Comparative: One Flew and Vertigo

How do the films present power and authority in their texts?

One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest

McMurphy

-McMurphy is a distruption to the status quo.

-He doesn't respect authority e.g when he speaks to Doctor Spivey his language is informal.

-His relationship with Nurse Ratched as he's always the first one to question her power e.g his demand to watch the World Series foils her attempt to exert her control and symbolises the rise of the individual against the system.

-Another example of his lack of respect for authority when he enters the Nurse's office without permission.

Nurse Ratched

-The Nurses complicit to her control over the patients e.g not letting the inmates watch the World Series demonstrates her power.

-America has long made heroes of figures who assert their individuality. Novelists have written about characters whose individualism conflicts with the societies around them.

-McMurphy's character doesn't fit in with the institution he is in as he represents the life and colour of the outside world and the institution is however without colour and joy. Therefore McMurphy is unwilling to accept authority and not conformist.

-His non conformity is evident in the first therapy scene where he is wearing colour while everyone else is wearing blander/paler colours.

-The film is notable for having men existing in a passive relationship with at least one controlling woman. Ratched believes what she's doing is right but can not apprehend that it's destructive.

-Ratched comes across as aggressive because someone with equal superiority challenges her authority (McMurphy). This causes her to respond harshly and more secretly aggressively.

- A number of men have psychological/sexual issues (Billy, Harding) with women Nurse Ratched is presented as the antagonist to McMurphy.

-The ward's night watchmen are all played by black men and further reiterates the patients inferiority as black men had just gained equal rights at the time.

-Chief who represents his culture has eventual victory over the oppressive regime of the ward as he escapes and seeks freedom.

-McMurphy is a non conformist character. Forman's previous film was banned din his own country for shining a negative light on communism. This is represented by the way Nurse Ratched ignores the vote of watching the world series which have connotation of a communist regime. 

-Power and authority is gained from fear around Ratched. McMurphy gains power through his admiration and social skills.

-Thomas Schatz argues Classical Hollywood's narrative device of plot was psychological desires and character goals. this differed and challenged 1970s cinema in which characters became plot functions.

Vertigo

In Vertigo power and authority are represented in a variety different ways in their text. One of the ways Vertigo does this is through the main character Scottie, Scottie is shown as a male authoritative figure throughout the film with his dominant expression and approach to women. One scene where this is very clear is when Scottie jumps into the river to save Madeline and the scene that follows, Scottie is shown as an Authoritative figure here because he takes action immediately jumping in to save the women. During the 1950's women were seen as lower in power than men with men being the most powerful in society. Going to the scene after this Scottie took Madeline back to his house and she is left powerless laying in the bed whilst Scottie makes her some tea. A common theme shown by most Hitchcock films is having a Blonde girl starring, this was usually done because Alfred Hitchcock was fascinated by blonde women and saw them as a tool in his films. Their source of 'emotional power' is seen through their sexual persuasions.They are the 'Femme Fatale'. After finding out Madeleine was involved in the murder by helping Gavin Elster, it comes to the audience's attention that women do not necessarily hold the physical dominance but their presence has a psychological affect on men. This is seen in the aftermath of Madeleine's death where Scottie meets Judy.

His attempt at regaining control is presented as desperate and sad when he forces Judy to Dye her hair so she looks identical to Madeline because of the illusion created by the idea of helping madeline helps Scottie see himself as an authoritative figure which the time of the film was seen as being manly. Scottie tries to grasp onto his authority to try to fell secure in himself. This can be linked to the context of the film as 1950's America was a time of fear in which men were desperately trying to hold onto their power partially due to the rise of the 2nd wave of the feminist movement and the wars America fought; men are trying to recapture an outdated sense of authority.