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Q:
The Howard Hawks film that is considered the prototype for screwball comedy is
a. Ball of Fire. d. His Girl Friday.
b. Bringing Up Baby. e. It Happened One Night.
c. Twentieth Century. f. none of the above
Q:
Howard Hawkss The Road to Glory
a. was about Hawks experiences as a pilot.
b. was a follow-up gangster film to his hit Scarface, written by Hawks and Howard Hughes.
c. was about automobile racing and written by Ben Hecht.
d. was a boxing film cowritten by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
e. was an antiwar film cowritten by William Faulkner.
f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following is LEAST descriptive of Hawkss film style and career?
a. He worked in every major American film genre including the musical and the horror film.
b. His themes were consistently professionalism, self-respect, and the masculine woman.
c. He favored elaborate camera movement and montage editing.
d. He worked on the screenplays of almost every film he directed.
e. He worked with several of Hollywoods best cameramen, but his films are not visually stylish.
f. All of the above are true.
Q:
During the early portion of Hitchcocks career
a. he started in the industry immediately as a director for Famous Players-Lasky.
b. his first successful films were comedies.
c. he did not develop his characteristic style until the coming of sound.
d. he was one of the few directors not influenced by German Expressionism.
e. he directed his first two films at UFA.
f. none of the above
Q:
Von Sternbergs Shanghai Express
a. takes place in a stark, empty mythological world.
b. features an uncharacteristically drab mise-en-scne.
c. is one of the few von Sternberg films not to star Dietrich.
d. takes place on a boat sailing from Europe to China.
e. all of the above
f. none of the above
Q:
Von Sternbergs The Scarlet Empress
a. was a commercial failure that diminished the directors status at the studio.
b. features a scaled down set design and a simplified mise-en-scne as compared to von Sternbergs previous films.
c. was set in nineteenth-century England among the decadent aristocracy.
d. was the last film von Sternberg made at Paramount.
e. was made on a dramatically reduced budget as compared to his previous films.
f. none of the above
Q:
In his early career, John Ford
a. worked as an assistant to Griffith.
b. made the classic The Iron Horse, the first film he ever directed.
c. started out directing Harry Langdon comedies.
d. was influenced by Murnau, and many of his films show an Expressionist style.
e. started as a stunt man and then became a western star before turning to directing.
f. all of the above
Q:
John Fords The Informer
a. was influenced by Soviet montage in terms of both style and subject matter.
b. was the first honest film about American organized crime.
c. used Expressionist camera techniques to portray the heros tortured mind.
d. was popular but not highly regarded by critics of the time.
e. was produced for 20th Century-Fox.
f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following is NOT one of John Fords classic films from 1939?
a. Stagecoach d. Drums Along the Mohawk
b. The Searchers e. Only c and d are from 1939.
c. Young Mr. Lincoln f. All of the above are from 1939.
Q:
Between the coming of sound and World War II, the majority of John Fords films were
a. Americana comedies. d. social problem films.
b. westerns. e. action-adventure films.
c. war films. f. all of the above
Q:
During World War II, John Ford
a. joined the navy.
b. made the classic documentary Battle of Midway.
c. contributed to the war effort in the South Pacific.
d. shot films of battles, bombing raids, and other military operations.
e. all of the above
f. None of the above; Ford stayed in Hollywood during the war.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT emblematic of the worldview expressed in John Fords films?
a. community d. sophistication
b. loyalty e. all of the above
c. discipline f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following is true of the later films of Fords career?
a. He continued to make a significant number of westerns.
b. They are universally considered to be the worst of his career.
c. He maintained a consistent interest in developing the art of cinema.
d. He continued to work for 20th Century-Fox.
e. only a and d
f. all of the above
Q:
The most important African American director of the 1920s and 1930s, whose films often dealt with important social issues, was
a. Noble Johnson. d. Oscar Micheaux.
b. Paul Robeson. e. Joseph Green.
c. Spencer Williams. f. none of the above
Q:
The Yiddish cinema
a. was produced almost entirely in the United States.
