When I was 13, I saw Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” for the first time. Like many others, I loved this horror classic for its creepy intensity and fascinating psychological themes. Afterwards, my mom asked me when I thought the film was made.
“I don’t know, like 1950?”
My mom responded, “What in the film makes you feel like it’s made in the ‘50s?”
“Um, I guess because it's black and white?”
“Lauren, what year was ‘The Wizard of Oz’ made?”
To be honest, I’m feeling a little sheepish at this point, but I respond, “Like, 1960?”
My mom laughs and says, “And why do you think—“
“Because it’s in color!”
“Would it surprise you to learn that ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was made over 20 years before ‘Psycho’?”
Yes. Why yes, it would – and did – surprise me.
In this amusing exchange between my mother and myself, I started to think about film and the way it is perceived by my generation. Black and white photography, silent films, and blue screens automatically label a film as “old” and “dated.” Many may think that the black and white Holocaust movie “Schindler’s List” was made in the ‘40s or ‘50s based on its cinematography when in fact it was made in 1993. Perhaps this has something to do with the ignorance of ~some youth in the 21st century. But this skewed perception of filmmaking has less to do with ignorance and more to do with a filmmaker’s deliberate decisions to make his or her film communicate something.
Like I said, I loved “Psycho.” The more I thought about the time in which it was made, the more I thought about what a genius Alfred Hitchcock was. Besides his many innovations in the suspense genre, he understood one key thing: he didn’t need to utilize all technology to tell a story just because it was available to him. The further into the 2000s that we go, the more we lose touch with the past in the entertainment industry. It may surprise some of you to learn that “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz” were both released in 1939 in full color – over 75 years ago. Naturally, with the innovation of color technology it would make sense that there was no going back for most directors and they would continue moving forward in Technicolor. However, what is most fascinating about any new invention is that it does not erase what you already had available to you. In fact, with an increase of options also comes the freedom to do more with less.
In the 1950’s a stream of science fiction B-movies were released. Movies like “Creature from the Black Lagoon” or “I Married a Monster from Outer Space” are hardly remembered by today’s audiences except through the occasional parody. These movies tried to make use of all technology available to them without much thought of effective storytelling. I could compare this to Michael Bay – a name most of us are familiar with. Nowadays, because technology has advanced so much in the last 20 years, there is a lot more you can do with film and Michael Bay has a knack for manipulating CGI to create some fascinating and mesmerizing eye candy. Movies like “Transformers,” or even others like “Avatar” or “The Avengers” have some incredible special effects that make these movies fun and enjoyable. But will those movies pass the test of time like “Psycho” has been able to?
Alfred Hitchcock chose to make “Psycho” in black and white despite it becoming more obsolete in the 60’s. The Master of Suspense – as he is known – knew how to captivate an audience with this throwback cinematography – reminding everyone of the film noir that took the 40’s and 50’s by storm and creating a mood that was dark and psychologically tormenting. He didn’t need color technology. But having color technology available to him helped to tell the story better.
Even Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” of this past year employs a lot of great special effects to captivate the audience and engage them in an exciting ride. But what Nolan and Hitchcock have in common are their selective usage of technology and the ability to transport an audience to another time. “Interstellar” pays homage to “2001: A Space Odyssey” – the classic sci-fi opus of the 60’s and effectively brings the audience to a different mindset than usually induced by the likes of other 21st century action or science fiction films.
Many young filmgoers in today’s society may be thrown by a film deciding not to use every special effect available to them just as it would be a foreign concept for one of their peers to choose a flip phone over an iPhone. But as we learn to appreciate the filmmaker’s perspective more we can realize that with more options also comes the option to use less. And more often than not, less is more.
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