Fisher - Presumed Innocent

Early on in the making of Presumed Innocent, there was conflict between producer Sidney Pollack and director Alan J. Pakula about whether the focus of the film should be on lead character Rusty Sabich’s sexual attraction to murder victim, Carolyn Polhemus, or something deeper. “Pakula wanted to make the passion angle secondary to a story about the justice system and the irony of a man of presumably high morality being victimized by the very system he has served so diligently for so many years. Ultimately, Pakula’s vision won out” (Pfeiffer 184). This could not be made more evident in the intense court room scenes and is established with the opening and closing monologues of the movie.

It is well known that in any case brought to court, the convicted is “innocent until proven guilty.” The tides are clearly turned against Rusty the instant he is accused of the murder. None of Rusty’s long-time colleagues jumps to his defense, but rather give way immediately to the belief that Rusty committed this heinous crime for various reasons. The first is that it is the most convenient explanation, providing people with a sense of security to know that the crime was solved swiftly and efficiently and no murderer is on the loose. The second is that it supports their own selfish purposes to blame Rusty for the crime, making themselves feel better in the morally shaky decisions they have made in their life because it has not been as bad as Rusty’s wrongdoing. This idea is embodied in Raymond Horgan, Rusty’s boss and mentor. After discovering that Rusty has also had an affair with Carolyn, he jumps to the conclusion that Rusty murdered her out of jealousy and to sabotage Raymond’s political career. In fact, his belief that Rusty has betrayed him reveals his own insecurities. If Rusty did not commit the murder, it would mean that Carolyn was only sleeping with Raymond to advance her own career, rather than out of genuine interest, and that Raymond had placed his trust in the wrong person.

Finally, Rusty’s presumed innocence is undermined by Rusty’s colleagues’ ultimate willingness to send him to jail for a crime he did not commit. Being framed in order to cover up the bribery scandal that Carolyn was involved in shows not only the characters’ disregard for Rusty’s well-being, but also for the sworn purpose of their jobs: to bring real criminals to justice. This is especially seen when the coroner, Dr. Kumagai, attempts to deny notes that he wrote down while examining Carolyn’s body while on the witness stand and tries to change his original theory of how Carolyn was murdered. He even goes so far as to refuse to explain what a tubal ligation is. The blatant denials of various sketchy pieces of evidence in the case truly frame Rusty’s predicament as the blame is placed squarely upon his shoulders with little room for help.
 

Fisher: Witness

“Ford was determined to make the character of John Book more than just another wise-cracking, head-splitting, big-city cop” (Pfeiffer 149). When John Book enters Rachel’s Amish society to hide himself and Samuel from his corrupt superiors, he learns about different aspects of Amish society that have a profound effect upon him.

At the beginning of the film, Book, like the tourists shown later in the film, shows ambivalence towards Rachel and her son’s Amish practices. However, after being integrated into the Amish daily life, he grows to respect the group’s values of community and hard work. For instance, rather than distancing himself to do personal work on his car, Book joins in a community barn raising event. Book’s participation shows that he appreciates the Amish work ethic and supports their way of life, even if he believes that he doesn’t belong in it. He has separated himself from other “Englishmen” by educating himself about Amish life and accepting it.

While living in hiding, Book also learns to practice restraint around his hosts. In the city, Book is shown to be rather impulsive, such as when he and his partner drive to a dive bar immediately after leaving the crime scene to forcefully grab a possible suspect. He also disregards his sister Elaine’s personal plans and tramps into her house last minute in order to find a place to keep his key witness. In contrast, in his time in the Lapp house, he willingly relents his gun and bullets to Rachel for safe keeping. Additionally, rather than acting on the instinctive attraction between him and Rachel, he takes time to understand the repercussions of entering a physical relationship with her and lets it go.

Although Book still believes in administering justice through violence, as seen when he breaks a boy’s nose for antagonizing some members of the Amish community, the conclusion of the movie strongly contrasts Book’s views. In the final confrontation between Book and Schaeffer, Book persuades Schaeffer to surrender by appealing to Schaeffer’s humanity rather than through brutality. It cannot be said that Book has now become a pacifist, but this experience has perhaps shown him that, as Eli Lapp says, there is always more than one way to resolve a conflict.

