Actors & Acting | "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

Isabelle Gomez

June 10^th, 2014

THTR 201

Kamarie Chapman

Final Exam – Vlog

Script

Hello Viewers!

My name is Isabelle Gomez.

In this vlog I will be talking about how vastly and vitally important actors and acting are as components in films and I will talk about the latest film we have watched in class, the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Our textbook makes a good point about how people associate a specific persona or a kind of person with certain celebrities like Jack Nicholson. As described in the textbook, the roles that Jack Nicholson usually play are characters that are “normally crafty, strong, menacing” and charismatic. If people want to watch a menacing, volatile character, it would be perfectly understandable if those people chose to watch a film starring Jack Nicholson. From films like The Shining, Anger Management, and A Few Good Men to name off a mere few, Nicholson has played an angry, intimidating and oftentimes psychotic role.

Now in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jack Nicholson definitely exemplifies a character that parallels his reknown persona in his protagonist role as McMurphy. McMurphy does feign insanity to be admitted into the ward instead of being sent to prison, and his rambunctious entrance to the ward, his numerous acts of rebellion and finally choking Nurse Ratched all go along with Jack Nicholson’s volatile persona as an actor. Nicholson’s charisma also comes into play when portrays McMurphy as genuinely caring about and interacting with the other ward members with companionship and compassion.

And with an awfully wonderful protagonist there is also the awfully terrible antagonist that is Nurse Ratched. This role has made so many impacts on society’s views. Her heartless character has become the stereotype for the torturing nurse for what is called the “battle axe” nurse. Nurse Ratched is also often associated with the corrupting influence of power and authority in bureaucracies like the mental institution that the film is set in. I don’t think it comes as a surprise that Louise Fletcher won Best Actress in a Leading Role for Cuckoo’s Nest.

Acting makes this film so dynamic also because many of the actors are portraying mentally ill patients. From tantrums and ill habits to loud and aggressively unwilling apprehensions by the guards to Billy Bibbit’s stuttering, all of these actors convince audience members that they are genuinely unstable in mentality. The acting is great if you can’t tell that it is all an act. Danny Devito, Brad Dourif, Will Sampson, Christopher Lloyd and all of the other actors that played patients all convince us viewers that they are their crazy characters.

Skilled acting allows viewers to easily immerse themselves into the stories of the films and to invest themselves and their hearts into the characters. Jack Nicholson acted so skillfully and so well that you want his character McMurphy to succeed and we love him for attempting to awaken the ward members and our hearts are ripped out of chests and our blood boils with anger when we watch McMurphy’s personality cut away by the lobotomy. Like McMurphy without his boisterous and uplifting persona, films without actors would be lifeless.

Works Cited

Barsam, Richard and Dave Monoham. Looking At Movies. Fourth. W. W. Norton & Company, 2013.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Dir. Milos Forman. Perf. Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher. 1975.

When Rick Meets Zhora | Blade Runner

           Motion pictures, or films, are in a medium of visual art that affect people all over the world in countless ways. Films can move us to tears, make us laugh, scare us or heighten our anxiety, or tell us important messages. Cinematography, the art of making motion pictures, is precisely how films are formulated and designed to make people affected in these specific ways, if not the most important element in film production.

            One of the most acclaimed films in the 1980s is Ridley Scott’s film titled Blade Runner. In this film, the blade runner Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, tracks down and tried to exterminate four replicants who escaped from space who seek their creator in order to extend their lifespan. This film exemplifies the introduction of computer-generated imagery, the importance of music in films, and also illustrates many outstanding cinematographic elements.

            In the film Blade Runner, every encounter that Rick Deckard has with each of the rogue replicants is punctuated, dramatic and thoughtfully put together cinematographically. The first replicant that Rick Deckard suspects is one of the four space escapees is Zhora. Like the scenes that Rick Deckard has with all of the other replicants, this scene that depicts his encounter with Zhora is carefully formulated in its camera angles and filming technique and cuts, its lighting and use of music and sound, and its special effects.

            To start off, the scene begins with Rick’s first glimpse of Zhora, which he does inconspicuously behind a newspaper. The camera is in constant movement to capture, never staying level, as a means of capturing the hustle and bustle of the crowded hallway that the scene is taking place at. The energy and vigor of the scene is further emphasized by the pulsating techno music in the background.

