Friday, January 28, 2011

Masks In Movies pt 3

everyone perhaps trying to find themselves, trying on “different faces”, as it were.

The 70’s would lead masks into darker territory film wise. Movies like “Beneath The Planet Of The Apes” involved mutants wearing masks and body suits. In 1974, masks in film would take a frightening turn.. In 1974, a trip to Texas changed the face (literally and figuratively) of masked horror.

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” pointed film masks in a new directionin a new direction. It was one of the first “Slasher” films; films that often use gratuitous violence to tell the story (interestingly enough, the original “Massacre” has very little visible blood, most is implied-it’s sequels made up in that department, however). “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is said to be influenced by Ed Gein’s story. So was Hitchcock’s “Psycho”. Other films were claiming some influence on their story. Contrary to popular belief, TCM is NOT based on an actual Chainsaw murder. This urban legend has been denounced by popular sites such as Snopes.com, and the moderator of the TCM fan site has constantly had to refute this rumour. The “Chainsaw” part of the movie is said to come from the imagination of Tobe Hooper, the director, who wondered absently if turning on a chainsaw in a hardware store would cause a panic. So while the character may have been influenced by Ed Gein’s crimes, there never was a “chainsaw massacre”.

The villain of TCM is a character named “Leather face”. He lives with his brother and father in a house in Texas. When a group of teens comes into town, they go to a house that is next to the family. As the teens go wandering, they run into Leather face, a chainsaw wielding man wearing a mask made of human skin. We discover that the family are in fact cannibals, as we see skeleton based furniture in the house and bodies in the freezer. The teens slowly find their way into the clutches of Leather face and the family, with the final character making a desperate run from freedom after a memorable dinner scene. Leather face actually has 3 masks during the film; his “hunting” face, a “mother” face, and “pretty woman” face, all made of human skin. Leather face would terrorize audiences, and set in motion what would be a bevy of masked killers. This is one of the influences of the Gein story. The masks also pose the question of identity. In the first film, Leather face has 1 “male” mask and two “female” masks. He even comes across as almost motherly while wearing a “mother” mask at one point in the film. He does all his killing with his “male” mask, and sits down to dinner with his “pretty woman” mask. Also, as the story goes on, Leather face comes across as less a villain and more an agent of his dominating family. The importance of who he is beneath the mask is not as important as what he uses the masks to represent.

In 1978, a second masked antagonist entered the cinema, with a Halloween theme no less. “Halloween” was the cinematic debut for Michael Myers. In the film, Michael kills his babysitters as a child on Halloween night. Michael is sent to a reformatory but escapes twenty five years later. He would continually hunt down Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who is revealed to be his sister. Wearing a white mask, he continues to kill those connected to his childhood, and anyone who gets in his way of Strode. What is his motivation? Unlike Leather face, who was dominated by his family, in the original movie he seems to have none, just killing for the sake of killing.

One cannot speak about masks and movies without mentioning another cultural changing film; “Star Wars”. In 1977, George Lucas would release a film that would change a generation. Iconic masks like Darth Vader’s and his Stormtroopers would grab imagination. Sequels followed in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return Of The Jedi”. Only the villains wore the masks, except when the heroes were trying to infiltrate the villains lairs. Even a “side” character in Boba Fett, a bounty hunter, was extremely popular, and is one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe; and this is what seemed to bemuse Lucas: people weren’t interested in “plain” Luke. They wanted to be Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Stormtroopers. The most popular hero was Han Solo, more of an anti-hero who shot first and asked questions later.

Coming out of the depression and slowly out of World War 2, colourful masked characters would slowly start to come back to the screens. Movie serials were finding some traction in the theatres, and “Batman and Robin” would star in a 15 part movie serial, the masked duo, along with more of the Lone Ranger, would work their way across the screen. Superheroes originated in cinema as serials back in the 1940’s. As part of a movie going experience, there were several segments to the cinema experience. There was a newsreel, a cartoon, coming attractions and movie serials before the main attraction. The serial was a short film that often had heroes battling villains, and ending in “Cliff-hangers”, often with hero literally hanging off of a cliff. If you wanted to see the conclusion, you had to come back the next week or month and see how the story continued. Heroes like Captain Marvel (1941), Batman and The Phantom (43), Captain America (44) dominated the screen in these films. Wha is interesting to note is that these characters, even though masked, were not feared. The admiring quote “Who was that masked man?” even today implies someone doing good while remaining anonymous. Even the masks the characters wore only covered part of the face-it was important to see part of the face of the hero, they were human, we can identify with them. The mask was a sign of humility, good was the main intention; whoever the person was, their actions were more important than their identity. To me this suggests that during this time, people were more likely to taking things at face value, and not question the motives. The masked hero wants anonymity, nothing more. The idea of masks to “scare” or unnerve people didn’t really enter too much into the equation.

