Pop Before Pop

8/13/2019 Pop Before Pop

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The communication system of the twentieth century is, in a special

sense, Pop Art's subject.

--Lawrence Alloway,

"Popular Culture and Pop Art" !#$

"THE VIRUS OF ARTISTIC AMBITION"

There was always in twentieth-century cinea an i!licit !rise # inclusin$ the sense that the sae %ies

i&ht hl' (th the ass au'ience an' the a%ant-&ar'e c&nscentis!ell(un') i# nt always at the sae tie*+,

.I//USTRATION OMITTE01



Fr se) ainly Eur!ean) early #ila2ers) the tin !icture was a e'iu3 #r thers) stly Aerican)the tin !icture was a ass e'iu--the ass e'iu* The latter #ila2ers) inclu'in& 0* 4* 5ri##ith an'Charles Cha!lin) were !!ular artists wh saw the new ass au'ience as a lar&er %ersin # the tra'itinaltheatrical !u(lic3 #r a ysterius #ew) that lar&er !u(lic +an') thus) the nature # ass-!r'uce' entertainentwul' (e a su(6ect in itsel#* T these 'irectrs) tin !ictures were nt si!ly 'raati7e' stries (ut cnsuer!r'ucts that--!re'icate' n !rtinal &iic2s an' art#ully cnstructe' !u(licity) tra##ic2in& in tra'ear2san' erchan'ise' !ersnalities) inclu'in& thse # the #ila2ers--e!iti7e' a !articular syste* Becausetheir %ies were) in essence) sel#-aware ass-!r'uce' cnsuer !r'ucts) such #ila2ers were) in e##ect)8! artists (e#re 8! art* Their !rtty!e was Orsn 4elles +# 9,:-,9;:) wh was alrea'y a cele(rity when hea'e his #irst #eature) Citi7en


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4elles su(se>uently cast hisel# as a creatr # #il stateents--The Stran&er +,9=) #r ea!le) was the #irstHllyw' #eature t incr!rate newsreel cli!s # the Na7i 'eath ca!s--(ut Cha!lin ntwithstan'in&) such arle 'i' nt eist in the Aerican tin-!icture in'ustry* An' s he cae t li%e) as well as t'raati7e) the

sel#-ser%in& 8rethean s!ectacle # an utsi7eartistic te!eraent lai' lw (y the cnstraints # cerce--The Ma&ni#icent A(ersns +,9= (utchere') The Stran&er shrtene') The /a'y #r Shan&hai +,9=;ree'ite'* He !r6ecte' hisel# as a e'ia !ersnality an' thus li%es n) nt nly in the !sthuusly restre''irectr?s cuts recnstitute' #r his %ies? %arius rereleases (ut as a ythic character in the n%els) !lays) an'#ils # ther writers an' 'irectrs* +

4elles?s #irst Hllyw' %ie) #ten thu&ht # as a !rtnir) intr'uce' new su(6ect atter while !r%i'in& anew %isual %ca(ulary an' narrati%e structure #r Aerican #il3 his #inal Hllyw' !r'uctin) Tuch # E%il+,9:;) a (ar>ue nir starrin& Charltn Hestn as a Meican c! an' Danet /ei&h as his Aerican (ri'e)e##ecti%ely (ru&ht 'wn the curtain n ne # the st #ertile %eents in US !! culture* As #ar as Hllyw'went) the net new artistic %e wul' (e a'e (y Al#re' Hitchcc2 with a #il that als !ut /ei&h in a tel #enace$ 8sych +,9G*

"THE FIRST H8ERREA/ARTIST?4elles eile' hisel# t Eur!e3 0u&las Sir2 +ne 5laus 0etle% Sierc2) ,;9-,9; #un' hisel# in Aerica*One # the twentieth century?s re ra'ically 'is!lace' !ersnalities) Sir2 was a Eur!ean intellectual wh

stu'ie' law) !hils!hy) an' art histry +with Erwin 8an#s2y) translate' Sha2es!eare?s snnets) an' 'irecte'nuerus theatrical !r'uctins) inclu'in& the !reiere # c!ser


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Treatin& lachryse r lu'icrus scri!ts as an intellectual eercise a2in t Herann Hesse?s &lass-(ea' &ae)Sir2 ele%ate' the Hllyw' sa! !era t the le%el # classical tra&e'y--r at least !laye' at 'in& s* Halli'aycalle' Sir2 the "(est-rea' an I e%er et in y li#e" an' %ery li2ely the "st literate" 'irectr in Hllyw'* "uha%e t ' yur utst t hate it--an' t l%e it)" Sir2 cn#esse' # Iitatin # /i#e* "There is a %ery shrt'istance (etween hi&h art an' trash) an' trash that cntains the eleent # cra7iness is (y this %ery >ualitynearer t art*" Sir2?s &reatest %ie) 4ritten n the 4in') !r6ects a luri' classical &ran'eur$ Nran Rc2wellreia&inin& the 8arthenn r Dac>ues-/uis 0a%i' !aintin& /as Ve&as* Fr the cre'it se>uence +a casca'e #

