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Classical Hollywood Cinema

Both Howard Hawks and Orson Welles produced movies during the Classical Hollywood Cinema era. Movies during this era focused on linear narrative technique, continuity editing, and easy-flowing cinematic space and time.

Classical Hollywood Cinema: Some Distinguishing Stylistic Characteristics

1. Movies are produced in factory-like studios, with an emphasis on division of labor; this leads to increasing technical expertise and sophistication.

2. They are almost exclusively oriented toward narrative form (strong plot, clear linearity of time, space, and logic).

3. The use of cross-cutting between scenes at different locales will drive the plot more quickly/increase tension/suggest parallels or contrasts.

4. The standard acting style aims at realism.

5. Varying shot lengths and camera distances are used.

6. Cutting to continuity: each shot must advance the plot, but the editing should not draw attention to itself; the eye should move naturally from frame to frame.

7. Lighting is increasingly sophisticated, aimed at creating subtle psychological effect, but not intended to call attention to itself; often lighting appears to originate from sources natural to the scene.

8. Other elements of mise-en-scene are also increasingly sophisticated, but usually equally subtle; intended to produce the desired effect but not to distract the viewer.

9. Use of shot/countershot suggests interaction among a group of two or more characters; this is generally alternated with longer "establishing shots."

10. In summary, it is a style that aims at being invisible to the viewer. http://people.clarkson.edu/~fbailey/lf370/classic.html

Regarded as one of the most prominent directors of all time, Orson Welles was little appreciated in his time. His first public released film, 'Citizen Kane', made RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures lose $150,000. Welles's later films including 'The Magnificent Ambersons' and 'Chimes at Midnight' won many plaudits but were commercial failures. As he continued to direct movies, he was awarded an Oscar in 1971, the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1975, and despite his commercial success, the Directors Guild of America awarded him with the D.W. Griffith Award, the highest accolade to be awarded.

Howard Hawks begin directing in the mid-1920s and became increasingly prominent during this era. He worked in a variety of genres, concentrating on succinct handling of plot and performance and displaying a mastery of rapid pacing and continuity editing. Hawks was a very inspirational director, screenwriter, and producer. He is the best known economical director of the CHC.

Differences between Orson Welles and Howard Hawks

Orson Welles:

Never directed a film until signed with RKO Pictures

Went against the Classical Hollywood Cinema conventions

Low angle shots, confusing cuts, off-centered subjects, deep focus, chiaroscuro lighting

Artistically brilliant, focuses on the style and how a movie is made

Rarely indicates the existence of the camera, making the audience know it's just a movie, or the camera moves in a way as to make the audience realize it's a movie

Howard Hawks:

Did not work in a specific studio

Known for his expertise in the "Invisible Style"

Straight on shots at eye-line level, logical cuts, center subject, expressionistic lighting, 180-degree rule, use of Shot-Reverse-Shot, lengthy shots, etc.

Deceptively artless, focuses on the story and gets the job done

Puts the suture effect on viewers, making them become enveloped into the movie

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Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane (1941)

Citizen Kane - Low Angle Shot example

Welles tested the boundries of Classical Hollywood. In this scene, cameras were placed below the floor of the set to create these extreme low angle shots far below eye-level.

Welles' Citizen Kane - Z-axis scene example

A good example of Welles's innovative optical illusions. Watch as Kane walks deeper and deeper away from the camera.

Orson Welles is accredited with popularizing deep focus shots, as seen in this scene of 'Citizen Kane'. There are several other instances where Welles uses this technique. The way he did it then is different from the way we do it now. He had to edit three separate films

Welles often used chiaroscuro lighting techniques in his early films, certainly in his film noirs.

Howard Hawks's The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep

In this clip Howard Hawks used shot/reverse shot and his camera was on eye level. These characteristics from the Classical Hollywood Cinema era were showcased in many of Hawks' films.

His Girl Friday (1940) is a model sound comedy. Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, and a bevy of character actors delivered the wisecracking dialogue at breakneck speed while Hawks recorded the action primarily with “invisible” shot/reverse shots and reframing movements.

#Howard hawks

In this dialogue scene from 'His Girl Friday' (1940), Howard Hawks demonstrates the principles of classical continuity editing and shot/reverse shot to maintain consistency in the construction of screen space.

Scarface (1932)

Howard Hawks' film Scarface, contains a Single Continuous Shot, a technique commonly used by Hawks in his films.

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