In this introductory episode, using iconic scenes from many of these classic…
The Power of Film, Part 3: Character Relationships
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
CHARACTERS RELATIONSHIPS explores the myriad ways characters relate to one another and to their communities in films such as “Sideways,” “E.T.”, “Thelma and Louise,” and “Do the Right Thing.” As Howard Suber says, “there’s no such thing as an interesting character; there are only interesting character relationships,” which is why there are so few monologues in our greatest films. But, like religions, myths, and the most durable dramas, most memorable plots center on a single individual, around whom the action and characters revolve, like a solar system. Suber builds on his idea that we’re all “trapped” by looking at the way traps are constructed through the “triangulation of characters” in movies such as “Jaws,” “Paths of Glory,” and “Arrival.” Finally, Suber explores how most memorable heroes are intermediaries (Oscar Schindler in “Schindler’s List,” Rick Blaine in “Casablanca,” and George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”), someone who seamlessly moves between different groups and communities in their lives, giving themselves and the structure of the film its power.
Series Description
THE POWER OF FILM is a 6-part series about the inner workings of America’s most popular and memorable films. It’s hosted by legendary UCLA Film School Professor Emeritus Howard Suber, Ph.D., who’s insights are interwoven with dramatic clips from an incredible array of powerful and beloved movies from the last century through today. For over fifty years, Professor Suber taught directors, screenwriters, producers, and scholars the defining principles and hidden patterns of great films. THE POWER OF FILM distills these teachings into six episodes with clarity, humor, and an understanding of the history of storytelling from Aristotle to Shakespeare to Coppola and beyond. Neither a technical analysis nor a review, this series reveals the psychological underpinnings of why certain films affect viewers so deeply and can impact viewers for generations beyond their release. Using dramatic film scenes, Suber uncovers mysteries, dispels myths, and explains powerful themes that have impacted us for millennia. Though THE POWER OF FILM is about movies, it’s really about ourselves. By examining the psyche of the audience, Suber ultimately inspires us—as the heroes of our own stories—to realize that we can seize our own destinies, “that we CAN change our world.”
Wade Major | LAist, FilmWeek, Cinegods.com
“A one-of-a-kind odyssey into the soul of cinema and why it matters.”
Alexander Payne | Director, The Holdovers, Sideways
"By connecting us to what makes our stories powerful, Howard Suber connects us to who we are as human beings. An extraordinary and essential series.”
Dave Karger | Turner Classic Movies
“When it comes to documentaries about movies, ‘The Power of Film’ is one of a kind in that it explores how we as an audience interact with classic films. In exploring how movies affect us, the series is equally affecting.”
Stephen Saito | Moveable Fest
"Gabbert and Pray cast their own spell in carefully juxtaposing clips from films throughout Hollywood history from “Casablanca” to “Whiplash” to show the elements of timeless appeal Suber has identified and highlight his own enduring wisdom.”
Robert Abele | President, Los Angeles Film Critics Association
"Why and how do our favorite movies live inside us? Let filmmakers Laura Gabbert and Doug Pray, and great cinema mind Howard Suber, show you how with a deeply entertaining dive into this lasting art form.”
Alonso Duralde | Linoleum Knife
"This is a fun watch, the kind of academic lecture where people applaud at the end... it's THAT level of entertaining.”
Citation
Main credits
Suber, Howard (screenwriter)
Suber, Howard (creator)
Suber, Howard (narrator)
Gabbert, Laura (film director)
Pray, Doug (screenwriter)
Siara, Joey (film producer)
Suber, Roberta (film producer)
Pray, Diane Rathe (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Shana Hagan; editing, Doug Pray, Avo John Kambourian, Philip Owens; music, Garron Chang.
Distributor subjects
Ancient Mythology in Modern Film Storytelling; Sociology and Power Dynamics in Society; Institutional Power and Political Power; The Cult of “Heroic” American Individualism; The Role of Antagonists and Protagonists; The Psyche of the Audience; Bisociation; Duality and Paradox in Film; Loss; Death and Transcendence; Power Dynamics in Character Relationships; The Power of Memory in Storytelling; The Relationship Between Pain and Humor; Fate vs. Destiny; Heroes as Intermediaries; Representations of Family; The Appeal of Psychopaths and Sociopaths in FilmKeywords
Ancient Mythology in Modern Film Storytelling,Sociology and Power Dynamics in Society,Institutional Power and Political Power,The Cult of “Heroic” American Individualism,The Role of Antagonists and Protagonists,The Psyche of the Audience,Bisociation,Duality and Paradox in Film,Loss,Death and Transcendence,Power Dynamics in Character Relationships,The Power of Memory in Storytelling,The Relationship Between Pain and Humor,Fate vs. Destiny,Heroes as Intermediaries,Representations of Family,The Appeal of Psychopaths and Sociopaths in Film; "The Power of Film, Part 3: Character Relationships"; GOOD DOCS
WEBVTT
00:00:03.234 --> 00:00:05.002
Obi-Wan:
Use the Force, Luke.
00:00:05.002 --> 00:00:06.634
I stick my neck out
for nobody.
00:00:06.634 --> 00:00:09.735
Well, darling, look out,
cause my hair is coming down.
00:00:09.735 --> 00:00:11.067
Always to do the right thing.
00:00:11.067 --> 00:00:12.468
That\'s it?
That\'s it.
00:00:12.468 --> 00:00:13.634
I got it, I\'m gone.
00:00:15.401 --> 00:00:17.102
Suber:
There are certain films
00:00:17.102 --> 00:00:20.968
that people keep going back
to over and over again.
00:00:20.968 --> 00:00:23.102
I\'m gonna make him an offer
he can\'t refuse.
00:00:23.102 --> 00:00:26.835
Films that were not
only popular in their day,
00:00:26.835 --> 00:00:29.002
but that continue
to be popular.
00:00:29.002 --> 00:00:32.569
You talking to me?
And my question is why?
00:00:32.569 --> 00:00:35.134
It\'s not about what I want.
It\'s about what\'s fair!
00:00:35.134 --> 00:00:38.735
They call me Mr. Tibbs.
00:00:38.735 --> 00:00:40.468
I\'m in love with you.
00:00:41.735 --> 00:00:42.735
Snap out of it!
00:00:42.735 --> 00:00:44.968
Rosebud...
00:00:44.968 --> 00:00:48.168
I\'m Howard Suber.
For over five decades,
00:00:48.168 --> 00:00:50.735
I\'ve taught thousands
of aspiring directors,
00:00:50.735 --> 00:00:54.801
producers, screenwriters,
and scholars the patterns
00:00:54.801 --> 00:00:56.402
and principles I\'ve found
00:00:56.402 --> 00:01:00.401
in America\'s
most memorable popular films.
00:01:00.401 --> 00:01:06.368
Join me as we discover
the power of film.
00:01:11.501 --> 00:01:15.468
There is no such thing
as a great character,
00:01:15.468 --> 00:01:19.634
there are only great
character relationships.
00:01:19.634 --> 00:01:20.901
Doc.
00:01:20.901 --> 00:01:24.735
My name is Woody,
and this is Andy\'s room.
00:01:24.735 --> 00:01:27.835
You\'re the prince.
I\'m the king.
00:01:27.835 --> 00:01:30.135
Relax. Damn it! Relax.
00:01:30.135 --> 00:01:32.468
Don\'t yell at me. Ow!
Ow.
00:01:32.468 --> 00:01:33.568
Does that hurt?
