Becky:
William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet was written between the
years 1591 and 1595. The idea of the play was based on a 13th
century poem.
Through
the years there has been many different adaptions of Romeo and Juliet
including, Ballets, Operas, Film and Animation.
Franco
Jaz: Franco
Zeffirelli's directed a Film Version - Romeo and Juliet, which was
released on October 8th, 1968. The film itself is set in the time
that Shakespeare had made it into a play (1591-95) and it includes 35
per cent of Shakespeare's script. The costume is traditional to that
of its period and the language is of Shakespeare's time also.
Zeferelli chose not
to make use of long speeches. He adapted the script to enhance the
focus on Romeo and Juliet. He also wanted to make them more
sympathetic which he did by showing Romeo's good relationships with
The Friar, Mercutio and Balthazar. The duel scene between Romeo and
Paris was also cut so that he would seem more sympathetic. He also
made the characters a lot simpler, so that a young audience could
fully understand what was happening.
The Cinematography of the film was very
unique to it's time. In another decade the colour and clarity of the
picture would of been very different to that of The Film. It was also
a Colour Film. This meant that Shakespeare's play was available for a
wider variety of people to view on a cinema screen. Also, the fact
that it wasn't a live play changed the way in which the actors
performed and how the viewers watch it. Cinamatography such as camera
angles are used broadly throughout the film, Moreover, The
cinematography had made a massive change since previous years, the
film was in color which was seen as a massive new development in time
and contributed to the movement of films and improving them to a
higher quality. The film was also sharper and this made it more
appealing for audiences to watch and was more likely to become such a
popular film of this time with all the new developments. However,
there was no special effects because in the 1960's it was something
that was unheard of or if they were conducted it would not be using
technology they would just be made by hand Eg: Something flying
across the screen would be attached to some string not made to look
this way through different computer enhancements and effects. Also,
you can see that a lot of the camera movements and angles and medium
close up of long shot, there are not many massively different or
clever camera tricks.
Becky: The film was
credited with introducing homosexual overtones into the public
perception of Mercutio and Romeo's relationship, due to the way in
which Mercutio collapsed onto Romeo after The Queen Mab speech and
again, when he is wounded. Homosexuality was seen as a
mental
illness, instead of a
legitimate sexual orientation. Though doctors were supposed to act as
objective scientists their conclusions undoubtedly reflected the
biases of their cultural settings, which resulted in prejudices
against homosexual behavior being cloaked in the language of medical
authority and unproven claims being accepted by the majority of
society as fact.
Essentially, labeling
homosexuality as a psychological condition prevented this group from
being able to make demands for social and legal rights as well as
cultural representation
The Vietnam War was
between 1956 and 1975. Therefore at the time the film was released,
in 1968, the war was still going on and The U.S.A were involved. The
film earned 14.5 million dollars in domestic film rentals in North
America alone (1969). The film was intended to attract young
audiences and so you could compare the way in which Romeo and Juliet
felt with the way in which teenagers of that time felt. For instance,
they may have been torn between the military tradition of their
elders and satisfying their own desires (love, passion, having fun).
In addition, some may have felt like Romeo and might have not taken
much interest in The Vietnam War. They were probably were more
interested in simply getting on with life.
The film was
released during the time of 'The British Invasion'. 'The British
Invasion' is the name given to the time (mid 1960s) where pop and
rock artists from The United Kingdom (as well as other aspects of
British Culture) became popular in The U.S.A (e.g. The Beatles).
Zeferelli even stated in his autobiography that he wanted to cast
Paul McCartney (from The Beatles) as Romeo, but he was not an actor.
Therefore a British cast was used, to appeal to American audiences.
I noticed that all
of The Actors were white. This is probably mainly because of when and
where The Film is set. Non-Traditional
Casting Project was founded in 1986.
However, it may have also been to do with The Fact that there was
segregation between white and black people during The 1960s. Martin
Luther King (Civil Rights Movement Leader) was assassinated in April,
1968, which resulted in a five day race riot, in Washington D.C.
There were 12 fatalities and Washington's Inner-City Economy was
destroyed. It might have been that Zeferelli was aiming to avoid
controversy when he didn't include any black actors in his film.
