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A. Overdeterminations and the Film Text

B. Cinematic Influences

• Aesthetics- setting, visual design, point of view, literary design (where are song and dances put and why), performance

o Composition first time musical is put in a 3D atmosphere onto a 2D plane. Stanley knew that to create energy it’s better to have more people on a set. Works not only in frame but also connects frame to frame to keep up energy.

o Seven Brothers and Seven brides connects the western and the musical. In order to fully understand film one has to know the myths of both genres.

o MGM during this time was only one of three musical units that had own directors, composers, and everything else

• Business practices of the industry

o The production, distribution and exhibition.

o MGM was making three A musicals a year where they were dropping 1.5-2 million dollars.

o Studios would wine and dine all the press in the country. MGM would always show an A musical and a B musical during this weekend to show off what was in store for end of the summer release. When seven brides came out MGM had a more successful B musical then A musical.

• Film Technology

o This film used new technology in post world period in order to combat TV. Used one strip color which was inferior to Technicolor but it was cheaper and gave picture more rugged quality (fit for western look).

o The film was made in cinemascope which gave it the big picture look.

o Color didn’t change the thematic of the film but cinemascope did change literary, special and temporal values of the film.

• Censorship and prior restrains

o Allot of the movies that came out during this time were very controversial.

o How do they get through the Christian censorship.

• Production History

o What happens in the front office when film is being made.

o Joy did not feel like Stanley knew how to direct because he felt that Stanley was giving women to much attention on screen. The women in Stanley’s film stabilize the men they always play superior creatures.

o Film was also not allowed to go on location and struggled to get the film shot on cinemascope.

o Also film was originally going to come out during the fall when kids in school instead of the prime time August.

• Critical and Popular Discourses

o If critics review a film well people will think much higher of it then if a critic tips it apart. People feel that experts know better then they do and because of that they must agree with the expert.

C. Extra- Cinematic Influences

• Historical Events

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