You will submit an annotated bibliography of the sources you plan to cite. This is not necessarily your final bibliography. You may decide to include additional citations in your final project. Each citation should include a summary (one or two sentences) of what is contained in the source. Links to sources can be found in the prompts below.

• The bibliography should use MLA (Links to an external site.)
• It should include a minimum of 7 entries.
• It should only include primary sources–material that was created between 1930 and 1960.
• You will submit a pdf or screen shot of each source.

Please be sure to indicate which question prompt you are writing on!

Final Project Prompt 1: Imitation of Life (1934 and 1959)

Imitation of Life is a 1933 novel by Fannie Hurst about two single mothers, one Black and one white, and the Black daughter who decides to pass as white. The novel was adapted into two films, one released in 1934 during the Depression and the other in 1959 during the Civil Rights movement.

Final Project Prompt 2: Spanish- and English-Language Magazines

If you read Spanish, compare two or more issues of Cine-Mundial and/or another Spanish-language magazine digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library to two or more issues of an English-language fan magazine from the same year.

The questions posed below should help guide you towards your analysis. You do not need to answer all the questions. They are included to help point you towards your argument.

• Do the two magazines promote the same films and stars?
• Do they pitch films in the same way?
• Do they have the same advertisers?
• How would you explain the differences between the two magazines?

Cine-Mundial and other fan magazines like Photoplay, Motion Picture, Picture Play are available through the Media History Digital Library (Links to an external site.). The Margaret Herrick Library (Links to an external site.) (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) has additional Spanish-language magazines.

The questions posed below should help guide you towards your analysis. You do not need to answer all the questions. They are included to help point you towards your argument.

• What did the Black press have to say about these films?
• What aspects of the films did the press emphasize?
• What are the differences between the ways in which the two films and their stars are discussed?
• What might explain these differences?

To research the Black press, please visit the Black Studies Center (Links to an external site.) on ProQuest and search “Historical Newspapers.” (Library VPN required.)

Final Project Prompt 3: Citizen Kane

Today Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) tops multiple lists as one of the “greatest” films ever made. The film is celebrated in large part because it challenged so many of the norms of classical Hollywood style. What did people working in the film industry think about the film in the 1940s? Analyze articles from technical journals and trade papers to understand what industry workers thought about Citizen Kane. Choose at least one technical journal and at least one trade paper and compare their discussions of Citizen Kane.

The questions posed below should help guide you towards your analysis. You do not need to answer all the questions. They are included to help point you towards your argument.

• What aspect of the film did articles focus on? For example, did they tend to focus on technical aspects of the film and below-the-line personnel (cinematography, editing, sound, etc.)? On ticket sales? On performances or celebrities (including the director)?
• Did the journal or trade paper include evaluations of the film? If so, what were their opinions?
• Was the film prominently reported in the journal or paper, or did other films take precedence?
• Is there anything surprising in the reporting on the film?

Trade papers like Variety, Boxoffice, and The Hollywood Reporter are read primarily by people who work on the business end of things, including directors, producers, and studio executives. The Film Daily, Box Office Digest, Boxoffice, Harrison’s Reports, Showmen’s Trade Review, and The Exhibitor were read by film exhibitors. Available through the Media History Digital Library (Links to an external site.) and the Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive (Links to an external site.) (UCI VPN required).

Technical journals are even more specialized. They speak to readers who have expertise in a given technology. For example, American Cinematographer reached an audience of cinematographers and the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers addressed cinematographers, exhibitors, sound engineers, etc. Available through the Media History Digital Library (Links to an external site.).

Final Project Prompt 4: The Production Code

Identify a film genre (see the list below) and read the Production Code Administration (PCA) files for three or more of the films within the genre. You can find a list of the films for which PCA files are available, organized by genre, here.

Each document that you refer to from the file will be one entry on your annotated bibliography. For example, a memo from Joe Breen to Jack Warner will be one entry. A review of the film will be a second entry.

The questions posed below should help guide you towards your analysis. You do not need to answer all the questions. They are included to help point you towards your argument.

• What concerns did the PCA have about the films?
• Why are these issues of concern?
• Do these concerns have something to do with the genre?
• Do they remain consistent over time?

Alternatively, you can look at films that address race or that are set in Mexico or South America.

• What concerns does the Production Code Administration bring up about these films?
• Why are these issues of concern?
• Do these concerns remain consistent over time?

PCA files are available from the Margaret Herrick Library (Links to an external site.) and in this module.