Showing papers in "Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television in 2001"
TL;DR: In this article, New Memory: Mediating history is used to describe the history of film, radio and television in the United States, with a focus on the New Memory system.
Abstract: (2001). New Memory: Mediating history. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 333-346.
96 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present Horror in Our Time: Images of the concentration camps in the British media, 1945, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp 205-253.
Abstract: (2001). Horror in Our Time: Images of the concentration camps in the British media, 1945. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 205-253.
16 citations
TL;DR: The New York World's Fair of 1939 as mentioned in this paper was one of the first major events for the development of commercial television, and the first regular television service was offered by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA).
Abstract: When the 1939 New York World’s Fair opened, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and the newly emerging technology of television were there. NBC of cially inaugurated the nation’s rst regular television service on 30 April with its live coverage of the opening ceremonies direct from the fairgrounds in Flushing Meadows. Panoramic shots of the Fair’s symbols, the Trylon and Perisphere, transduced into electronic signals by NBC’s recently acquired mobile television units, were sent eight miles via radio waves to the NBC antenna atop the Empire State Building which, in turn, ‘sprayed’ the images across a 50-mile radius [1]. Viewers watching on the estimated 200 television sets scattered around the New York area could see gathering crowds, the opening parade, and an address by President Frauklin Roosevelt. Meanwhile, fairgoers anxious to avoid a chilly breeze or the jostling spectators could have gone to RCA’s World’s Fair Building located just yards away from the parade route and observed the same events on one of the nine RCA-built receivers on display in the lobby. Over the subsequent weeks and months, hundreds of thousands of fairgoers would stream through the RCA Building, gaze at carefully designed television exhibits, watch live TV broadcasts, and listen to RCA spokespeople extol the virtues of ‘hear-and-see radio’ [2] and of the corporation whose research efforts and dollars, it seems, made it all possible. While most broadcasting histories identify television’s debut at the Fair as a noteworthy if oddly-placed milepost in (the initial, if tentative and ill-timed, baby step toward) the development of commercial television, no account fully explains how television was presented to the public in speci c exhibits nor adequately situates TV’s debut within the wider contexts of industry competition, government regulation, or the World’s Fair itself. [3] This article describes the incorporation of television into various exhibits around the Fair, paying particular attention to the efforts of RCA. The New York World’s Fair of 1939 offered the Radio Corporation of America an invaluable opportunity to announce the long-awaited arrival of television and, in doing so, establish itself as the preeminent force in building television’s future. The World’s Fair promoted a vision of a not-so-distant future in which new technology, provided by industry and guided by social ideals, would lead to a better society where consumerism and democracy triumphed. [4] Companies like RCA, anxious to promote both themselves and their consumer products, wrapped their exhibits in public relations rhetoric which worked hard to convince visitors that corporations were not simply pro t-hungry businesses that sold consumer goods, but rather vital components of a democratic society that provided the tools needed to build a better tomorrow. Such lofty rhetoric,
14 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors of the 1969 Third Cinema Manifesto Towards a Third Cinema (Towards a Third C Cinema) discuss the importance of third cinema in the development of Latin American cinema theory and practice.
