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Thanks for the heads up, George...Now, on Saturday I saw "American Beauty", which would be the most honorable film for "Eyes Wide Shut" to lose to. It stars the fabulous Kevin Spacey, who somehow manages to convey the sense of being a precocious child into his forties. He is paired with Annette Bening, playing the relative you most associate the concept of anality with. Theirs is a floundering marriage. Their daughter, of high school age, finds them totally embarrassing, and to make matters worse, dad gets a crush on her best friend, who milks it to confirm her attractiveness. The new neighbors include a Marine Colonel who terrorizes his family, and a young man who sells marijuana and indulges an interest in videotaping anything astonishing he comes across. Of course, he eventually wins the girl....The theme revolves around two poles: one, the mantra "to be successful, you must project an image of success", and the other, the idea that sometimes there are things so astonishing that they are like standing face to face with God, who is trying to convey that there is something behind it all, and one need not worry so much. The mother, a real estate salesman, starts crying hysterically after an unsuccessful open house, then slaps herself as she berates herself for showing signs of weakness. She gardens in matching outfits, and insists upon dressing for dinner, and playing "mood music". Meanwhile, she has not had "relations" with her husband for a very long time, and her daughter is totally alienated. The husband comes to life when confronted with a beautiful girl, and sets out to win her. The daughter becomes fascinated with the young man, and is moved by his sense that there is so much beauty in the world, his heart could burst. The image for the other pole becomes a shot of a paper bag dancing in the wind, staying in the same area as if inviting the young man to dance with it.... |
