Woodstock

If it was one thing I enjoyed the most about the scene from Downhill, it was the POV shots. Depending on the character, I thought the shot helped tell the audience how to feel. For instance, when it was from the boys' perspectives, I could feel a sense of dread. From the moment they walked in, the audience knows they are in some kind of trouble. As the shot continues to move forward, it seems as though the headmaster never gets any closer, even when the camera stops moving. I also think, because of this, it gives the idea that the boys seem small compared to the overbearing headmaster -- once again, we feel dread and, almost, scared. When the POV switches to the woman, we get the idea of uncertainty and anxiety. We know that the fate of at least one boy depends on this woman; therefore, we feel anxious as to which the woman will choose. However, when the camera shifts from the face to one boy to the other, it can be implied that the woman is uncertain which boy it is, as it seems the camera lingers in question on each face. It is only until the the camera is out of POV mode that we're somewhat certain that she was unsure when she hastily and dramatically picks the first boy.

Looking at the scene, I definitely noticed the influence of German Expressionism. I say this because one can feel the anxiety when we're in the mind (so to say) of the protagonist while he is looking at his rival. During this part, we see an overlapping of the rival with the main character's wife on his lap (what he is thinking), while the rival is discussing the upcoming fight. It then dissolves into the party, the music begins to play faster, and then party dissolves into a piano. As the music plays faster, we begin feeling what the main character feels as he looks at his rival. We feel the anxiety and hatred that is building up within. I found that this scene does an excellent job of incorporating the Expressionism style, as well as make the audience grasp the mind of the main character through the use of silence and the score.

Looking at the "Hitchcock touches," I immediately recognized the focus on the blonde dancer (that the monocled man gazed at), as this would be a signature in Hitchcock's films. One thing that I noticed was that of when the girls ran down the staircase; as they hurried, it heavily reminded me of the opening sequence in North By Northwest. Seeing the hustle and bustle of both the ladies and the audience was much like that of the New York City crowd in North By Northwest. I also thought the score for both The Pleasure Garden and North By Northwest sounded somewhat similar. One thing that I enjoy about watching silent films is their reliability on non-verbal communication. It makes it clear for us to understand the basics of what is going on without the use of words; we can see and feel the emotion based off of the character's social cues. However, we become limited to the fact that we don't know the full extent of what is being discussed. We have the idea of what else could be discussed.