            Once Rick and Zhora enter the dressing room, the camera angle stays mostly fixed on Zhora, following her movements as she gets undressed and is interrogated by Rick. This focuses on Zhora’s facial expression, which turns from sultry and politely pleasant to suspicious and guarded. Once Zhora enters the shower, the light behind her as she gets in creates a backlighting effect while in the same moment deep, almost menacing musical tones are start playing. The scene cuts back and forth from Zhora to Rick in cuts that become shorter and more suspenseful. The lighting on Rick also darkens his face and profile, stressing the increasing seriousness of the situation and showing Rick preparing for direct confrontation with Zhora. When Zhora exits the shower and keeps up the playful charade with Rick, the cut continues on longer than expected and remains on the two. This increases the anticipation of the viewer.

            Suddenly, Zhora attacks Rick, the angle turned up to Zhora’s profile to make her profile daunting and predatory after Rick is down, and then the angle looks down on Rick where Zhora comes down in an attempt to choke him. Even when people enter the room, the camera is still focused on Zhora’s expression, which turns to the door, and the camera follows her as she runs out of the room and into the streets with Rick hot on her trail.

            Again, the camera view is in constant movement and moves with Rick’s searching eyes and with the movement and din of the city crowds. Fast tempo, pounding music insinuates the thrill of the chase. The scene becomes a series of fast cuts upon Rick catching sight of Zhora, both of their profiles constantly being blocked and then exposed by dark figures and vehicles.

            The scene follows Rick and Zhora until Rick gets a clear shot of Zhora, the camera focusing on Rick’s face and the confidently pointed gun. The scene’s time frame starts to slow down once Zhora crashes through the first set of windows, creating immense dramatic effect. Then, finally, Rick’s third bullet fires and the scene cuts to a dramatically slowed down, full-frontal view of Zhora getting shot. The timeframe slows even more and soon the only sounds that can be heard are the tones of the sultry street music and an underlying pulsing heartbeat.

            In short, the various cuts and camera angles, especially the use of short jump cuts, the contrast of lighting, and the use of music and visual effects all helped this scene in Blade Runner to achieve the desired affects; the audience can easily follow the scene from Zhora’s underlying suspicions of Rick to Zhora’s slowed, dramatic defeat.

Simply put, cinematographic elements and the thoughtfulness and techniques that go with them are extremely vital to the overall affectedness of films to their audiences. Stories can be filmed in almost any way, but paying particular attention to cinematography when filming creates maximum and excellent affect.

Works Cited

Barsam, Richard and Dave Monoham. Looking At Movies: An Introduction to Film. W. W. Norton & Company

Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Harrison Ford. 1982.

The 17 Stages of Monomyth : Groundhog Day

Monomyth Diagram

Link to better quality Monomyth diagram with full descriptions of stages

          American mythologist Joseph Campbell developed the concept of the ‘monomyth’, which translates to one myth and is often referred to as the hero’s journey. This concept is based on the theory that all stories and narratives are just variations of a single, epic story model. According to the concept of the monomyth, there exist 17 stages that illustrate a common pattern found in most myths and stories. I thought it would be interesting to see how the model of Campbell's monomyth could be applied to the 1993 film Groundhog Day with Phil as the hero of this adventure.

1. Call To Adventure

The film is set on a news show with the camera on air to Phil the weather man. After he performs his duties with ease and and humor, Phil is off the air and instantly becomes his sarcastic and passive aggressive self towards everyone he converses with. It is clear that he is tired of his job that he plans to quit after the Groundhog Day, an event that he has covered for the past four years. Reluctantly, he covers the Groundhog Day festival with his cameraman Larry and news producer Rita. The next day he wakes up to find that, impossibly, it is Groundhog Day again.

2. Refusal of the Call

Evidently Phil realizes that he wakes up to relive Groundhog Day over and over again, and his horror confused disbelief is apparent when he goes through each phase of the day. I find that it is most obvious when he "refuses the call" in the scene when it is the first repetition of February 2nd and Phil drops his news caster microphone and leaves the Groundhog Day event. 