b. was active throughout the 1940s.
c. expanded dramatically after the coming of sound.
d. remained characterized by poor production values throughout the 1930s.
e. was produced exclusively in Poland and the Soviet Union.
f. none of the above
Q:
The grandfather of Yiddish cinema and the director of the first Yiddish-language talkie was
a. Jacob Gordin. d. Edgar Ulmer.
b. Sidney M. Goldin. e. Joseph Seiden.
c. Maurice Schwartz. f. none of the above
Q:
Producer Roman Rebushs film Green Fields
a. was directed by Edgar Ulmer, who had Hollywood experience.
b. was a commercial hit with the non-Yiddish-speaking public.
c. was based on small-town Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
d. was influenced by the success of Joseph Greens Polish films.
e. was made at the end of the Yiddish quality cycle.
f. all of the above
Q:
Underworld, the first modern gangster film, was directed by
a. Howard Hawks. d. John Ford.
b. Ben Hecht. e. Fritz Lang.
c. Josef von Sternberg. f. none of the above
Q:
Von Sternbergs The Blue Angel
a. stars Greta Garbo.
b. is mostly a silent film with a few musical numbers.
c. was produced by Paramount.
d. was shot at the UFA studios in Germany but was not produced by that company.
e. fills foreground space with nets, veils, posters, and streamers to combat cinematic dead space.
f. all of the above
Q:
Josef von Sternberg
a. is credited as cinematographer on all his feature films.
b. was more interested in narrative and character than mood or atmosphere.
c. worked for MGM and RKO after leaving Warner Brothers.
d. is known for erotic, exotic films shot on elaborately decorated sets.
e. made hard-hitting social issue films with very contemporary themes.
f. none of the above
Q:
The company that was NOT truly a studio in the formal sense but rather a distribution company for the films of independent producers was
a. RKO. d. Columbia.
b. United Artists. e. the Producers Releasing Corporation.
c. 20th Century-Fox. f. none of the above
Q:
In the 1930s, United Artists
a. had a large, well-equipped production facility.
b. had many top stars under contract.
c. grew dramatically during the decade.
d. owned a small but powerful theater chain.
e. was run by Harry Cohn.
f. none of the above
Q:
The United States vs. Paramount Pictures lawsuit was about
a. monopolizing the film production business.
b. immorality in the studios films.
c. charges of financial impropriety regarding actor salaries.
d. real estate owned by the studio.
e. writers and directors demanding creative freedom.
f. none of the above
Q:
Divestiture in the Paramount Decrees of 1948 refers to
a. the studios selling their theater chains.
b. the studios selling their stock to the public.
c. the studios giving up their exclusive contracts with stars.
d. the studios selling their production facilities.
e. both c and d
f. none of the above
Q:
In order to combat declining attendance in the middle of the 1930s, Hollywood invented
a. color cinema.
b. ethnic cinema.
c. the all-star spectacle.
d. the serial.
e. the double bill.
f. None of the above; attendance was still rising.
Q:
The films made by such studios as Monogram Pictures and Republic Pictures were referred to as
a. race films. d. newsreels.
b. exploitation films. e. documentaries.
c. B-films. f. none of the above
Q:
Race films during the 1930s and 1940s
a. were necessary since Hollywood studios made no films featuring all African American casts.
b. were produced primarily on the East Coast and never in Hollywood.
c. were almost always produced for companies that were African American owned and operated.
d. did not operate in the standard genres like the western or the horror film.
e. were almost all musical comedies.
f. none of the above
Q:
20th Century-Fox was run for an extraordinary two decades by
a. William Fox. d. Samuel Goldwyn.
b. Winfield Sheehan. e. Darryl Zanuck.
c. Irving Thalberg. f. none of the above
Q:
The studio that employed John Ford and Shirley Temple and produced the Charlie Chan series was
a. 20th Century-Fox. d. RKO.
b. MGM. e. Columbia.
c. Warner Brothers. f. none of the above
Q:
The films of 20th Century Fox
a. were characterized by hard, glossy surfaces produced through careful budgeting.
