THE THIRD MAN
(1949)
Sir Carol Reed (Director)
Some information about writing papers
Need to learn to write. The hardest part is getting the “idea”; then it needs to be presented in orderly, logically cohesive way. The most competent writers can nit produce a final product in a single session of writing. Papers have to be carefully structures, written, re-written and re-written innumerable times before they get a final polishing. You need to leave some times between writings. What seems perfectly logical and obvious when first written appears muddled and unclear when it is read back by someone else or even a few hours later by the author. This is probably because the idea was clear when t was written, but once the idea was no longer “in the head”, the writing was not string enough to bring it back
Although no one can really teach how to get and idea, there seems to be some indications that they won’t happen unless you let information sort of slosh around in your head. As different bits and pieces come together they tend to suggest things which will be potential papers.
A well written paper must be grammatical. If the grammar is sloppy or incorrect, it may not be possible for the reader to “catch” the idea. Ambiguous sentences lead to confusion as does bad grammar: Consider these ambiguities:
In each case the question of the relationship between the first words is unclear. The first sentence could mean that the process of starving children is a dangerous process. The second possible meaning is that children who are starving could be dangerous.
any years ago, a group called The Brooklyn Bridge had a song in which the singer lamented the fact that his girl fiend was going to marry someone other than the singer. The line reads:
Since the singer is male, the grammatical structure of the sentences leads to an interesting development. Should the line be:
“If he loves you more than me” or “If he loves you more than I”? If we continue the line so we find the deleted parts of the sentence we discover both are grammatical but they mean different things
The line as it occurs in the song seems to hint at some homosexual relationship between the male singer and the man who is going to marry the woman who appears to be the singer’s girl friend.
Perhaps she chose the friend because his grammar was better!
Writing a good paper does not necessarily mean the paper has to be a work of art (whatever that may be. We will talk more about what definitions exist for “art” later). But they do have to be technically correct (i.e. proper choice of word, proper grammar and correct style for academic papers. A paper written for this course should not sound like an e-mail, a note passed to you friend during class, or something said in a casual conversation. This does not mean it should be jargon laden. In fact it is often preferable to say things in a way that makes them clear, rather than obfuscating them with jargon and cant!
THE QUESTION OF STRUCTURE IN ART
There are many kinds of definitions. None of them come from some divinity nor are they carved in stone. Some definitions deal with usage – that is to say the way in which people use a word in ordinary speech. Other definitions may be operational – that is to say they are made in order to clarify some point or to delimit some specific area under discussion Sometimes these two types of definition are at odds with one another. In general usage, “myth” often means something that isn’t true (“Oh that’s just a myth”) while in a technical or operational sense “myth” means a story believed to be true and sacred!
In dealing with a concept like “art” it may be necessary to make a definition in order to decide just what will and will not be included. One approach to developing “questions” is to define the terms and then regard them as part of a process of some sort. This is common in many of the social sciences.
In analysis of art (whatever it may be) the method is not experimental the way it is in science. Some people have held that analysis is much closer to communication theory This approach regards art as something which communicates but not necessarily verbally.
If we conclude that art communication, then we need to understand the “language” in order to understand what it says. In effect each kind of art is akin to being a different language with a different vocabulary and grammar. To understand painting, sculpture, music. And other art forms, we must discover the “language” of each of these forms. Film, like there others (in this theory) has its own language hence the title of the course “The Language of Film”
There remains however a problem about the “translatability” of any form of communicationi into any other. It is said that the famous modern dancer/choreographer Martha Graham once performed one of her dances. After the performance, a friend came back and said “Oh Martha, it was wonderful! What does it mean?” Graham is supposed to have answered “If I could tell you what it meant I wouldn’t have to dance it would I?” In effect, Graham was arguing that the medium of communication was integrally tied to the message. Maybe the medium wasn’t the message, but it certainly had a lot to do with it!
In that sense, the question about translating from one form of art to another is parallel to the problems of translating from one language to another. Consider the following Christian Morgensterm line:
Was für ein Baum ist ein Purzelbaum?
I suggest two translations:
(a) What kind of a tree is a somersault?
(b) What kind of a condiment is a somersault?
