Medium Cool: The Movies of the 1960s

Ethan Mordden asserts that films of the sixties were unique, compelling, and more interesting than films of previous decades. The patterns of tidy morality, heroic characters, and inspirational, puritanical themes in films of the twenties, thirties, forties and fifties essentially broke down with the arrival of Hitchcock's Psycho in 1960. In the sixties, writers and directors stopped complying with restrictive artistic guidelines delineated by the studios and unleashed their pent up potential, creating movies that were challenging, rewarding, and-at times-highly sexual, violent and realistic. Movies of the sixties redefined what movies could forever be, drawing viewers into worlds that didn't hide reality. To understand how unapologetic and revolutionary movies of the sixties were, Mordden first explains the cinema ethos of earlier years. He writes that movies of former times were clean-too clean-to the extent that creativity languished. Although great films like On the Waterfront, The Night of the Hunter, and Paths of Glory in fact did push the "artistic limits" of the times, Mordden disregards their impact, saying such films are anomalies, which makes them irrelevant when looking at of the whole decade. The blockbusters of the 1950s, he says, were tame, safe and rather boring. To him, the fifties didn't have much to offer; most of the themes, characters and plots were stale. Directors knew how stale movies were. Studios knew it too. Movie profits in the fifties hit all time lows, and with the death of important Hollywood producers and moguls at the end of the decade, a revolution seemed likely. The revolution began in 1960 with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, a film that broke many Hollywood rules: the main actress, Janet Leigh, died in the first half hour; promiscuity and loveless sexuality bared themselves without trepidation; and the villain of the film, Mrs. Bates, was ruthless and violent. The tone of the film was also different from what Hollywood was used to. Characters were understated and unattractive, and most of the movie was set in an ascetic hotel. The cinematography moved slowly and assuredly, setting a mood of literal terror and confusion that most people had never seen before. It was exciting. It was different. And audiences loved it. Movies had been too similar for too long, and people wanted to see something new. Psycho, Mordden says, marked the beginning of a new era in film. Its dark themes and focus on violence and evil were harbingers for what was to come. As the sixties rolled on, movies attained a new level of artistic credibility, due in large part to the influence of European foreign films. 8 ½, Italian Federico Fellini's 1963 dreamlike masterpiece about an agitated director, galvanized American audiences. Fellini's film had his own style; he didn't rehash Hollywood themes and techniques of the thirties, forties or fifties. 8 ½'s plot was layered in fantasy and symbolism. It was confusing but pot

Writer Ethan Mordden examines several controversial films of the 1960s -- a decade where the filmmaker boldly attacked subjects on screen that previously had been too shocking or taboo, but now were commercially viable; even acceptable. The book covers films such as Midnight Cowboy, The Wild Bunch, Psycho, The Graduate, The Manchurian Candidate, and Dr. Strangelove.