b. were often spectacular, lavish musicals.
c. featured flat lighting and spare sets.
d. were the most sophisticated and European of the Hollywood studios.
e. were often horror films and gangster films.
f. none of the above
Q:
The smallest and LEAST financially stable studio of the five majors was
a. Columbia. d. Warner Brothers.
b. RKO. e. Universal.
c. 20th Century-Fox. f. none of the above
Q:
RKO
a. was the studio best known for horror films like Frankenstein and Dracula.
b. avoided the production of musicals because they were too expensive.
c. distributed the films of Samuel Goldwyn and Walt Disney.
d. was the only studio that did not make B-films for the second half of double-bills.
e. Both b and c are true.
f. none of the above
Q:
The studio known for its Expressionist-influenced horror films was
a. Columbia. d. Universal.
b. RKO. e. Paramount.
c. Warner Brothers. f. none of the above
Q:
Universal
a. was one of the five majors in the 1930s.
b. made exclusively low-budget B-films.
c. was a major studio in the 1920s but declined in the 1930s.
d. owned a large theater chain.
e. was known for its lavish sets and high key lighting.
f. none of the above
Q:
The studio where Frank Capra and Robert Riskin made their New Deal comedies was
a. 20th Century-Fox. d. Warner Brothers.
b. Paramount. e. United Artists.
c. Columbia. f. none of the above
Q:
Samuel Goldwyn was
a. the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. d. an important director in the 1940s.
b. the head of 20th Century-Fox. e. an independent producer.
c. the head of Columbia Pictures. f. none of the above
Q:
The Warner Brothers style featured
a. spare sets. d. flat, low-key lighting.
b. minimal production values. e. tight narrative construction.
c. fast-paced editing. f. all of the above
Q:
Directors at Warner Brothers
a. were generally unable to pursue a personal vision.
b. had more creative freedom than at other studios.
c. also worked as screenwriters and producers.
d. included Cecil B. DeMille and Preston Sturges.
e. were required to make 12 films per year.
f. none of the above
Q:
Joseph Breen was the head of the
a. MPPDA. d. Legion of Decency.
b. PCA. e. Hays Office.
c. Motion Picture Research Council. f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following was permissible under the PCA code?
a. married couples sharing a bed
b. police dying at the hands of criminals
c. discussions of weapons in the films dialogue
d. surgical operations
e. excessive drinking
f. none of the above
Q:
The studios voluntarily adhered to the Production Code
a. because it created a more efficient framework for production.
b. because they were forced to by federal law.
c. to disband the MPPDA.
d. to creatively challenge screenwriters and directors.
e. both b and c
f. all of the above
Q:
Which of the following is NOT an aspect of vertical integration?
a. exhibition
b. production
c. distribution
d. Only b and c are aspects of vertical integration.
e. Only a and c are aspects of vertical integration.
f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following was NOT one of the five vertically integrated major studios in the 1930s?
a. RKO
b. Warner Brothers
c. 20th Century-Fox
d. Universal
e. Paramount
f. All of the above are Big Five companies.
Q:
Foreign rental accounted for what percentage of the Hollywood studios revenue?
a. 50
b. 10
c. 90
d. 25
e. Foreign rentals were never significant to the studios.
f. none of the above
Q:
The percentage of theaters in the United States owned by the major studios and their percentage of market revenue was roughly
a. 90 and 25 percent. d. 25 and 50 percent.
b. 75 and 15 percent. e. 15 and 75 percent.
c. 50 and 50 percent. f. none of the above
Q:
The largest, wealthiest, and most productive of the Hollywood studios was
a. 20th Century-Fox. d. Universal.
b. Paramount. e. RKO.
c. Warner Brothers. f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the MGM style?
a. opulent production design d. romantic escapism
b. high-key lighting e. the musical
c. fast-paced dialogue f. All of the above are characteristic.