Abstract: This rhetorical question introduced a poll on ‘The in uence of third cinema in the world’ published in Revue Tiers Monde in 1979. Some 10 years earlier, Latin America was the site of an explosion of militant cinema theory and practice. This cultural activism accompanied progressive political movements throughout the region, stimulated most signi cantly by the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959. Military repression during the 1970s crushed the progressive movements, and ended the creative lmmaking episodes. With the so-called return of democracy in the 1980s, lmmaking revived in Latin America, but no longer under the same militant banner. At the same time, no comparable theoretical work emerged. The younger lmmakers did not churn out theoretical statements as their predecessors had done in Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Bolivia and Chile. As the theoretical impulses faded, however, nonLatin American critics reached back to the earlier period to pluck one particular document as a metonymy for Latin America’s contribution to a renewed militant criticism. Indeed, the third cinema became the of cial rubric for this renewal. While it is true that the 1969 manifesto ‘Towards a Third Cinema’ does merit a special position in the critical tradition, these writers reinforced the marginalization of Latin American lm theory by ignoring so much of what made the manifesto unique. More conscientious critics respected the context of third cinema, but no account draws on the extensive complementary material by the authors to clarify some of the central ideas of the manifesto. This article helps ll in those missing contours of third cinema by drawing on both the manifesto and numerous untranslated commentaries on the topic by Octavio Getino and Fernando Solanas. One reason behind this phenomenon is linguistic. The manifestoes found their way into English only sporadically in militant lm journals on both sides of the north Atlantic, in Cineaste, Jump Cut, Afterimage, and Framework. Only the third cinema manifesto was anthologized in lm theory and criticism textbooks, and the group of contemporaneous manifestoes was never available in one place before the publication by the BFI of Michael Chanan’s invaluable but not easily available Twenty- ve Years of Latin American Cinema in 1983 [2]. Scholars of Latin American lm discussed the manifestoes on many occasions, but Latin American lm theory remained a backwater to the wave of Anglo-American-French theory sweeping the academy [3]. Early in the 1980s, critics less familiar with Latin American cinema began to detach the concept of third cinema from its source document. The Ethiopian-born, US-based scholar Teshome Gabriel, in the rst book devoted to third cinema, Third Cinema in the Third World (1982), went so far as to claim that ‘The notion of “Third Cinema” is not the creation of Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino alone’ [4]. In 1985 Clyde Taylor,
13 citations
TL;DR: From Shaw to Shantaram: The Film Advisory Board and the making of British propaganda films in India, 1940•1943 as discussed by the authors, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 293-308.
Abstract: (2001). From Shaw to Shantaram: The Film Advisory Board and the making of British propaganda films in India, 1940‐1943. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 293-308.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the relationship between Turin's Turksib (1929) and Soviet Orientalism, and present an overview of the main themes of both works.
Abstract: (2001). Viktor Turin's Turksib (1929) and Soviet Orientalism. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 37-62.
10 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the Anglo-American Anti-fascist Film Propaganda in a Time of Neutrality: The Great Dictator, 1940, with a focus on anti-fascism.
Abstract: (2001). Anglo-American Anti-fascist Film Propaganda in a Time of Neutrality: The Great Dictator , 1940. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 137-152.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe how British Television Inserted the Holocaust into Britain's War Memory in 1995, and how it was used as a metaphor for the Second World War.
Abstract: (2001). How British Television Inserted the Holocaust into Britain's War Memory in 1995. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 255-272.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the heritage cycle of Polish movies and compare it with its foreign counterpart, the British heritage cycle, in terms of size and age, and conclude that these movies serve as representations of Polish history and commentaries on present-day Poland.
Abstract: One of the most important phenomena of the Polish cinema of the last decade has been ‘the heritage cycle’, a cluster of historical/costume lms, typically based on masterpieces of Polish literature. They are Ogniem i mieczem (With Fire and Sword, 1999), directed by Jerzy Hoffman, Pan Tadeusz (1999), directed by Andrezej Wajda, Syzyfowe prace (Sisyphean Labours, 2000), directed by Pawel Komorowski, Przedwiosnie (Early Spring, 2001), directed by Filip Bajon, Quo Vadis (2001), directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, two versions of Krzyzacy (The Teutonic Knights, 2001), directed, respectively, by Jaroslaw Zamojda and Boguslaw Linda, W pustyni i w puszczy (In Desert and Wilderness, 2001), directed by Maciej Dutkiewicz and Gavin Hood, and Pragnienie milosci (Desire to Love, 2001) by Jerzy Antczak. The label ‘heritage lm’ does not exist in Polish cinematic terminology; there is no single term applied to these lms (some are described as ‘cinema of school canon’). However, there is wide recognition amongst Polish critics and ordinary cinema goers, that these lms (some of which are still awaiting their premiere) form a distinctive group. For example, they are often promoted as belonging to the same genre, with magazines announcing ‘After With Fire and Sword came Pan Tadeusz’ or ‘Jerzy Kawalerowicz follows Hoffman and Wajda by making Quo Vadis’. They also attract similar audiences in terms of size and age. For example, a substantial proportion of their viewers consist of schoolchildren on cinema trips, organised by their schools to obtain cheaper tickets, booked in bulk. Moreover, one has the impression that these lms function not so much as works of art in their own right, as elements in a larger discourse—Polish national heritage, understood both as culture shared by all Polish people, and as part of the ‘nostalgia business’. Another reason to use the phrase ‘heritage cinema’ in reference to the Polish lms is their similarity to ‘British heritage cinema’ of the 1980s and 1990s. The objective of this article is to examine the heritage lms as representations of Polish history and as commentaries on present-day Poland. Of particular importance is establishing what the fact of their production and their apparent success tell us about the dominant ideology in Poland and the state of Polish cinema. In my analysis I will concentrate on two model heritage lms: With Fire and Sword and Pan Tadeusz. Not all Polish heritage lms have every characteristic of these two lms, but essential features in With Fire and Sword and Pan Tadeusz can be found in the majority of them. To illustrate the unique features of Polish heritage cinema, I will frequently compare it with its foreign counterpart—British ‘heritage lms’.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this article, All Change at Elstree: Warner Bros., ABPC and British Film Policy, 1945•1961, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 5-35.
