Component 1 section A Hollywood 1930-1990 Part B (wilder, 1959)

Some like it hot 


 Introduction 

- the social norms and values of the days dictated the films genre and tone 

- The comedic aspects are built around the theme identity, disguise and cross dressing had to use humor as a Vehicle for the more progressive, taboo and contreversial themes at the center (hays code)

- One device in this vein is to situate the plot and events back to the 1920s. so it is set in 1929 aalthough produced in 1959 

- paradoxically, the films historical context is the chaos and uncertianty of the wall street crash whilst films production context in 1959 marks a new departure for the US in terms of social and cultural life  


nobody perfect scene 

Representation 

- in many ways a head on challenge to notions of conventional gender representations 

- BUT: within comedic space - inuendo 

- Gerald as daphne - a disguise which enables Gerald to literally step into women's shoes and to experience what it is like being a women in a world privileging men 

- Complexity and tensions in representations, reflect those of historical context: produced in 1959 - US society changing - norms, values and traditions shifitng away from conventional attitudes and lifestyle across the board  


Gender and performance 


Tony curtis - joe -josephine/ shell tycoon 

Jack Lemmon - Gerald/ daphne - marries Osgood as Gerald 


Representations: Osgood dates daphne 

Dress code - daphne's not right dressed in black 

Other women in pure white 


Marriage- status 

Leading - who leads? man/woman 

Representations - filtred from 1959-1929 

- Post first world war - crash, status, conventions

Anchor for the plot-telling the story/ unemployment - disguise 

The difficulty during the 1950s (norms hayes code) of saving anything on the screen regarding sexuality/ gender/ identity 


Gender, representation and context in the yacht sequence 

- Sugar as assertive female character 

- Is joe/ shell tycoon manipulative 

- He isn't threatening her 

- How is sugar represented - is she a gold digger (when she finds  out later - she still loves him)

- She looks for love and security

- Sugar an outsider - from Poland  

- Alcohol - blues- stress lonely depressed

- Think about Monroe in the casting of the role 


Sunset boulevard 



Wilder as a hollywood auteur 

- Presents gender issues through cinematography, mise en scene and framing and composition 

- Over the shoulder shot of Norma Desmond 

- Dress code matches 

- through cinematography 

- Mise en scene and framing and composition 



Visual elements 

- Norma desmond's house - miserable, house reflects her mood 

- wanting fame - ageing actress - gothic dark

- lighting - low key lighting 

- 卍卍卍卍卍卍


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