many hollywood movies made in the 60s and the 70s belonged to the Hollywood Renaissance era. Stanley Kubrick, one of the most celebrated filmmakers ever, was one of the masters and pioneers of that period.
inspiried by the Italian neo-realism and the french new wave, filmmakers like Kubrick, Coppolla, De Palma, and Scorsese began to approach movie making in a different mannor. in most of their movies, there were no definite hero. The protagonist was often trapped in a situation which he/she was forced to make decisions that ended up with grief and regret. Questions or problems didn't get resolved or clarified like many mainstream movies did. of all the elements of these movies, i find the composition mindset of the filmmakers most intriguing.
take Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey for example, its self-conscious use of the one point perspective for most scenes made the movie pleasing to the eyes.
this is the painting "View of an Ideal City" by Piero della Francesca, a painter from the Renaissance period. the painting's one vanishing point is placed in the centre. From this fixed viewpoint, everything appear to recede into the distance at the same rate. It also creates an optical illusion which objects that are closer to the frame/the viewers look bigger and vice versa. it welcomes viewers into the painting.
Many scenes in 2001 (actually many scenes directed by Kubrick) are composited within the one-point perspective system. From the alignment of the sun, earth and moon, to the space plane entering the space station. These elements are considered logical and scientific. However, the alignment as well as entrance in this film are also an artistic attribute; they are moments of art executed with extreme precision along with the The Blue Danube score.
if one great picture tells a thousand words, well constructed scenes such as those in 2001 are telling 24,000 words in one second. For every frame of the film is picture-perfect, 2001 is certainly one of the greatest cinematic achievements, and a humble represent of the Hollywood Renassiance era.