00:01:33.568 --> 00:01:36.067
Shakespeare got away
with monologues...
00:01:36.067 --> 00:01:38.002
Loretta.
What?
00:01:38.002 --> 00:01:39.201
Suber:
...not movies.
00:01:39.201 --> 00:01:42.001
Will you marry me?
What?!
00:01:42.001 --> 00:01:44.202
Where\'s the ring?
00:01:44.202 --> 00:01:47.701
You need to have
the character...
00:01:47.701 --> 00:01:49.135
Can I borrow that ring?
00:01:49.135 --> 00:01:53.068
...rebound off
other characters,
00:01:53.068 --> 00:01:56.534
and without the relationship,
00:01:56.534 --> 00:01:59.368
there\'s no character.
00:01:59.368 --> 00:02:01.868
In \"Jaws,\"
you got a shark.
00:02:01.868 --> 00:02:07.068
That can\'t be an interesting
protagonist all by himself.
00:02:07.068 --> 00:02:09.534
You have to have Brody,
the sheriff...
00:02:09.534 --> 00:02:10.534
I\'m Brody,
00:02:10.534 --> 00:02:13.402
You have to have Hooper,
the scientist.
00:02:13.402 --> 00:02:19.068
And perhaps most importantly
for the drama of the story,
00:02:19.068 --> 00:02:22.369
you have to have Quint,
Robert Shaw\'s character.
00:02:22.369 --> 00:02:25.701
Mr. Hooper, I\'m not talking
about pleasure boating
00:02:25.701 --> 00:02:27.534
or day sailing.
00:02:27.534 --> 00:02:29.201
I\'m talking about
working for a living.
00:02:29.201 --> 00:02:30.768
I\'m talking about sharking.
00:02:30.768 --> 00:02:36.535
That shark not only relates
to each character in turn,
00:02:36.535 --> 00:02:41.368
it relates to all of
the other characters in turn.
00:02:42.735 --> 00:02:47.868
In \"Arrival,\" you not only have
Amy Adams\' Louise,
00:02:47.868 --> 00:02:50.268
our protagonist, confronting
00:02:50.268 --> 00:02:54.268
and ultimately coming
to understand the Heptapods,
00:02:54.268 --> 00:02:59.868
you have a character we only see
a little bit on screen...
00:02:59.868 --> 00:03:01.434
And who are those two people?
00:03:01.434 --> 00:03:03.002
...the dead daughter...
00:03:03.002 --> 00:03:05.501
Girl: The show was called \"Mommy
and Daddy Talk to Animals.\"
00:03:05.501 --> 00:03:08.768
...around whom all
the other characters
00:03:08.768 --> 00:03:14.868
and all of the other action
ultimately revolves.
00:03:14.868 --> 00:03:21.935
Louise saves the human race
through her higher understanding
00:03:21.935 --> 00:03:23.701
and through her connection,
00:03:23.701 --> 00:03:28.535
through her lost love
for her daughter.
00:03:28.535 --> 00:03:34.135
When you\'ve got as a triangle --
it\'s not a simple duality
00:03:34.135 --> 00:03:36.434
between the hero
and the villain,
00:03:36.434 --> 00:03:39.669
the protagonist
and the antagonist.
00:03:39.669 --> 00:03:45.968
If I\'m correct when I say that
virtually all memorable stories
00:03:45.968 --> 00:03:48.835
could be called trapped,
00:03:48.835 --> 00:03:53.268
then we have to ask, well, then
how do you create the traps
00:03:53.268 --> 00:03:56.534
and how do you escape
from the traps?
00:03:56.534 --> 00:04:01.502
And the answer
is you create a triangle.
00:04:01.502 --> 00:04:05.835
Such as Kirk Douglas\' troops
in Stanley Kubrick\'s
00:04:05.835 --> 00:04:07.501
\"Paths of Glory.\"
00:04:07.501 --> 00:04:10.768
You just have to look
at any military campaign
00:04:10.768 --> 00:04:18.568
in which encirclement is what
both sides are trying to do.
00:04:18.568 --> 00:04:20.735
Where in heaven\'s name
are they?
00:04:20.735 --> 00:04:25.201
The secret of the power
we\'re talking about lies
00:04:25.201 --> 00:04:27.502
in triangulation.
00:04:27.502 --> 00:04:32.101
And it\'s as true for drama
as it is for warfare.
00:04:34.569 --> 00:04:38.668
Why am I telling you about
all this triangulation stuff?
00:04:38.668 --> 00:04:41.735
It\'s not just that
I want you to notice the form,
00:04:41.735 --> 00:04:46.335
the structure into which
these stories fall.
00:04:46.335 --> 00:04:50.735
It\'s because this is crucial
to storytelling.
00:04:50.735 --> 00:04:54.001
I could be sitting here with
just pee stains on my rug.
00:04:54.001 --> 00:04:55.434
Yeah.
00:04:55.434 --> 00:05:00.568
Teams are a really
rich ground on which
00:05:00.568 --> 00:05:04.801
to construct dramatic
or comedic action.
00:05:04.801 --> 00:05:07.134
What are you,
a fucking park ranger now?
00:05:07.134 --> 00:05:08.634
No, I\'m just trying
to --
00:05:08.634 --> 00:05:10.935
You don\'t know shit
about the fucking marmot.
00:05:10.935 --> 00:05:16.402
It\'s obligatory in comedy
that you have a team.
00:05:16.402 --> 00:05:19.668
They can be a family,
like the Marx Brothers,
00:05:19.668 --> 00:05:22.568
but you also have teams of two,
00:05:22.568 --> 00:05:25.068
as in love stories,
comic pairs.
00:05:25.068 --> 00:05:27.668
Okay, I won\'t hurt him.
I\'ll let you do all the talking.
00:05:27.668 --> 00:05:29.402
Let me do all the talking.
Remember that.
00:05:29.402 --> 00:05:30.768
Let me do all the talking.
OK, experience counts here.
00:05:30.768 --> 00:05:32.835
Or what came to be called
in Hollywood
00:05:32.835 --> 00:05:34.102
around the time of
00:05:34.102 --> 00:05:36.301
\"Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid,\"
00:05:36.301 --> 00:05:38.235
the buddy film.
00:05:38.235 --> 00:05:40.334
But all of these combinations
were based
00:05:40.334 --> 00:05:42.568
on dramatic
and comedic structures
00:05:42.568 --> 00:05:44.601
that go back
thousands of years.
00:05:44.601 --> 00:05:47.267
After all, the Old Testament
characters,
00:05:47.267 --> 00:05:49.868
Cain and Abel,
were a team, too.
00:05:49.868 --> 00:05:51.834
Well, that ought to do it.
00:05:53.701 --> 00:05:54.968
Part of the time
00:05:54.968 --> 00:05:57.835
the characters
are interacting with each other.
00:05:57.835 --> 00:05:59.634
Think you used enough
dynamite there, Butch?
00:05:59.634 --> 00:06:04.067
And it\'s usually a kind
of comic banter.
00:06:04.067 --> 00:06:06.334
I\'ll jump first.
No.
00:06:06.334 --> 00:06:07.735
Then you jump first.
No, I said.
00:06:07.735 --> 00:06:10.534
What\'s the matter with you?
I can\'t swim!
00:06:10.534 --> 00:06:13.135
The team is a rich source
of storytelling
00:06:13.135 --> 00:06:15.901
because it allows you to do
what interesting
00:06:15.901 --> 00:06:19.334
and engaging stories
always do --
00:06:19.334 --> 00:06:20.801
they modulate.
