Purpose of this blog: My analysis and your feedback are part of a whole assignment for the class that I am currently taking at NIU titled Visual Culture and Film (ARTE683) . The project includes the writing of a 5 page critical analysis of a film(Gran Torino), posting(in this blog) all or parts of my critique to an audience(you), and presenting(11/30 or 12/7)all of the above to my class. Your feedback will aid in the success of this project. Thank you for your time.
Step 1: Watch the film, Gran Torino.
Step 2: Read the excerpts from my critical analysis listed below or read my full Critical Analysis
Step 3: Provide any thoughts you may have about my critique by clicking on comments at the bottom of the page. Please use my questions to help you respond.
**If you are unable to post a comment, cut and paste it into an email and send it to katodom9@hotmail.com or katherine.odom@rps205.com. Thank you.
1. Do you think this film is an accurate reflection of social norms?
2. How many men or women do you know that have a similar mentality as Walt?
3. Do you think Walt’s heroic act at the end counteracts his rude and prejudice attitude throughout the film?
4. Do you think it’s important to understand the ethnic background of the characters in this film in order to understand its meaning?
5. How do you think freedom is tied into the meaning of the film?
6. How did you first interpret the ending (before you read this critique) with Walt lying in the cross pose?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
A Critical Analysis of Gran Torino
Written by Kathy Odom
Fall 2009
ARTE683 Visual Culture & Film
Abstract
Films are an integral part of our visual culture. They are a reflection of our traditions and our myths. The purpose of this analysis is to thoroughly critique the film Gran Torino revealing personal associations and social myths through multiple theoretical lenses. The studies of Jacques Derrida, Michael Foucault, and Jacques Lacan inspire this critical analysis and its interpretations. The Oriental, Structural/Post structural and Psychoanalytic theories are used when analyzing the issues and meanings Gran Torino sends forth. This critique reveals the context of the film, the myths it reflects, character struggles and conquests, issues of binary oppositions, and individual interpretations. To begin we must open our minds to the differences in which this film points out and not let it hinder our judgment, but to help us give meaning to the film.
Introduction to Gran Torino
Written by Nick Schenk, Gran Torino is directed by none other than the macho icon, Clint Eastwood. At the age of 78, Eastwood both directs and plays the leading actor in this film that may be the last in his long and successful career. Eastwood is surrounded by young, unknown, and, some would say, inexperienced actors and actresses. However, Gran Torino is a drama that turned out to be funny, tragic, and tender with its roller coaster of events and twist of relationships.
Walt Kowalski, played by Eastwood, is a Korean War veteran who is struggling with a changing world and dealing with psychological issues caused from his experiences during the Korean War. Walt is a grumpy old man who lives in an urban neighborhood that has been taken over by Hmong people and a family who shows greed and disrespect. After losing his wife, Walt struggles with issues of life and death as Father Janovich persistently visits Walt in service to his wife’s dying wish; for Walt to be at peace. In a multicultural neighborhood, Walt finds himself as the minority as he develops friendships he never expected. As Walt makes friends with Sue and Thao, which wasn’t his intention in the least, he gets stuck in a whirlwind of events that cause him to take vengeance on a Hmong gang.
Myths of Gran Torino
As some critics would say Gran Torino is another display of a “white hero saving people of color” (rottentomatoes.com). Arguably, there are many examples that display a hero or anti-hero in this case saving “the other”, people of opposite ethnicities. One example is the film The Taking of Pelham 123 with Denzel Washington as the anti-hero who saves a subway train filled with people of varying ethnicities. It is true that Walt is a prejudice character who continues to make rude and inappropriate commentary throughout the film that directly insults the Hmong people. It can also be said that Walt represents a particular age group of Caucasian men who have a “hidden set of rules and conventions through which meanings” such as discrimination come naturally when, in fact, “are made to seem universal” even though they are overruled by contemporary societal norms (Sturken, Cartwright, p19). More and more this particular group, and others of varying cultures who are close-minded to cultural difference, are becoming obsolete as America becomes a culturally interlaced society. When watching Gran Torino it is important “to understand difference in terms that do not replicate concepts of dominance and superiority” or one may miss the meaning of the film (Sturken, Cartwright, p104).
