Edward Hopper and Cinema: A Great Art Explained Extra
-
0:07 - 0:10The film director Cecil B. DeMille's
early silent films -
0:10 - 0:12had a dark, moody quality
that was characterized -
0:12 - 0:15by the director as "Rembrand lighting".
-
0:16 - 0:19Movies have been inspired by fine art
-
0:19 - 0:21from the very beginning
of the cinema industry, -
0:21 - 0:23sometimes in the form of a sequence,
-
0:23 - 0:26sometimes in the art direction
or the position of the actors, -
0:26 - 0:29or sometimes in the "feel" of a movie.
-
0:29 - 0:34For some films, the homage is obvious,
in others more enigmatic. -
0:34 - 0:39Many filmmakers and art directors
take direct inspiration from artists -
0:39 - 0:41to inform their own creative vision,
-
0:42 - 0:45often referencing scenes
that are already familiar to us -
0:45 - 0:47in specific works of art.
-
0:48 - 0:51As the French new wave director
Jean-Luc Goddard said: -
0:51 - 0:55"It's not where you take things from
it's where you take them to." -
0:59 - 1:03Edward Hopper is seen as one
of the first 20th century artist -
1:03 - 1:06to be influenced by the cinema.
-
1:06 - 1:11He was an artist, more than any other,
who loved cinema — and cinema loved him. -
1:12 - 1:15They both looked to each other
for stylistic interpretation -
1:15 - 1:19and both created worlds
of extraordinary imagination. -
1:20 - 1:24As Hopper's work became more well-known
over the years to the general public -
1:24 - 1:27filmmakers made more self-conscious
references to his paintings. -
1:28 - 1:33This exerimental film by Gustav Deutsch
uses 13 beautifully recreated paintings -
1:33 - 1:38by Hopper to tell the story of a woman
spanning three decades. -
1:39 - 1:43In 2020 Wim Wenders released
this "love letter" to Edward Hopper. -
1:45 - 1:50"In front of Edward Hopper's paintings
I always get this feeling -
1:50 - 1:54"that they are frames from movies
that were never made, -
1:54 - 1:56and I start wondering:
-
1:56 - 1:59"What's the story that is beginning here?
-
1:59 - 2:02"What will happen to these
characters in the next moment?" -
2:09 - 2:13Edward Hopper was 13 years old
when the first motion pictures were shown. -
2:16 - 2:19He was in his late forties
when talking pictures came, -
2:20 - 2:24and he died just as Bonnie and Clyde
was being released. -
2:24 - 2:27You could say his life
was tied to cinematic history. -
2:31 - 2:34His work was inspired
not just by his movie obsession, -
2:34 - 2:36but by the very act
of going to the cinema, -
2:37 - 2:41and we see this in this early etching
depicting two isolated figures -
2:41 - 2:44looking down on an unseen screen.
-
2:45 - 2:50We see cinemas in his other paintings,
as well of course with his masterpiece: -
2:50 - 2:52"New York Movie".
-
2:53 - 2:55Filmmakers would hook on
to Hopper's creations -
2:55 - 2:57— and return the compliments
-
2:57 - 3:00by turning to him
for stylistic inspiration. -
3:09 - 3:12German Expressionism was one
of his early influences. -
3:13 - 3:15Films he saw in Paris at the turn
of the 20th century -
3:17 - 3:20— and the high angle images
he produced around this period, -
3:20 - 3:24would later be replicated
by a new avant-garde generation. -
3:26 - 3:30His career would really take off
during the great depression of the 1930s, -
3:30 - 3:33and the films of that period
— and his paintings — -
3:33 - 3:36reflected the dark pessimism at the time,
-
3:36 - 3:37a time of great insecurity.
-
3:38 - 3:41World War II brings another period
of uncertainty -
3:41 - 3:43and gives birth to Film Noir.
-
3:45 - 3:49Woman: "I can't stand it anymore
what if they do hang me?" -
3:49 - 3:52These dark films would look
for inspiration -
3:52 - 3:54directly from Hopper's paintings
-
3:54 - 3:57who was himself looking
for inspiration in the movies. -
3:58 - 4:02It was these films shot in Hollywood
in the 1930s and 40s -
4:02 - 4:04which Hopper really loved.
