Family in Film: The 1970s
“Hollywood was staggering in 1970. The studios made TV, not movies. Film had lost its pioneers, and was short of confidence and audience allegiance. Ironically, that confusion helped admit a generation of exciting filmmakers. So the early 1970s now seems like a moment of great films that explored the true nature of America with new intensity—a silver age” (Thomson 409).
The 1970s world of film saw a change in the way films functioned in the United States. The studio system, after suffering a devastating decline, no longer controlled the business, as the reins were handed to eager students fresh out of film school. This decade of filmmaking presented audiences with brave new elements that had not been prominent in previous years. The concept of the auteur surfaced with the help of the French New Wave, and artists were allowed a limitless creative freedom. Along with all these aspects of the business came a change in the context of how audiences viewed the American family as it was being placed under a microscope within the boundaries of film. Through several crucial films and genres, the family became more and more exposed as it found itself to be, at times, the center of a film’s attention. Cinema in the 1970s marked a new beginning in the way a family unit functions within the context of a film and its themes, specifically in the genres of horror and drama.
The horror films of the 70s brought about the introduction of the family unit into the horror genre, placing it at the center of many films, particularly The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Jaws. Until the 70s this was a rare occurrence in horror films, with the exception of films like Psycho and Night of the Living Dead, in which the family is presented in a more exposed, vulnerable state. This could first be seen in 1973’s The Exorcist, which delved deeply into the heart of one family by placing it in the middle of a horrifying scenario. However, it was not until the 1974 release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that audiences viewed the family as an instigator of horrific acts. The film’s main villains, in the end, prove to be a family made up of a father, two brothers, and a grandparent.
This disturbing element of the film was a first for the horror genre, in a sense that the family, which is usually the victim of violent acts, is the aggressor that preys upon the protagonist of the film. In his article, “Family Plots: The Role of Family in the North American Horror Film,” Tobias Lane writes of the genre, “The American horror films of the 60s and 70s, more often, reflected the change in family with underlying themes of the supernatural, the occult, and cannibalism” (Lane). The Texas Chainsaw Massacre clearly fits into this category, in that it explored the twisted, deranged mentality of the family unit. Director Tobe Hooper presents the scenario with an unflinching, documentary-like approach that paints a portrait of a family that is disillusioned and has lost all touch with reality. However, these characteristics of a family gone mad lead to great success, which David Cook comments about when he writes, “Unexpectedly, this vision of the American family as monstrosity and the American home as slaughterhouse was inflected by both cinematic style and ironic humor, and it ignited yet another critical controversy over move violence and gore” (Cook 229). Aside from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, another landmark film of the decade that featured the family as an important element of its story was Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Like Hooper’s film Jaws jumpstarted a new generation of monster films within the horror genre, much in the same way that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspired many of its kind. On her website Karina Wilson writes,
“Jaws built on the mainstream appetite for horror created by films such as The Exorcist, but gave us a monster that was uniquely, neither human nor supernatural nor the result of mutation” (Wilson).
Unlike The Texas Chainsaw Massacre the film’s villain is not within the family, but instead a classic, man-eating monster. In addition, however, like Hooper’s film Jaws develops a certain concern over the family unit. In doing just the opposite of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it presents the family as the subject of danger, rather than the cause. Martin Brody’s major concern throughout the film lies not only in the interest of Amity’s safety, but in the safety of his family as well. This is seen time and time again as he acts and reacts for his family’s benefit. He begins to panic as his children sit near the water just a day after a young boy is attacked and killed. In addition, Martin later requests that his son put his boat in a small pond, rather than risk the open waters of the ocean. A concern for his family is what essentially drives Martin to act, which keeps the suspense and tension of the film intact. Both of these films display fresh, new ways of viewing the family unit within a film. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre positions the family as the center of horror, while Jaws holds the family as the object of concern and sympathy. Throughout the 70s the family unit surfaced as an important element of a film’s story, which, in turn, provided audiences with an examination of the American family and how that unit functions within a given scenario or situation.
Aside from the horror genre, the role of the family unit became just as prominent and central in gangster films, as well as dramas of the 1970s such as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, and Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. The gangster genre, until Coppola’s film, revolved around the idea of couples, a man and woman in love who take the law into their own hands, which presented the genre with characters as mercenaries and vigilantes. However, in 1972 The Godfather successfully introduced the concept of a Mafia family saga, in which all dealings and actions taken by the Mafia revolved around the family and its interests.
Much of the film’s themes deal with the very idea of family, and how one must remain loyal to his or her family, which is illustrated in the film time and time again. One such example that seems to amplify this idea to the maximum is when Michael says to his older brother, “Fredo, you’re my older brother, and I love you. But don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family again,” which confirms the mentality the characters of The Godfather have about loyalty to family.
In their world it is unacceptable to be dealing or sometimes even speaking with members of other families, and can result in anyone’s death at any time. The family provides the film with a characteristic, as well as generational arc, in which Michael decides to take over the business strictly for the sake of his family. Like Martin Brody in Jaws, he acts and reacts for the interests of those he loves. In contrast to the way the family is represented in The Godfather as one coherent body, Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs features the family unit in a vulnerable, violated state. The relationship between David and his wife, Amy, proves to be somewhat strained and distant throughout the film. This lack of union between the two of them creates an unstable family, which can be easily penetrable. It is the moment of Amy’s rape when the film’s core family unit is violated and attacked in an unjust, brutal fashion.
This incident distances David and Amy even further from one another, and sets off a series of events that leads to a lack of trust and confidence. David is a non-violent man, yet his wife pressures him to act under tense circumstances. Straw Dogs exposes the vulnerability of the family unit and further examines the bonds that can be broken, as well as the result of man’s obligation to act in order to protect his wife. Finally, Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull explores the “rage” of boxer Jake LaMotta, and how the object of that rage lies within his family, particularly Joey and Vicki. Much of Jake’s rage comes from jealousy created by his wife, who in most cases does not instigate the conflict. Rather it is Jake’s inner demons and false assumptions about his family that cause him to lash out in the ring. One simple remark by his wife about a certain fighter causes Jake to beat him to a pulp, making a point to destroy his good looks. Jake’s jealousy for his wife escalates even further as he accuses his own brother of having an affair with Vicki. Furthermore, he attacks Joey, as well as Vicki. The film’s concern over the family unit lies in a broken family that is incapable of functioning properly due to Jake’s rage and jealousy. This portrait of a family was an early example of the decline of the family in film. The once functional family that existed throughout the 70s faded to become more pessimistic and uncompromising.
Cinema in the 1970s marked a new beginning in the way a family unit functions within the context of a film and its themes, specifically in the genres of horror and drama. The 70s was a decade marked by the decline of old Hollywood and new discoveries and examinations for filmmakers regarding the way people function in society, including the family unit. In a time when cinema transformed dramatically into a mass-market business, the family found a place within the world of film and left its mark as a crucial element of films in the decade.
Bibliography
1. Cook, David A. Lost Illusions. New York City: C. Scribner, 2000.
2. Blake, Edith. The Making of the Movie Jaws. New York City: Ballantine Books, 1975.
3. Thomson, David. Hollywood: A Celebration! New York City: DK Publishing, 2001.
4. Lane, Tobias. Family Plots: The Role of Family in the North American Horror Film. Online. 6 December 2007.
http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/59503
5. Wilson, Karina. Horror Film History. Online 5 December 2007.
http://www.horrorfilmhistory.com/films/jaws.html
No comments:
Post a Comment