1. After reading: “Cinema and the city” by Knox and picking a quote, answer to these questions: How does the city influence film, and how does film influence the city? (250 words min) begin with the quote and then explain why this quote answers to the questions.
2 .Respond to this person’s post, follow the conversation
and comment on what you are agree with. (250 words min)
-“First, films are one of the most important forms of cultural expression in contemporary Western societies. Second…cities play a crucial role in social life today” (Knox, 304).
It is evident that the city in which a film takes place and/or is filmed plays a crucial role on the story being told and documented. As we have seen in other readings and material discussed in class, the city in which a film takes place can be just as much of a character as any of the actors. The camera illustrates the version of the truth it wishes to highlight, whether that be the dark and seedy side shown in film noir or the idyllic English countryside discussed in Knox’s article. The way in which the locale is portrayed sets a tone for the entire film. It allows the viewer to step into the world on the screen and understand what the characters are living through and in.
In much the same way, films can have an important impact on the cities in which they take place and/or are filmed. Knox’s example of Chinatown showed that what may be billed as a work of fiction can be rooted in historical truths and call certain factions to action in an effort to either expose darker sides of the past or create changes in the present. With Chinatown this had to do with the environment and land/water rights, but this can just as easily be translated to any other social issue, such as racism or class disparity. The story a film is telling and where it is taking place show a certain aspect of the location. In this way, film creates a living history of society, and as such, the cities or towns in which they take place.
The quote I chose exposes the importance of film on society and furthermore the importance of cities on society at large. In this way, the interrelation between films and cities can be clearly seen. Films rarely take place in a blank setting, and as such, the city or town in which the story takes place is an integral part of what is being portrayed. To just what extent film has impacted the development of urban settings may be impossible to quantify, but there can be no doubt that there is a relationship between the two.
