"Big Citizen": After the Prom

Tyson 2022-02-21 08:01:42

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Luc Sante / Literary Ambiguity / Translation

Whit Stillman's "Big Citizen" was completed in 1990. As a film about young women from above and their dating partners, it appeared to be a solitary one at the time. Well, well, it looks even more uninterested now. Putting aside the classic film "Philadelphia Story",[1] the idea of ​​making American upper-class subjects into movies was a decent way to empty the movie theaters at the time. [2] Before the movie is released, in addition to the target audience who will join in, it is difficult to imagine anyone else watching such a film; as for the target audience of the film, does this group really exist? The United States imagined itself as a society without class distinctions; and the old rich families also acted low-key and isolated lace to strengthen this illusion. Nowadays, you might imagine any other family on Park Avenue that has become famous before the second administration of Reagan. The upstarts insist on publicity, so that the old rich may go to ancestral hiding places or escape into civil life. In 1990, "Big Citizen" seemed to have the guts of a newborn calf; but if you look at it with current eyes, it is like a relic of the early last century.

(From left to right: Fred Audrey Sally Cynthia Nick Charlie Jane)

It is more than just a treasure. As Stillman's first feature film, "Big Citizen" features a group of unknown actors (they are still little known), as well as a variety of fanciful ideas. Many elements work together seamlessly and complement each other. It's funny, touching, and pleasing, it is irresistible, and everything is reasonable. The story takes place in New York during the Christmas holidays, and it is a celebration. The protagonists of the movie are a group of friends who call themselves the Sally Fowler Rat Pack (the Sally Fowler Rat Pack). After the dance, they will go to a member's home for purposeless discussion, which provides a scene for the movie. At the beginning of the film, when the seven people in the same group were faced with "the thorny problem of lack of flower protectors", they accepted their eighth companion, Tom Townsend, who is alone, in order to balance the sex ratio of the small group. Tom served as a catalyst to promote the plot in the film, but also as a peeping point for the audience.

The members of the Rat Gang have different personalities. The blonde alto singer Sally Fowler (Dylan Hundley) has hidden ambitions in his heart. For Fred Neff (Bryan Leder), who can analyze himself and has deep self-knowledge, everything is easy to say as long as he doesn't collapse on the sofa. Jane Clarke (Allison Rutledge-Parisi) aspires to be a queen bee, which makes her look more mature than others. Cynthia McLean (Isabel Gillies) is very sexy and easily empathetic. Charlie Black (Tayloe Nichols) with glasses is already a feature columnist. Audrey Rouget (Carolyn Farina) is a simple and sensitive, a little lazy girl. As the actual leader of a small group, Nick Smith (Christopher Eigeman) is often the focus of the crowd. It takes a long time for people to realize that his ironic words are actually his sincere words. Tom (Edward Clements) is free from the crowd, a little arrogant and a little hesitant. As a rebel who lacks a sense of security, he is an indispensable role.

(Tom wears a raincoat and rents a tuxedo)

In fact, Tom always seems out of place in small groups. Although his family background is fairly good, his parents are divorced and now live in the embarrassing Upper West Side with his financially struggling mother. (Living in the Upper West Side of New York at the time was considered indecent.) He tried his best to cover up his shortcomings-his tuxedo was rented, and he couldn't afford a warm coat, so he always wore a raincoat. His immature political and literary manifesto stemmed from his idealism and the protective color he put on himself: he declared that he was a Fourierist, that is, he became a part of the castle in the sky. After the story began, Audrey fell in love with Tom, which also rekindled his long-distance love for Serena Slocum (Elizabeth Thompson). With the appearance of the typical rogue image Rick Von Sloneker (Will Kempe), the film's narrative becomes complete and full.

(Rick with a ponytail)

"Big Citizen" is a literary film with a clear conscience. A discerning person can tell at a glance that Tom is the epitome of the descendants of F. Scoot Fitzgerald's sincere young heroes, even though the world he faces is more hierarchical than the upper class created by Fitzgerald. , The root is more narrow. In other words, this is a fish tank described by Jane Austen. (The director as a screenwriter did not conceal these interesting clues.) Austin has already appeared in the story, but Stillman managed to avoid making it look pretentious: for example, Tom and Audrey argued in "Mansfield Manor" Young people's "non-ethics". [3] (As a result of his personality, Tom has never read this book. With the interpretation of the critic Lionel Trilling, he can still talk boastfully. The critics not only refined the writer’s views, but also summarized their own, "liberating" the reader We fight fiercely with the work.) The dialogue between them is carefully polished; each character is chatting and laughing with each other's clauses, and words like however, nevertheless come with their mouths open. The combination of artificial language and skillful performance can sometimes seem a little weird, but it's just right. Stillman, like Austin, shreds his irony in light, affectionate brushstrokes.

(Tom and Audrey talk about Jane Austen)

The landscape in "Big Citizen" is different from the traditional, partly because of the low production cost, the shooting location, and even the movement of the camera are subject to many restrictions. Stillman and his witty photographer John Thomas made a series of compromises to find a balance between stagnation and briskness, formal composition and impromptu flow. The final picture is reminiscent of Eric Rohmer's early works; a clumsy ending that makes people unguarded, with a simple and rude "let everything go to hell" style brought about by low-cost shooting , It is reminiscent of Godard's "Band of Outsiders" (Band of Outsiders). The image of the "urban senior middle class" holding life rituals expected by the audience should be as perfect as the "Countess's Earrings" shows; [4] However, their first feeling this time is more like something a little different. Too right, and then I realized that this kind of improvisation, which is difficult for clever women to cook without rice, provides a metaphor for the hidden theme of the film.

