Enhanced Lens — A Visual Style Analysis of Douglas Sirk's Family Melodrama

Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v5i4.2681

Xinyue Liu

Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, Jiangsu, China

Abstract

By rewriting and rebuilding the Hollywood family melodrama, Douglas Sirk established the "Sirk style" which is enough to obtain the qualification of the author of electric energy, and influenced the creation of the family melodrama later. During the period of Universal Company, Sirk used exquisite and excessive film style to constantly break through the conservative ideological bottom line displayed in the mediocre script with no taste. The director of Brecht's avant-garde plays in Germany had the ability to turn the decadent into the miraculous and inject a distinctly personal soul into these banal stories. This article will explore the visual breakthrough of "Sirk style" from three perspectives: scene prop design, scene scheduling, lighting and color.

Keywords

Douglas Sirk, melodrama, technicolor, Hollywood, golden age

References

[1]Pu Bo. Family Melodrama: Conceptual Origins, Critical Traditions and Research Approaches [J]. Journal of Beijing Film Academy,2021,(10):60-73.
[2]Fan Linlin. Home under a Hot Tin Roof: A Brief Introduction to Hollywood Family Melodrama in the 1950s [J]. Contemporary Film,2013,(05):92-97.
[3]Chen Ting. Separation and Balance: A Study of Douglas Sirk's Family Melodrama [D]. Shanghai Theatre Academy,2013.

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