Mock vertigo vs OFOTCN

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

(To what extent does each film portray the context of the time)

Introduction

'Vertigo' is a Romantic Thriller directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock in 1958 that follows the ex detective- Scottie's journey to discover more about the madness of his companions wife- Madeleine. 'One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' is a drama with elements of comedy, directed by Milos Forman and produced by Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglass in 1975 that follows the, accused mentally unstable, criminal- Randle Mcmurphy's time in a mental institution adult male patients. Both Vertigo and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (OFOTCN) were strongly influenced by the new found international movements in the film industry in their times; to the extent that one could consider it context. The other type of context that I will refer to is the prominent historical events of the day, that altered the atmosphere of society; this is incorporated to a smaller extent.


To a significant extent, Vertigo reflects one of the production contexts, the influence of the German expressionist movement. The German expressionist movement featured exaggerated mise en scene and thought provoking lighting with the intention to develop the characters. German Expressionism came about in the 1920’s and was present in many types of art but was really explored within German horror films; hence why this dark, unique style greatly influenced Alfred Hitchcock in use of set, lighting, and distortion, and was chosen by him to complement his thrillers. In Vertigo, Bright red colour is used in the mise en scene where the character of Madelaine is introduced. We are given view of this in a widescreen shot of the restaurant scene where the spectator first catches a glimpse of Madelaine, who is positioned in the centre of the frame in a bright emerald coloured, floor length, satin dress; red is a prominent colour, on the walls and chairs of the restaurant. The widescreen shot allows the spectator to view the overwhelming quantity of red in the set. 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. The bright green colour used in Madeleine's dress could be said to represent envy, foreboding Scottie's envy for his companion as he falls in love with Madelaine and desires to be with her; and as Madeleine is positioned in the centre of the frame, the spectator's eye is drawn to her immediately. The rich gold lighting in this scene emphasizes Scottie’s infatuation and admiration as the colour gold symbolizes affluence and luxury. These extreme colours in the mise en scene are a brilliant signification for 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.

However it could be argued that there are certain aspects of Vertigo that do not reflect the German expressionist movement, for example how Madeleine is often dressed in a plain grey suit throughout the film, which depicts her isolation an loneliness amongst her bright surroundings.



Similarly, OFOTCN to a significant  extent, reflects one of the production context,in this case of the influence of the French new wave movement. Forman was influenced by the New wave movement that was present after the war. 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. In the first group therapy session, 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 and Vertigo both strongly reflect their production contexts.

However it could be said that the bright lighting in this scene is so bright that it seems unnatural and does not provide a raw and real feeling, and in this case  one might perceive that the French new wave movement did not influence Forman in this way.

Vertigo and one flew over again both, strongly reflect their production contexts of societal issues. 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 pre 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’s desire to obtain Madelaine, as he seeks the power to have control over something significant. The constant reference and inclusion of spiral staircases in the mise en scene, for example in the scene where Scottie chases Madelaine up the spiral staircase, acts as a symbol of lack of control of men due to the dizzy feeling that one may experience when looking at it. The lack of control produced by the mise en scene of the recurring spiral staircase image strongly reflects the lack of control men felt when returning from war In post war American society. 

Similarly, the film OFOTCN, extremely strongly reflects the social context of post war seemingly gender inequality.This was caused when women had to acquire more powerful positions in society to replace men. There was a female rise to dominance and authority, and this is what is so strongly insinuated in OFOTCN. This is depicted in the character of nurse Ratched’s performance, already her character is in an authoritative position being in charge of a dozen male patients, but Louise Fletcher’s performance accentuates her position of power. In the group therapy session scene, although the patients behave manically, nurse Ratched's blank and unimpressed facial expression conveys how her character is unaffected by witnessing male violence and anger, and has no difficulty in remaining calm. Her calm attitude insinuates that the character of Nurse Ratched is confident in this situation, which accentuates her authority; as there are only two women in the scene and as Nurse Ratched is the more prominent character, Forman strongly reflects the production context by depicting  power and authority in women; through the character of Nurse Ratchet. 

Conclusion:
In conclusion, the films, Vertigo and OFOTCN both share similarities in the extent to how far they portray their production contexts; of inspirations of other movements and societal issues.