00:06:20.801 --> 00:06:24.834
Aw, shit!
00:06:26.234 --> 00:06:28.868
Film moves through real time.
00:06:28.868 --> 00:06:35.801
Anything moving through
real time needs to modulate.
00:06:35.801 --> 00:06:40.334
A river that\'s just flat
is not interesting,
00:06:40.334 --> 00:06:43.235
unless it\'s slow-moving
and wide here
00:06:43.235 --> 00:06:46.369
and becomes fast-moving
and dangerous.
00:06:46.369 --> 00:06:49.701
It\'s the modulation
that makes movement
00:06:49.701 --> 00:06:52.201
through real time interesting.
00:06:54.468 --> 00:06:57.735
Thelma and Louise
are a perfect team.
00:06:57.735 --> 00:07:00.535
They\'re two quite different
kind of women,
00:07:00.535 --> 00:07:04.202
and they\'re different
at different parts of the story.
00:07:04.202 --> 00:07:09.534
In the first hour, Louise,
Susan Sarandon\'s character,
00:07:09.534 --> 00:07:11.801
is the more powerful
of the characters.
00:07:11.801 --> 00:07:17.701
She\'s older, she\'s experienced,
and she\'s carrying Thelma\'s gun.
00:07:17.701 --> 00:07:19.735
[ Gunshot ]
00:07:22.034 --> 00:07:23.634
Oh, God.
00:07:23.634 --> 00:07:25.102
One hour into the film...
00:07:25.102 --> 00:07:27.634
Simon says,
\"Everybody down on the floor.\"
00:07:27.634 --> 00:07:30.369
...Brad Pitt\'s character, J.D.,
00:07:30.369 --> 00:07:33.768
steals all the money
that Thelma has in the world.
00:07:33.768 --> 00:07:36.368
Thelma, you left him
alone in the room.
00:07:38.868 --> 00:07:40.868
Where\'s the money?
Oh my God, Thelma,
00:07:40.868 --> 00:07:42.134
where\'s the money?
00:07:42.134 --> 00:07:43.434
It\'s on the bed table.
00:07:43.434 --> 00:07:45.368
Now she\'s doubly trapped.
00:07:45.368 --> 00:07:47.935
It\'s okay.
00:07:47.935 --> 00:07:52.334
It\'s okay.
No, Thelma,
it\'s not okay.
00:07:52.334 --> 00:07:54.301
It\'s definitely not okay.
00:07:54.301 --> 00:07:56.267
She falls apart.
00:07:56.267 --> 00:07:58.601
None of this is okay.
00:07:58.601 --> 00:08:01.468
She loses her power
completely.
00:08:01.468 --> 00:08:03.468
And what happens?
00:08:03.468 --> 00:08:07.601
A shift of power between
the members of the team.
00:08:07.601 --> 00:08:09.935
Thelma takes control.
00:08:09.935 --> 00:08:14.434
Thelma robs a grocery store
so they have money to buy gas.
00:08:14.434 --> 00:08:17.768
Go! Go, go, go, go, go, go!
00:08:17.768 --> 00:08:23.202
Now she has the power that used
to belong to her teammate.
00:08:23.202 --> 00:08:27.301
Without the team, you couldn\'t
have that shift of power.
00:08:27.301 --> 00:08:29.768
Without that shift of power,
00:08:29.768 --> 00:08:33.634
you don\'t have the satisfaction
of a dramatic story
00:08:33.634 --> 00:08:38.134
that moves from one state
to the other state.
00:08:38.134 --> 00:08:40.002
Bye.
00:08:40.002 --> 00:08:43.001
Finally, you have
Alexander Payne\'s film,
00:08:43.001 --> 00:08:44.768
\"Sideways.\"
00:08:44.768 --> 00:08:49.768
Miles is a sad-sack, depressive,
phlegmatic,
00:08:49.768 --> 00:08:53.668
totally negative character
who loves wine.
00:08:53.668 --> 00:08:58.568
Jack is this bouncy,
frenetic person
00:08:58.568 --> 00:09:03.201
who always has to be in action,
is always upbeat.
00:09:03.201 --> 00:09:04.334
Jack!
[ Laughs ]
00:09:04.334 --> 00:09:05.835
Half of it gone.
00:09:05.835 --> 00:09:09.735
So where is a story
like this going to go?
00:09:09.735 --> 00:09:11.901
Here\'s to a great week.
00:09:11.901 --> 00:09:18.334
Well, Jack, who is up here
most of the time,
00:09:18.334 --> 00:09:22.401
you know has to go down here.
00:09:22.401 --> 00:09:24.735
Look, I-I know
I fucked up, okay?
00:09:24.735 --> 00:09:27.835
I know I fucked up,
but you got to help me.
00:09:27.835 --> 00:09:30.035
You got to help me.
Miles, please.
00:09:30.035 --> 00:09:34.668
He becomes despondent,
and it is Miles
00:09:34.668 --> 00:09:38.601
who now
has to seize control of the team
00:09:38.601 --> 00:09:41.168
and bring them back up.
00:09:41.168 --> 00:09:43.434
Man: You picked him up and
you fucked him in your bed...
00:09:43.434 --> 00:09:45.534
[ Radio playing indistinctly ]
00:09:45.534 --> 00:09:50.601
So teams are really
a useful structure to have
00:09:50.601 --> 00:09:54.334
because they allow
two simultaneous planes
00:09:54.334 --> 00:09:55.668
of interaction
00:09:55.668 --> 00:09:58.668
between the interior members
of the team,
00:09:58.668 --> 00:10:01.002
which often is the source
of the humor,
00:10:01.002 --> 00:10:06.835
and the exterior relationship
between the team
00:10:06.835 --> 00:10:11.334
and whatever forces
oppose them.
00:10:11.334 --> 00:10:14.835
There are lots of protagonists
00:10:14.835 --> 00:10:18.868
who take an hour
or more of the movie
00:10:18.868 --> 00:10:22.935
before they actually
do something heroic,
00:10:22.935 --> 00:10:27.002
and people who teach drama
and films talk
00:10:27.002 --> 00:10:29.002
about the reluctant hero.
00:10:29.002 --> 00:10:33.701
Well, a lot of heroes
are reluctant,
00:10:33.701 --> 00:10:40.167
but the hero must seize control
of his or her destiny.
00:10:40.167 --> 00:10:42.001
Aqaba.
00:10:44.267 --> 00:10:45.835
Aqaba.
00:10:45.835 --> 00:10:47.402
In terms of the film\'s
timing...
From the land.
00:10:47.402 --> 00:10:50.901
...this often occurs about
one hour into the film,
00:10:50.901 --> 00:10:52.901
whatever the length
of the film,
00:10:52.901 --> 00:10:58.934
which is why I call this
the one-hour pivot point.
00:10:58.934 --> 00:11:00.501
For example...
00:11:00.501 --> 00:11:02.335
Please, Marco, tell me.
00:11:02.335 --> 00:11:05.002
...going back
to \"The Godfather\" again...
00:11:05.002 --> 00:11:06.735
When Johnny
was first starting out,
00:11:06.735 --> 00:11:09.768
he was signed to this
personal service contract.