However it wasn't very often that people would see non- white actors
in films of that time.
There Film created
some controversy, due to the fact that The Actress who played Juliet,
Olivia Hussey, was seen topless in a nude scene of their wedding
night. The problem being that she was only 15 and therefore she
wasn't even legally allowed to watch the scene in The U.S.A. Also,
although The Film was rated a PG, many teenagers who wanted to watch
the film were simply not allowed to.
Baz
The film Romeo + Juliet is an American
modernised version of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
The film was released November 1st 1996. It was directed by Baz
Luhrmann and starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. The film
retains the original Shakespearean dialogue, but much else was
changed to appeal to the target audience.
Cinematography
This film is
accessible because it was available to watch in the cinema and was
then released on DVD and VHS. The DVD was only invented in 1995, but
by then people were replacing their old video players with DVD
players. The cinema tickets were much cheaper than tickets for the
play version at The Royal Shakespeare Company, for example. The
specific cinematography of the film aimed to capture the modern idea
of the film and it also aided the audience in understanding the
language, especially younger audience members who may find a version
of this film set in the Renaissance period difficult to follow.
The film made use of
various camera angles and there were some extreme close-ups,
especially when a character was giving a speech. At times the
characters moves at super speed, as though someone had pressed the
fast forward button on the remote control. This often happened in
scenes with Tybalt and his friends, to make them seem almost like
cartoon comical villains. It also happened when the mother was first
introduced, to show the audience that she was quite a comical
character at first. The use of exaggerated sounds, such as the tinkle
of spurs for boots that do not have any spurs, and strange
‘whooshing’ sounds for abrupt camera movements is there to
contribute to the flashiness of the opening scene and underlining the
cowboy and cartoon elements.
A lot of the film
was filmed in Mexico because the director wanted find a place in the
modern world in which such factors could still credibly coexist. The
film-makers also needed a location that was not immediately
recognisable as they wanted to set it in a place that didn't actually
exist but would be immediately recognised as an urban landscape.
Baz Luhrmann stated
that he chose to film in Mexico because, ‘There are textual facts
in Romeo
and Juliet,
having to do with Elizabethan England that exist in Mexico. The
population was very involved in politics; there was a very small
percentage of people with great wealth and a large population of
poor: it was violent: and people were openly armed. We’ve
interpreted all of these Elizabethan things in the context of the
modern, created world. In fact, much of this occurs in modern day
Mexico, in varying degrees. You could virtually set the piece in
Mexico City itself and just play it. It has mysticism.’
Ethnic Minorities
The American Civil
Rights Institute, led by founder Ward Connerly, has promoted and won
a series of ballot initiatives that prohibit state government
institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in the areas of
public employment, public contracting, and public education. Such
initiatives have been passed in California (California Proposition
209 (1996)). Non-traditional/colour-blind
casting was introduced in 1986 in order to to examine problems with
discrimination of. The
Non-Traditional Casting Project was founded in 1986 to examine
problems of racial discrimination in theatre, film and television.
Actors Equity
is a co-founder.
Lurhman probably aimed to relieve racial tension and also, he was
determined
to make his version of the film as modern as possible. The only way
he could achieve this was by having representation of ethnic
minoriteies in the film.
The nineties were a
time of racial tension. One example of this was caused by the Rodney
King beatings and riots in the early 1990s. King's friends had been
drinking and were behaving erratically and after a high-speed chase
four officers Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and
Stacey Koon, ordered King out of his car and beat him repeatedly with
their batons. In Autumn 1991 a lenient sentence was given to a
Korean-American convenience store assistant convicted of shooting
dead a young black woman. In April 1992 all four officers in the
Rodney King case were cleared of assault. a few hours later violence
erupted across the city's black neighbourhoods. 55 people were killed
in several days of rioting, looting and retaliatory attacks against
whites and Asians. Around 2,000 people were injured, and about 12,000
were arrested. Over $1billion worth of property was damaged and the
National Guard was deployed to help police restore order.
Religion
The film has a very
strong Catholic influence. Statues, icons, and holy images are
visible in virtually every scene. Elements of the film are similar to
the religious aspects of the Mexican fiesta, which mingles the sacred
and the profane. Although most of the film's characters seem
unresponsive to the religious imagery around them, for Romeo and
Juliet this symbolism denotes the spiritual dimension of their love.