Q:
The studio responsible for both Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz in 1939 was
a. Paramount. d. United Artists.
b. MGM. e. Universal.
c. Warner Brothers. f. none of the above
Q:
The Hollywood studio that was considered to be the most European was
a. Universal. d. Warner Brothers.
b. Columbia. e. RKO.
c. Paramount. f. none of the above
Q:
Paramount
a. gave its directors less control over their films than any of the other major studios.
b. was particularly known for its lavish musicals.
c. made more films per year than any other studio.
d. only owned a small number of theaters relative to its competitors.
e. was known for its baroque visual style.
f. none of the above
Q:
The only director in Hollywood history to be given complete control of a studios film output was
a. Cecil B. DeMille. d. Howard Hawks.
b. John Ford. e. Rouben Mamoulian.
c. Ernst Lubitsch. f. none of the above
Q:
The studio of the working class that specialized in gangster films and musicals with a Depression-era setting was
a. Columbia. d. Warner Brothers.
b. Universal. e. United Artists.
c. RKO. f. none of the above
Q:
The Production Code Association (PCA) was developed due to the pressure created by
a. the economic effects of the Depression.
b. Legion of Decency boycotts.
c. the Payne Fund studies.
d. Our Movie Made Children.
e. all of the above
f. none of the above
Q:
The producer whose films proved the commercial viability of the Technicolor feature by making a consistent string of hits was
a. Merian C. Cooper. d. Herbert Kalmus.
b. Louis B. Mayer. e. Rouben Mamoulian.
c. David O. Selznik. f. none of the above
Q:
The most significant genre to emerge from the coming of sound to the American cinema was
a. the gangster film. d. the melodrama.
b. the screwball comedy. e. the musical.
c. the biopic. f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the Busby Berkeley cinematic style?
a. sophisticated montage techniques
b. swooping crane shots
c. expressive camera movement
d. greater integration of music and narrative
e. abstract geometric compositions
f. All of the above are characteristic of Berkeleys style.
Q:
Fred Astaire
a. worked at MGM during the 1930s.
b. directed the dance sequences as well as the dramatic sequences in his films.
c. was a silent film star before becoming a musical star.
d. made the camera part of the dance through movement and editing.
e. all of the above
f. none of the above
Q:
Perfect frame-by-frame synchronization of sound and picture in animation was pioneered by
a. Warner Brothers animators. d. Fred Astaire.
b. Busby Berkeley. e. Walt Disney.
c. Winsor McCay. f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following is the correct match between film and postsound era genre?
a. Little Caeserprison film
b. The Front Pagegangster film
c. Palm Beach Storynewspaper film
d. His Girl Fridaybiopic
e. Lloyds of Londonscrewball comedy
f. none of the above
Q:
Which of the following genres did NOT emerge with coming of sound?
a. the musical d. the biopic
b. the gangster film e. science fiction
c. screwball comedy f. all of the above
Q:
Films such as Viva Villa!, Lloyds of London, and Dr. Ehrlichs Magic Bullet fit into the genre of
a. the biopic. d. the musical.
b. the socially oriented crime film. e. the melodrama.
c. the screwball comedy. f. none of the above
Q:
Screwball comedy is characterized by
a. minimal dialogue.
b. a slower narrative pace.
c. a high sense of realism.
d. the use of sight gags held over from slapstick.
e. a narrative focus on large groups within some professional arena.
f. all of the above
Q:
The style of Preston Sturges can best be described as
a. versatile, in that he directed films in all genres.
b. musical comedies with slight social significance.
c. dark social satires of political and personal corruption.
d. patriotic, populist, and optimistic.
e. melodrama with a strong visual sensibility.
f. none of the above
Q:
The great Hollywood studios were founded
a. in the first decade of the invention of cinema.
b. before World War I.
c. in the mid-1920s.
d. immediately after the coming of sound.
e. in the mid-1930s.
f. none of the above
Q:
Wall Street investment in Hollywood resulted in
a. the center of power in the film industry remaining in Los Angeles.
b. a more artisanal production method with each film treated as a unique entity.
c. an increase in the importance of both the director and the screenwriter.