6ewels #alls as Nat


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+Daes Stewart) inca!acitate' (y a (r2en le&) uses a tele!ht lens t sur%ey his nei&h(rs) the resi'ents #ne # the lar&est) st ela(rate sets e%er cnstructe' n 8araunt?s (ac2 lt*

Blatantly cnce!tual) re#lei%ely cncerne' with %yeurisan' %ie histry) the (ri'&e #r Eisenstein?snta&e t 4arhl?s stare) Rear 4in'w was a cercial success--althu&h n cnte!rary Aericanre%iewer sees t ha%e seen it as anythin& re than a su!erir entertainent* Be&innin& with Verti& in ,9:;an' cntinuin& thru&h The Bir's in ,9@) Hitchcc2 !r'uce' a successin # a%ant-&ar'e e!erients in the

&uise # Hllyw' %ies* Structure' with 'rea l&ic) suin& u! thirty years # Surrealist +an' Surrealist-ins!ire' a'%ertisin& ia&ery) Verti& is a %ie a(ut (ein& h!elessly) (sessi%ely in l%e with an ia&e* /i2eAn're Bretn?s Na'6a) Hitchcc2?s #eale su(6ect +


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Rc2y Hrrr 8icture Shw) turne' 8sych?s shwin&s int rituals # initiatin* 8sych was an i'ea whse tieha' ce* +:

E%en Hitchcc2 was startle' (y the %ilent res!nse) althu&h 8sych e!iti7e' his thery # 'irectin&*Inter%iewe' a #ew years later (y Francis Tru##aut) he c!are' the au'ience t a "&iant r&an*" "At ne entwe !lay this nte n the an' &et this reactin)" he e!un'e') "an' then we !lay that chr' an' they react thatway* An' se'ay we wn?t e%en ha%e t a2e a %ie--there?ll (e electr'es i!lante' in their (rains) an'we?ll 6ust !ress 'i##erent (uttns an' they?ll & ?h? an' ?aaaah*?" Thus i!lante') 8sych wul' (eHitchcc2?s su!ree cercial success) as well as the st inn%ati%e an' in#luential Hllyw' %ie in thetw 'eca'es since Citi7en


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I# anythin&) Hitchcc2 an' his screenwriter) E%an Hunter) a!!ear t ha%e 'rawn n the then-recent cycle

# 'eclassescience-#ictin #ils* The Bir's !st'ates) an' cents n) the utant-creature #eatures that #ille''ri%e-ins an' &rin'huses #r the i'- ?:Gs int the early ?Gs* In the !rtty!ical 5'7illa) release' in the USin ,9:) all T2y is a war 7ne) an' the nster is clearly !unishent #r tin2erin& with the secrets # theuni%erse* But what) i# anythin&) !reci!itates the a%ian 's'ay 'e!icte' in The Bir's 5'7illa is awese inhis 'estructi%e 'isinterest3 the (ir's are nt nly ri'iculus (ut !etty an' ean-s!irite'J +They crash the 2i''ies?

(irth'ay !arty an' ta2e !leasure in (urstin& (allns* Mre%er) their attac2s are un!re'icta(le an' withuta!!arent eanin&) althu&h they #ten #llw a 'is!lay # huan hu(ris* In the !enin& se>uence) (ir's assinusly %er Unin S>uare in San Francisc as He'ren enters a 'wntwn !et stre--where e%erythin& isnicely ca&e'* By the %ie?s en') nature has re!eate'ly in%a'e' the he) an' the huans are ca&in&thesel%es* It?s a 0u&las Sir2 el'raa run a2*

In The Trial?s ultra-Eastern Eur!ean 'enueent) ually %isceral +an' !etic hrrr #ils--5er&es Fran6u?s Eyes 4ithut a #ace an' Michael 8well?s8ee!in& T--were !r'uce' siultaneusly) al(eit in Eur!e* Meanwhile) acce!te' tin-!icture !rtclwas %ilate' (y a cluster # %ies a!!earin& arun' the sae tie as 8sych$ Stan Bra2ha&e?s 4in'w 4aterBa(y M%in& +,9:9 an' Dac2 Sith?s Flain& Creatures +,9@ !ul%eri7e' eistin& ta(s re&ar'in& there!resentatin # the ('y3 5'ar'?s Breathless +,9G an'


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D* HOBERMAN IS THE SENIOR FI/M CRITIC FOR THE VI//A5E VOICE* +SEE CONTRIBUTORS*

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