING TO SEE HOW CINEMA HAS EVOLVED AND HOW THEREIS OTHER CINEMA BESIDES "ICONIC" HOLLYWOOD, LIKE FRENCH AND AN AFRICAN FILM INDUSTRY ,MOST DO NOT EVEN KNOW THEY EXIST.
i think the reason for people answering that their favorite movies are hollywood films are due to the fact that they are exposed to them more often than other cinema such as the french and spanish cinema. people always associate with things that are right in front of them. People also have the tendency to reply or state that a resent movie is one of their favorites.
I can definitely agree with you.. At some stage I was also like that up until I watch a Spanish movie at Cinema Neavou in CPT 2005 and it just looked different, the atmosphere itself felt different.. Most viewers were actually Spanish, that was a surprise itself, I didnt know there were so many people from Spain in CPT..
Nonetheless though, I believe internatiol or cinema has a slight advantage than Hollywood film simply because they basically get their foundation from USA and then take thing to their own extremes to make what the directord may feel is a great movie..
I Like them..
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