Film Studies · Year 12 · Varieties of Film and Filmmaking · 1.º Período

The Emergence of New Hollywood

An examination of the shift from classical studio production to the auteur-driven New Hollywood movement of the 1960s and 70s. Students explore changing representations and stylistic experimentation.

TL;DR:The Emergence of New Hollywood marks a seismic shift in American cinema, reflecting the social upheavals of the 1960s and 70s. Students explore how the breakdown of the Production Code and the rise of the 'Movie Brats', directors like Coppola, Scorsese, and Spielberg, led to a new era of stylistic experimentation and thematic grit. This period is crucial for understanding how film responds to its cultural context, including the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• A-Level Film Studies AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding to analyse film
• Component 1, Section A: New Hollywood (1961-1990)

About This Topic

The Emergence of New Hollywood marks a seismic shift in American cinema, reflecting the social upheavals of the 1960s and 70s. Students explore how the breakdown of the Production Code and the rise of the 'Movie Brats', directors like Coppola, Scorsese, and Spielberg, led to a new era of stylistic experimentation and thematic grit. This period is crucial for understanding how film responds to its cultural context, including the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement.

In this unit, students move from the 'invisible' style of the past to the self-conscious, auteur-driven techniques of the present. They will analyse how films like 'The Graduate' or 'Bonnie and Clyde' used jump cuts, location shooting, and ambiguous endings to challenge traditional values. Students grasp this concept faster through structured discussion and peer explanation of how these films 'feel' different from the classics.

Key Questions

1. What cultural factors led to the rise of New Hollywood?
2. How do New Hollywood films subvert classical narrative structures?
3. In what ways did directors assert themselves as auteurs?

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

New Hollywood directors were just trying to be rebellious.

What to Teach Instead

Their rebellion was often born of economic necessity and a desire to capture a younger, more cynical audience. A comparative analysis of box office trends helps students see the commercial logic behind the art.

Common Misconception

New Hollywood and the French New Wave are the same thing.

What to Teach Instead

While New Hollywood was heavily influenced by the French New Wave, it remained rooted in American genre traditions. Peer teaching sessions can help clarify these distinct but related influences.

Active Learning Ideas

Formal Debate

Auteur vs. Studio

Divide the class into 'Old Guard' studio executives and 'New Wave' directors. They must debate who should have final cut privilege over a film, using specific examples of creative control from the 1970s.

40 min·Whole Class

Gallery Walk

Cultural Context Posters

Place images of 1960s social events (Vietnam protests, Woodstock, Civil Rights) around the room. Students circulate and annotate how these events might have influenced the themes of New Hollywood films they have watched.

30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle

Subverting the Code

In pairs, students take a scene from a Classical Hollywood film and 'remake' it as a New Hollywood sequence by changing the ending to be more ambiguous or adding a stylistic flourish like a jump cut.

25 min·Pairs

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Hollywood Production Code end?

The Code became obsolete as social values changed and films from Europe (which didn't follow the Code) became popular. The industry eventually replaced it with the MPAA rating system in 1968, allowing for more mature themes and graphic content.

What defines a director as an 'auteur'?

An auteur is a director whose personal vision and creative control are so strong that they are considered the 'author' of the film. In New Hollywood, this meant directors had more say over the script, editing, and final look than the studios did.

How can active learning help students understand New Hollywood?

New Hollywood is about breaking rules. Active learning, such as 'remaking' a scene through a storyboard or debating the merits of an ambiguous ending, allows students to engage with the creative choices directors made. It transforms the study of film history into a study of creative problem-solving.

What was the 'Movie Brat' generation?

This refers to the first generation of directors who actually went to film school. Unlike earlier directors who learned on the job, the Movie Brats were deeply knowledgeable about film history and used that knowledge to innovate and reference older films.