Hitchcock and Forman influences

Hitchcock and Forman influences:

both Forman and Hitchcock were influenced by film movements and by the context of the time they were active. they both reflect their influences through their films, where they convey subject topics that were important during their time of film making, and their different style of films are reflected through the use of the camera and other details.

New Hollywood (American New Wave) began from the mid 1960s to early 1980s. this changed peoples approach to film making. Hitchcock was active from the 1920s-1970s, meaning he had elements of new Hollywood and modern film movements as well as old Hollywood. He brought elements from movements like the French New Wave and German Expressionism into the traditional Hollywood studio format. The new Hollywood movement often used narrative which often constructed with classical norms.

Vertigo:

Vertigo, like all Hitchcock films, was influenced by the art-film movement of the 1920s, which stressed experimentation and strong use of imagery. Early in his career, when Hitchcock worked at the UFA studios in Berlin, Germany, he absorbed the style of German Expressionism; whose method of exposing the inner life of characters through unusual camera angles, moody lighting, and exaggerated mise-en-scène (stage-setting) influenced much of Hitchcock’s work. this is visible in scenes that can be considered expressionistic, e.g. the first time Madeline is introduced, and the colour surrounding her is bright red and gold. Hitchcock’s Vertigo, in turn, influenced the French New Wave School of film.

The notion of Vertigo felt by Scottie acts as a metaphor for the insecurities and uncertainties of men in post war American society.

Notions of voyeurism and watching are felt throughout the film, significantly when filming Madelaine. The first scene that she appears in uses a tracking shot to track her movements through the restaurant. This links to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze, as the tracking shot presents Scotties fascination and infatuation with her. The idea of the ideal woman is shown through the tracking shots, as it contrasts with the single fixed shots of Judy. The story line uses a McGuffin structure, which was typical or Hitchcock. When the camera shows Madeleine watching the painting, the audience is made to believe that this is of significance, and therefore diverts their attention away from the important ending. 

Sigmund Freud's influence on modern society in the 1900s had much influence over Hitchcock and Vertigo. the film consists of peoples inner thoughts and their psychological health. this can be seen in the film through the expressionist style, in which peoples internal thoughts and emotions were shown externally through colour or setting. A diverse range of expressive camerawork includes the dramatic dolly-zoom Vertigo shot, long tracking shots as Scottie follows the ghostly Madeleine and the circling sweep when Scottie passionately kisses the newly transformed Madeleine/Judy.  

silent film also had an influence on Hitchcock. he valued the importance of visual storytelling, through editing and framing. 

One Flew Over:

McMurphy represents joy and freedom away from an oppressive institution.  Although he ends up dying as a consequence of his rebellious actions against the repressive system, his soul is never killed. Through the Chiefs escape, his influence lives on and conveys the power of spirit over death and a system which seeks to thwart patients of freedom and represses individuality. A person’s spirit lives on in the actions and mind of the living.

 Throughout the film, faces are filmed behind wire mesh and bars to emphasize the hopelessness of captivity. The glass of the nurse’s station represents the barrier between the individual and power—a barrier the patients are forbidden to cross, even though it appears more transparent than bars.

Forman, the film’s director, was influenced by the French New Wave movement which began in Europe and was a popular style after the Second World War. This style included natural and raw features, which were desired by film viewers during the post war period.  The directors of French New Wave often drew attention from audiences by discontinuity, reminding them that they are watching a movie. They would also shoot on location, as they were against the studio style which was glossy and perfect. They replaced the glossy studio light with natural and available light. Unlike studio film-making which remixing the sound, French New Wave directors recorded the sound during shooting and did not do any correction. The protagonists in the French New Wave films were considered as anti-authoritarian, much like McMurphy. 

-The anti-establishment and individualistic message of the film was underlined by hiring of Milos Forman, Czech director who had lived in the USSR controlled totalitarian regime of his native country and had more familiarity with often very subtle techniques with which the free will of individual can be broken. Forman was instrumental in helping create the Czech New Wave – a liberal arts movement critical of despotic government and inspired by similar New Waves in other countries around the globe.