Moving into the fifties, there was turmoil in the comic book industry. Regulatory bodies were imposing censorship on comics that were felt to be too violent. As a result, the serials dwindled, as the comic industry was connected to the serials in regards to income. Serials disappeared from theatres, as did their masks. The fifties were also a time of cultural change. As World War 2 was left in the mirror, there was more optimism, more hope. So why this seeming void of masks in movies? Perhaps a feeling of “nothing to hide” was prevalent. We wouldn’t see masks back on the screen until the 1960’s

The 1960’s were the beginnings of another shift in movie making. Masks at this time were becoming visible again in the theatre. There were a few masked killer films during the 60’s, most of them from Europe. Movies like Mr. Sardonicus, (1961), Onibaba, (1964) and “Les Yeux Sans Visage”; though it wasn’t the killer who wore a mask. A rebirth of sorts took place in 1966. “Batman” was released as a feature film. Based on the campy television series of the same name (which were two-parters, harkening back to the serial days), the campiness carried over to the feature. With odd camera angles, clichéd dialogue and the words “wham!” and “Pow!” filling the screen, the movie was still a hit, comic book heroes were back in the public eye. “The List of Adrian Messenger” has an intriguing use of masks. The main characters play their roles, all wearing masks that disguise their identity. It is only at the end of the film during the credits where the performers unmask to show their true (performer) identities. It wasn’t a superhero movie, but rather a movie that used masks as a way of telling a story. Television’s were tuned to “Mission Impossible”, an almost never ending parade of masks, spies, and plots. We would also see this in “The Second Best Secret Agent In The World” (1965), more espionage about a multi-masking spy hero. The 60’s were a time of cultural change again. There were the Korean and Vietnam wars, the women’s liberation movement was moving forward, a culture trying to find themselves. Perhaps this explains the “multi-masking” movies and television; everyone perhaps trying to find themselves, trying on “different faces”, as it were.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Masks in Movies pt 2

Coming out of the depression and slowly out of World War 2, colourful masked characters would slowly start to come back to the screens. Movie serials were finding some traction in the theatres, and “Batman and Robin” would star in a 15 part movie serial, the masked duo, along with more of the Lone Ranger, would work their way across the screen. Superheroes originated in cinema as serials back in the 1940’s. As part of a movie going experience, there were several segments to the cinema experience. There was a newsreel, a cartoon, coming attractions and movie serials before the main attraction. The serial was a short film that often had heroes battling villains, and ending in “Cliff-hangers”, often with hero literally hanging off of a cliff. If you wanted to see the conclusion, you had to come back the next week or month and see how the story continued. Heroes like Captain Marvel (1941), Batman and The Phantom (43), Captain America (44) dominated the screen in these films. Wha is interesting to note is that these characters, even though masked, were not feared. The admiring quote “Who was that masked man?” even today implies someone doing good while remaining anonymous. Even the masks the characters wore only covered part of the face-it was important to see part of the face of the hero, they were human, we can identify with them. The mask was a sign of humility, good was the main intention; whoever the person was, their actions were more important than their identity. To me this suggests that during this time, people were more likely to taking things at face value, and not question the motives. The masked hero wants anonymity, nothing more. The idea of masks to “scare” or unnerve people didn’t really enter too much into the equation.

Moving into the fifties, there was turmoil in the comic book industry. Regulatory bodies were imposing censorship on comics that were felt to be too violent. As a result, the serials dwindled, as the comic industry was connected to the serials in regards to income. Serials disappeared from theatres, as did their masks. The fifties were also a time of cultural change. As World War 2 was left in the mirror, there was more optimism, more hope. So why this seeming void of masks in movies? Perhaps a feeling of “nothing to hide” was prevalent. We wouldn’t see masks back on the screen until the 1960’s

The 1960’s were the beginnings of another shift in movie making. Masks at this time were becoming visible again in the theatre. There were a few masked killer films during the 60’s, most of them from Europe. Movies like Mr. Sardonicus, (1961), Onibaba, (1964) and “Les Yeux Sans Visage”; though it wasn’t the killer who wore a mask. A rebirth of sorts took place in 1966. “Batman” was released as a feature film. Based on the campy television series of the same name (which were two-parters, harkening back to the serial days), the campiness carried over to the feature. With odd camera angles, clichéd dialogue and the words “wham!” and “Pow!” filling the screen, the movie was still a hit, comic book heroes were back in the public eye. “The List of Adrian Messenger” has an intriguing use of masks. The main characters play their roles, all wearing masks that disguise their identity. It is only at the end of the film during the credits where the performers unmask to show their true (performer) identities. It wasn’t a superhero movie, but rather a movie that used masks as a way of telling a story. Television’s were tuned to “Mission Impossible”, an almost never ending parade of masks, spies, and plots. We would also see this in “The Second Best Secret Agent In The World” (1965), more espionage about a multi-masking spy hero. The 60’s were a time of cultural change again. There were the Korean and Vietnam wars, the women’s liberation movement was moving forward, a culture trying to find themselves. Perhaps this explains the “multi-masking” movies and television; everyone perhaps trying to find themselves, trying on “different faces”, as it were.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Masks in Modern Media: Movies