While Book undergoes these transformations, there is one subject that he never changes on: religion. At no point in the film does Book ever relent to his environment’s serious religious beliefs, other than praying at the dinner table to be polite. This unmovable part of John Book is an important factor in his decision to leave. Rachel lives her lifestyle not just because of her devotion to the values of community and hard work, but also because she conforms to a religious code. Book cannot change who he is at his core in order to be with her, which is ultimately why he leaves. 

Fisher - Blade Runner 1991 vs. 1982

Although I am admittedly still not the hugest fan of the Blade Runner movies, I did prefer Ridley Scott’s directorial cut over the theatrical 1982 release. The most notable differences between the two films were the removal of Harrison Ford’s voice over and the cut of the escapade ending in the 1991 version. 

Without the voice over, the film did move at a slower pace, with many moments of drawn out, silent pauses between points of highly heated action. However, the lack of added commentary provided these scenes with a calm intensity as viewers stretch to discern how Rick must feel and compare his ideas with their own feelings of the strange world he lives in. I will say that Ridley Scott did choose to stretch out some of these periods for too long, almost to the point that thy were on the verge than the of being rendered meaningless, but overall I think the effect was to make the film more of a think piece theatrical cut. 

This theme of creating a thought-provoking environment for the reader is reinforced by the open-ended conclusion to the director’s cut. By not handing audiences a happy conclusion that clears up any doubts about the future of Rick and Rachel’s relationship, the unresolved ending leaves people wondering how Rick and Rachel will make things work. It invites questions into the nature of the lovers’ relationship, from its questionable beginning to the two’s fundamental physical differences to whether or not Rachel will even live long enough for any major disparities to occur. 

Although I feel fairly confident that I would prefer the director’s cut over the first version we watched in class, I would be interested to see what my opinion would have been if we had watched the 1991 version before the 1982 one and before reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Despite the fact that the voice over created an artificial mood for the movie because of its blatant attempts to pander to the audience’s needs, I feel that without it or without having read the book, I would have felt hopelessly lost at certain points in the film. For instance, when Gaff first speaks to Rick at the outdoor restaurant, without the short explanation of what CitySpeak is, I would not have understood why another human was speaking a different language. Another example of this occurs when Bryant calls the Replicants “skinjobs.” With no explanation, it would have taken me until almost halfway through the film when Rick and Bryant are speaking with each other after Rick has retired Zhora to understand that he was referring to the androids in a derogatory manner. Ultimately though, I prefer the director’s cut to the theatrical version.

Fisher: Blade Runner

The ending of the 1982 original theatrical release of Blade Runner has a sharp contrast with the tone set for the rest of the movie. It is easy to see that the studio, rather than director Ridley Scott or lead Harrison Ford, insisted upon shooting this separate ending. The final scene involves detective Rick Deckard “riding off into the sunset” with the android he has fallen in love with, Rachael. The setting takes place on the winding roads of some mountainous region that is colored in with green trees and blue skies. This obviously leads us to imply that they have escaped the dark, dirty metropolis that they endured on Earth and have moved to a different planet that is unaffected by whatever tragedy struck their home planet. Another sharp contrast between this final scene and the rest of the film involves the lighting. The final scene is shot in bright, sunny tones that illuminate the scenic views of the setting and bathe the frame in a warm glow. This lighting is meant to provide viewers with a feeling of hope for the future of the dilapidated world. Since Rick and Rachael can endure the hardships they have faced, then perhaps the rest of the broken people will find a way to make things work out too. However, this is a fantastical break from the entire purpose of the rest of the film. The first ¾ asks audiences to ponder the nature of their humanity and the morality of killing things that so closely resemble human beings. The darkness and constant rain, pouring in condensed and crowded streets cluttered with litter, heap on the feelings of despair. Therefore, the happy conclusion contradicts many of the plot’s pre-established themes.

Audiences did not respond well to this contrast, as Pfeiffer points out: “The film’s conclusion was the most lambasted ‘feel good’ ending since Hitchcock was forced to water down Suspicion to show Cary Grant as a hero. Audiences were no more impressed with the ‘new, improved’ Blade Runner than they had been with the original cut” (Pfeiffer 124). Producers assumed that all audiences wanted to see was a happy ending, but it should be pointed out that it may have been better to leave the film the way it was. Although advance screenings resulted in negative reviews, it perhaps would have been more conducive to release a more complete and well-rounded film that audiences did not enjoy since the subject matter left them uncomfortable as opposed to releasing a film of poor structure that attempts to soothe viewers’ unease by pandering to cliché means of enjoyment. I would be far more interested in seeing the original ending that results in “loose ends untied, and the audience had to speculate as to how the couple fared” (Pfeiffer 124).

