Control Your Emotions

Plot

Control Your Emotions follows Jeff Moore, a high school student whose inability to manage his feelings leads to social and academic difficulties. The film presents an unnamed expert who explains to viewers that Jeff's problems stem from allowing his emotions to escape rather than controlling them through logic and reason. Through various scenarios, we see how Jeff's emotional outbursts affect his relationships with peers and teachers. The narrative demonstrates the expert's theories about emotional regulation and its importance in daily life. By the film's conclusion, Jeff has an epiphany about the necessity of emotional control and successfully integrates with his classmates at a marshmallow roast, symbolizing his newfound social acceptance.

Historical Background

Control Your Emotions was produced in 1950, during the early Cold War period when American society placed great emphasis on conformity, stability, and emotional control. The post-war era saw a surge in educational films aimed at shaping the behavior and values of the younger generation, reflecting concerns about juvenile delinquency and mental health. These 'mental hygiene' films were part of a broader effort to create well-adjusted, emotionally stable citizens who could contribute to American society and resist perceived threats from communism. The film's message about controlling emotions aligned with the period's psychological theories that emphasized emotional repression as a sign of maturity and stability. This was also a time when psychology was becoming more mainstream in American culture, though often in simplified forms suitable for mass consumption.

Making Of

Control Your Emotions was produced during the golden age of classroom educational films, a period when companies like Coronet Films dominated the market with thousands of titles. Director Ted Peshak, who worked extensively with Coronet, was known for his efficient shooting techniques and ability to deliver completed films quickly and on budget. The actors in these films were often unknown or local talent, sometimes actual students or teachers from the Chicago area where Coronet was based. The production followed a strict formula: identify a problem, present it through a relatable scenario, provide expert analysis, and show a positive resolution. The film was likely shot in just a few days with minimal takes, as the focus was on delivering the educational message rather than artistic merit. The 'expert' narration was recorded separately and added in post-production, a common practice for these films.

Visual Style

The cinematography of Control Your Emotions follows the standard approach of Coronet educational films: straightforward, functional, and unobtrusive. The camera work is basic but competent, using simple compositions that clearly show the action and characters. The lighting is flat and even, typical of low-budget productions designed for classroom projection on less-than-ideal screens. The film was shot in black and white on 16mm stock, which was standard for educational productions of the era. There are no particularly innovative or artistic camera techniques; the focus is on clearly communicating the educational message rather than creating visual interest. The visual style emphasizes clarity over creativity, with medium shots predominating to ensure characters' expressions are visible.

Innovations

Control Your Emotions does not feature any notable technical achievements or innovations. The film represents standard production techniques for low-budget educational films of its era. The use of 16mm film made it affordable for schools to purchase and project, though it resulted in lower image quality compared to 35mm theatrical releases. The film follows the established technical conventions of Coronet's production line, emphasizing efficiency and cost-effectiveness over technical innovation. The sound recording and editing techniques were basic but adequate for their intended purpose of classroom exhibition. The film's technical aspects are historically significant only as examples of standard practices in the educational film industry of the early 1950s.

Music

Like most Coronet educational films, Control Your Emotions likely utilized stock music or a simple original score composed specifically for the production. The music would have been functional rather than memorable, designed to underscore the emotional tone of various scenes without drawing attention to itself. The sound quality reflects the technical limitations of 16mm magnetic stripe recording common in educational films of this period. The narration by the 'expert' would have been recorded in a studio setting with clear diction to ensure comprehension in noisy classroom environments. No specific composer or musical details are documented for this production, as was typical for these utilitarian films where music served a purely functional purpose.

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception for educational films like Control Your Emotions was virtually nonexistent, as these productions were not reviewed by mainstream film critics but evaluated by educational professionals. School administrators and teachers generally praised Coronet films for their clear messaging and classroom utility. In retrospect, film historians and cultural critics have analyzed these films as cultural artifacts, noting their simplistic psychological approaches and their role in promoting conformity. Modern critics often find the film's approach to emotional control dated and potentially harmful by today's psychological standards. The film is now appreciated more for its historical value and as an example of mid-20th century educational filmmaking rather than for its content or artistic merit.

What Audiences Thought

The original audience for Control Your Emotions consisted primarily of high school students who viewed it in classroom settings. Contemporary accounts suggest that students often found these mental hygiene films preachy and out of touch with their real experiences, though the messages were generally absorbed as part of the educational curriculum. The films were so ubiquitous in American schools during this period that they became part of the shared cultural experience of multiple generations. Today, the film finds new audiences among vintage film enthusiasts, historians, and those interested in mid-20th century culture. Modern viewers often find the film's approach amusing or quaint, though some appreciate it as a window into past educational methods and social values.

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