The first is fairly accurate but loses the punch of the pun. “Baum” (tree) occurs both as the word “Baum” here, but also as the end piece of the word for somersault, “Purzelbaum”
By translating “Baum” as “condiment” the exactness of the translation is gone (I do not believe it would be wise in general to translate “Baum” as “condiment”!), but the spirit of the pun is maintained.
ART AND TECHNIQUE – ART AND CRAFT
One can argue that without the technique necessary to control the medium in which one works, art is not possible. This implies that are is a rather conscious effort on the part of artists to produce something which exists in their heads. To argue otherwise might, in effect be arguing that a pianist who can not hit the correct notes for a piece of music is a great artist because of their musicality, despite the fact that their technique is so flawed they can not hit the right notes. Arguments about such things are legion.
Similar arguments have been made that technique without artistic input (whatever that may be) is craft, rather than art. Where the line is drawn between a technically excellent pot – a craft work, and a pot that has “crossed the line” and become art is hard to say. After WWII the American military was intent on destroying Japanese swords, but through the intervention of the American Provost marshal, many of the swords were classified as art, and not just craft.
For the purposes of this course you need only produce well crafted papers, they need not be artistic!
Narrative structure: The idea of trajectory, arc - to climax (Greek for staircase)
Graham Greene wrote story as treatment for film
Tension – something to be created in the audience
Generating emotion is one of the things art often does. How is it done. Lots of variation both by individual directors and also culturally.
Information
The audience needs to be given information. The writer decides what information is given out, who gives the information out, when they give the information and to whom they given the information.
Notice that the Austrians talk to each other n the phone in ENglish when the audience needs to know the information and no one is there to translate!
Narrative structure;
Who tells the story? Who is the narrator in this versioni
Watch the kinds of shots done here. Is there a reason for the shots being the way they are
Bit parts always interesting faces and so on. Person who invites Holly to talk
Use of extras – very interesting characters – woman at restaurant eating, people at “lecture”
THE IDEA OF ART
Theories of Aesthetics
Technique vs. Aesthetics.
Technique is the process by which something is done structurally correctly, Aesthetics is making it artistic. What does that mean? Many questions about the nature of art and what it is. See Eleanor Rigby paper.
Technique is necessary for art. If you can not control the technical aspects they can not be manipulated for effect. Technique without aesthetics tends to be craft. Art is made of deliberate choices – sometimes even simply to allow something to stand. A mistake which is “left in” is a choice by the artist to allow it to remain.
All aspects of film making are both technical and aesthetic. A technically well made film need not be artistic, but an artistic film will be well made (in the sense that the film maker controlled what happened). There are obviously arguments about this.
Should techniques be used for its own sake, or should it make some point in giving meaning to the film. Should a film be “Look Ma, see what I learned to do in film school” and then be a display of swish pans, zoom shots etc. or should there be a reason for making those choices?
THE IDEA OF THE VISUAL
How do the visual arts manipulate domains to communicate
The Script:
From written material (may be story, play or script). A script written for film invariably has already hashed out the problems of verbal vs. visual
Photography
Locations
Motion Pictures add a dimension of movement which is related to time and hence is not found in still photography:
THE FILM
The Third Man
Trufault’s Auteur theory contested here. The Third Man. is very much a writer’s film.
Carol Reed (man) is famous director
Many squabbles about who directed the film – Reed or Welles, but it is clearly a Reed film. Reed was shooting before Welles arrived. Welles’s often “bigger than life characters and bigger than life performances” are often “over the top” and rather performance more of theater than film. This may be his best acting performance.
Acting scenes between Welles and Cotton are very much with overlapping dialog typical of Welles.
Three crews: Day Night and Sewer – Reed oversaw all of it. Night and Sewer were busiest.
Reed had made shots of Vienna but never used them because he felt: EVERY SHOT SHOULD SERVE NARRATIVE PURPOSE
The idea also exists that the film should be told visually – i.e. without dialog. Old dictum – can you turn off the sound and still follow the film?
Watch the use of language in the film.
AFTER THE FILM
Of the Time
The film is made at the end of the war and even in ’49 the war was still fresh in everyone’s mind. America was not bombed (Hawaii was not even a state and most people hardly knew where it was).
Wells had a reputation and while there was some feeling he was “box office death”, he was hardly an unknown. People did go to see him and in fact his delay in appearing is as odd as Janet Leigh’s disappearance in Psycho.
The Film
1948