00:11:09.768 --> 00:11:11.768
Early in the film,
in the wedding,
00:11:11.768 --> 00:11:13.302
Michael Corleone,
00:11:13.302 --> 00:11:16.068
he tells his girlfriend,
Diane Keaton,
00:11:16.068 --> 00:11:20.601
this story about this horrible
thing that Luca Brasi did.
00:11:20.601 --> 00:11:23.135
Luca Brasi held a gun
to his head,
00:11:23.135 --> 00:11:25.601
and my father assured him
that either his brains
00:11:25.601 --> 00:11:29.501
or his signature
would be on the contract.
00:11:29.501 --> 00:11:30.968
And then he says to Kay...
00:11:30.968 --> 00:11:33.602
That\'s my family, Kay.
It\'s not me.
00:11:33.602 --> 00:11:37.768
But one hour into the film,
Michael is in the hospital
00:11:37.768 --> 00:11:40.601
and his father\'s life
is in danger,
00:11:40.601 --> 00:11:43.468
and he already has
five slugs in his back
00:11:43.468 --> 00:11:46.501
from the assassination attempt.
00:11:46.501 --> 00:11:50.468
And he says to his father...
00:11:50.468 --> 00:11:52.201
I\'m with you now.
00:11:54.034 --> 00:11:56.668
I\'m with you.
00:11:56.668 --> 00:12:00.968
The outsider becomes
the insider,
00:12:00.968 --> 00:12:04.368
and ultimately becomes the king.
00:12:04.368 --> 00:12:06.901
Goes back to Shakespeare.
00:12:06.901 --> 00:12:11.168
Couldn\'t be a more classic
dramatic structure.
00:12:11.168 --> 00:12:16.469
But what if Michael didn\'t say,
\"I\'m with you, Pop?\"
00:12:16.469 --> 00:12:23.134
There\'s no movie. It\'s ended.
It\'s going to go nowhere.
00:12:25.168 --> 00:12:28.534
You have a character
who starts someplace
00:12:28.534 --> 00:12:30.134
and he ends
at the same place
00:12:30.134 --> 00:12:31.301
and there\'s no...
00:12:31.301 --> 00:12:32.735
Come right in,
Mr. Cain.
00:12:32.735 --> 00:12:36.302
...movement up or down.
00:12:36.302 --> 00:12:39.002
I don\'t want to make this
into a formula.
00:12:39.002 --> 00:12:42.534
It happens in an astonishing
number of films,
00:12:42.534 --> 00:12:45.168
around one hour.
00:12:45.168 --> 00:12:51.035
The characters stops reacting to
the forces outside themselves,
00:12:51.035 --> 00:12:54.735
their fate,
and seizes control of the power
00:12:54.735 --> 00:12:58.135
that lies within them,
their destiny.
00:12:58.135 --> 00:13:00.568
I don\'t suppose
anybody would introduce us.
00:13:00.568 --> 00:13:02.035
And in the case
of \"Citizen Kane,\"
00:13:02.035 --> 00:13:06.968
Kane comes in
and there is his wife,
00:13:06.968 --> 00:13:11.568
his mistress, and boss,
Jim W. Gettys.
00:13:11.568 --> 00:13:15.035
Gettys essentially
blackmails Kane.
00:13:15.035 --> 00:13:17.101
Are you coming,
Charles?
00:13:19.434 --> 00:13:20.735
No.
00:13:20.735 --> 00:13:24.201
And Kane stiffens up.
00:13:24.201 --> 00:13:25.401
I\'m staying here.
00:13:25.401 --> 00:13:27.735
Much of the first
half of the film,
00:13:27.735 --> 00:13:28.935
he\'s in the ascendant....
00:13:28.935 --> 00:13:30.435
I can fight this all alone.
Charles.
00:13:30.435 --> 00:13:34.601
He gets to this scene,
and it\'s all downhill.
00:13:34.601 --> 00:13:35.968
Your little boy.
00:13:35.968 --> 00:13:37.568
You don\'t want him to read
about you in the papers.
00:13:37.568 --> 00:13:39.135
There\'s only one person
in the world
00:13:39.135 --> 00:13:41.301
to decide what I\'m going to do,
and that\'s me.
00:13:44.268 --> 00:13:47.134
You decided what
you were going to do, Charles,
00:13:47.134 --> 00:13:50.268
some time ago.
00:13:50.268 --> 00:13:55.302
A classic
kind of tragic structure.
00:13:55.302 --> 00:13:56.835
You\'re making a bigger
fool of yourself
00:13:56.835 --> 00:13:58.135
than I thought
you would, Mr. Kane.
00:13:58.135 --> 00:13:59.668
I\'ve got nothing
to talk to you about.
00:13:59.668 --> 00:14:02.434
Film presents us with a problem.
00:14:02.434 --> 00:14:07.768
Don\'t worry about me!
I\'m Charles Foster Kane!
00:14:07.768 --> 00:14:13.102
Because the character
in a film is not real,
00:14:13.102 --> 00:14:16.768
the actor is real.
Dennis!
00:14:16.768 --> 00:14:18.268
I\'m going to send you...
00:14:18.268 --> 00:14:24.267
And some actors have
something that we often call
00:14:24.267 --> 00:14:26.868
a persona,
00:14:26.868 --> 00:14:29.935
from which of course
we get \"person.\"
00:14:29.935 --> 00:14:35.268
\"Persona\" in ancient theater
was literally a mask,
00:14:35.268 --> 00:14:38.835
and going way back
into the silent era,
00:14:38.835 --> 00:14:41.335
Charlie Chaplin was often said
00:14:41.335 --> 00:14:45.135
to be the most
recognizable man on earth,
00:14:45.135 --> 00:14:49.469
but they were talking about
the persona of Charlie Chaplin,
00:14:49.469 --> 00:14:54.601
the guy with the hat
and the cane and the funny shoes
00:14:54.601 --> 00:14:56.068
and the funny walk.
00:14:56.068 --> 00:15:00.935
The real Charlie Chaplin
could often go unrecognized.
00:15:00.935 --> 00:15:02.168
I thought I\'d just drop in.
00:15:02.168 --> 00:15:05.002
Brad Pitt is
an accomplished actor,
00:15:05.002 --> 00:15:07.168
but more important
than his acting,
00:15:07.168 --> 00:15:11.335
what fans are responding
to is his persona.
00:15:11.335 --> 00:15:15.102
In fact, some of the greatest
stars in film history
00:15:15.102 --> 00:15:17.935
have often been little more
than their personas.
00:15:17.935 --> 00:15:19.168
You\'re kidding me, right?
00:15:19.168 --> 00:15:23.334
And Brad Pitt
has a great persona.
00:15:23.334 --> 00:15:24.935
As I\'ve said before,
00:15:24.935 --> 00:15:29.502
it\'s important
when looking at characterization
00:15:29.502 --> 00:15:34.768
to pay attention not so much
to the psyche of the character,
00:15:34.768 --> 00:15:38.002
but the psyche
of the audience.
00:15:38.002 --> 00:15:41.402
Not too long after
the Soviet revolution,
00:15:41.402 --> 00:15:45.102
the Russians founded
the world\'s first film school,
00:15:45.102 --> 00:15:50.068
and they were trying to discover
what\'s the nature of film.
00:15:50.068 --> 00:15:53.068
There was a professor,
Lev Kuleshov.
00:15:53.068 --> 00:15:56.002
He did an experiment
that\'s gone down in history
00:15:56.002 --> 00:15:58.235
as the Kuleshov Experiment.