This suggests that Luhrmann payed close attention to the religious
dimensions of Shakespeare's play, since the original version it was
set in a very catholic country.
The iconic image in
Romeo + Juliet is the cross, and the recurring presence of crosses
establishes the motif of the lovers as both 'star-cross'd' and having
to bear the cross of their love. Luhrmann filmed part of the movie in
Veracruz, Mexico, a city whose full name is La Villa Rica de la Vera
Cruz ("the rich town of the true cross"). Some other
examples of crosses in the film include:
A cross on the
wedding rings of the couple
A cross on top of
the back seat of the Montagues' limousine
A cross etched into
the windshield of Balthazar's car
Small crosses on
the rear wall of the elevator in which Romeo and Juliet steal their
first kiss
Crosses formed by
the window panes of the Capulet mansion
A large, ornate
cross tattooed on Friar Laurence's back.
A central aisle is
lined with neon crosses of blue, the traditional colour associated
with the Virgin Mary.
All the guns in the
film are named after types of swords e.g the handguns belonging to
Benvolio (SWORD 9mm Series S), Mercutio (DAGGER 9mm) and Tybalt
(RAPIER 9mm). Some guns had Catholic symbols on them, such as an
image of the Virgin Mary.
Culture
By suggesting the
Hispanic ethos of both Miami Beach and Los Angeles, " Verona
Beach” is a cinematic amalgam of Latino life and its Chicano
subculture. By placing the film's Elizabethan stage motifs in a
Hispanic context, Luhrmann calls up a variety of Latino elements for
example; the overbearing Mediterranean father, Juliet's nurse as the
stereotypical Latin American servant- all of which establish a
multicultural context. Luhrmann's film involves the Latin folk
context, the fiesta. The film's colour, music, emotional intensity,
and unpredictable violence all recreate features of the fiesta, a
social event central to the Mexican identity. The details combine to
create a world of carnival that is both festive and threatening. Two
of Tybalt's sidekicks even appear as skeletons at the costume ball, a
gesture toward the Mexican festival of the Day of the Dead. The
celebration of the dead, like those fiestas dedicated to various
saints, recognises the flawed and passionate nature of human life,
linking it to a dominant theme of Shakespearean tragedy.
Octavio Paz stated
in 'The Labyrinth of Solitude', "all give [the Mexican] a chance
to reveal himself and to converse with God, country, friends, or
relations. During these days the silent Mexican whistles, shouts,
sings, shoots off fireworks, discharges his pistol into the air. He
discharges his soul. . . . This is the night when friends who have
not exchanged more than the prescribed courtesies for months get
drunk together, trade confidences, weep over the same troubles,
discover that they are brothers, and sometimes, to prove it, kill
each other. . . . Now and then, it is true, the happiness ends badly,
in quarrels, insults, pistol shots, stabbings. But these too are part
of the fiesta'.
One of the films key
hair stylist Aldo Signoretti was kidnapped by gang members and held
for ransom.
The
Bandidos rang up and stated that they would return him for $300. So a
man called Maurizio left the money to outside the hotel, held it up,
chucked them the bag and they threw him out of the car and broke his
leg.
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Hispanic
street gang members often dress distinctively, use monikers,
display colors, communicate through graffiti, and bear tattoos
(frequently denoting monikers or gang affiliations). The gangs
usually have a long tradition that inspires extreme loyalty by
members, including a strict code of silence. This unwritten
code emphasizes that members never cooperate with law
enforcement or other authorities and never inform. For this
reason, many agencies regard Hispanic gangs as more difficult
to investigate than relatively newer gangs. As with many other
gangs, membership may require commission of a crime.
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Shakespeare
described Tybalt swordsmanship as "showy". John Leguizamo
wanted to transform this into flamboyant gun play, so he worked with
choreographer John O'Connell to create a flamenco-inspired style.
This is used to further enhance the Hispanic element of the film.
Flamenco is a form of Spanish folk music and dance from the region of
Andalusia in southern Spain.
