Tag Archives: Transformers
Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood proves that the likes of Transformers: Dark of the Moon won't save 3D
Last night I watched the last in the series of Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood on BBC 2. I actually watched it on TV! You can watch it here on iPlayer:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011vmsd/Paul_Mertons_Birth_of_Hollywood_Episode_3/
I really enjoyed it and will be trying to see the first two episodes somehow. This episode chronicled the death of silent cinema, which Merton shows to be at the height of its creative powers when the technology for talkies arrived. Silent films starred ingenious performers, and were shot in inventive, imaginative and inspiring ways. They could afford to make classic escapism for the masses as well as experimental pictures, which also more often than not turned into hits by capturing the public's lust for the cinema in new ways.
Talkies, Merton argues, brought the quality and the standards crashing back to basic levels. Yes audiences could hear the tinny voices of their beloved stars but they lost much of the magic of cinema when it was silent. They lost the live musical performances accompanying the pictures in theatres. They lost the moving camera angles, zooming in and out to visually dazzle and excite. They lost the cults of intoxicating mystery that grew up around actors, as soon as they heard their ordinary or often foreign accented voices. Instead there was wooden dialogue in front of static cameras. Imaginations were stifled and limited.
It's impossible not to compare the arrival of the talkies with that of 3D films in the 21st century. In my view it's obvious that the shift is not so dramatic. Sound is a far bigger leap forward than three dimensions. This seems an odd thing to say; when in theory 3D should mean the action literally happening in front of you. But we know the reality of 3D is mostly gimmicky after seeing the offers of studios in cinemas.
This might suggest that greater efforts are needed to improve the technology, so it's truly as transformative an experience as listening to sound for the first time in a movie theatre. However Merton's documentary focuses on the ability of good storytellers to adapt. Irving Thalberg, who died in his 30s, was the extraordinary man at the centre of last night's episode.
A German immigrant, Thalberg grew up in New York, after being born with a weak heart. He spent long periods of his childhood mollycoddled and stuck in bed through illness. During this time he read classic literature, plays and autobiographies. And followed the fortunes of the film business.
Then he got his big break and headed to Hollywood as a secretary to the head of Universal Studios. He was unexpectedly promoted to Head of Production, because of the qualities he showed his employer, where he established a reputation in his early twenties, before moving to MGM in the same role. His influence transformed MGM's studios into a vast dream factory with all manner of storytelling resources on site. He handpicked films for suitable directors, mixing traditional stories with bolder projects. He ensured that before release all his films were screened to members of the public, which led to scenes being re-shot frequently. A modest man, his name never appeared on any posters.
Thalberg's MGM was at the top of its game when talkies arrived, courtesy of rivals Warner Brothers. But before his death Thalberg oversaw a successful transition to sound, with that same focus on good storytelling. As a producer he called the shots, made decisions in the company's financial interests, but never compromised a good story.
3D audiences have been declining and champions of the technology pin their hopes on Michael Bay's third Transformers movie, Dark of the Moon. In press previews the 3D is said to be cutting edge, mind blowing and the best yet. But as this Guardian writer, Ben Child, points out, Bay's films are so loud and bombastic that they simply become tedious. And the only real hope for 3D is that someone, a great individual of Thalberg's ilk, can steer a truly great and inventive film project to fruition. One that makes the best of 3D's unique assets but one that, above all, tells an unbelievably good story.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/jun/10/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-3d
Tagged 3D, action, Avatar, back to basics, basic, bay, BBC, behind the scenes, Ben, Birth of Hollywood, bombastic, California, Cameron, character, child, cinema, clips, comparison, Dark of the Moon, dazzle, decline, dimensions, director, drama, Elton, Eric, film, Flickering, funny, Garbot, glasses, gossip, Greta, Guardian, Have I Got News For You, history, Hitchcock, idea, importance, Irving, James, John, LA, Liam, Lion, Merton, Merton's, method, MGM, Michael, Money, movie, movies, Mrt'sblog, myth, narrative, newspaper, Paul, plot, press, preview, producer, quality, Review, roar, save 3D, script, shades, Silent, sound, specs, spectacle, standards, stars, story, Stroheim, sunny, tale, talkies, techniques, technology, Thalberg, Theatre, three, Transformers, Trim, Universal Studios, visual, Von, Warner Brothers, writer, yarn
Posted on February 7, 2011 | Leave a comment
Last night a whole pack of films competed for America's attention during the much talked about Super Bowl Ad Breaks. It was the start of a long, hotly contested race for summer Blockbuster glory.
You can check out the TV spot trailers over at Flickering Myth: http://flickeringmyth.blogspot.com/2011/02/super-bowl-tv-spots-captain-america.html
Keep an eye out for the fourth Pirates film, which I thought showed more promise than expected.
Looking through the year's other upcoming films though I stumbled across The Adjustment Bureau, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. The synopsis was extremely vague at first, so I delved deeper, checking out the film's site and the trailer. Out in March, The Adjustment Bureau is far more interesting than it first appears to be. It's something very few films can claim to be: romantic sci-fi.
It's also based on a Phillip K. Dick short story, an extremely inventive writer I studied for an in depth, extended project at A-Level. Sci-fi stories often get bad press but the likes of Dick and Ray Bradbury wrote extremely beautifully and explored ideas conventional fiction barely scratched the surface of. In this case the story seems to explore the ideas of free will and fate, and the possible forces manipulating that fate. Again I studied this issue in Philosophy and found it a fascinating debate, and it will be interesting to see how The Adjustment Bureau works it into a sensationalised story.
From the trailer it's hard to tell how good it will be. The premise is what interests me the most and I can only hope the film itself does the idea justice. But it also looks glossy and exciting at times. The lead actors are beautiful. Despite some predictable, less interesting sections, I'll definitely be checking this out at the cinema.
http://www.theadjustmentbureau.com/
Tagged 2011, Abrams, actors, ad break, Aliens, artwork, blockbusters, blog, blunt, Bourne, Branagh, Captain America, Comedy, Cowboys, Craig, Cruz, Damon, Daniel, Depp, dick, director, Do Androids Dream Electric Sheep?, Emily, fate, favreau, films, Flickering, Ford, free will, George, grit, Harrison, Hopkins, idea, island, Jon, leads, link, Marshall, Matt, movies, myth, news, Nine, Nolfi, Ocean's 12, opinion, Phillip, Phillip K. Dick, Pirates, Portman, premise, Ray Bradbury, reviews, Rob, romance, romantic, Ryan, sci-fi, script, section, Shutter, Spielberg, story, Stranger Tides, summer, Super 8, super bowl, teaser, The Adjustment Bureau, The Independent, The Man in the High Castle, Thor, trailer, trailers, Transformers, true, tv spots, Ultimatum, upcoming, website, writer