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WalesFilm Studies

Hollywood 1930-1990 (Comparative Study)

2 dot points across 2 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What is the auteur theory, and how do you use it to analyse a director's films for the WJEC exam?

Auteur: the theory that a director is the author of a film, identifying a recurring signature of style and theme, and the debate over auteurism in the Hollywood studio system.
The WJEC specialist study area of the auteur for the Hollywood comparative study. What auteur theory claims, how to identify a director's signature of style and theme, the critique of auteurism, and how collaborative the studio system really was.
13 min answer →

How do you compare a Classical Hollywood film with a New Hollywood film, and what does the comparison reveal?

Hollywood 1930-1990 comparative study: comparing a Classical Hollywood film (1930-1960) with a New Hollywood film (1961-1990) across film form, context and the studio system.
How to approach the WJEC Component 1 comparative study of Hollywood 1930-1990: comparing a Classical Hollywood film with a New Hollywood film across film form, the move from the studio system, and social and institutional context, with the auteur as the specialist study area.
13 min answer →