Films for discussion and exploration…
Swing Time (George Stevens, 1936)
Readings
Flashback - Chapter 5
Short Guide - Chapter 5
Week 04 Notes
Week 04 Screening Journal Report
Film: Swing Time (1936)
Screening Date: 2011-10-03
IMDB Link: http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0028333/
A. Briefly describe what your expectations for the film were? What did you already know about the film and from what source? What did you know about the country and historical period/style of its origin? Did you know anything about the director? What was the most important feature of the film you were looking for?
I was looking forward to seeing a film with Fred Astaire for the first time. Although I had developed a fondness and appreciation for this type of musical thru films like An American in Paris and my favorite musical, Singin’ in the Rain, I had never branched out beyond Gene Kelly to the works of Fred Astaire.
One of the only things I knew about this film prior to taking this course was that it featured the classic song The Way You Look Tonight, as sung by Astaire. I also knew that it has been listed as one of the top 100 films ever made, by Entertainment Weekly and the American Film Institute (AFI). I also knew that it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
1930s America was a dark time for people living in the era of the Great Depression. Poverty, unemployment and misery abounded and Hollywood made films like Swing Time to help lift people’s spirits.
I knew that director George Stevens made A Place in the Sun (with Elizabeth Taylor), Shane (with Alan Ladd and Jack Palance), and Giant (again with Elizabeth Taylor as well as with James Dean). I also knew that he was one of the few directors to win the Academy Award for best directing twice. I also knew that he received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
Overall, I was looking forward to seeing a musical staring someone other than Gene Kelly.
B. Using Chapter 3 of Corrigan’s Short Guide to Writing About Film as a guide, describe and outline some of the main themes explored in the film, the primary narrative, the main characters, and discuss the point of view the film takes.
Overall, I found that the overall storyline and characterizations in Swing Time to be similar to those found in Gene Kelly’s films like Singin’ in the Rain. Here, Fred Astaire plays John “Lucky” Garnett, a gambler and a dancer. As the film opens, he is quickly confronted with the central problem that will propel his actions throughout the rest of the film. He’s set to get married but his friends / co-workers hold him up so that he misses the wedding. During a confrontation with his fiancé’s father, Lucky learns that if he still wants to marry the girl, he has to earn $25,000 in order to demonstrate his good intentions to her father.
With that, Lucky and his friend, “Pop” Cardetti then go off to New York, in the hopes of “making it big.” They are pursuing the American dream, from a position of having next to nothing but the clothes on their backs. There, Lucky and Pop meet Ginger Roger’s character of Penny, a dance school instructor. A series of comedic interludes has Penny looking down upon Lucky, but Lucky is intrigued by Penny and works to win her over and eventually the two fall for each other. It’s at this point that Lucky’s true dilemma arises – does he break up with the girl he left behind for the new girl with which he shares a love for life and dance? Ultimately, through a number of elaborate dance numbers, the film finds a way for Lucky to succeed, as he is able to make money, break things off with the girl he was set to marry and create a life with Penny.
C. Please pinpoint one memorable scene of the film and describe its mise-en-scène (elements and techniques of visual style—that is, both elements on the set and/or aspects of the camera movement and editing choices—see Corrigan pp. 51-57 for help with this aspect).
At a key point in the film, our main characters have travelled out of town to a cabin called New Amsterdam. The music that plays is light hearted and a light snow sprinkles down over the entire set. Comedy is inherent in the situation, whereby Lucky has asked Pop to ensure that Lucky is never alone with Penny. This of course, does not happen, and Lucky has to resist his urges to acknowledge his feelings, and for want of a better word, “consummate” his relationship with Penny.
The camera follows Penny and Lucky as they walk through the falling snow. Lucky reluctantly and slowly follows behind and the music helps to heighten the tension of whether or not these two will get together. Space divides the characters at first, until eventually they sit down together. The camera is now close in on the two so that we can feel the tension that has developed between them. The coldness of the snow has Penny wanting Lucky to hold her, and he uses comedy to separate them. Ultimately the scene leads to the two singing the famous song, A Fine Romance, and ends with Penny ultimately finding out that Lucky was set to marry someone else at the start of the movie. The snow is heavier now, as Penny’s sadness is very evident. Lucky tries to serenade her, but to no avail. Penny gets into the car, starts the wipers which spray and bury Lucky in a pile of snow. It’s both comical and sad at the same time.
Instructor’s Note: “Nice details.”
D. Overall, what were your impressions of the film? Describe one way that the film met your expectations and one way that the film surprised and/or exceeded your expectations.
Overall, I enjoyed the film for its elaborate dance numbers, as well as for the witty banter that occurs between the various characters. The film moves rather quickly from scene to scene, and there is little to bog down the pace of the narrative as the story progresses towards its ending.
Instructor’s Note: “Could expand this a bit.”
E. What elements of the film’s narrative and story-line reveal a specifically Hollywood or “escapist” point of view? Are there any moments of tension away from that point of view in the film?
The entire film is clearly setup to be escapist in nature. The dance numbers are elaborate and the storyline rather preposterous when examined too closely. The characters, in spite of all their trials and tribulations, eventually get what they want and everyone finds success in their life with what we all now would consider as being a clichéd Hollywood happy ending. The only tension that arises is in the drama that plays out as the audience asks if the happy ending will come or not.
INSTRUCTOR’S FEEDBACK
“I can see your passion and interest in film well exemplified in your journals. Fantastic detail and attention to the nuances of camera work and mis-en-scene. You also spent some time discussing contextual elements to - all great additions to your reflections!
POSITIVES: Great detail and attention to visuals. Historical context. Thoughtful Reflections
WORK ON: Your final 2-3 reviews lacked the same attention and detail as your first few reviews. Add more detail to questions D and E, even if it means less detail is given to questions A and B.” - Dr Dorothy Barenscott
GRADE: A / A+
A pdf copy of this assignment can be found here.