00:15:58.235 --> 00:16:01.469
He hired a friend of his,
Ivan Mosjoukine,
00:16:01.469 --> 00:16:07.135
who was considered the greatest
male actor in the Soviet Union.
00:16:07.135 --> 00:16:11.601
He put Ivan Mosjoukine
in front of a camera and said,
00:16:11.601 --> 00:16:18.469
\"I want you to look into
the camera and express nothing.\"
00:16:18.469 --> 00:16:22.334
Kuleshov took a stock shot
of a bowl of soup, steaming,
00:16:22.334 --> 00:16:25.168
and then the shot
of Ivan Mosjoukine
00:16:25.168 --> 00:16:28.601
looking at the camera,
expressionless.
00:16:28.601 --> 00:16:32.335
And then he took a stock shot
of a child in a coffin,
00:16:32.335 --> 00:16:36.235
used the same shot
of Ivan Mosjoukine.
00:16:36.235 --> 00:16:39.602
And then he had a shot
of a woman on a couch
00:16:39.602 --> 00:16:45.601
and Ivan Mosjoukine looking at
the camera with no expression.
00:16:45.601 --> 00:16:52.002
Audiences raved at the range
of this great actor
00:16:52.002 --> 00:16:55.868
how he expressed
how famished he was
00:16:55.868 --> 00:16:58.135
in front of that bowl of soup,
00:16:58.135 --> 00:17:05.002
how heartbroken
he was at his child.
00:17:05.002 --> 00:17:07.202
Nothing had identified
any relationship
00:17:07.202 --> 00:17:10.002
between the child
and the actor.
00:17:10.002 --> 00:17:14.035
The audience read
that story into it.
00:17:14.035 --> 00:17:17.469
And the woman
in the couch, desire.
00:17:17.469 --> 00:17:23.469
What Kuleshov proved is you
don\'t want theatrical acting
00:17:23.469 --> 00:17:28.135
in which the actor projects
to the back of the house.
00:17:28.135 --> 00:17:33.968
Thanks to technology,
film is an intimate medium.
00:17:33.968 --> 00:17:37.468
The actor does not need
to project.
00:17:37.468 --> 00:17:42.568
The audience is projecting
onto the actor
00:17:42.568 --> 00:17:47.835
the emotions they think
the actor is feeling,
00:17:47.835 --> 00:17:53.034
even though the actor
isn\'t expressing any emotion.
00:17:55.435 --> 00:17:58.868
Look at Clint Eastwood
in his earlier films,
00:17:58.868 --> 00:18:00.535
especially the Western.
00:18:00.535 --> 00:18:07.201
He\'s got a great jaw and he sets
it and scowls and that\'s it.
00:18:07.201 --> 00:18:11.701
Go ahead.
Make my day.
00:18:11.701 --> 00:18:17.868
Harrison Ford in \"Star Wars,\"
in \"Blade Runner,\"
00:18:17.868 --> 00:18:20.435
in \"Indiana Jones.\"
[ Laughter ]
00:18:20.435 --> 00:18:26.202
Ask yourself every so often,
what is this actor expressing?
00:18:26.202 --> 00:18:31.068
Very often, the answer
will be nothing.
00:18:31.068 --> 00:18:36.701
Film acting is reacting.
Film acting is editing.
00:18:36.701 --> 00:18:42.801
It\'s putting together shots
in juxtaposition with each other
00:18:42.801 --> 00:18:46.368
so that they mean something new.
00:18:49.134 --> 00:18:51.102
Who creates the story?
00:18:51.102 --> 00:18:54.301
Woman:
You\'re so scared.
00:18:54.301 --> 00:18:56.268
You think it was your fault?
00:18:56.268 --> 00:19:01.267
You might say the editor,
but ultimately...
00:19:01.267 --> 00:19:02.534
How do you feel now?
00:19:02.534 --> 00:19:06.435
...the audience creates
the story.
00:19:06.435 --> 00:19:11.701
Directors and writers and actors
have to be saying
00:19:11.701 --> 00:19:17.135
what\'s going on in the heads
of the people watching it?
00:19:17.135 --> 00:19:20.469
How are they feeling?
What are they thinking?
00:19:20.469 --> 00:19:27.935
What are they confused by?
What\'s going on in here?
00:19:27.935 --> 00:19:34.801
That\'sthemost important aspect
of considering a character.
00:19:34.801 --> 00:19:41.268
A great film consists of a
great character in great scenes.
00:19:41.268 --> 00:19:43.369
You know, I have just
as many feelings as you do,
00:19:43.369 --> 00:19:46.335
and it hurts just as much when
somebody steps all over them.
00:19:46.335 --> 00:19:49.468
Don\'t you ever,
ever compare yourself to me.
00:19:49.468 --> 00:19:53.135
Okay? You got everything,
and I got shit.
00:19:53.135 --> 00:19:57.134
\"The Breakfast Club\" is filled
with memorable characters.
00:19:57.134 --> 00:19:59.202
In this 20 minute scene,
00:19:59.202 --> 00:20:01.601
which starts an hour
into the film,
00:20:01.601 --> 00:20:04.135
is where the truth-telling
begins.
00:20:04.135 --> 00:20:05.301
Okay, so go home
and cry to your daddy.
00:20:05.301 --> 00:20:07.335
Don\'t cry here, okay?
00:20:07.335 --> 00:20:11.369
It is the scene upon which
you build something
00:20:11.369 --> 00:20:15.534
that we either instantly forget
or we remember.
00:20:15.534 --> 00:20:19.101
My God. Are we going to be
like our parents?
00:20:19.101 --> 00:20:20.301
Not me.
00:20:20.301 --> 00:20:23.468
A single scene is enough
in itself
00:20:23.468 --> 00:20:26.267
to cause people
to recall that movie.
00:20:26.267 --> 00:20:30.601
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
00:20:30.601 --> 00:20:34.434
In \"When Harry met Sally,\"
it\'s this one.
00:20:34.434 --> 00:20:36.934
Oh, yes!
I\'ll have what she\'s having.
00:20:38.634 --> 00:20:43.167
Or Rocky running up
those steps in Philadelphia
00:20:43.167 --> 00:20:45.867
as the music swelled.
00:20:47.768 --> 00:20:52.001
A movie only needs a couple
of memorable scenes...
00:20:52.001 --> 00:20:53.501
And I\'m ready!
00:20:53.501 --> 00:20:55.501
...to have a chance
of being remembered...
00:20:55.501 --> 00:20:56.901
[ Singing ]
00:20:56.901 --> 00:21:01.568
...and even to have a chance
of winning an Academy Award.
00:21:01.568 --> 00:21:05.167
Which is why when you see
compilations
00:21:05.167 --> 00:21:07.668
of Academy Award films...
00:21:07.668 --> 00:21:08.868
God Almighty.
00:21:08.868 --> 00:21:13.201
...You tend to see the same
one or two clips
00:21:13.201 --> 00:21:14.501
shown over and over.
00:21:14.501 --> 00:21:17.601
So people refer to
\"On the Waterfront,\"
00:21:17.601 --> 00:21:21.334
a great film starring
Marlon Brando,
00:21:21.334 --> 00:21:23.768
and I yawn as I wait for them
00:21:23.768 --> 00:21:28.835
to run the scene in the taxi
where Brando says...
00:21:28.835 --> 00:21:33.501
I coulda had class.
I could have been a contender.
00:21:33.501 --> 00:21:36.434
I could have been somebody.
00:21:36.434 --> 00:21:38.501
Instead of a bum.