-
4:04 - 4:06Films with a voyeuristic edge,
-
4:08 - 4:11set in an unnamed city,
an ambiguous setting. -
4:12 - 4:14Films whose aesthetics were themselves
-
4:14 - 4:16derived from German Expressionism.
-
4:17 - 4:20Like Hopper, these films
use dark shadows and stark lightinga -
4:20 - 4:24to create an extreme contrast
between light and dark. -
4:24 - 4:27But with classic Film Noir
it is not just "style", -
4:27 - 4:29it is all about the tone,
-
4:29 - 4:31as it is with Hopper's paintings.
-
4:33 - 4:35Both take a familiar narrative element,
-
4:35 - 4:38and apply layer after layer
of possible meaning. -
4:38 - 4:43ambiguous relationships, sexual tension,
a cynical eye -
4:43 - 4:46and underlying existential philosophy,
-
4:46 - 4:48were all features we see
-
4:48 - 4:51in both Hopper's paintings
and cinema of this period. -
4:52 - 4:54Woman; "Accident insurance?"
-
4:54 - 4:56In common with Film Noir,
-
4:56 - 4:58the subject Hopper
returned to again and again -
4:58 - 5:01was the hardened and stony-faced
female protagonist. -
5:02 - 5:04As I discussed in my main film on Hopper,
-
5:04 - 5:07he had a disastrous love life
and unhappy marriage -
5:08 - 5:12and he often used women
as a vehicle to channel his unhappiness. -
5:13 - 5:15It is in this early watercolour
-
5:15 - 5:18that we first see the unhappy
and discontented female lead. -
5:19 - 5:23In this painting she is the wife
being ignored by her husband. -
5:24 - 5:28Here, a defeated woman
contemplates her lot in life. -
5:29 - 5:33And here, a sullen-faced girlfriend
ignores her partner. -
5:33 - 5:37It is in "Nighthawks" that we see
her as a classic Femme Fatale. -
5:38 - 5:41I sometimes feel
as if all of Hopper's women -
5:41 - 5:45are ready to walk off frame
and commit a misdemeanor. -
5:45 - 5:46Woman: "If you don't mind".
-
5:46 - 5:47(Gunshot)
-
5:48 - 5:51Alfred Hitchcock, no stranger
to the icy female lead, -
5:51 - 5:54spoke openly of Hopper's influence
-
5:54 - 5:56and we see evidence throughout
Hitchcock's films. -
5:57 - 6:00They are very much alike
in their love of suspense and ambiguity, -
6:02 - 6:07and in their interest in themes
of voyeurism, loneliness and isolation. -
6:07 - 6:10Not to mention... windows.
-
6:10 - 6:12"This is the scene of the crime.
-
6:12 - 6:16"A crime of passion, filmed in a way
you have never seen before." -
6:16 - 6:19Like Hitchcock, it is
what Hopper chose to exclude -
6:19 - 6:21in his paintings which adds tension.
-
6:22 - 6:25The narrative power lies in what
is obscured or unseen. -
6:26 - 6:29One of Hopper's images directly
influenced Hitchcock. -
6:30 - 6:31But it was a big influence
-
6:31 - 6:35on so many other films,
and even illustrations of the day. -
6:36 - 6:38Hitchcock: "An old house...
-
6:39 - 6:45"which is ..., if I may say so,
a little more sinister looking, -
6:45 - 6:48"less innocent than the motel itself."
-
7:07 - 7:10We saw in the longer film
how Hopper's "Nighthawks" -
7:11 - 7:13was inspired by a book by Hemingway
-
7:13 - 7:17and how the subsequent film version
was then inspired by "Nighthawks". -
7:19 - 7:23A great example of this symbiotic
and mutually beneficial relationship -
7:23 - 7:26can be found in an obscure
and rarely film -
7:26 - 7:29released two years before
he completed "Nighthawks". -
7:31 - 7:34I think, looking at details such as
the corner setting, -
7:34 - 7:36the position of the sidewalk,
-
7:36 - 7:39and even a soda jerk
wearing a similar cap, -
7:39 - 7:43this may have been one of the main
inspirations for Hopper's diner. -
7:47 - 7:51An entire generation of film directors
would be influenced by Hopper, -
7:51 - 7:54and that aesthetic would be
instantly recognizable -
7:54 - 7:56as a certain type of "American landscape"`
-
7:56 - 8:00not just aesthetically,
but in terms of mood. -
8:02 - 8:04["All the paintings of Edward Hopper
-
8:04 - 8:08[could be taken from
one long movie about America, -
8:08 - 8:11[each one, the beginning of a new scene."