My Associations
Upon viewing this film for the first time, my immediate connection was with the character, Walt and, of course, the Gran Torino. At the age of fifteen I wanted a 1968 Chevelle desperately as my school bus drove by it each day. I begged my Dad for it and thought he would definitely approve of my choice as I inherited my appreciation for classic muscle cars from none only than him. But without a seatbelt, the Chevelle was not an option. In this film, the Gran Torino signifies the personality of Walt similar to the way my Dad’s 1968 Road Runner signified his tough personality. An advocate for American-made automobiles, my Dad’s profession was body work for more than twenty years. In the film, it is clear that Walt has a cultural imperialist attitude against any foreign products, specifically foreign vehicles, as he worked in a Ford factory for many years. His stance, which is a reaction from the 1950’s Korean War, is that there is a certain “ideology, a politics, or a way of life exported into other territories through the export of cultural products” (Sturken, Cartwright, p322). Another association I have with the film is the semiotic meaning of Walt’s smoking as it signifies illness or death. Even the classic beer he drinks reminds me of people in my life; specifically of Walt’s age group.
Walt’s Struggles
Walt is a grumpy, moody, lonely, and insensitive old man who can be both macho and weak. Subconsciously, Walt struggles with issues of life/death, Christianity, and change. He is alienated and lonely. Father Janovich’s relationship with Walt is comparable to that of a psychiatrist and his patient even though Walt wants nothing more than for the young Father to go away. Throughout the film, Walt exchanges racial commentary with his neighbors and his friend, the Italian barber. Besides his barber friend and those at the Vets Club, he consistently looks down at those around him.
Walt is unconsciously dealing with his past in the Korean War and the change happening around him which plays a large role in “shaping a subject’s actions, feelings, and motives” (Sturken, Cartwright, p364). Walt has little control in this change as his neighbors constantly interrupt his life. People around him are generally annoying to him as he just wants people to stay off his lawn and leave him alone. Although, as the film progresses, Walt shows acceptance of the ethnic change in his community as he accepts his neighbor’s food offerings and attends one of their gatherings. This simple act of acceptance is one of Walt’s steps toward peace. Another is offering his Gran Torino to Thao so he can take a girl on a date.
Later in the film, after a drive-by shooting, Walt sits at the Lors kitchen table waiting for the return of Sue and asks himself “Why am I here?”. He proceeds to clarify his action of caring by saying, “I’m geared to it”, as his natural reaction for coming to the rescue after the shooting. Walt is in an unusual state of mind at this time mumbling, “Lost a lot of friends”, before Sue arrives after allegedly begin beaten and raped by the Hmong gang. His mumbling at the Lors' table is a psychological turn point for Walt as he discovers his emotional feelings for the friends he has made.
From the beginning of the film Walt has served as a panoptican, termed by the French philosopher, Michel Foucault, as he gazes upon the people around him. Throughout the film we get a look at the world through Walt’s gaze; first at his wife’s funeral, then out his front door towards his neighbor’s house, looking in the bathroom sink (after he coughs up blood), and the Hmong gatherings. Through these “exchanges of looks, we can better understand the ways they affect cultural norms about gender, race, sexuality, and ethnicity, and the ways they may impact our lives” as films regularly do (Sturken, Cartwright, p106). The psychoanalytic theorist, Jacques Lacan believed that a person completes their ideal self through their gaze. Through Walt’s gaze we are able to understand Walt’s identity and how he views his surroundings.
Walt as an Anti-Hero
Walt is anything, but perfect. The post structural theorist would call him an anti-hero; someone with a weakness that also serves as a savior. Walt’s flaw is that he adheres to dominant social values from another time and the killing he did in the Korean War. Like many urban societies “power relations are structured to produce citizens who will actively participate in self-regulating behavior” thus producing the Hmong gang (Sturken, Cartwright, p96). After the gang’s crimes involving the initiation and bullying of Thao and the raping of Sue, Walt seeks vengeance on the gang. However clever Walt was in his revenge “the world will not be cleansed by his triumph, but he, himself, will be free” (Mamet, p144). After he tricks the gang into shooting him dead, Walt lays in a symbolic pose, the cross. The cross can be interpreted as a symbol of redemption for his sins. Walt is set free.