Socio- economic
Group and Costume
Costume designer
Karen Barrett wanted to make it clear that the gangs were from the
same socio- economic group and also wanted to make sure that the
audience could easily differentiate between the 2 groups. She stated
"The Capulet's style is more decorative and the Montague kids
are more Utilitarian. The Capulets wear more expensive and ornamental
pieces of clothing and bullet proof vests have become required
accessories. It's a place where guns are the norm, so life and
clothing would have to change to adapt to that. The Capulets are more
Manicured and preening and wear clothes that are extremely well-cut
and body conscious."The Designers Dolce and Gabbana were the
inspiration for the Capulet's clothing. The Montagues have a
distinctive, colourful style, with short hair and Hawaiian shirts.
Romeo takes an
ecstasy pill. Romeo smokes. There is a nude scene (though nothing is
scene). This implies that the characters had sex.
Throughout
the film modern music was played. The soundtrack included a
combination modern rock acts like Garbage & Radiohead and
contemporary soul like Des'ree, which were popular genres at the
time. Quindon Tarver even covered Prince's song 'When Doves Cry' for
the film.
West
Side Story
Introduction
'West Side Stoy' (1961), was a film adaption
of a 1957 Broadway musical, also called 'West Side Story'. The film
is set in The Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, during the
1950s. It was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins.
Cinematography and Style
The film's cinematography was unique to it's
time. The colour and clarity of the film was unique to the early
1960s. The film included some special effects to show the dreamy
state of Tony and Maria, upon meeting each other and for the
transitions of scenes. These effects were minor compared to those of
today. It was a colour film, making it more accessible to a vast
range of audiences, as opposed to just the average audiences of The
Royal Shakespeare Company. Not only that, but the language wasn't
Shakespearean, and so more easily understood. It also tackled issues
that were current at the time- racism and gang violence.
While the opening scene of the film amongst
other scenes (the playground etc.) were filmed on The Upper West Side
of Manhattan where Lincoln Centre stands today, most of it was filmed
in Samuel Goodwyn Studios, California. The following image is of the
number 'America', which was filmed in the film studio. In Manhattan,
particularly in the area that was then being cleared to build Lincoln
Centre, rocks were thrown at the cast and crew from the roofs of the
abandoned buildings in the neighbourhood. Due to The Polices help
being insufficient for resolving the problem the production manager
hired a real street gang to help keep order.
Although the story itself was quite unique, musical films of the
1950s had a similar style. Some examples are 'Singing In The Rain'
(1952), 'South Pacific' (1958), 'Seven Brides For Seven Brothers'
(1954), 'Calamity Jane' (1953). These were released during the time
that was considered to be the golden era of musical film (1930s,
through to 1960s). Though, in the 1960s, musical films began to lose
there popularity as a new genre of music was introduces- 'Rock 'N
Roll' and a lot of the actors singing voices were dubbed in the
1960s. However, there was voice dubbing in South Pacific (1958). The
songs were usually added to move the plot forward, to add to the
characterisation of certain characters, or simply to fill a gap
within the film.
Racism
America was founded by The American Indians and so technically
they are the only true Americans, not white Americans (as it is often
wrongly thought, causing much debate as to what it is to be
'American').
Soon after World War 2, poverty, cheap
airfare, and promotion by the island government caused many Puerto
Ricans to move to the United States, particularly to New York City,
Massachusetts, and Florida. Despite Puerto Ricans being made U.S.
Citizens in 1917 as a result of the Jones-Shafroth, Puerto Ricans
faced economic exploitation, discrimination and racism. In New York
there were signs in restaurants which read "No dogs or Puerto
Ricans allowed". Puerto Rican women fared better on the job
market than the men. The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party established
an office in New York in the 1950s, which attracted many Puerto Rican
migrants. Leaders of the party planned to attack the Blair House,
assassinate The U.S. President, Harry S. Truman and attack the House
of Representatives. These events had a negative impact on the Puerto
Rican migrants. Americans saw Puerto Ricans as anti-Americans and the
discrimination against them became even more widespread.
It could be argued that the creators of West Side Story played it
safe by not making the play about a forbidden romance between
White-American and African- American characters, but they probably
thought that they would avoid the subject, due to The Civil Rights
Act, that was going on at the time. In the 16th century Africans were
enslaved and taken to Spanish and English colonies in North America.