Abstract: (2001). All Change at Elstree: Warner Bros., ABPC and British Film Policy, 1945‐1961. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 5-35.
7 citations
TL;DR: The Other Documentary Tradition: Early radio documentaries in Canada as discussed by the authors is a collection of radio documentaries from the early 1970s to the early 1990s, with a focus on early radio documentaries.
Abstract: (2001). The Other Documentary Tradition: Early radio documentaries in Canada. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 123-135.
TL;DR: Goodwin Watson sat down in the chair that faced his panel of inquisitors as mentioned in this paper, and the atmosphere in the room turned icy when Watson asked to read the statement in front of him so the hearing could be held in accordance with the procedures of the Constitution.
Abstract: Goodwin Watson sat down in the chair that faced his panel of inquisitors. Before him he saw a row of legislators shuf ing papers, conferring with aides, preparing for the coming interrogation. Watson was alone. He had only a prepared statement on the table in front of him. The atmosphere in the room turned icy when Watson asked to read the statement in front of him so the hearing could be held ‘in accord with the procedures of the Constitution’ [1]. ‘We know already of your feelings toward the committee’, said Acting Chairman Joe Starnes of Alabama, ‘... and what you think about its procedures, ..., frankly, we do not care’ [2]. Thus began Dr. Goodwin Watson’s rst day of testimony before an executive session of the House Un-American Activities Committee. The path to this meeting began 16 months earlier, in November 1941, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hired Columbia University professor Dr. Goodwin Watson, a social psychologist and nationally recognized authority on propaganda techniques, to take charge of the Commission’s Foreign Broadcast Monitoring Service (FBMS). That same month the Commission augmented its Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service (FBIS) by appointing young historian Dr. William E. Dodd, Jr., as an assistant news editor. Under the leadership of the dynamic James Lawrence Fly, the Commission felt itself fortunate to have such distinguished intellectuals serving both the agency and the United States, individuals who utilized their unique talents to help the country monitor the messages communicated by the fascist governments of Germany and Italy. Unknown to everyone, of course, was the fact that the stage was set for a drama that would unfold around these appointments, events that would evolve into a con ict pitting the Federal Communications Commission, the Senate, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Supreme Court against Representative Martin Dies’s House Committee on Un-American Activities as well as the House Appropriations Committee. The Watson/Dodd affair was part of the rst act of the long-running drama of the Red Scare in the United States, and exempli ed the major issues at work in conservative legislators’ attacks on American citizens and government organizations in the name of national security. As such, the FCC played a pivotal role in the political and social crisis that enveloped the US regarding communism. Despite its signi cance to the regulatory history of the communications industries, and its signi cance for future anti-Communist activities, the Watson/Dodd controversy has received remarkably little scholarly attention [3]. The event requires study, however, since it was one of the opening skirmishes of the Red Scare. Congressional responses to the fear of Commu-
TL;DR: In this paper, Patrolling the Boundaries of Race: Motion picture censorship and Jim Crow in Virginia, 1922•1932, the authors present a survey of censorship in the movie industry.
Abstract: (2001). Patrolling the Boundaries of Race: Motion picture censorship and Jim Crow in Virginia, 1922‐1932. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 273-291.
