Feature Films in the 1940s to 1970s
Anthony Medina
09/18/16
The Birds (1963)
The feature film that I chose to watch was The Birds (1963), directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Tippi Hedren. Overall, this film was a great piece, as expected. Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest directors of his time. He specialized in Murder/Mystery and Horror films, that set the bar higher than ever for directors in those genres. The Birds specifically, was a great piece, and still to this day is viewed in drama and art history works everywhere. The cinematography in The Birds was great, especially for a film that traveled from one “city” to another. If the cinematography were to be compared to todays’s films in the same genre, I do not think that
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His ability to not only create a masterpiece for years to come was very apparent across all of the films he put out. On top of creating masterpieces, he found a way to wedge himself into the film in one way or another, while only as a background character, it was something that you didn’t see then. In the film The Birds, Alfred took something as simple as a bird, and etched it into everyone’s mind as a creature that can, and will according to the film, fight back when taken advantage of. While I can’t speak enough on his incredible ability to form masterpieces on the screen, I think the greatest part of this film was the preview. In the preview for the film Alfred Hitchcock talks about how birds and humans have worked together forever. It is a hilarious piece when the context of what he is saying is heard over the tone at which he is saying …show more content…
(2) An excellent film will always use editing and filming techniques that display a broader picture than just the subject at hand (setting is crucial to building up the knowledge of a time/place)
(3) An excellent film will manage its sounds evenly throughout the film. Music, effects, and talking should all be normal to more mellow in loudness. If they are beyond that it should not be harsh and should fit the tone of the scene.
(4) An excellent film will build up it’s characters, this usually means a preconceived notion of the characters may be hard to overcome. (Choose original actors/actresses)
(5) A good movie will always be easy to follow, smooth transitions from one section to the next is an easy way to scale
Alfred As The Master Of Suspense In The Climbing Frame Scene In The Film The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock’s films not only permanently scar the brains of his viewers but also addict them to his suspense. Hitchcock’s films lure you in like a trap, he tells the audience what the characters don’t know and tortures them with the anticipation of what’s going to happen.
consider to be more modern film techniques. Montage plays a key role in this film, as
Every American has grown up with these words, lived by these words, and thusly, accepted them as a given: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This sentence has made its place in the United States Constitution as well, and there are variations of this all over the world—“liberté, egalité, fraternité” (liberty, equality, fraternity) in France, “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit” (unity, justice, and freedom) in Germany, and many more. Not having to curtail speech, have every move checked, or suppress individuality are gifts, often taken for granted in today’s society. People go about their day, not having a second thought about choosing when to smoke a cigarette or being able to play a game of cards with friends without fighting for it. But in Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, personal freedom, a sense of self, and individuality are withheld from the patients in an Oregon insane asylum. The asylum itself is symbolic of society and how it pressures people to act a certain way, and portrays how deviating even slightly from the label “normal” is cause for being confined. In One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, characters such as Chief Bromden and Dale Harding are prime examples for how society manipulates differences into weaknesses, and only with the aid of Randle McMurphy are they able to reassert themselves and defy society’s conformity.
The film, Vertigo (1958) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is classified as a genre combination of mystery, romance, suspense and thriller about psychological obsession and murder. Filmed on location in San Francisco and on the Paramount lot in Hollywood, California in 1957, the cultural features of the late 1950’s America were depicted in the films mise en scène by costume and set designs current for that time period. The film was produced at the end of the golden age of Hollywood when the studio system was still in place. At the time Vertigo was produced, Hollywood studios were still very much in control of film production and of actor’s contracts. Hitchcock’s groundbreaking cinematic language and camera techniques has had great impact on film and American popular culture and created a cult following of his films to this day.
Everybody knows Alfred Hitchcock is the master of suspense and is known for inciting fear in the hearts of his audience. His multiple, fast cuts directs his audience to what he wants them to see and feel. Close-ups of the actors faces clearly shows what the characters are feeling and forces the audience to feel the same emotions. With all his expert directing skills, is there any meaning behind what he chooses to portray in his films or is it all for show? Could there be a deeper meaning to his films? The answer to these questions is a firm yes. Hitchcock’s past experiences guided him to be the director he was. The inadequateness of the police, control of all details in his films, and long stretches of no dialogue all portrayed in his films are all directly correlated to Hitchcock’s early life and early professional life.
Cinematography of Hitchcocks Psycho Alfred Hitchcock is renown as a master cinematographer (and editor), notwithstanding his overall brilliance in the craft of film. His choice of black and white film for 1960 was regarded within the film industry as unconventional since color was perhaps at least five years the new standard. But this worked tremendously well. After all, despite the typical filmgoer’s dislike for black and white film, Psycho is popularly heralded among film buffs as his finest cinematic achievement; so much so, that the man, a big
The dialogue that is not said speaks as much, if not more, than that which is; the reserved cinematography allows the dynamic performances to shine through. In a film that is lauded for innovative scenes and technical achievements, the dining car scene is perhaps Hitchcock’s best in the entire piece, as it is a prime example of his shift from complex sequences to understated brilliance.
What do you think about when watching a film? Do you focus on the characters' good looks or the dialogue? Or do you go behind the scenes and think about what made the film? Maybe, it's even a combination of all three. No matter what comes to mind first, an important part of any good movie will be what you see. A camera and good director or cinematographer is needed to make that possible. Different directors and cinematographers will use different camera techniques to make you focus on what you see. Camera techniques show emphasis in films, because they make you focus more on situations and people. They are especially important in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream.
Alfred Hitchcock developed his signature style from his earlier works The Lodger and Blackmail. These films were the framework for his signature films later on. His themes of “an innocent man who is accused of a crime” and “the guilty woman” were first seen in these two films and are repeated throughout Hitchcock’s cinematic history
Hitchcock has characteristics as an auteur that is apparent in most of his films, as well as this one.
The movie Psycho, is one of the most influential movie in Cinema history to date. The director Alfred Hitchcock, wanted to test many of the conventions of movie making that was common at that time. Alfred Hitchcock movie broke many cultural taboos and challenged the censors. Alfred Hitchcock showed a whole bunch of at the time absurd scene, for example: Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) dying naked while taking a shower, Norman Bates with split personality disorder, and the first ever flushing toilet shown in a movie. Because from the late 1920's to the late 1950's, movies were made usually go around the story, and usually with a lot dialogue. This movie gives the audience an experience that was much more emotional and intuitive. The viewers were caught up in a roller coaster of shock, surprise and suspense based on image, editing and sound.
The two films Psycho and The Birds, both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, share similar themes and elements. These recurring themes and elements are often prevalent in many of Hitchcock’s works. In Psycho and The Birds, Hitchcock uses thematic elements like the ideal blonde woman, “the motherly figure”, birds, and unusual factors that often leave the viewer thinking. Hitchcock’s works consist of melodramatic films, while also using pure cinema to help convey messages throughout the film.
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu utilises various literary techniques in order to convey the themes of greatness, power, and reality/madness in Birdman. Iñárritu achieves this through examining the actions of his characters, whose pursuit of their goals occur in direct correlation with these themes.
Cinematography, if used properly, adds immensely to the action and effects of a film. Thelma and Louise greatly benefited from panning shots, reactions shots, and dissolve. To the untrained eye these effects go completely unnoticed and unappreciated but to those who do appreciate them know that because of cinematography Thelma and Louise is a masterpiece.