The Hmong People
The Structuralism theory involves the idea of binary oppositions which “point to the way that difference is essential to meaning and how we understand things”. In this film the Hmong people are represented as passive, weak, generous, and strong. This is a good display of how each culture is filled with different traits and differences; not only one can define a race. The philosopher, Jacques Derrida argued that
“Binary oppositions, such as man/woman, masculine/feminine, culture/nature, or white/black, have been used to organize meaning. We believe we know what culture is because we can identify its opposite (nature), thus difference is essential to its meaning. However, binary oppositions are reductive ways of viewing the complexity of difference and all binary oppositions are encoded with values and concepts of power, superiority, and worth.” (Sturken, Cartwright, p104)
Sue is a strong character as she brushes off Walt’s derogatory comments about her culture and overcomes being beaten and raped. Thao, very similar to Walt, shows signs of repression and weakness. He is passive at the beginning of the film and at the end, after having a male role model, seems confident and free as he drives his newly inherited Gran Torino. The film represents the Hmong as powerless at times which is reflective of binary opposition between the West and the East theorized by Orientalism in that “negative qualities are attributed to the later” (Sturken, Cartwright, p361). However, the meaning of this film is about dealing with change, friendship, triumph, and redemption; not solely about the issue of “the other”.
Gran Torino Interpreted
My initial response to this roller coaster of a film was that it was ridiculously funny as I analyzed it at face value. I laughed so hard I felt guilty as the commentary was culturally derogatory which goes against my beliefs. Perhaps it was Eastwood’s character that made it so capturing for me. However, the second viewing was a bit different as I viewed it with more focus and seriousness. It was then that I admired Sue for her independence and strength, Thao for his triumph over the obstacles that the Hmong gang created for him, and Walt for his ability to widen his narrow perspective on culture and make friends with those around him.
Conclusion
I believe that recognizing “the other” is important to the analysis and interpretation of this film. Cultural traditions are displayed by both the Americans and the Hmong. Understanding traditions, individual backgrounds, and age are all essential to each character and the relationships among them. I believe this film sends a message of overcoming prejudices and the acceptance of change. America is a multicultural nation and it is important that people, like Walt, can open their minds to all differences of culture. A society should not consist of “us” and “them”. Individuals, like cultures, have strengths and weaknesses. The unity of people means peace and a better life. The film, Gran Torino, sends a message life and death, of freedom and redemption, and of accepting differences. Gran Torino is about mortality, prejudice, and redemption; about life and death.
References
Gran Torino (n.d.). Retrieved November, 2009, from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gran_torino/
Mamet, D. (2007). Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose and Practice of the Movie Business. New York: Random House, Inc.
Sturken, M., Cartwright, L. (2001). Practices of Looking: an introduction to visual culture. New York: Oxford University Press.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Excerpts from The Critical Analysis
Excerpts from the full paper (for people with cramped schedules) :)
1. “To begin we must open our minds to the difference in which this film points out and not let it hinder our judgment, but to help us give meaning to the film.”
2. "Gran Torino is about mortality, prejudice, and redemption; about life and death.”
3. “It can be said that Walt represents a particular age group of Caucasian men who have a “hidden set of rules and conventions through which meanings” such as discrimination come naturally when, in fact, “are made to seem universal” even though they are overruled by contemporary societal norms (Sturken, Cartwright, p19).”
4. “When watching Gran Torino it is important “to understand difference in terms that do not replicate concepts of dominance and superiority” or one may miss the meaning of the film (Sturken, Cartwright, p104)."
5. “it is clear that Walt has a cultural imperialist attitude against any foreign products, specifically foreign vehicles”
6. “semiotic meaning of Walt’s smoking as it signifies life and death”
7. “Walt struggles with issues of life/death, Christianity, and change”
8. “Walt shows acceptance of the ethnic change in his community as he accepts his neighbor’s food offerings. This simple act of acceptance is one of Walt’s steps toward peace. Another is offering his Gran Torino to Thao so he can take a girl on a date.”