That scene...
00:21:38.501 --> 00:21:40.434
Which is what I am,
let\'s face it.
00:21:40.434 --> 00:21:43.601
...is a microcosm
of the macrocosm.
00:21:43.601 --> 00:21:47.568
The film is about loyalty
and betrayal,
00:21:47.568 --> 00:21:51.668
and his brother
has betrayed him.
00:21:51.668 --> 00:21:54.468
And that\'s what
that character is about.
00:21:54.468 --> 00:21:55.601
Okay.
00:21:55.601 --> 00:21:59.568
What he is looking for
is respect
00:21:59.568 --> 00:22:03.001
inside here,
not just out there.
00:22:06.469 --> 00:22:11.468
James Bond is a memorable
character in memorable scenes,
00:22:11.468 --> 00:22:15.335
but most people can\'t remember
the whole film
00:22:15.335 --> 00:22:20.668
because the most memorable scene
is the chase scene.
00:22:20.668 --> 00:22:24.901
And more than any other
art form,
00:22:24.901 --> 00:22:30.468
films are really, really good
at capturing movement
00:22:30.468 --> 00:22:32.935
through space and time.
00:22:32.935 --> 00:22:35.835
That\'s what a chase is.
00:22:35.835 --> 00:22:40.801
That\'s why there are so many
chase scenes in so many movies.
00:22:40.801 --> 00:22:45.267
And by the way, the name of this
film was \"The Spy Who Loved Me,\"
00:22:45.267 --> 00:22:47.268
in case you forgot.
00:22:47.268 --> 00:22:51.967
The medium when it was
first created was called
00:22:51.967 --> 00:22:54.067
\"moving pictures.\"
00:22:57.135 --> 00:22:59.801
That\'s what happens in a chase.
00:22:59.801 --> 00:23:04.002
Constant movement
through time and space
00:23:04.002 --> 00:23:09.201
and cross-cutting,
which all chases depend on.
00:23:10.634 --> 00:23:13.868
We see the chaser
and then the chasee,
00:23:13.868 --> 00:23:16.468
and we go back and forth
and back and forth.
00:23:16.468 --> 00:23:18.502
So again, we\'re modulating.
00:23:18.502 --> 00:23:23.835
We are having a movement
that\'s going up and down.
00:23:23.835 --> 00:23:31.534
The Jason Bourne series is
one continuous chase sequence,
00:23:31.534 --> 00:23:36.501
but I\'m not knocking the series.
00:23:36.501 --> 00:23:41.835
Steven Spielberg is a master
of chase scenes.
00:23:41.835 --> 00:23:43.735
[ Roaring ]
00:23:43.735 --> 00:23:46.868
And what could be scarier
for the characters
00:23:46.868 --> 00:23:50.801
and entertaining for
the audience than to be chased
00:23:50.801 --> 00:23:54.767
by the dinosaurs
of \"Jurassic Park?\"
00:23:55.934 --> 00:23:58.369
[ Roars ]
00:23:58.369 --> 00:24:02.868
In \"E.T.,\" a movie which people
think of as a child\'s film,
00:24:02.868 --> 00:24:07.401
to their loss,
because the film is about loss.
00:24:07.401 --> 00:24:11.401
And there\'s the scene
in which Elliot,
00:24:11.401 --> 00:24:14.568
the young boy, kidnaps E.T..
00:24:14.568 --> 00:24:16.468
He\'s a man
from outer space,
00:24:16.468 --> 00:24:18.901
and we\'re taking him
to a spaceship.
00:24:18.901 --> 00:24:21.369
And they\'re chased
by all these cop cars
00:24:21.369 --> 00:24:27.900
and secret government agencies,
and they get on bicycles.
00:24:29.301 --> 00:24:30.634
[ Grunting ]
00:24:30.634 --> 00:24:31.701
Bicycles.
00:24:31.701 --> 00:24:32.900
Here we go.
00:24:32.900 --> 00:24:34.401
To the forest!
00:24:34.401 --> 00:24:37.434
[ Siren whooping ]
00:24:37.434 --> 00:24:39.102
Follow me!
00:24:39.102 --> 00:24:43.768
And the kids are going up
and down hills and so on.
00:24:43.768 --> 00:24:49.534
Police and the chasers are
right behind them, catching up.
00:24:49.534 --> 00:24:52.135
And it looks like,
oh, they\'re trapped.
00:24:52.135 --> 00:24:54.102
Those adults
are going to catch them
00:24:54.102 --> 00:24:56.334
and they\'re going to put E.T.
away and he\'s going to die.
00:24:58.101 --> 00:24:59.368
Oh!
00:25:06.334 --> 00:25:10.934
The bikes magically head up.
00:25:13.134 --> 00:25:15.101
And they\'re flying.
00:25:18.301 --> 00:25:19.634
Like Icarus...
00:25:19.634 --> 00:25:21.101
Tell me when it\'s over!
00:25:21.101 --> 00:25:23.768
...in front of the sun.
00:25:23.768 --> 00:25:27.267
Therapists report
that one of the commonest
00:25:27.267 --> 00:25:30.102
of human dreams is flying.
00:25:30.102 --> 00:25:33.434
I used to dream, when I was
about eight years old,
00:25:33.434 --> 00:25:35.801
of flying.
00:25:35.801 --> 00:25:38.868
So when I saw that film
for the first time,
00:25:38.868 --> 00:25:41.434
I cheered along
with the audience.
00:25:41.434 --> 00:25:43.501
They\'d not only escaped,
00:25:43.501 --> 00:25:47.601
there\'s this
incredible exhilaration.
00:25:47.601 --> 00:25:52.434
And then we have
Steven Spielberg\'s \"Jaws.\"
00:25:54.901 --> 00:26:00.102
We think of \"Jaws\" as being
filled with action, which it is.
00:26:00.102 --> 00:26:04.568
But here is a scene in which
the most interesting character
00:26:04.568 --> 00:26:07.701
in the film,
Quint, played by Robert Shaw...
00:26:07.701 --> 00:26:09.401
Japanese submarine slammed
00:26:09.401 --> 00:26:11.835
two torpedoes into our side,
Chief.
00:26:11.835 --> 00:26:15.368
...tells a story
to two other guys,
00:26:15.368 --> 00:26:17.002
and we don\'t see any action.
00:26:17.002 --> 00:26:21.668
700 men went into the water.
Vessel went down in 12 minutes.
00:26:21.668 --> 00:26:25.168
Nothing more than
a lone talking head.
00:26:25.168 --> 00:26:28.102
Shark comes to the nearest man,
that man, he starts poundin\'
00:26:28.102 --> 00:26:29.901
and hollerin\' and screamin\'...
00:26:29.901 --> 00:26:34.068
Yet it\'s one of the most
memorable scenes in the film.
00:26:34.068 --> 00:26:38.835
They all come in
and they rip you to pieces.
00:26:38.835 --> 00:26:41.834
The chase within a chase.
00:26:46.534 --> 00:26:49.168
Earlier, I claim there is
no such thing
00:26:49.168 --> 00:26:52.768
as an interesting character,
but that there
00:26:52.768 --> 00:26:56.135
are only interesting
character relationships.
00:26:56.135 --> 00:26:59.068
The force is with you,
young Skywalker.
00:26:59.068 --> 00:27:02.501
One of the most powerful
of these relationships
00:27:02.501 --> 00:27:06.434
is when the character is
an intermediary.
