exam question

Exam question:

One Flew Over (released in 1975, based on book set in 1962) Vertigo (1958)

1  1)     Compare how far your chosen films reflect their different production contexts

Both vertigo and one flew over the cuckoos nest (OFOTCN) reflect their production context through miss-en-scene, cinematography and performance.

1       Vertigo to a significant extent reflects the production context, the influence of the German expressionist movement through exaggerated mise en scene and thought provoking lighting. Bright red colour is used where the character of Madeline is introduced. The colour red represents lust, love, harm and blood, the combination of the opposing emotions that are attached to the same colour forebodes the volatility and unpredictability of their relationship, and of Madeleine character. The rich gold lighting in this scene emphasises Scottie’s infatuation and admiration as the colour gold symbolises affluence and luxury, which reflects the elusive nature and rarity of Madeline. These extreme colours in the mise en scene represent the inner life of the characters which is the core idea behind German expressionism, thus Vertigo as a film in this respect strongly reflects its production context. Hitchcock was strongly influenced by the German expressionist movement, which began to emerge in the film industry immediately after world war one. early in his career, Hitchcock worked at a studio in Berlin, which is where he was influenced by the style of German expressionism. 

Similarly, one flew over also to a significant extent reflects the production context. Forman was strongly influenced by the French new wave movement, which in fact was influenced by Hitchcock's style of film. this style of film was present in Europe after the second World War. Forman was born in the Czech republic, which is where he was influenced by European film movements before he brought it to America. This new movement wanted a raw and real feel to their films and this was often depicted through natural lighting and colour in this movement. this style is noticeable in the first group therapy session, where natural high key lighting provides an intense brightness which focuses the spectator’s attention on the moment and forces them to focus on the character’s facial expressions rather than any other distractions. The natural lighting gives the scene a raw and genuine expression which reflects the typical aspects of French new wave films, thus OFOTCN strongly reflects its production context in this sense. 

Vertigo reflects the context of the 1950’s/1960’s prominent feeling expressed by men after world war 2, as they experienced a lack of control which they formally held before the war. World war 2 left American society full of anxiety, discomfort and uncertainty, as when men were at war, women had to uphold order in society by taking on significant roles and thus gained more power and strength, which many men found intimidating. This is depicted through the character of Scottie and desire to obtain Madeline, as he seeks to have control over something significant and substantial in his life. this is shown through the constant reference and inclusion of spiral staircases in the mise en scene, for example the scene where Scottie chases Madeline up the spiral staircase symbolises the lack of control felt by Scottie. the symbol of the spirals represents Scotties spiral out of control and into a sense of powerlessness. the recurring spiral staircase image strongly reflects the lack of control men felt when returning from war in post war American society. the whole notion of Vertigo in fact, acts as a metaphor for uncertainty and insecurity. therefore through the themes of dizziness and Scotties insecurity, strongly reflects, and acts as a metaphor for society's uncertainties after the war.  

One flew over the cuckoos nest also presents its context through the power divisions between the characters. the black nurses controlled and held power over white patients. this portrays the freedom that black people were beginning to experience in america in 1975. this is shown through the facial expressions of the nurses when they talk to the patience. they express anger and dominate which suggests a role reversal, as black people were oppressed and looked down upon by white, male dominance previously. this is significantly presented during the pool scene when the nurse stands over Mcmurphy and tells him that he is going to be kept in the hospital for longer than he believes. the nurse is standing over Mcmurphy and therefore conveys his power over him and the other patience.through the low angle shot, the nurse literally takes power away from Mcmurphy by stripping his hope of freedom. this role reversal strongly reflects the context of 1975 America, where black people were only starting to experience equal rights and freedom.

furthermore, the notions of voyeurism and the male gaze presented in Vertigo was a common occurrence in film, especially during the 1950s, where womens roles within films would often be used only to covey ideas of lust and obsession. through the scene where Madeline is being watched by Scottie in the flower shop, the idea of the male gaze is presented. Hitchcock uses a wide angle full body shot when focusing on Madeline, and the audience are given the perspective of Scottie watching. this type of shot allows the audience to 'gaze' at Madeline's body through the eyes of Scottie, which conveys ideas of objectification and the 'male gaze'. the male gaze was commonly presented in films in order to objectify women and suggest that their only use to the film was their sexuality and appearance. Hitchcock's use of wide angle full body shots in his films can be suggested to reflect him as an auteur, as notions of voyeurism can be noted in many of his films, most significantly in 'rear window'. therefore, in this respect, Vertigo can be seen to strongly present its production context, as the use of full body shots and male point of view shots were commonly used in films during this period in order to present women as sexual objects of the male desire. however, due to the fact that Madeline holds power and dominance over Scottie due to her elusive nature and desirability, it can be argued that the representation of women in the film contrast with the context of this period, as women were usually depicted as submissive and vulnerable. Madeline however, is suggested to posses power, even if its through her sexuality. therefore it could be aruged that the full body shot was used in order to convey Madelines power and dominance, rather than to objectify her or diminish her to a sexual object.