— Wim Wenders] -
8:12 - 8:15David Lynch, another American fan,
would also reference -
8:15 - 8:17many of Hopper's paintings in his films.
-
8:17 - 8:20["I like many painters,
but I love Francis Bacon the most, -
8:20 - 8:22[and Edward Hopper" — David Lynch]
-
8:22 - 8:25Lynch, like Hopper, peeled back the facade
of the perfect American life -
8:25 - 8:27to expose sinister "goings-on".
-
8:27 - 8:29And in the third season of Twin Peaks
-
8:29 - 8:31he used the painter's references
quite liberally. -
8:37 - 8:40Hopper's vision of American life,
has had a huge impact -
8:40 - 8:42on how the rest of the world pictures
the United States. -
8:43 - 8:47It is a world that today
we still call "Hopper-esque". -
8:47 - 8:51He is what we think of
as a quintessential American artist, -
8:51 - 8:56yet he was also a major influence
on so many non-American filmmakers, -
8:56 - 8:59who saw an intensity in Hopper,
a sense of emptiness, -
8:59 - 9:03and a lack of communication
that we can all understand. -
9:04 - 9:06Many of the filmmakers
have their own fascination -
9:06 - 9:09with the American dream
— and the dark side behind it. -
9:10 - 9:12They recognize the themes
of disconnection. -
9:12 - 9:15They see that the psychology
behind a Hopper painting -
9:15 - 9:19can be translated into any culture
and any language, -
9:19 - 9:22and they made Hopper one of their own.
-
9:28 - 9:33Michelangelo Antonioni said: "The theme
of most of my films is loneliness" -
9:33 - 9:37and his films typically
featured bored lovers, -
9:37 - 9:41whose lives are blighted by quiet despair
and existential unhappiness. -
9:42 - 9:46He professed to being stylistically
inspired by Hopper -
9:46 - 9:49(as well as Giorgio de Chirico).
-
9:50 - 9:52Roy Andersson's films
are instantly recognizable -
9:52 - 9:55for their stylized presentation
and painterly approach, -
9:56 - 9:58and the director, whose films show
-
9:58 - 10:01the alienation and solitude
of modern life, -
10:01 - 10:03cites Hopper as a major influence.
-
10:03 - 10:05Like Hopper's paintings,
-
10:05 - 10:07Andersson carefully stages
every single frame. -
10:08 - 10:11His sets are elaborately built
over several months, -
10:11 - 10:14and his films sometimes
take four years to make! -
10:15 - 10:18Andersson's themes — like Hopper's —
-
10:18 - 10:21often leave it up to the viewer
to guess what is happening -
10:21 - 10:23outside the picture frame.
-
10:23 - 10:25We complete the picture.
-
10:26 - 10:29The diner in "Nighthawks",
his most iconic image, -
10:29 - 10:32and possibly his most cinematic,
-
10:32 - 10:35has been recreated time and again
in the cinema. -
10:35 - 10:38The diner has become a short cut
to "emotional dysfunction". -
10:42 - 10:44Woman: "I know I can't rely
on you, Arthur. -
10:45 - 10:47"Not for anything."
-
10:48 - 10:51Man: "There's a lot of bad boys
out there. -
10:51 - 10:53Woman: "I know."
-
10:54 - 10:57Woman: "But I got eyes
in the back of my head." -
10:59 - 11:00(Gunshot)
-
11:00 - 11:02Director: "Cut!"
-
11:03 - 11:06Filmmakers continue to be inspired
by Edward Hopper -
11:06 - 11:10whose works still resonate
in the 21st century. -
11:10 - 11:15And his influence is felt even
in a new generation of K-pop stars. -
11:19 - 11:23Edward Hopper, the biggest fan of cinema,
would have been astonished -
11:23 - 11:27to know his influence would still be felt
by so many young filmmakers -
11:27 - 11:31and even Korean pop stars, decades
after he created his images. -
11:33 - 11:34But who knows?
-
11:34 - 11:37Maybe in another life, he would have
been directing films himself. -
11:38 - 11:39Director: "Cut!"
-
11:40 - 11:42Edward Hopper: "Could that be?"
-
11:51 - 11:53Woman: "Is there a cue when I enter?"
