1. 1: The phrasal term ‘Social Realism’ is thrown around by a lot
of people, the majority of these people do not even know the
meaning of the term. If you have a ‘social realism’ film about
a group of black teenagers who live on an estate and they
aren’t the nicest of people, you will then associate any black
people with the people in that film. This is not the case, so
the fact that whoever made this thinks it is ‘social realism’ is
wrong. The fact is that any single film that is meant to be
‘social realism’ isn’t actually ‘social realism’, only when you
are living your own life will you be in realism.
Realism or
‘realisms’
2: The critical
consensus of
realism is that it is a
deranged view of
the Western World.
Which it is. Social
realism came about
at the time of the
jump between
country life to city
life.
3: Philosophers and
Artists, were some of
the factors that
helped continue the
context of social
realism throughout
the nineteenth
century.
4: The outbreak of cinema was a
major part of the development of
realism in the nineteenth century.
A quote from film theorist
‘Siegfried Kracauer’ was that he
believed that films were able to
uniquely presenting real life. Zola,
has stated that fictional
representations of natural life
should observe, study and record
peoples actions in a similar
manner to re create something
‘real’.
5: The suggestion is
that the term should
only be used with a
prefix attached.
Truth?
Truth?
Truth?
Truth?
Truth?
Truth?
2. 1: Film and photography, emerged during the nineteenth century. This gave everyone a
totally new perspective of what social realism is. Especially in films, which aren’t always
accurate!
2: Photography
brought a new
dimension to
capturing life as
it comes. The
fact that people
were able to
keep proof of
times in life was
extraordinary.
3: To make
life seem as
raw and gritty
as possible.
4: There is no such this as truth in the media, everything is
twisted to be made out to be more interesting than it actually is,
especially in films.
5: Kracauer believed that film was
uniquely capable of representing
real life. Also Kracauer and Zola
believed in an extreme form of
realism in the media.
7: Bazin argued that
realism should provide
room enough for
audiences to find their
own realities inside a
realist film.
8: All of the
approaches in the
third paragraph seek
to represent the
truth through codes
and conventions
that have become
associated with
realism.
9: Branston and Stafford think that the
difference is that things that come out of
Hollywood are different as they are
overdone and too much sometimes.
Truth?
Truth?
Truth?
Truth?
3. 1: The term ‘Social
Realism’ is so hard to
describe as no body
really knows what it is.
There are so many
different ideologies of
what social realism is
that no body knows what
to believe.
2: Hill states
that all current
texts are linked
to the past
based on
tradition.
3: A key feature is and this
is particularly in British
texts, is the way the way
the character and place are
linked in order to explore
some aspect of
contemporary life in a
similar way to naturalism.
4. Hallam and Marshment
explain this is some detail,
noticing the key feature of
what Samantha Lay has
already said.
5. Lowenstein sees
social realism as
being bound up
with moments of
contemporary social
crisis.
6. Raymond Williams’ four criteria for defining realist texts are:
Realist texts are secular
Realist texts are grounded in the contemporary scene in terms of
setting, character and social issues
The issue of social extension, which means they over exaggerate
social realism
The realist text focuses on the artist
Truth?
Truth?
Truth?Truth?
Truth?