TL;DR: The Bloomington Voice editorial of 11 January 1996 as discussed by the authors criticized recent programming decisions by community radio station WFHB and concluded that while WfHB provided a diverse mix of music and entertainment features, the station was reluctant to air politically progressive programming in order to accommodate conservative listeners and local business interests.
Abstract: An editorial appearing in the 11 January 1996 edition of the Bloomington Voice (BV), a free weekly newspaper in Bloomington, Indiana, criticized recent programming decisions by community radio station WFHB. According to the editorial, WFHB failed to live up to its promise of providing alternative news and information to the greater Bloomington community. The BV piece suggested that the reluctance on the part of WFHB management to air ‘controversial programming’ stemmed from fears that some listeners and underwriters might be offended by such programs. The editorial concluded that while WFHB provided a diverse mix of music and entertainment features, the station was reluctant to air politically progressive programming in order to accommodate conservative listeners and local business interests. The editorial is signi cant for two reasons. Prior to its publication, the press coverage WFHB received in the Bloomington Voice, as well as in the Herald Times, Bloomington’s only daily newspaper, and other media outlets had been nothing short of unquali ed praise. News stories and opinion pieces hailed the station and its predominately volunteer staff for their positive contribution to the social, civic, and cultural life of the community. Second, the editorial sparked a heated debate—in print, on the station’s internal electronic distribution list, and over the airwaves of WFHB—surrounding Bloomington community radio’s mission, its operating principles, and ultimately, its responsibility to its listening audience. All told, these deliberations underscore the necessity of improving community-wide communication in Bloomington, Indiana and highlight the contested terrain inhabited by Bloomington’s community radio station. This essay situates the debate over public affairs programming at WFHB in relation to the legacy of listener-sponsored, community-oriented radio in the United States. Here special emphasis is placed on the limits and constraints facing WFHB as it attempts to realize the democratic potential of participatory media organizations [1]. As such, this article serves as a case study of the contemporary practice of community radio in America. Speci cally, this analysis illuminates the ruptures and continuities between the tradition pioneered by Paci ca Radio and more recent approaches to community-oriented radio. In doing so, this paper illustrates the complex and contradictory process of building and sustaining grassroots media access organizations. Following a brief account of the station’s origins and development, this essay locates WFHB in relation to commercial, public service, and community radio in the United States. Drawing on newspaper editorials, internal station correspondence, and radio broadcasts, I then discuss how various parties talked about public affairs programming
TL;DR: The Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 77-96 as discussed by the authors has published a survey on the true story of the movie "Amistad".
Abstract: (2001). Amistad (1997): Steven Spielberg's 'true story' Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 77-96.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the Cold War Telecommunications Strategy and the Question of German Television in the context of film, radio and television, and present a survey of the history of German television.
Abstract: (2001). Cold War Telecommunications Strategy and the Question of German Television. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 109-121.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare Swedish television and American westerns, 1959-1969, focusing on the "have-gun, will-travel" theme of the movie "The Have Gun, Will Travel".
Abstract: (2001). 'Have Gun, Will Travel': Swedish television and American westerns, 1959‐1969. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 309-321.
TL;DR: Documentary, Positivism, and Interpretivism as discussed by the authors is a popular topic in film, radio and television, and has been studied extensively in the last decade and a half.
Abstract: (2001). Documentary, Positivism, and Interpretivism. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 323-325.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a history on television, focusing on the history of television in film and radio, with a focus on television history on the television channel History on Television.
Abstract: (2001). History on Television. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 97-99.
TL;DR: Machin made his best ¼ lms in Holland and Belgium as mentioned in this paper, where he was fascinated by the picturesque atmosphere of these two small countries, and this is precisely what may have appealed to his anthropological and ethnological temperament.
Abstract: ... Machin made his best lms in Holland and Belgium ... why on earth should a lm-maker with the soul of an explorer (this ‘hunter’ armed with a camera) be so fascinated by the ‘picturesque’ atmosphere of these two small countries? ... I would suggest that this is precisely what may have appealed to his anthropological and ethnological temperament! he is not attracted by folklore—though he is far from avoiding it!—but by an ‘elsewhere’ which is so very near at hand [1].