(Reminiscent of the end of "Outside the Law")

Indulging in the frustration of the class in front of him and the impending collapse, Charlie coined the term "urban senior middle class", or UHB for short. [5] Obviously, Stillman has a similar idea-the sly movie title is worthy of fun, because the film itself does not seem to be related to such a grand title; you will also be curious whether the director has ever considered "The Gods" "The Twilight" and other titles. (Tom’s pillow book in the film is Spengler’s "The Decline of the West".) [6] As for the film’s choice of villains, it seems quite predictable now. Sloneker, who sneered and smirked with a ponytail, was a nobleman with a title at the time, but the audience can also see from him the future of the rich class: almost worthless, self-righteous, self-intoxicated, and violent by nature, in the Hampton Beach Villas Domineering. In contrast, the members of the Saffron Rat Gang are more like flowers in a greenhouse. No matter how long they can stay in this state, they are a group of sincere and upright young people, and some of them are obviously still virgins.

(Tom’s pillow book "The Decline of the West")

Charlie can only hopelessly think about the era of civic responsibility and selfless paternalism. The conservatism he represents has now disappeared; he is a typical remnant of the era. Tom claims to be a fan of socialism, but in fact he shares similar interests with Charlie. Audrey, who guides his life through literary classics, has dispelled the sense of class superiority just like Tom. Although he will face a class decline, Nick will still go all out to participate in a nationally broadcast ball. The participants are women from poor villages and military partners. [7] No matter where he is, he will always be a romantic fatalist. Sally was born elegant and exquisite, but wanted to be a pop singer. Jane may be the first person in this group to enter the marriage, and it may also be the first person to be on the screen. Cynthia has a sense of superiority engraved in her bones, and fate seems to involve her in the scandal of the gossip special edition. [8] Everyone is struggling with the dilemma of values. Towards the end of the film, Charlie, Tom and Fred gathered in a bar to express an eschatological thought about class, and then asked a man who was nearly forty years old to prove it. The older man didn't sneer or walk away. He probably said, "Just do your own thing." The point of view is mediocre but clear: in life, seeking truth from facts and compromise are inevitable.

The natural symmetry of the structure and the inherent complexity of the characters perfectly support the whole story. The plasticity of the film makes the story look more adventurous, although such evaluation sounds routine and boring. In this film, the form plays a corresponding function: the classical style fits with the demise of the crumbling class, and the impromptu and lively New Wave style helps the future within reach. Like the breakthrough films selected by the "Cinema Manual" from 1959 to the present, "Big Citizen" is a major victory for improvisation against lack of resources, which also echoes the film's own structure: adapting measures to local conditions. This is an eternal story about growing dormant and dangerous, and it is also a narrative of a specific history that has undergone transformation and turbulence. This film isolates itself from the issue of political stance, and avoids talking about the money and power hidden behind the cultural anxiety of the upper bourgeoisie and the ostentation of customs. After all, this is a film about young people who have not been involved in the world. The situation of many films that are carefully arranged and tensioned in production implies that when cultural characteristics put more demands on the footnotes contained in the film, the freshness of films such as "Big Citizen" is not diminished, and it can always maintain a kind of Freshness. Just like a treasure that has been cared for, it will last forever, and it is worthy of repeated appreciation.

Annotation: [1] directed by George Cook, starring Katherine Hepburn, Gary Grant, and James Stewart. Released in 1940. [2] Few viewers. [3] , works by Jane Austen. [4] Ceremony of life, rites of passage, also known as rites of passage, an anthropological concept. Various ceremonies held at birth, adulthood, marriage, and death. directed by Max Overs, released in 1953. [5] Urban haute bourgeoisie, urban haute bourgeoisie. [6] "Twilight of the Gods", "Twilight of the Gods"; "The Decline of the West", "The Decline of the West", by Oswald Spengler. Here is a little joke made by the author. [7] Poor rural areas among the population of New York, Texas and Oklahoma. [8] Page Six, "New York Post" gossip page.

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Extended Reading
  • Olen 2022-03-27 09:01:19

    So cute (am I getting old). They were so afraid of mediocrity that it doesn't matter now. "People should get married in their twenties, that's a long time later" (similar to Zhang Zhilin's hero's words). They panic and do nothing, they are financially and emotionally dependent on their parents, and mentally they can't stop criticizing them. Worship Fourier today and give up tomorrow, but how sincere! Ah, I'm really old

  • Nadia 2022-03-26 09:01:12

    It's a movie, three and a half stars, a story of a group of young people in New York City. Unfortunately, not all friends will make a Friends. Friends in big cities are like duckweeds, which are very touching.

Metropolitan quotes

  • Jane Clark: Why should we believe you over Rick? We know you're a hypocrite. We know your "Polly Perkins" story was a fabrication...

    Nick Smith: A composite.

    Jane Clark: Whatever. And, that you're completely impossible and out of control, with some sort of drug problem and a fixation on what you consider Rick Von Sloneker's wickedness. You're a snob, a sexist, totally obnoxious, and tiresome. And lately, you've gotten just weird. Why should we believe anything you say?

    Nick Smith: I'm not tiresome.

  • Tom Townsend: You don't have to have read a book to have an opinion on it.