A Contextual Analysis of Hal Ashby and His Influence in New Wave Cinema in 1970s America.
The 70s were the time in which underground American film took a front seat in portraying the counter culture revolution by tipping orthodox conventions of their head. The films would become a reflection of the times; a gritty glorification of the anti-hero and the downbeat atmosphere the Vietnam war had left lingering over America. Film in the 70s abandoned the youthful optimism that blossomed throughout the 60s but kept the innovative techniques that reinvented the rules of cinema. The techniques that were used by filmmakers at this time demolished all rules of cinematography previously used in the producer driven world of old Hollywood. Continuity was no longer a valued aspect of the editing process meaning that the often jumpy shots would remind the audience that they were watching a film. This new generation of filmmakers came from educated backgrounds and had often been through film school meaning that they possessed a more mature knowledge of film and were able to experiment with their already developed skills instead of working off trial and error. Hal Ashby is just one of the many inspiring artists working at this time to change what was popular and confront conformity head on.
Hal Ashby is strongly linked with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking as he stepped out of the role of oscar winning editor and, being urged from mentor Norman Jewison, into the role of director. Although his first feature film The Landlord (1970) was a commercial disappointment due to it being limiting to an audience of 1970, it is now seen as one of the great pieces of film that holds a place firmly on the list of new waves that appear mature way before their time. The depicting of black and white relationships in an urban setting would have been tasking to its audience meaning that the film lacked popularity at the time of release. Arthur Krim of United Artists said that "at the time this film was programmed, unrealistic optimism about the potential audience for this type of film prevailed." [1] Released just two years after the assassination of Martin Luther King jr, this film had a cautious audience that were reluctant to commend its content. However critics now praise the film for tackling the racial tension that arose in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr's death. the type of conversations that The Landlord sparked would have been welcomed nowadays, although controversial, they are conversations that are necessary in order to learn and grow. This is an aspect of Hal Ashy's films that adhere to the conventions of a new wave. This is due to the fact that its narrative fearlessly tackled topics that otherwise would have gone unmentioned. The Landlord' is a perfect example of what makes America so prevalent in the cinematic revolution. The freewheeling style adopted by Hal Ashby who was driven to capture aspects of the country that had yet to be seem on screen was what qualified many of his films to be classed as new wave; they were infused with a heightened sense of reality that revealed the true temper of American culture. Ashby was a filmmaker who had a passion for exposing the truth and reflecting the climate of his country through an often comical narrative that walked hand in hand with technical aspects of cinematography which also challenged the previous ideas of how a film should be filmed. A hand held camera was a repeated method in his films that reiterated the idea of exposing reality.
A characteristic that appears in almost every film directed by Hal Ashby is the use of a long shot to convey moments of emotional intensity. Ashby's instinct to place long shots in moments when most directors would use a close up really emphasises his clear individuality as an artists and puts a stamp on this auteurship. This counter Hollywood technique creates distance between viewer and character which almost demands emotional privacy and really generates the feeling that you, as an audience member, are spying on a personal moments between the fictional character. This adds to the heightened sense of reality that is so precious to directors at the time. These moments of distance can work in many ways to communicate different meanings, for example; in this clip from Coming Home (1978) we see Sally coming home after being aboard. In this moment she is unaware that her friend, Vi's, brother has taken his own life due to post traumatic stress of being in the Vietnam war. As Sally approaches the foreground of the frame she spots Vi in the distance, the take then cuts to a long shot of Vi standing alone, gazing at the ocean. The space between the characters is significant of the distance that Vi feels within herself and reaching normality again after loosing her brother in such a traumatic way. It also gives the character of intense intimacy without disturbance from an audience. Because this film is set in the backdrop of the Vietnam war, this use of a long shot can also be interpreted as how separate the American feel with their knowledge of the ongoing war. As we know this was a time when the American government were being incredibly secretive with their people about their involvement in Vietnam which caused uproar with protesters proving that there was a clear divide with that the public wanted and what the government wanted.
Hal Ashby is strongly linked with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking as he stepped out of the role of oscar winning editor and, being urged from mentor Norman Jewison, into the role of director. Although his first feature film The Landlord (1970) was a commercial disappointment due to it being limiting to an audience of 1970, it is now seen as one of the great pieces of film that holds a place firmly on the list of new waves that appear mature way before their time. The depicting of black and white relationships in an urban setting would have been tasking to its audience meaning that the film lacked popularity at the time of release. Arthur Krim of United Artists said that "at the time this film was programmed, unrealistic optimism about the potential audience for this type of film prevailed." [1] Released just two years after the assassination of Martin Luther King jr, this film had a cautious audience that were reluctant to commend its content. However critics now praise the film for tackling the racial tension that arose in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr's death. the type of conversations that The Landlord sparked would have been welcomed nowadays, although controversial, they are conversations that are necessary in order to learn and grow. This is an aspect of Hal Ashy's films that adhere to the conventions of a new wave. This is due to the fact that its narrative fearlessly tackled topics that otherwise would have gone unmentioned. The Landlord' is a perfect example of what makes America so prevalent in the cinematic revolution. The freewheeling style adopted by Hal Ashby who was driven to capture aspects of the country that had yet to be seem on screen was what qualified many of his films to be classed as new wave; they were infused with a heightened sense of reality that revealed the true temper of American culture. Ashby was a filmmaker who had a passion for exposing the truth and reflecting the climate of his country through an often comical narrative that walked hand in hand with technical aspects of cinematography which also challenged the previous ideas of how a film should be filmed. A hand held camera was a repeated method in his films that reiterated the idea of exposing reality.