Fisher: Androids

                I chose to dispute the author’s opinion of Iran’s empathic feelings in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The author claims that Iran “exists in her own little world, a world consisting of her compassion for Wilbur Mercer, the Penfield organ, and first the sheep, the goat, then lastly the toad” (Heilemann 6). Although Iran does keep herself preoccupied with these material things, she displays a wider acknowledgement for the world around her. When Iran explains her mood schedule to Rick, telling him, “’My first reaction consisted of being grateful that we could afford a Penfield mood organ. But then I read how unhealthy it was, sensing the absence of life, not just in this building but everywhere, and not reacting - do you see?’” (Dick ch. 1). She first expresses her distaste for owning a mood organ, showing her lack of concern for her and Rick’s possessions, a sentiment echoed by her earlier dismissal of Rick’s complaint of not owning a real sheep. In this statement, she also shows her concern with her inability to feel shows her desire to be part of the outside world again. However, she understands that this world has essentially died off, which perhaps explains her devotion to Mercerism as it is the only way to properly contact other human beings. Since she displays such an acute awareness of her situation in life and the state of the environment she lives in, I would hardly say that she is incapable of true empathy.

                The author goes on to point out her disinterest in Rick as a person, stating “Iran’s attention is never properly directed towards Rick, as one might believe with them being married and all” (Heilemann 6). When Rick returns from his trip to the desert, Iran expresses concern for his well-being twice. First, when she discovers that the toad is electric and sees the disappointment that consumes Rick, she says, “’Maybe I shouldn't have told you - about it being electrical.’ She put her hand out, touched his arm; she felt guilty, seeing the effect it had on him, the change” (Dick ch. 21). Her main priority is not ownership of the toad or righteousness over proving her husband wrong, or even disappointment over the discovery that the toad is fake. Rather, her first inclination is to check on her husband’s emotional state. Next, after he laments his day’s activities to her, she comforts him by saying, “’I'm just damn glad to have you come back home where you ought to be.’ She kissed him and that seemed to please him; his face lit up, almost as much as before - before she had shown him that the toad was electric” (Dick ch. 21). Although she could have easily blamed Rick for the incident with the goat or ridiculed him for believing the toad was real, she disregards both animals and is only interested in having her husband there. Thus, we can see that perhaps they both act like a married couple after all.

The author also says that “Her compassion, representative for the rest of humanity, towards the animals seems to be rather fleeting. Although she seems at first crushed over the loss of the goat, her attention immediately moves onto the toad as soon as Rick walks in the door with it” (Heilemann 6). I think in this case it is important to point out that Iran was the one who realized that the toad Rick finds was electric. She does not place it on a pedestal as Rick does and sees past the façade that hope can sometimes bring. Therefore, I would not say that her compassion is fleeting, since she was obviously not so enraptured by the possibility of finding a live toad that she was willing delude herself into believing it was real.

Fisher: The Last Crusade

                After the less than satisfactory reception by critics of Temple of Doom, “Spielberg, Ford, and executive producers George Lucas and Frank Marshall agreed that the series had to recapture the humor and fun of Raiders of the Lost Ark” (Pfeiffer 175) in order to regain the public’s good graces towards the character of Indiana Jones. The beginning sequence of The Last Crusade definitely provides much of that entertainment and good-humored fun, with the vicious python in the box of snakes and the whip that cuts Indy’s chin when he tames the lion. However, it also allows audiences insight into the reasons for why Indiana Jones acts the way he does.

                When we are first introduced to the young Indy, he is traveling with his Boy Scout troop through the rocky terrain of Utah. This characteristic instantly makes Indiana more relatable to the common viewer and creates the picture of Indy as a human, not as a “being,” as screenwriter Jeffrey Boam puts it. This forges almost an instant connection with audience members who remember what it was like to travel with the scouts in their youth and get into trouble, even though Indiana’s is definitely a more extreme kind of rule-breaking. This also establishes that whatever grave robber or mercenary Indiana becomes later in life, he was brought up on morals and values and originally had good motives for his thievery.