African-Americans had lived in The U.S.A for generations and were
considered to be Americans. Despite this, in the late 1890s, Southern
states enacted Jim Crow laws to enforce racial segregation and
disenfranchisement.
Most of the African-Americans followed
the Jim Crow laws, so that they wouldn't be victims of racially
motivated violence. African-Americans set up congregations, schools,
community/civic associations, churches, banks and businesses for
themselves, so that they would have some space away from white
control and so that they could maintain their dignity. After the
World War 2, African Americans were still economically disadvantaged
and had a considerably smaller annual income compared to other
Americans.
The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968 was aimed at
abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and for
equality in education, housing, and employment opportunities. Many
Southern White-Americans withdrew their children from public schools,
in order to enrolled them in all-white “segregation academies,”
and were violent and intimidating towards African- Americans. In
1956, over 100 Southern congressmen signed a “Southern Manifesto”,
declaring that they would do everything in their power to defend
segregation. In December 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested because she
wouldn't give her seat up on a city bus to a white person. As she was
arrested, black citizens, stopped using city buses for 13 months,
which only ended when the bus companies stopped discriminating
against black passengers. Nonviolent acts of resistance helped to
shape the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Stereotyping And Discrimination In Show Business
Most
of the actors, who played Puerto Ricans in the movie, were actually
white, but had to darken their hair and wear dark make- up of the
same shade to make them look the same, including Rita Moreno (who was
Puerto Rican). They also had to put on Puerto Rican Accents. This was
because, at the time, in Hollywood the only known Puerto Rican Actors
were José Ferrer and Rita Moreno. The the film was criticised for
not casting more Latino Actors. Natalie wood (Maria) did not where
dark make-up.
West Side Story's version of Puerto
Ricans are simply the stereotypical image of Latin Americans in the
1950s. For example, the actors had to wear dark make-up to show that
they were playing Puerto Rican characters. However, many Puerto
Ricans are light-skinned and identify as white (despite the lines, in
the song 'America', "Life is alright in America, If you're a
white in America"). Some of Puerto Rican actors, in the stage
musical have had to wear dark make-up. All Latin Americans in the
southern hemisphere believe that they are also American as they
reached the New World and settled the Antilles more than a century
before the first English colony was established in North America,
even though only 'The Jets' identify as American in The film (In the
Broadway production, the Jets are described as working-class
Polish-Americans). The film reinforces negative stereotypes for
Puerto Ricans, such as the belief that they are criminals and are all
poverty-stricken.
Rita
Moreno stated "Ha, ha. I showed them. I didn't make another
movie for seven years after winning the Oscar.... Before West Side
Story, I was always offered the stereotypical Latina roles. The
Conchitas and Lolitas in westerns. I was always barefoot. It was
humiliating, embarrassing stuff. But I did it because there was
nothing else. After West Side Story, it was pretty much the same
thing. A lot of gang stories."
In the 1950s, African-Americans
were mostly given stereotypical roles. However, Hollywood began to
examine race issues, by making films about tension between black and
white people, and self-identity. Sidney Poitier is an American-Born
Bahamian, black actor. He was the first black, male actor to be
nominated for an Academy Award and was the first black actor to win
an Academy Award For Best Actor. In 1950 Sidney Poitier starred in
'No Way Out', a racial thriller about a black doctor, who operates on
two white racists. He went on to have a successful and culturally
significant acting career in the 1960s. In the film 'Island In The
Sun', which includes interracial romances between black and white
people, onscreen the actors were only allowed to make limited
physical contact; hugging, dancing, rubbing cheeks. This was probably
considered when they made The Broadway Musical of West Side story in
the 1950s.
Youth Gang Culture In The 1950s
West Side Story was the first feature film that depicted street
gang life, but it was criticised for glamorising gangs. A lack of
working-class jobs, cramped living conditions and widespread racism,
made many teens feel vulnerable, frustrated and angry. They proved
their manhood by forming gangs to feel powerful and in control and
fighting. Some of the gang members were quite deranged and most had
some emotional problems. 1950s youth gangs fought over 'turf' (plots
of land) and girls, as opposed to drugs (like today's gangs). Gang
leaders were rarely over 20 years old. Their were members of gangs as
young as .8 They all laid claim to a section of their neighbourhood
and guarded it with military-style proficiency.
