Making Movies: Brutal killings are not to be presented in detail; revenge in modern times must not be justified
The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin is hosting an exhibit, Making Movies.
The exhibition is organized into two sections, the first of which explores the responsibilities of the director, producer, screenwriter, production designer, art director, actor, costume designer, hair and makeup artist, cinematographer, special effects designer, editor and music composer. In the second section, the original scripts of iconic scenes from about 10 motion pictures will be displayed alongside production materials for that scene — stills, memos, call sheets, production reports, storyboards, research material, production photos-and digital clips of the filmed scene to give visitors to a clear impression of the number of individuals it takes to realize a few seconds of performance history.
One of the research materials used in the exhibit is the censorship code, A Code to Govern the Making of Motion and Talking Pictures, imposed on the films beginning in the late '20s:
Murder
a. The technique of murder must be presented in a way that does not inspire imitation.
b. Brutal killings are not to be presented in detail.
c. Revenge in modern times must not be justified.
Methods of Crime Must Not Be Explicitly Presented
a. Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, etc., should not be detailed in method.
b. Arson must be subject to the same safeguards.
c. The use of firearms should be restricted to essentials.
d. Methods of smuggling should not be presented.
Illegal Drug Traffic Must Never be Presented
The Use of Liquor in American Life, when not required by the plot or for proper characterization will not be shown.
Among the exhibition's highlights will be a selection of important screenplays, from The Misfits to North by Northwest, Lord of the Flies and Shakespeare in Love. The exhibition will also feature correspondence, construction drawings and storyboards from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Top Gun, Spellbound, Black Narcissus and others, as well as costumes from Gone With The Wind, An Affair to Remember, Taxi Driver and Casino.
Some of the accessible features are:
The Financial Effects of Ingrid Bergman's Beauty:
"I think the success of Intermezzo is to an unusual extent dependent upon how beautifully we can photograph Miss Bergman,” Selznick writes. “Every beautiful shot of her is a great deal of money added to the returns on the picture and I urge Mr. Kern and Mr. Ratoff [to] start to work on a list of where re-take close-ups might be made." Memo from David O. Selznick to production manager Ray Klune and director Gregory Ratoff.
Other posts about the exhibit include Tom Stoppard’s script edits in an early version of Shakespeare in Love; a special effects journal by Norman Dawn recording some of the earliest techniques in film, hair and makeup tests for Gone With the Wind, production design from Alfred Junge's Oscar-winning design for Black Narcissus, learn about the art direction in Rebecca, and composing the score for Duel in the Sun.