                The flashback also explains Indiana’s distaste for authority, as after risking his life to keep Coronado’s Cross away from the band of thieves, it is taken away from him. He is first neglected by his father who shows complete disinterest in his achievement and instead tells Indy to recite Greek. In this portion of the scene, we come to understand the source of Indiana’s aptitude for archaeology but also the source of his cavalier attitude and inability to form solid relationships with other people. Of course, the Jones’ conflict with each other becomes the premise of the rest of the movie. Next, Indiana’s prize is taken away by the sheriff of the town, who arrives at Indy’s doorstep with the mercenary gang in tow. While the lesser lackeys gloat over winning, the leader of the group places his hat on the young Indiana’s head and tells him that Indiana did well. With this first gift of positive reinforcement, it is extremely possible that this man becomes a role model to Indiana due to his father’s transient presence. Indiana thus grows up emulating this figure and must relearn what it means to be a knight of noble cause.

Also, an interesting video on the making of the film. The part about the making of the beginning scene starts around the middle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgwh8Erobj0

Fisher: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom

When we are first introduced to Indiana Jones in Temple of Doom, he is rather similar to his Han Solo character from Star Wars in that he is only interested in helping himself and subjects himself to dealings with members of the gangster underworld for survival. Ford notes this, stating “´I think there is a similarity between Solo and Jones, but they’re as unlike each other as they are alike. They’re both fast-talking, smooth guys in a certain way. But Han Solo is less complicated than Indiana, a less sophisticated person. Jones is a character who has some other dimensions’” (Pfeiffer 115). When Indy takes on the mission presented to him by the poor Indian villagers, he does so out of a desire to win fame and glory and it appears momentarily as if he has no selfless motivations. However, we are first exposed to Indy’s good side in his decision to free the children from the Thugees’ mines and to return the sacred stone to the village. Indy’s sense of obligation to perform these tasks shows that at some level he recognizes that there is a greater cause than himself and that he is capable of believing in it.

The real turning point of Indy’s servitude from mercenary to indentured knight occurs in the final scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, beginning when he decides not to risk Marion’s life and the destruction of the Ark of the Covenant just to win over Belloq and escape the Nazis. First, Indy’s concern for Marion proves that he is able to care about someone else’s well-being even more than his own. Indy’s conversion also takes place when he instructs Marion to close her eyes when the Ark is opened. This moment shows Indy’s deeper understanding of what faith is and that he is able to appreciate the power of something without seeing it. He has a respect for the Ark and recognizes that he cannot simply unlock and steal its secrets as he would have with the idol earlier in the film. True knowledge and power comes from taking the time to understand things that the human mind may not be ready to grasp yet.

Indy demonstrates his new found respect for a higher authority after the quest by defending the Ark against the government in Washington. He demands that it be studied carefully in order to bring greater knowledge to the world, rather than to be discarded and forgotten as a sign of humanity’s ignorance. Although Indy is let down by the American government, his experiences with the Ark have still provided him with a greater sense of purpose that must be fulfilled somewhere.

Fisher: Campbell's Hero in Star Wars

Although I admire Han Solo and enjoy that he is the more rogue-ish hero of the trilogy, I think that Luke Skywalker fits more into the Campbell idea of the hero.

A key point in support of Luke is the fact that Han originally does not believe in the Force and does not practice in it, while Luke uses it towards his success. Although it could be said that Han eventually comes to terms with its existence, his indifference towards it prevents him from achieving Apotheosis and gaining the Ultimate Boon. Han also has a lack of supernatural guidance which prevents him from fulfilling these steps. Since it is noted several times that Luke has a strong presence of the Force within him, Luke receives the aid of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, signifying that it is his destiny to complete the journey.

While both heroes come from orphaned origins with no long-standing blood ties to feel responsible for, Leia’s appearance causes a rift, transforming their group from two individuals working together into a group loyal to each other. When Luke discovers Leia is his sister and comes to understand that she possesses the force as well, he is untethered from the responsibility of taking care of her. Han furthers this by accepting his and Leia’s relationship. As “The Civic Hero and the Contemplative Hero” text points out, “Because Leia is [Luke’s] sister, the role of the romantic hero is lost to him…His was a spiritual, not a military struggle.” Since Han is committed to Leia, he cannot join Luke in the “Freedom to Live.” On the other hand, Luke, having completed his destiny, can now choose where he wants his life to go and does not fear change.

Now that Han has been labeled the more romantic hero of the two, it is difficult to say that he finds an Ultimate Boon to give back to the people. Although he participates in battles and aids in minor victories for the Rebellion, Han is incapable of bringing about a lasting peace to the people of the galaxy like Luke is, as he is the only one who can challenge the emperor.