An invasion or attack on their territory by rival gangs was seen
as an act of aggression and often lead to 'rumbles' (pitched battles,
in which rival gangs fought each other with their bare knuckles, or
weapons such as; studded belts,baseball bats, car aerials, machetes
and/or guns. They could involve over 100 boys). 'Rumbles' were
organised at war councils, where a representative from each gang
would meet on neutral territory (Doc's Candy Store, in West Side
Story) and they would decide on the time and location of 'the
rumble', had to agree on the weapons that they would use. However
these agreements were often broken. Gang members wanted to gain a
reputation as a tough guy and thought that the best way to do that
was by being vicious in a fight- drawing a gun/ knife, when everyone
else had chains or clubs. Anyone who didn't show up for a
rumble/backed out of a fight was seen as a coward. Repeat offenders
were kicked out of the gangs and were left without any friends or
protection.
Many of the fights were between youth gangs from different ethnic
backgrounds. After World War 2, hundreds of thousands of young Puerto
Ricans and African Americans, from Southern America, migrated to New
York looking for a brighter future, but ended up competing with each
other, and with the white working class, for jobs and homes. Some
areas of the city became nearly exclusively black or 'Spanish'.
However, in every case, the communities felt boxed in - by each other
and by existing Italian, Irish or Jewish communities.
African-Americans living in West Harlem, had Central Park to their
south, Italian and 'Spanish' Harlem to the east, Washington Heights
(which was mainly Irish) to the north and Manhattanville (where
Puerto Ricans lived) to their west.
Most people saw juvenile delinquency as the greatest threat to
society. Congress held hearings on the issue throughout the 1950s and
in New York they tried to provide gang members with education and job
training and mediated between the warring factions. Social workers,
police officers and church representatives all tried to get rid of
the problem.
World War 2
The Second World War was a global war that began on 1st
September1939 and ended on 2nd September 1945. It began when Germany
invaded Poland and The Germans declared war on France and The U.K.
For the civilians in America, Leisure activities became very rare.
In 1942 a rationing system started, in order to guarantee minimum
amounts of necessities to everyone (especially poor people) and to
prevent inflation. By 1943, it was necessary to be in possession of
government issued ration coupons to purchase tires, typewriters,
coffee, sugar, gasoline, bicycles, clothing, fuel oil, silk, nylon,
stoves, shoes, meat, cheese, butter, lard, margarine, canned foods,
dried fruits, jam etc. The rationing system didn't apply to used
goods. Every family member in the house had a rationing book to put
rationing stamps in- even the children and babies.
Unemployment was no longer an issue and many women had to take on
men's jobs as they were off fighting. This lead to significant
changes to the role of women in society. Retired people and students
also had to work, to replace the men who'd gone off to war. At the
time, personal income had become very high and people chose to save
their money. Money savers were encouraged to invest their dollars
into war bonds (debt securities issued by a government to finance
military operations and other expenditure during times of war).
After the world war, industries stopped selling War equipment and
went back to selling the goods they had sold before The War. The
U.S.A.'s economy was stronger than ever before. The Americans wanted
better things from hairstyles and clothes to fridges and ovens and
they were earning enough money to afford a better lifestyle. America
became 'The Land Of Opportunity', where people lived richer and
fuller lives and most other countries aspired be like America.
Youth Culture
In 1950s, the term 'teenager' was coined. Before The War, most
young people graduated from high-school and went straight to work in
their teens. After the war, the need for younger family members to
get jobs to support the family was no longer as necessary as it
previously was, and more young people were encouraged to stay in
school. This meant that young men and women of 15, 16, 17, 18, etc,
were no longer a part of the job market and had had more free time on
their hands. Companies began marketing to young consumers. Clothing,
Fads, Music, Films, etc were specifically aimed at young people, and
the "Youth Culture" was born.