Since the first film was developed in the late 19th century, masks have played an important part with them in culture. Because film performances are really an offshoot of theatre, masks continued over to the screen. Because of the nature of film, however, more could be done when it came to special effects and editing. Masks have become not only things to be seen, but replicas to be bought and used. They also hold an important part of makeup appliances. Unlike the more symbolic appearances in the past, however, they can be used to make someone appear realistically as someone (or something) else. Since camera started rolling, masks have been a large part of the cinema and television experience. From the earliest mask in Hollywood in 1925 with Lon Chaney’s performance in “Phantom of the Opera”, masks have hidden faces. Whether it’s a masked killer trying to hide (or find) their identity, an anonymous hero saving the day, or wearing a face to avoid capture, masks have done it all in film. So grab your popcorn and soda, the movie is about to start.

Because of the nature of film, it can get tricky when we are talking about masks; there are films where the mask is an actual part of a character, such as Jason from Friday the 13th, or “Catwoman” from Batman-masks that the character actually wears to hide their identity. Then there is the makeup application of masks, also called facial applicances-these are masks that are attached to the face to actually create a character’s appearance-Robert Engund is probably one of the more famous for his “Freddy Kreuger” makeup in “Nightmare on Elm Street”-masks that actually create the character rather than hiding identity and are often applied in long painstaking sessions in the makeup artists chair.

The Early years (1900-1940’s)

The early 20th century is a time of innovation for film. The technology to capture frame by frame “moving pictures” has some murky background. The earliest known horror film is a 2 minute French short titled Manic du Diable, or “House of the Devil. That was in 1896. Horror films continued through the early 1900’s, including movies like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” in 1919. Thomas Edison even made a film based on Frankenstein in 1910. But when did masks come into play as something the character wore?

In 1925 was the first incarnation of the well known “Phantom of the Opera”, with Lon Chaney. The story is about a disfigured man living in the Paris Opera house. Shunned from the world, he inhabits the caverns and tunnels beneath the Opera House. When he finds Christine, he immediately longs for her. Wearing a mask that covers his face, he terrorizes the opera group, eventually grabbing Christine. In one of the pivotal moments in cinema history, she pulls the mask off his face, showing his horribly disfigured face to the audience. It is said women fainted and men gasped at the horrible appearance when watching the movie. It was to be horror’s first “unmasking”. We can see the imprint of masks hiding a killer’s terrible secret on the audience. There were very few masked characters during this time. Surprisingly, there were a few early examples in this era of the “masked killer” which wouldn’t become well known for decades. Movies like “Star of Midnight” (1935), about a killer wearing a woman’s mask, and “Black Widow”(1947) about a woman behaving like her namesake, showed a little bit of monster as well. These films, not surprisingly, are not as well known as their more modern horror/thriller counterparts.

Friday, January 7, 2011

New Year, New ideas

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and your New Year is going well. I will be picking up and adding to the current histories, I will also be editing and updating the blogs to date, with more information and detail. I've got some hopefully interesting directions to take over the course of the year, and I appreciate all who read these histories!

Thank you again to all who take the time to read!



China Mask History

In China, we can find masks dating back to the Neolithic period (10000 BCE-2000 BCE). While there are clay masks, interestingly there are also some examples of masks made from jade, an intriguing choice. Jade was fairly common in the region, and was used for masks as well as pottery and other day to day items. In the Shang Dynasty (2000 BCE-1000BCE) was China’s bronze age, and the masks were made of bronze. The masks are almost geometric in their style-triangles and rectangles give the masks a precise feel. These masks were used for ritual and ceremony it is believed. The Zhou(1600 BCE-256 BCE) dynasty would also carry these bronze masks with little change. During the Han Dynasty (200 BCE-220AD) we start to see more stylistic masks of tigers and other animals, with more flowing and detailed faces. These masks were also made of bronze. There would be divisive years from 220-600 AD, with no real dynasty being established until the short lived Sui Dynasty(500 AD-600 AD), it only lasted one hundred years. It wasn’t until the Tang Dynasty (618-906) that masks would make a dramatic leap forward in appearance and usage. Chinese Opera is starting to take stage. The use of face paint and masks is prevalent in Chinese Opera. What is interesting from a mask point of view is the symbolism of colours on the face; red represents bravery and loyalty, black is objectiveness,and yellow for sophistication. There are more colours representing attributes like being calm, impulsive or jealous. The characters are easily represented by these colours, and the audience at a glance knows what to expect from each. Performers to this day are referred to “Disciples of the Pear Garden”, and perform in over three hundred types of Chinese Opera.