- Title:
- Edward Hopper and Cinema: A Great Art Explained Extra
- Description:
-
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This occassional Great Art Explained ‘Extras’ series are films designed to complement my main series. Stories that interested me during my research that I wanted to expand on.
Movies have been inspired by fine art from the very beginning of the cinema industry.
Edward hopper was 13 years old when the first motion pictures were shown - he was in his late 40s when talking pictures came, and he died just as Bonnie and Clyde was being released. You could say his life was tied to cinematic history.
Hopper is seen as one of the first 20th-century artists to be influenced by the cinema. He was an artist - more than any other - who loved cinema - and cinema loved him.
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I would like to thank all my Patreon supporters, in particular Alan Stewart, Alexander Velser, Christa Sawyer, Griffin Evans, Jennifer Barnaby, Julio Cardenas, Karim Hopper, Nicholas Siebenlist, Paul Ark, Pawel Juszczyk, Theresa Garfink, Toni Ko, Tyler Wittreich, and Will Dewees-Power
"What a brilliant series this is" - Stephen Fry on Twitter 12 December 2020
CREDITS
SUBTITLES I input the English subtitles myself but I rely on volunteers to do subtitles for other languages and I really appreciate it - just contact me at jamespayne33@hotmail.com
French subtitles by Ludivine DesriacTitle Sequence by Brian Adsit (instagram https://instagram.com/brian_vfx?utm_m... and Behance www.behance.com/badsit88)
All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel do not claim any right over them.
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FILM CLIPS (In order – director credit and date in video)
Male and Female © Paramount Pictures
The President © Fotorama
Metropolis © Paramount Pictures
Cabaret © 20th Century Studios
Dreams © Warner Brothers
M*A*S*H © 20th Century Studios
The Watchmen © HBO Studios
Marie Antoinette © Columbia Pictures
Clockwork Orange © Warner Brothers
The Scream © Paramount Pictures
Shutter Island © Paramount Pictures
The Shining © Warner Brothers
Revenge of the Sith © 20th Century Studios
E.T. © Universal Pictures
Scarlet Street © Universal Pictures
Psycho © Paramount Pictures
Shirley: Visions of Reality © Sixpack Film
Two or Three Things I Know About Edward Hopper © Wim Wenders
Arrival of a Train © Société Lumière
The Jazz Singer © Warner Brothers
Bonnie and Clyde © Warner Brothers
Force of Evil © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Naked City © Universal Pictures
Manhattan © United Artists
Student of Prague © Letterboxd
Cabinet of Dr Caligari © Decla Films
Zabriskie Point © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Modern Times © United Artists
Double Indemnity © Paramount Pictures
Mildred Pierce © Warner Brothers
Maltese Falcon © Warner Brothers
Kiss me Deadly © United Artists
The Birds © Universal Pictures
North by Northwest © Universal Pictures
Vertigo © Universal Pictures
Rear Window © Paramount Pictures
Giant © Warner Brothers
Days of Heaven © Paramount Pictures
The Addams Family © ABC Television
The Killers © Universal Pictures
Stranger on the Third Floor © RKO Pictures
Paris, Texas © 20th Century Studios
Mystery Train © Orion Classics
Blue Velvet © Paramount Pictures
Twin Peaks: The Return © Showtime
Brief Encounter © Universal Pictures
Deep Red © Cineriz
Road to Perdition © 20th Century Studios
Point Bank © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Songs From the Second Floor © Roy Andersson
Blade Runner © Warner Brothers
Fear Eats the Soul © Tango-Film
The Human Voice © Sony Picture Classics
L’Avventura © Janus Films
La Notte © Janus Films
The Eclipse © Janus Films
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch… © Roy Andersson
Songs from the Second Floor © Roy Andersson
Pennies from Heaven © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The End of Violence © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Batman © Warner Brothers
Carol © Studio Canal
Happen © HeizeMUSIC
Night on the Docks - Sax by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com/ Promoted by MrSnooze https://youtu.be/iYOvAO1rAM0 License: CC BY 3.0 https://goo.gl/Yibru5
Song: Villainous Treachery Artist: Kevin MacLeod Genero: Silent Film
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 12:14
Margarida Ferreira edited English subtitles for Edward Hopper and Cinema: A Great Art Explained Extra | ||
Margarida Ferreira edited English subtitles for Edward Hopper and Cinema: A Great Art Explained Extra |