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January 07, 2005
The Misfits
David asked us to think about whether there was some existentialism in The Misfits. Such a theme came through clearest for me in the question (wondered by both Roslyn & Gay - Monroe & Gable, that is): Is marriage "it"? Which seemed to mean: are you secure in life from then on out? Their answer: no, there is never an "it" in life, in this sense. There is only change, "the next thing" I think Roslyn called it.
Which leads me to wonder if the movie had a happy ending, and, if so, if it was appropriate (something else we wondered about in the discussion). I think the *movie* ended happily, yes, and that this was appropriate (the last view seemed to have put me in the minority). The movie had ups and downs throughout, and the *movie* ended on more of an "up", at least for the main characters, Roslyn & Gay. What's wrong with that? Why is it so important that the movie end on a "down"? (I could guess some things, but I'd like to hear what people say.)
I'd add that, although the *movie* ended happily (and abruptly, too), the movie suggested to me no guarantee that the *story* ended happily. The movie suggested more powerfully that life has ups and downs and you never know what the next thing will be. Once you get this from the movie, why is it important that the movie end on a down rather than an up?
Finally, anyone who'd like to help clarify the meaning of the paddleball scene, please comment right away. ... 14, 15, 16 ... - Drew
Posted by lyceum at January 7, 2005 10:40 AM
Comments
"The movie suggested more powerfully that life has ups and downs and you never know what the next thing will be. Once you get this from the movie, why is it important that the movie end on a down rather than an up?"
I think it's extremely important whether a movie has a happy ending or not. After all that can reflect a whole philosophy. It shows us whether the filmmaker is optimist or pessimist, or--in other cases--if he/she views the world realistically or "through a pink glass fuzzily" :) It also affects our perception of the whole movie. Think of Chinatown with a happy ending. It would have been a completely different (and pretty bad) movie, (e.g. as LA Confidential). The Misfits would have benefitted from a "non-happy" ending, esp. because that would have been truer to the emotional sincerity of the rest of the movie. I feel that in this movie there are "no happy endings, just the next thing" to paraphrase Roslyn.
On another note, it's interesting to see (I mean this is my interpretation), how Arthur Miller saw his wife at this time (maybe a year before their divorce; they divorced two months after the movie wrapped): as a very fickle stripper, who was sensitive on the edge of being crazy, but also as a star who "was endlessly fascinating, full of original observations...there wasn't a conventional bone in her body." (http://ellensplace.net/marilyn.html)
The paddleball scene is a little entertainment for us, sexist men, including--of course--Arthur Miller :)
Laszlo
Posted by: Laszlo at January 7, 2005 09:59 PM
Nice comments from Drew and Laslo. I'm going to put in that the happy ending worked for me because Gay and Roslyn were likeable characters and seemed genuinely to love each other. I think at this time in American life, many women ended up with the "Gays" out there (not gays - oh, you know what I mean) with whom they had to just shut up and put up with some pretty macho posturing. For all of Roslyn's insights and wisdom and sensitivity she was playing the seductive, male-oriented game along with the rest of them. I suppose the end of the movie gave me hope that Gay would have softened and integrated a bit more of his anima through Roslyn and she would have felt finally some "home" with Gay. I like the Misfits because its a transitional movie: clearly immersed in the structures of the past, the characters suffered because "the times, they were a changin".
Posted by: David at January 13, 2005 03:47 PM
Any interest, if these showings get really big or you want them to, to have them at Twiropa in the VIP room? Just a thunk.
Posted by: blake at January 31, 2005 09:37 AM