9. “Walt’s mumbling at the Lors table is a psychological turn point for Walt as he discovers his emotional feelings for the friends he has made.”
10. “The post structural theorist would call him an anti-hero; someone with a weakness that also serves as a savior”
11. “Walt’s flaw is that he adheres to dominant social values from another time and the killing he did in the Korean War.”
12. “The psychoanalytic theorist, Jacques Lacan believed that a person completes their ideal self through their gaze. Through Walt’s gaze we are able to understand Walt’s identity and how he views his surroundings.”
13. “After he tricks the gang into shooting him dead, Walt lays in a symbolic pose, the cross. The cross can be interpreted as a symbol of redemption for his sins.”
14. “In this film the Hmong people are represented as passive, weak, generous, and strong. This is a good display of how each culture is filled with different traits and differences; not only one can define a race.”
15. “Thao, very similar to Walt, shows signs of repression and weakness. He is passive at the beginning of the film and at the end, after having a male role model, seems confident and free as he drives his newly inherited Gran Torino.”
16. “the meaning of this film is about dealing with change, friendship, triumph, and redemption. It is about freedom; from people, weaknesses, and regrets.”
17. “recognizing the traits of “the other” is important to the analysis and interpretation of this film.”
18. “Understanding traditions, individual backgrounds, and age are all essential to each character and the relationships among them.”
19. “this film sends a message of overcoming prejudices and the acceptance of change.”
20. “America is a multicultural nation and it is important that people, like Walt, can open their minds to all differences of culture.”
1. “To begin we must open our minds to the difference in which this film points out and not let it hinder our judgment, but to help us give meaning to the film.”
2. "Gran Torino is about mortality, prejudice, and redemption; about life and death.”
3. “It can be said that Walt represents a particular age group of Caucasian men who have a “hidden set of rules and conventions through which meanings” such as discrimination come naturally when, in fact, “are made to seem universal” even though they are overruled by contemporary societal norms (Sturken, Cartwright, p19).”
4. “When watching Gran Torino it is important “to understand difference in terms that do not replicate concepts of dominance and superiority” or one may miss the meaning of the film (Sturken, Cartwright, p104)."
5. “it is clear that Walt has a cultural imperialist attitude against any foreign products, specifically foreign vehicles”
6. “semiotic meaning of Walt’s smoking as it signifies life and death”
7. “Walt struggles with issues of life/death, Christianity, and change”
8. “Walt shows acceptance of the ethnic change in his community as he accepts his neighbor’s food offerings. This simple act of acceptance is one of Walt’s steps toward peace. Another is offering his Gran Torino to Thao so he can take a girl on a date.”
9. “Walt’s mumbling at the Lors table is a psychological turn point for Walt as he discovers his emotional feelings for the friends he has made.”
10. “The post structural theorist would call him an anti-hero; someone with a weakness that also serves as a savior”
11. “Walt’s flaw is that he adheres to dominant social values from another time and the killing he did in the Korean War.”
12. “The psychoanalytic theorist, Jacques Lacan believed that a person completes their ideal self through their gaze. Through Walt’s gaze we are able to understand Walt’s identity and how he views his surroundings.”
13. “After he tricks the gang into shooting him dead, Walt lays in a symbolic pose, the cross. The cross can be interpreted as a symbol of redemption for his sins.”
14. “In this film the Hmong people are represented as passive, weak, generous, and strong. This is a good display of how each culture is filled with different traits and differences; not only one can define a race.”
15. “Thao, very similar to Walt, shows signs of repression and weakness. He is passive at the beginning of the film and at the end, after having a male role model, seems confident and free as he drives his newly inherited Gran Torino.”
16. “the meaning of this film is about dealing with change, friendship, triumph, and redemption. It is about freedom; from people, weaknesses, and regrets.”
17. “recognizing the traits of “the other” is important to the analysis and interpretation of this film.”
18. “Understanding traditions, individual backgrounds, and age are all essential to each character and the relationships among them.”
19. “this film sends a message of overcoming prejudices and the acceptance of change.”
20. “America is a multicultural nation and it is important that people, like Walt, can open their minds to all differences of culture.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