A characteristic that appears in almost every film directed by Hal Ashby is the use of a long shot to convey moments of emotional intensity. Ashby's instinct to place long shots in moments when most directors would use a close up really emphasises his clear individuality as an artists and puts a stamp on this auteurship. This counter Hollywood technique creates distance between viewer and character which almost demands emotional privacy and really generates the feeling that you, as an audience member, are spying on a personal moments between the fictional character. This adds to the heightened sense of reality that is so precious to directors at the time. These moments of distance can work in many ways to communicate different meanings, for example; in this clip from Coming Home (1978) we see Sally coming home after being aboard. In this moment she is unaware that her friend, Vi's, brother has taken his own life due to post traumatic stress of being in the Vietnam war. As Sally approaches the foreground of the frame she spots Vi in the distance, the take then cuts to a long shot of Vi standing alone, gazing at the ocean. The space between the characters is significant of the distance that Vi feels within herself and reaching normality again after loosing her brother in such a traumatic way. It also gives the character of intense intimacy without disturbance from an audience. Because this film is set in the backdrop of the Vietnam war, this use of a long shot can also be interpreted as how separate the American feel with their knowledge of the ongoing war. As we know this was a time when the American government were being incredibly secretive with their people about their involvement in Vietnam which caused uproar with protesters proving that there was a clear divide with that the public wanted and what the government wanted.
Clip from 'Coming Home' 1978 (significant part of the clip begins at 2:05)
Another extremely significant use of the long shot, that stay closely linked to the work of Hal Ashby, is in his 1971 dark comedy film Harold and Maude. This unique love story between an elderly lady and a young man already fits into the category of a new wave due to its obscure depiction of love that would still be classed as taboo nowadays. The brave narrative is one that runs in the opposite direction of the mainstream meaning that during its original release it was a commercial and critical flop with theatre critic Vincent Canby even calling the actors "creepy and off-putting" [2] . However much life many new wave films at this time, Harold and Maude has grown an intense cult following and in 2005 was ranked #86 on a list of 101 Greatest Screenplays Ever Written, by the Writers Guide of America. [3] The long shot that I feel holds evidence of Ashby's auteurship is when Harold and Maude are sat in a daisy field. The extreme long shot capture the thousands of flowers surrounding them in a harmonic moment where Maude tries to convince Harold of each flower's individuality and compares this analogy to the human race. We then cut to the second extreme long shot where the daisies have been replaced by gravestones forcing the viewer to contemplate the relationship between life and death. In these short but effective shots the whole film's motif has been summed up; both life and death walk hand in hand and you should never fear either. These contrasting shots also says something about the forced conformity of 1971 America, a time in which the Vietnam war had forced many people to life the way the government was telling them to. Ashby prided himself on producing films that served a purpose in exhibiting natural human behaviour and how people cope in different situations. "Ashby asserts that the common theme for this diverse Filmography is a concern for humanity. The filmmaker concludes, “There’s no story line or anything like that running through my pictures, but I do try to do films that deal with human relations, with people relating to one another.” [4] This aspect contributes to the evidence that Ashby's films were significant and relevant to new wave cinema of 1970s America.
Clip from Harold and Maude 1971- the flower scene
This distinctive technique of using a long shot to express emotion is an aspect of Ashby's work that assists in defining him as an auteur. It proves that he has a style and a clear instinct when it comes to filming that makes his work distinguishable; as well as this, it also shows how he moved away from what was common in hollywood films and found an alternative way of viewing emotion on screen. Another feature of Ashby's line of work that can be used in classifying him as an auteur and his films as new wave is found in his film's endings. Of the 11 feature films that Hal Ashby directed, 9 end with one or more main characters' walking away from the camera. [5] Each ending has its own personal significance to the film's narrative but the fact that this idea is a commonality in Ashby's work emphasises his aurteurship in filmmaking. It is a clever pattern that allows an audience to recognise his style which is why I feel Hal Ashby can undoubtedly be defined as an auteur. According to an online dictionary the definition of auteur is "a person who is so involved in its development that his creative vision is evident in the film. A film director with his own unique style of movie is an example of an auteur." [6] This is a perfect description of Ashby as a director as I feel like throughout his career he actively proved his creativity in discovering alternative ways to frame, shoot and edit film.