00:27:07.469 --> 00:27:12.568
In \"Star Wars,\" the most popular
movie series ever made,
00:27:12.568 --> 00:27:17.067
what is the hero,
if not an intermediary?
00:27:22.568 --> 00:27:25.002
Heroes are intermediaries.
00:27:25.002 --> 00:27:26.901
Master Luke, sir,
it\'s so good
00:27:26.901 --> 00:27:28.501
to see you fully functional
again.
Luke: Thanks.
00:27:28.501 --> 00:27:31.568
An intermediary is someone
who mediates.
00:27:31.568 --> 00:27:33.601
A Jedi uses the force.
00:27:33.601 --> 00:27:37.168
That is, who acts as a link
between people
00:27:37.168 --> 00:27:42.835
who otherwise have no way
to relate to one another.
00:27:42.835 --> 00:27:47.634
In Spike Lee\'s
\"Do the Right Thing,\"
00:27:47.634 --> 00:27:50.568
the character Mookie,
a pizza delivery man,
00:27:50.568 --> 00:27:55.901
interacts with lots of
characters in the neighborhood.
00:27:55.901 --> 00:27:58.901
You have Ruby Dee,
who\'s Mother Sister.
00:27:58.901 --> 00:28:00.468
Mother Sister:
Good morning, Mookie.
00:28:00.468 --> 00:28:01.634
Good morning,
Ms. Mother Sister.
00:28:01.634 --> 00:28:03.135
Now, Mookie,
don\'t work too hard today.
00:28:03.135 --> 00:28:05.534
The man says it\'s gon\'
be hot as the devil.
00:28:05.534 --> 00:28:07.801
You have Pino...
00:28:07.801 --> 00:28:09.868
Late again.
...Sal, Vito...
00:28:09.868 --> 00:28:12.401
Sal, Vito.
Yo, Mook, what up?
00:28:12.401 --> 00:28:13.468
Morning, gentlemen.
00:28:13.468 --> 00:28:15.501
Ossie Davis is the mayor.
00:28:15.501 --> 00:28:16.634
Vito. Sam.
00:28:16.634 --> 00:28:17.967
Now, come on, Mookie.
00:28:17.967 --> 00:28:19.302
Tina...
00:28:19.302 --> 00:28:23.868
Radio Raheem,
Mister Señor Love Daddy,
00:28:23.868 --> 00:28:29.334
Hector, Smiley,
Buggin Out, and Jade.
00:28:29.334 --> 00:28:31.801
It\'s like the solar system.
00:28:31.801 --> 00:28:34.135
They\'re only folk
from his neighborhood,
00:28:34.135 --> 00:28:36.801
but they all revolve
around Mookie
00:28:36.801 --> 00:28:38.668
like planets around the sun.
00:28:38.668 --> 00:28:40.001
Who won consecutive --
00:28:40.001 --> 00:28:41.568
[ Both shouting ]
00:28:41.568 --> 00:28:42.634
What\'s up,
Buggin Out?
00:28:42.634 --> 00:28:44.068
Got you.
What\'s happening?
00:28:44.068 --> 00:28:48.035
One of the reasons
this solar system structure
00:28:48.035 --> 00:28:54.035
is the most powerful
of all storytelling structures
00:28:54.035 --> 00:28:58.634
is because it replicates
our own lives.
00:29:01.369 --> 00:29:05.402
Families with children
inevitably produce characters
00:29:05.402 --> 00:29:08.868
who are intermediaries
between their parents
00:29:08.868 --> 00:29:11.801
and between their siblings.
00:29:11.801 --> 00:29:13.469
Outside the families,
00:29:13.469 --> 00:29:17.102
intermediaries are those
who can go between different
00:29:17.102 --> 00:29:22.035
social groups, classes, races
and even enemies,
00:29:22.035 --> 00:29:27.801
between places most people
cannot go.
00:29:27.801 --> 00:29:30.868
This is a phenomenon
of storytelling
00:29:30.868 --> 00:29:33.901
that goes back
to ancient myths and religions,
00:29:33.901 --> 00:29:37.268
and is pretty much followed
throughout the course
00:29:37.268 --> 00:29:41.302
of human beings
telling stories to one another.
00:29:41.302 --> 00:29:45.435
Moses was an intermediary --
born a Hebrew,
00:29:45.435 --> 00:29:52.202
raised an Egyptian, commissioned
by God to go on a mission.
00:29:52.202 --> 00:29:57.868
Jesus was an intermediary
between man and God.
00:29:57.868 --> 00:30:00.901
The Buddha was born
the son of a king,
00:30:00.901 --> 00:30:03.302
kept isolated in the castle.
00:30:03.302 --> 00:30:08.901
He identifies
with what\'s out there.
00:30:08.901 --> 00:30:14.868
You have power that\'s granted
by both sides precisely
00:30:14.868 --> 00:30:19.035
because you can go between.
00:30:19.035 --> 00:30:23.434
We see how important being
an intermediary is in
00:30:23.434 --> 00:30:24.935
\"The Godfather.\"
00:30:24.935 --> 00:30:27.102
The story of the three
Corleone brothers
00:30:27.102 --> 00:30:31.935
uses a structure that parallels
Goldilocks and the Three Bears,
00:30:31.935 --> 00:30:34.202
in which one chair
is too hard,
00:30:34.202 --> 00:30:38.768
one is too soft,
and the other is just right.
00:30:38.768 --> 00:30:42.268
Looking at the Corleone boys,
one is too hard,
00:30:42.268 --> 00:30:47.068
one is too soft,
and the other is just right.
00:30:47.068 --> 00:30:51.202
The oldest son is Santino,
and as his father says,
00:30:51.202 --> 00:30:55.935
he always knew he was going to
take over the family business.
00:30:55.935 --> 00:30:58.268
The middle son is Fredo.
00:30:58.268 --> 00:31:03.102
Now, Santino and Fredo
have Italian names.
00:31:03.102 --> 00:31:07.035
Now the one who\'s just right
is named Michael.
00:31:07.035 --> 00:31:11.435
And the book, but not the film,
makes it quite explicit
00:31:11.435 --> 00:31:17.102
that his father wanted him
to become a true American.
00:31:17.102 --> 00:31:21.468
This son of a staunchly
Catholic family
00:31:21.468 --> 00:31:22.835
is told by his father
00:31:22.835 --> 00:31:26.202
that he wants him
to marry a Protestant
00:31:26.202 --> 00:31:30.168
so that he can become
more American.
00:31:30.168 --> 00:31:34.668
His father in the film
tells him just before he dies...
00:31:34.668 --> 00:31:37.135
When I was your time,
that...
00:31:37.135 --> 00:31:41.468
that you would be the one
to hold the strings.
00:31:41.468 --> 00:31:45.267
Senator Corleone.
00:31:45.267 --> 00:31:46.469
Governor Corleone.
00:31:46.469 --> 00:31:48.102
Well, the fact that Michael
is the only member
00:31:48.102 --> 00:31:50.835
of the Corleone family
who\'s gone to college
00:31:50.835 --> 00:31:53.335
makes him an intermediary.
00:31:53.335 --> 00:31:59.268
The fact that Michael can go
to the restaurant in Brooklyn
00:31:59.268 --> 00:32:02.668
and retrieve the gun
from behind the toilet
00:32:02.668 --> 00:32:07.534
is because it\'s understood
he\'s not a member of the family.