d. standardized, assembly-line production.
e. bigger budgets and more lavish production values.
f. none of the above
Q:
The Payne Fund studies found that
a. movies had little influence on the behavior of children.
b. Hollywood films were immoral and so were bad for society.
c. over ninety million tickets were being sold each week.
d. movies had a positive influence on the behavior of children, making them more sociable.
e. movies did influence the thinking and day-to-day conduct of children.
f. none of the above
Q:
The first production in three-strip Technicolor was made by
a. David O. Selznik. d. Rouben Mamoulian.
b. Pioneer Films. e. Walt Disney.
c. MGM. f. none of the above
Q:
The first feature film in three-strip Technicolor was
a. a musical called Wings of the Morning.
b. animated and directed by Walt Disney.
c. La Cucaracha, directed by John Whitney.
d. Becky Sharp, directed by Rouben Mamoulian.
e. not produced until 1939.
f. none of the above
Q:
James Clerk Maxwell discovered that
a. tinting and toning could be used together to produce dramatic effects.
b. color can only be produced through an additive process.
c. the quality of tinting and toning were dependent on the chemistry of the specific film stock.
d. color film stock could be produced by varying the emulsion chemistry.
e. all colors in the visible spectrum are composed of different combinations of red, green, and blue.
f. none of the above
Q:
The first color photography process for motion pictures based on an additive system was
a. Gaumonts Chronochrome. d. Charles Urbans Kinemacolor.
b. the British Raycol system. e. Edisons Kineto-color system.
c. Technicolor. f. none of the above
Q:
Urbans Kinemacolor films
a. were primarily comic shorts.
b. were not commercially successful.
c. included a -hour epic shot in India.
d. were shown exclusively in England.
e. were limited to a handful of short actualities.
f. none of the above
Q:
The decline of Kinemacolor
a. was the result of successful patent litigation.
b. technological problems inherent in the system.
c. the companys commitment to factual films during the rise of dramatic features.
d. the high cost of additive color systems.
e. all of the above
f. none of the above
Q:
The first successful Technicolor process was
a. three-strip subtractive. d. two-strip additive.
b. two-strip subtractive. e. single-strip additive.
c. three-strip additive. f. none of the above
Q:
The initial goal for Kalmus at Technicolor was
a. eliminating the need for special color projectors.
b. eliminating the need for special color cameras.
c. creating a three-strip additive system.
d. creating color on a single strip of camera negative.
e. eliminating the need for multiple processes in developing and printing.
f. none of the above
Q:
The first successful Technicolor film was
a. The Gulf Between. d. The Desert Song.
b. The Toll of the Sea. e. The Sheik.
c. The Ten Commandments. f. none of the above
Q:
Technicolors improved 1928 color process eliminated the need for
a. relief-print matrices. d. dye-transfer processes.
b. imbibation. e. multiple steps in printing.
c. the cemented positive print. f. all of the above
Q:
The genre for which the 1928 Technicolor process was primarily used was
a. the dialogue comedy. d. the actualit.
b. the western. e. the melodrama.
c. the action-adventure film. f. none of the above
Q:
By 1932, production of Technicolor films
a. had nearly ground to a complete halt.
b. had stabilized to a fixed number of films per year.
c. had increased to the point that the company was operating at full capacity.
d. had become inexpensive enough so that even lower-budget films could afford it.
e. had become one of the markers of a high-prestige process in Hollywood.
f. none of the above
Q:
The Technicolor process that was to monopolize color cinema for over twenty years
a. was not the best color system available at the time.
b. utilized three separate negative strips.
c. required three separate positive images for projection.
d. did not require a prismatic beam splitter.
e. was a single-strip system.
f. none of the above
Q:
The successful Technicolor process used between 1932 and the 1950s
a. required a special camera that was large, heavy, and expensive.
b. needed more light than standard cinematography.
c. required every production that used the system to hire a Technicolor cameraman.
d. required every production that used the system to hire a Technicolor color consultant.
e. were only used on a small percentage of Hollywood films.
f. all of the above