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January 1999, Week 2

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Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
Peter Warren <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 8 Jan 1999 17:07:29 -0500
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You're certainly opening the floodgates with this request!  These days,
Hollywood films on the media tend to cover television, and you've listed
some of these. But before TV became the power that it is today, films would
use the press (newspapers) as their media whipping boy. In the days of the
Hollywood studio system, many "B" movies had a crusading newspaper hound as
their hero - they were almost as popular as private eyes, both types of
film being cheap to produce. I've listed below some of the more significant
Hollywood films to deal with media ethics (some serious, some comical, most
cynical): The FRONT PAGE (Lewis Milestone 1931, remade by Billy Wilder in
1974, with the same title): FIVE STAR FINAL (Mervyn Leroy 1931): HIS GIRL
FRIDAY (Howard Hawks 1940, a remake of The Front Page); ALL THE KING'S MEN
(Robert Rossen 1949): CHICAGO DEADLINE (Lewis Allen 1949): THE BIG
CARNIVAL/ACE IN THE HOLE (Billy Wilder 1951): DEADLINE USA (Richard Brooks
1952): IT HAPPENS EVERY THURSDAY(Joseph Pevney 1953): THE HARDER THEY FALL
(Mark Robson 1956): TEACHER'S PET (George Seaton 1958): THE ELECTRIC
HORSEMAN (Sydney Pollack 1979). TOOTSIE (Sydney Pollack 1982). Of all
these,  the most trenchant is THE BIG CARNIVAL, arguably Billy Wilder's
most cynical film. It stars Kirk Douglas, giving a great scenery chewing
performance.  There are many other movies dealing with the media, so I'm
sure you'll be receiving lots of e-mails!
----------
> From: jmoran <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Hollywood Narrative Films About Media Ethics
> Date: Thursday, January 07, 1999 6:06 PM
>
> > I am trying to accumulate a list of Hollywood films whose primary
> > narrative emphasis dramatizes an issue of media ethics.
> > Examples include Wag the Dog, Quiz SHow, Bulworth, Natural Born
Killers,
> > Man Bites Dog, Broadcast News, Citizen Kane, The Truman Show, Absence
of
> > Malice, Network, and so on.  I would appreciate any suggestions to add
> to my list.
> >
> > J. Moran
> >
> >
>
> ----
> Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
> http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite

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