00:32:07.534 --> 00:32:10.768
But Michael\'s destiny
is to become the head
00:32:10.768 --> 00:32:13.502
of this very family
he rejected.
00:32:13.502 --> 00:32:18.068
If Sonny went to that
restaurant, if Fredo went,
00:32:18.068 --> 00:32:20.035
well, they\'d never get
to the restaurant
00:32:20.035 --> 00:32:23.835
because the other side
wouldn\'t trust them enough.
00:32:23.835 --> 00:32:28.167
So, Michael,
because he can go between,
00:32:28.167 --> 00:32:31.168
has the power to kill these men
00:32:31.168 --> 00:32:34.768
who have tried
to assassinate his father.
00:32:34.768 --> 00:32:38.268
[ Gunshot ]
00:32:38.268 --> 00:32:44.235
And Michael goes to Sicily and
marries a local Sicilian girl.
00:32:44.235 --> 00:32:46.268
Well, again,
he\'s an intermediary,
00:32:46.268 --> 00:32:49.935
going between the old country
and the new country.
00:32:49.935 --> 00:32:52.735
And she dies
in an auto explosion
00:32:52.735 --> 00:32:54.335
that was meant for Michael.
00:32:54.335 --> 00:32:57.401
So what does Michael do?
He comes back to the U.S.
00:32:57.401 --> 00:33:01.134
and reconnects with Kay,
Diane Keaton.
00:33:01.134 --> 00:33:04.002
He fulfills that wish
00:33:04.002 --> 00:33:06.235
of Michael
marrying a Protestant girl
00:33:06.235 --> 00:33:11.234
so he could become
more truly American.
00:33:11.234 --> 00:33:13.235
Rick Blaine is an intermediary
00:33:13.235 --> 00:33:17.067
who\'s trusted both by the
immigrants from around the world
00:33:17.067 --> 00:33:18.935
who come to his saloon,
00:33:18.935 --> 00:33:22.068
and the Vichy French
and the Nazis,
00:33:22.068 --> 00:33:25.102
who trust that
he\'s not political
00:33:25.102 --> 00:33:29.468
and wouldn\'t help Victor Laszlo
get out of the country.
00:33:29.468 --> 00:33:31.968
Do you know where
Mulwray is having lunch?
00:33:31.968 --> 00:33:34.434
No, I\'m sorry, I don\'t.
00:33:34.434 --> 00:33:37.335
Well, uh,
tell him I\'ll be back.
00:33:37.335 --> 00:33:41.235
Jack Nicholson\'s character,
Jake Gittes, in \"Chinatown\"
00:33:41.235 --> 00:33:46.068
is able to go between
the overworld and the underworld
00:33:46.068 --> 00:33:47.634
because he\'s a private eye.
00:33:47.634 --> 00:33:52.167
He\'s accepted by Noah Cross,
the villain of the story.
00:33:52.167 --> 00:33:55.035
He\'s accepted by the LAPD,
00:33:55.035 --> 00:33:57.868
and he\'s accepted
by Evelyn Mulwray,
00:33:57.868 --> 00:33:59.534
who becomes his lover.
00:33:59.534 --> 00:34:03.468
Notice again the triangle
in the construction.
00:34:03.468 --> 00:34:04.968
Oh!
00:34:04.968 --> 00:34:08.835
Many of the Pixar films
have at their center
00:34:08.835 --> 00:34:10.801
an intermediary.
00:34:10.801 --> 00:34:12.634
\"Wall-E,\"
00:34:12.634 --> 00:34:14.369
the \"Toy Story\"s,
00:34:14.369 --> 00:34:20.668
\"Ratatouille,\"
all going between here and here.
00:34:20.668 --> 00:34:27.035
\"Finding Nemo\" is really
about a fish out of water --
00:34:27.035 --> 00:34:28.835
somebody who doesn\'t belong.
00:34:28.835 --> 00:34:35.002
That\'s just another way of
saying they\'re an intermediary.
00:34:35.002 --> 00:34:36.668
\"Schindler\'s List\" is thought of
00:34:36.668 --> 00:34:42.868
as being this really important
film about the Holocaust.
00:34:42.868 --> 00:34:45.135
It\'s not about the Jews.
00:34:45.135 --> 00:34:49.002
It\'s about a Nazi who,
early in the film,
00:34:49.002 --> 00:34:51.302
is trying to ingratiate himself
00:34:51.302 --> 00:34:57.301
with the Nazi officers
to acquire power.
00:34:57.301 --> 00:35:00.469
And it\'s an hour into the film,
00:35:00.469 --> 00:35:04.369
when he\'s riding on a horse
with one of his lovers,
00:35:04.369 --> 00:35:09.035
and we see down below
the cleaning out of the ghetto
00:35:09.035 --> 00:35:13.202
and that famous shot of
the little girl in the red coat
00:35:13.202 --> 00:35:18.301
that he realizes the price
these human beings
00:35:18.301 --> 00:35:22.235
are paying for his success.
00:35:22.235 --> 00:35:25.602
Being an intermediary
is both a blessing
00:35:25.602 --> 00:35:30.601
for the acquisition of power
by the hero or protagonist,
00:35:30.601 --> 00:35:35.135
but it\'s also a curse,
because it means you\'re always,
00:35:35.135 --> 00:35:39.035
to a certain extent,
the outsider.
00:35:39.035 --> 00:35:41.369
We\'re all intermediaries.
00:35:41.369 --> 00:35:45.602
We\'re all going between
something or another.
00:35:45.602 --> 00:35:52.468
We continue to have a sense
we don\'t quite belong here,
00:35:52.468 --> 00:35:55.468
even when we really do belong.
00:35:55.468 --> 00:35:57.768
Take \"It\'s Wonderful Life\"
and its ending.
00:35:57.768 --> 00:36:03.369
Cheers and celebration and
a sense of embracing community
00:36:03.369 --> 00:36:07.368
over Jimmy Stewart\'s character,
George Bailey.
00:36:07.368 --> 00:36:09.335
But it\'s important to remember
this film
00:36:09.335 --> 00:36:12.935
began with George Bailey
about to commit suicide
00:36:12.935 --> 00:36:19.267
because he\'s lost the money
that will enable this community
00:36:19.267 --> 00:36:22.634
to be able to buy homes.
00:36:22.634 --> 00:36:25.168
One of the crucial scenes
in the film
00:36:25.168 --> 00:36:28.167
is George imagining
what life would be like
00:36:28.167 --> 00:36:29.935
if he hadn\'t been born.
00:36:29.935 --> 00:36:31.701
Strange, isn\'t it?
00:36:31.701 --> 00:36:34.601
Each man\'s life touches
so many other lives.
00:36:34.601 --> 00:36:39.002
Without him, he realizes
the community itself
00:36:39.002 --> 00:36:40.501
would be destroyed --
00:36:40.501 --> 00:36:46.335
that his role as somebody
who can go between
00:36:46.335 --> 00:36:48.701
is absolutely crucial
to the life of others.
00:36:48.701 --> 00:36:53.235
Get me back, get me back!
I don\'t care what happens to me.
00:36:53.235 --> 00:36:56.167
The position of being
an intermediary
00:36:56.167 --> 00:36:59.001
is often a source of power.
00:36:59.001 --> 00:37:00.835
[ All shouting ]
00:37:00.835 --> 00:37:03.034
Look at the people you know.
00:37:03.034 --> 00:37:06.534
Look at yourself.
Distributor: GOOD DOCS
Length: 38 minutes
Date: 2024
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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