I definitely think Ford’s Han Solo fits into a more Americanized idea of what the hero should be. He participates at a ground level and is an outcast who is transformed into a hero of the rebellion, fitting into the idea of the American revolutionary and maintaining the American value of community.

 

Fisher: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi

The Dark Side attracts those who desire freedom from the responsibility of others, which is the only way to reach unbridled power. However, those who succumb to the Dark Side ironically become slaves to some kind of inescapable evil that they are subject to.

Throughout the first two movies, Han is constantly tempted by his Dark Side. Rather than fully dedicate himself to the Rebel cause, he makes it clear to all of his cohorts that he is motivated by payment and that his presence is a temporary one. His debt to Jabba the Hutt embodies the idea that even though he values his personal freedom, he is still trapped by an evil force. Han begins to overcome these inclinations in The Empire Strikes Back and shows that although he tries to convey how tough he is, he is truly composed of good intentions. As Ford put it, “‘…I saw a different version of Han Solo in the script. We got to know him better’” (Pfeiffer 105). He is released from his selfish charade through his devotion to his friends. When he is about to leave the Rebels in the beginning of the second film, he delays his departure after discovering that Luke disappeared during his scouting trip on Hoth and goes out into the frozen night to rescue him. He is further detained by Leia when he takes her on the Millennium Falcon to escape the Empire as they destroy the Rebel base. Han finds stability in Leia and their love helps him to conquer his past reservations about relying on other people.

The most blatant struggle between good and evil is seen in Luke’s battles with Vader and the Emperor, particularly in the end of Return of the Jedi. As the Emperor forces Luke to watch on as his friends get pummeled by the Empire’s forces, Luke momentarily loses his resistance to the Dark Side and strikes out at his tormentors. However, Luke composes himself again when he has the opportunity to finish off his father after realizing that they have each taken the other’s hand. He recognizes that killing his father would fix nothing and thus proves that he will not pass over to the Dark Side.

Although Darth Vader has clearly given himself over to the Dark Side, Luke brings out the struggle inside of him. Luke forces Vader to see that although he may rule the entire galaxy, he would still have no meaningful relationships and would remain a slave to the Emperor’s bidding. Vader redeems himself by saving his son from the Emperor at the cost of his own life, showing that it is never too late for forgiveness.

Fisher - Star Wars: A New Hope

I chose the step of finding Supernatural Aid, embodied in the movie through the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi, as the subject of this blog. In my opinion, if Luke had never encountered Obi-Wan, he never would have been provided with a proper call to adventure and received the push he needed to leave his home. I think that Luke’s first meeting with Obi-Wan is also the first time in which director and writer George Lucas’ intentions in  creating a story that follows the outline of Campbell’s hero’s journey is made significantly noticeable. Throughout the beginning of the film, Luke expresses his feelings about not belonging on his home planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan confirms his suspicions when he reveals that Luke’s father was an important man who died in the midst of battle and that Luke is one of the dwindling numbers of Jedi. He cements his role as Luke’s Supernatural Aid by giving Luke his father’s old weapon, a lightsaber, which can be seen as the “amulet to guard against the dragon forces he is about to pass” that Campbell mentions.

Obi-Wan’s influence over Luke extends past the call to adventure, however, as he serves as a kind of catalyst, transforming the purpose of Luke’s journey from one of a naïve boy with nothing left to lose to one of a lost Jedi trying to preserve a culture and honor his master by continuing his work. This process begins when Obi-Wan begins Luke’s training and takes on the role of mentor in his life. The introduction of the concept of the Force adds another element to Luke’s journey, for although it is not the most immediate challenge in his situation in A New Hope, learning to manipulate it is the first and most constant obstacle he must overcome in his Road of Trials. The Force becomes a central conflict throughout the trilogy as we see the likes of Han Solo and leaders of the Empire ridicule its existence. Ford notes in Pfeiffer’s book that his performance of disbelief and indifference to the idea of the Force was made easier due to the lack of physical representation of the special effects while filming. The division about the Force reinforces Luke’s position as the hero who must champion the Force and bring its knowledge and ideals back to the people who have lost it. Luke’s realization of these concepts and the change of his focus in defeating the Empire occurs when he witnesses Obi-Wan sacrifice himself to Darth Vader in order to free the others from the clutches of the Death Star.

Ultimately, I feel that Obi-Wan’s presence as Supernatural Aid brings about much of the action in A New Hope and sets up many of the base concepts for the rest of the trilogy.