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10: Film and Bricolage

  • Page ID
    222670
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    “Walt Whitman once said, ‘I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us.’ You could look it up.” — Annie Savoy, played by Susan Sarandon, from the film Bull Durham

    The LA Times did look up the reference quoted at the end of the film Bull Durham and found that Whitman’s sentiments were represented more or less accurately.[1] What appears in the film is a distillation of a longer paraphrase—made by Horace L. Traubel, a noted Whitman biographer—of a statement Whitman probably did make. The line in Bull Durham captures the essence of the quote, even if it is a paraphrase of a paraphrase. This is often what great films do. They take what is available in reality and distill it down so viewers can understand it the first time. When you make a copy of a copy, things get blurry, and more difficult to decipher. Films often do the exact opposite with elements of culture. They reduce present reality and essential past experiences into distilled intertextual products—mediated messages that combine various types of text into one.

    • 10.1: The Film Profession
      This page examines the complexities of filmmaking, focusing on technical, artistic, and social dimensions. It addresses industry challenges such as the need for diversity and ethical considerations, emphasizing "bricolage" in narrative construction. It contrasts experiential learning with formal education, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and networking.
    • 10.2: The History of Movies
      This page provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the film industry, highlighting key technological and artistic advancements from the late 19th century to the present. It discusses influential figures, the transition from vaudeville to narrative filmmaking, the impact of sound and color technologies, and major industry shifts due to legislative changes and cultural trends.
    • 10.3: Movies and Culture
      This page examines the complex relationship between films and culture, detailing how movies reflect and shape societal attitudes and beliefs through historical examples, from D. W. Griffith's *The Birth of a Nation* to 1960s counterculture films. It highlights the evolution and impact of the MPAA rating system on film content and commercial success, contrasting patriotic and antiwar narratives.
    • 10.4: The Influence of New Technology
      This page discusses the evolution of home entertainment technology, notably VCRs and DVDs, and their impact on the film industry. It explores the transition from traditional rental models to digital platforms, addressing challenges like online piracy and the move towards digital technology in filmmaking. The resurgence of 3-D films is highlighted as a response to technological advancements.

    1. Cronin, Brian. “Did ‘Bull Durham’ Misquote Walt Whitman on Baseball?” Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2012. https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-xpm-2012-mar-28-la-sp-sn-bull-durham-baseball-20120328-story.html.

    This page titled 10: Film and Bricolage is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by J.J. Sylvia IV (Remixing Open Textbooks with an Equity Lens (ROTEL)) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.