During the 1950’s Rock and Roll music became popular. It is a
combination of African-American genres such as blues, jump blues,
jazz, and gospel music, together with western swing and country
music. However, parents didn't like it because they thought that it
was a bad influence on their children and it caused juvenile
delinquency. The music contained sexual connotation, which made the
teens want to listen to it more because their parents didn't approve.
Parents didn't want their children to act or dress like their
children's favourite rock and roll musicians.
Elvis Presley was an
American singer, actor and musician. He was known as 'The King Of
Rock And Roll'. He recorded songs such as 'Jail House Rock' and
'Hound Dog'. In 1956, he made his film debut in 'Love Me Tender' and
also appeared in films such as Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Viva Las
Vegas (1964). His energised and sexually provocative performance
style, as well as his physical attractiveness, made him extremely
popular amongst male and female fans and he influenced many
teenagers. He died on August 16th, 1977 from drug intoxication and a
heart attack.
Hollywood created movies, aimed at young people, who had become
the cinemas largest audience (e.g. films like 'Rebel Without A Cause'
and 'Blackboard Jungle'). These films helped to define the youth
culture which was being associated with blue jeans, motorcycles, rock
and roll, and rebelliousness.
James Dean Starred alongside Natalie Wood in The Film, 'Rebel
Without A Cause' (1955). It was a drama film that took a sympathetic
view on emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. It's
the story of a rebellious teenager, who finds himself at a new high
school, meets a girl, is disobedient to his parents and defies the
local school bullies. The film made a groundbreaking attempt to
portray the moral decay of American youth, critique parental style,
and to look at differences and conflicts between generations. The
main character was particularly aggressive, and the film was highly
influential to teenagers.
1950s fashion is very different to today's fashion. You can tell
that west side story is of it's time because of the clothes that they
wore and their hairstyles, as well as their language and movement.
Levi Strauss invented blue jeans/ Levi jeans, which were incredibly
popular at the time.
The main looks for teenagers were Greasers and Preppies. They wore
standard black leather and denim jeans. They raced about town on
motorbikes and were seen to be outrageous.
Preppies were neat, tidy and well groomed. Girls wore full circular
or neat pleated skirts.
Gangs reinforced their sense of identity with the clothes that
they wore. Although they were rough, they liked to look good. Many
had special sweaters which had their gang's insignia on it. Some
gangs were known for their hats. Some gangs wore Levi jeans. Hair was
meticulously brushed into a pompadour and gang culture was heavily
influenced by bebop and rock 'n' roll. Fighting was known as
'bopping' or 'jitterbugging, and walking 'bop style' meant to walk
with a swagger (swinging your shoulders and hips). A 'Jive stud' was
a liar and 'Debs' meant girlfriends.
Choreography
The film, introduced never-before-seen contemporary dance to
America's cinema screen. Jerome Robbins, the choreographer, rehearsed
with the dancers for three months before shooting began. Once filming
began on location, he revised the choreography numerous times. The
dancers all claimed that they had never worked so hard on a dance
piece, and most of them sustained injuries. Jerome Robbins wanted
everything to be done exactly as it was on stage. Lehman's suggested
repositioning of the songs and placing them in new settings, and so
they were. The boys' jeans were dyed, re-dyed and "distressed,"
using special elastic thread to allow for the extreme physical
demands of the choreography. Russ Tamblyn (Riff) reported that he and
most of the other dancers in the film suffered from shin splints, due
to their of extended dancing on pavement, as opposed to a wooden
stage or sound stage floor.
This picture shows Jerome Robbins choreographing 'The Prologue' in
West Side Story.
The most predominant style of dancing in West Side Story (e.g.
during The Prologue at the very beginning of the film) is
contemporary dance. Contemporary dance is a popular form of dance
which developed in the mid 20th Century. It was originally influenced
mainly by classical, modern, and jazz styles, but later other dance
styles were incorporated into contemporary dance. The technique used
in contemporary dance tends to utilise both the strong and controlled
legwork of ballet and modern dance's stress on the torso, and it
involves contact-release, floor work, fall and recovery, and
improvisation characteristic of modern dance. It can also include
unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed, and direction. It sometimes
also has elements of non-western dance styles, such as African dance
(bent knees) or movements from the Japanese contemporary dance
'Butoh'.