A low budget was an ever present convention of new wave cinema in 1970s America due to the fact that big name production companies were reluctant to invest in the controversial narratives that this restless generation of directors were creating. Directors were just as unwilling to look towards the production companies for funding because they did not want their influence to dominate the true narrative or their visions. Filmmakers were forced to borrow money or make investments in their own productions in order to complete a project. They would often use friends and people in their personal social circle to stand in as actors so that they would not have to pay them, this was a compromise on the quality of acting but was necessary to complete the production. Acting was never held with great importance with the new wave filmmakers of the 70s because capturing true reactions and showcasing reality was an aim with much more value. Although Ashby did not run into as many issues in terms of finance he was a victim of producer influence; after completing the filming for 8 Million Ways To Die Ashby left the final editing process to the producer who promptly changed he whole vision of the film [7]. This just proves the rivalry between producer and director that a lot of new wave artists had to deal with at the time as well as critique from an often unforgiving audience.
It is the immense commitment that directors had to accomplish change that I commend, without Ashby and the works of other new wave artists cinema may not be the same malleable, successful far form that it is today. Hal Ashby's work acts as an example in new wave cinema for current and future directors to analyse and extract ideas from. Ashby's films are also a great inspiration to any artist looking to use film as a voice to which they can share offbeat, unconventional and even radical ideas. The quirky content that he produced is timeless in its effects on the viewer with people still having strong and mixed opinions on his filmography today. Seth Rogan is just one of many current creators who began by watching Ashby's films and using them to inspire their own productions. In this interview [8] Rogan talks about how Harold and Maude had a huge impact on the narrative on his first film Superbab (2007), which went on to win 11 awards and gain 24 nominations. This is just one example of Hal Ashby's footprint on the world of cinema and how stepping out of the mainstream and following a personal vision can affect so many generations of future filmmakers.
Bibliography:
1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Landlord
2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_and_Maude
3. http://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-greatest-screenplays/list
4. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/474390/pdf
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azCZBDw2vyc
6. http://www.yourdictionary.com/auteur
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR0lU69KoTU
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijmmA6iH7xU
Additional Websites I used for information:
http://sensesofcinema.com/2004/great-directors/ashby/
http://doctorfilm.org/?p=269
I also used the book 'New Waves in Cinema' to gain information about other American new wavs that were popular at the time and what kind of impact they had on an audience, this helped with my contextual knowledge.
A low budget was an ever present convention of new wave cinema in 1970s America due to the fact that big name production companies were reluctant to invest in the controversial narratives that this restless generation of directors were creating. Directors were just as unwilling to look towards the production companies for funding because they did not want their influence to dominate the true narrative or their visions. Filmmakers were forced to borrow money or make investments in their own productions in order to complete a project. They would often use friends and people in their personal social circle to stand in as actors so that they would not have to pay them, this was a compromise on the quality of acting but was necessary to complete the production. Acting was never held with great importance with the new wave filmmakers of the 70s because capturing true reactions and showcasing reality was an aim with much more value. Although Ashby did not run into as many issues in terms of finance he was a victim of producer influence; after completing the filming for 8 Million Ways To Die Ashby left the final editing process to the producer who promptly changed he whole vision of the film [7]. This just proves the rivalry between producer and director that a lot of new wave artists had to deal with at the time as well as critique from an often unforgiving audience.
It is the immense commitment that directors had to accomplish change that I commend, without Ashby and the works of other new wave artists cinema may not be the same malleable, successful far form that it is today. Hal Ashby's work acts as an example in new wave cinema for current and future directors to analyse and extract ideas from. Ashby's films are also a great inspiration to any artist looking to use film as a voice to which they can share offbeat, unconventional and even radical ideas. The quirky content that he produced is timeless in its effects on the viewer with people still having strong and mixed opinions on his filmography today. Seth Rogan is just one of many current creators who began by watching Ashby's films and using them to inspire their own productions. In this interview [8] Rogan talks about how Harold and Maude had a huge impact on the narrative on his first film Superbab (2007), which went on to win 11 awards and gain 24 nominations. This is just one example of Hal Ashby's footprint on the world of cinema and how stepping out of the mainstream and following a personal vision can affect so many generations of future filmmakers.
Bibliography:
1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Landlord
2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_and_Maude
3. http://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-greatest-screenplays/list
4. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/474390/pdf
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azCZBDw2vyc
6. http://www.yourdictionary.com/auteur
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR0lU69KoTU
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijmmA6iH7xU
Additional Websites I used for information:
http://sensesofcinema.com/2004/great-directors/ashby/
http://doctorfilm.org/?p=269
I also used the book 'New Waves in Cinema' to gain information about other American new wavs that were popular at the time and what kind of impact they had on an audience, this helped with my contextual knowledge.
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