3. Supernatural Aid

After realizing that he really is reliving Groundhog Day with the proof of the repaired pencil, Phil gets up, rushes past every person he meets day to day and goes straight to Rita to say that they need to talk about "a matter that is not work-related." Though she does not come supernaturally or magically, Phil goes straight to Rita for help. Rita could also be credited for supernatural ability. In one scene, Rita recited the last five lines in a poem by Sir Walter Scott almost like an omen to warn Phil to change his ways. She also, at couple points in the film, asks Phil if he ever has deja vu, which implies that Rita might have been slightly aware of the continuous Groundhog Day cycle.

*Here's Sir Walter Scott's poem that Rita recited: "The wretch, concentered all in self / Living shall forfeit fair renown / And, doubly dying, shall go down / To the vile dust from whence he sprung / Unwept, unhonored, and unsung."

4. Crossing First Threshold

Phil experiments with the paradigm and gets himself put into jail in town. After he finds that he is back in his bed like every morning, he rejoices and takes advantage as his day unfolds; Phil kisses Mrs. Lancaster right on the lips, punches Ned upon seeing him and he orders a huge and not very nutritious breakfast of donuts and the like.

5. Belly of the Whale

Because of the repetition of days, Phil is able to acquire a number of skills such as playing piano and speaking French.

6. Road of Trials
In a kind of test, Phil is presented with the town and its people and he must go through Groundhog Day its events endlessly. 

7. Meeting with the Goddess

In the film, the goddess that Phil falls in love with is, of course, Rita. Phil proclaims his love for Rita when he says, "I don't deserve someone like you. But if I ever could, I swear would love you for the rest of my life."

8. Temptation

For a time, Phil indulges himself in women, stealing money and getting away with other actions. Then, Phil tries to seduce Rita, but fails repeatedly as illustrated by the cut scenes in which Rita slaps Phil across the face. These failures help lead him to dread his own existence and tries to kill himself.

9. Atonement with the Father

Though Phil paid little to no attention to him before, Phil passes by the old homeless man stumbling in an alley and helps him get to the hospital. Phil cannot accept this old man's death, who he fondly calls "Dad" and "Pop", and Phil feeds and takes care of the old man and then later tries determinedly to save his life every day. After accepting the old man's death, Phil finally decides to change his life and to help people and touch their hearts. In a way, the old man was the 'father figure' that spurred the turning point of Phil's journey.

10. Apostasis

After the old man's death, Phil swears that "no one will die" on his day...

11. The Ultimate Boon

...which leads Phil to perform many heroic acts. In addition, Phil opens his heart out to Rita, and her advice helps him realize his goal in his trapped life, which is to be a benefactor to others.

12. Refusal of Return

After the evening dance, Phil says to Rita, “Whatever happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I'm happy now...because I love you.”

13. Magic Flight

Ultimately, Phil awakens with his goal, his prize which is his changed self.

14. Rescue From Without

On the last night before Phil breaks the time loop, Rita retires with Phil as she has done once before when they tried to stay awake in the night. In a different perspective, Rita is also sort of the main component of Phil's transformation because of her advice and his love for her.

15. Crossing the Return Threshold

The first indication that Phil has escaped from the cycle of Groundhog Days is when he wakes up to  different commentary on his alarm radio. The greater indication is that Phil wakes up to Rita by his side. 

16. Master of Two Worlds

On the last night before his return to reality, he seems to finally accept his endless Groundhog Day paradigm. By being a sort of heroic master and totally knowledgable and benevolent in the paradigm 'world', now he is transformed and ready to take on the real world again.

17. Freedom To Live

Now that he is finally past Groundhog Day, he shall continue on with his new self. Rita and Phil also talk about perhaps living together in the town of Punxsutawney.

          Although some of the stages do not entirely match up with Campbell's monomyth model, the narrative of Groundhog Day definitely exhibits elements of the model. Phil was called to his adventure which was the time loop in order to become a better person.

Works Cited

Groundhog Day. Dir. Harold Ramis. Perf. Bill Murray. 1993.

IMDB.com. Groundhog Day (1993) - Synopsis. 2014. 7 May 2014 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/synopsis?ref_=tt_stry_pl>.