Fergus
02-07-2002, 07:12 PM
Ordinary People
Director: Robert Redford
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch.
Written by Alvin Sargent
R/1980/123 minutes.
It opens, slowly, steadily, with a singularly beautiful montage of a normal street, a gazebo, a park, with Pachelbel’s Canon in D, playing in the background. It intends to introduce the film, and does so in a fashionable, yet misleading manner. We soon find out that it is merely a dream, and it manages to say, in those few simple pictures, that a beautiful street, and a group of teenagers singing in harmony, are the things of dreams. Conrad, our protagonist, wakes from this dream, sweating, indicating that maybe such happiness to him is scary and nightmarish. This dream also suggests that all is not right with Conrad, and maybe all is not right with his family either. His father asks him shortly after if he had called the doctor to set up an appointment. What is troubling him so much that he needs a doctor? He has depression. Why? Because he lost his older brother Buck in a boating accident, Conrad represents many teenagers in America; normal on the outside, but if you look closer, you see there’s much more. He has dark circles under his eyes; a lack of sleep. A kid who was much into swimming, and suddenly he has dropped out. He’s slowly letting go. Not only is it Conrad who has pulled away, both his parents have started to fall into their own little world; pretending that everything is fine to make themselves feel good. Why? That is what Redford is here to explore.
The screenplay by Alvin Sargent borrows from Judith Guest’s novel of the same name. Just like any other film adaptation of a book, certain details are omitted, and new things are added. And, while I still think that the book is a little bit better, the filmmakers couldn’t have done a better job putting this story on film. There is one detail, however, that is significantly better in the film, and that is its’ characters. Beth, Conrad’s mom is quiet. Her emotions and feelings are hidden away behind a face who puts on a show when friends might come over, and you‘d never notice the underlying problems she hides. Her son is equally silent about his emotions, but is less subtle. The dad, Calvin, loves them both, but he is unsure what is going on between him and his son, and him and his wife. These relationships which are the core of the entire film, anchor the impact of the discoveries which our characters make. It’s difficult to watch these events transpire, because we see ourselves. Seeing these people face such things as death, suicide, love and their own family, I look at my family and I see the same pain.
Redford surprised everyone when his first effort at directing beat out Scorsese’s Raging Bull, when Scorsese was already long overdue to win the award anyway. Looking at both pictures, I can’t simply decide between them and argue that one was better than the other, because that would be unfair, and I have come to see that both were worthy of winning the award. It would’ve been interesting to see the amount of votes for each, I bet it was close.
All three lead performers turn in what may be their best performances. Especially Sutherland, and he gives such a heartfelt monologue near the end to his wife Beth. The reaction is hard to forget. There are other scenes like this, that elicit such power. In the latter part of the film young Conrad breaks down to his psychologist played by Judd Hirsch, and afterwards they hug. If I could, that was the point where I probably would’ve balled my eyes out. It is so simple, the story is so incredibly simple, yet it achieves so much in creating this family and the pain that follows the accident. All we are shown is the aftermath; there is no exposition that shows the accident, or the funeral. It does not lean on being pretentious, it solves something, and that something you’ll have to find out yourself. The inevitable finale brings both tears and happiness; it is hard to dodge those emotions. I don’t mean to get all mushy on you, but this is how this film makes me feel. It hit me hard, and maybe that is a direct result of things that I’ve gone through, and when it brings me to the verge of tears, I look back, and this is the only one that brings me to that state. Redford created a beautiful portrait of a family, unflinching and truthful, dated, yet relevant. The actors hold this film together, and its surprising how Redford was able to get such well-rounded and flawless performances out of Sutherland, Hutton, and Moore. He explores the ins and outs of this family, and what results is an insightful, sad, and compelling drama following an accident that tears a family apart. A beautiful tree, with the fall leaves descending downward, are only part of dreams; this is the reality.
***** out of *****
[This message has been edited by Fergus (edited 02-07-2002).]
Director: Robert Redford
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch.
Written by Alvin Sargent
R/1980/123 minutes.
It opens, slowly, steadily, with a singularly beautiful montage of a normal street, a gazebo, a park, with Pachelbel’s Canon in D, playing in the background. It intends to introduce the film, and does so in a fashionable, yet misleading manner. We soon find out that it is merely a dream, and it manages to say, in those few simple pictures, that a beautiful street, and a group of teenagers singing in harmony, are the things of dreams. Conrad, our protagonist, wakes from this dream, sweating, indicating that maybe such happiness to him is scary and nightmarish. This dream also suggests that all is not right with Conrad, and maybe all is not right with his family either. His father asks him shortly after if he had called the doctor to set up an appointment. What is troubling him so much that he needs a doctor? He has depression. Why? Because he lost his older brother Buck in a boating accident, Conrad represents many teenagers in America; normal on the outside, but if you look closer, you see there’s much more. He has dark circles under his eyes; a lack of sleep. A kid who was much into swimming, and suddenly he has dropped out. He’s slowly letting go. Not only is it Conrad who has pulled away, both his parents have started to fall into their own little world; pretending that everything is fine to make themselves feel good. Why? That is what Redford is here to explore.
The screenplay by Alvin Sargent borrows from Judith Guest’s novel of the same name. Just like any other film adaptation of a book, certain details are omitted, and new things are added. And, while I still think that the book is a little bit better, the filmmakers couldn’t have done a better job putting this story on film. There is one detail, however, that is significantly better in the film, and that is its’ characters. Beth, Conrad’s mom is quiet. Her emotions and feelings are hidden away behind a face who puts on a show when friends might come over, and you‘d never notice the underlying problems she hides. Her son is equally silent about his emotions, but is less subtle. The dad, Calvin, loves them both, but he is unsure what is going on between him and his son, and him and his wife. These relationships which are the core of the entire film, anchor the impact of the discoveries which our characters make. It’s difficult to watch these events transpire, because we see ourselves. Seeing these people face such things as death, suicide, love and their own family, I look at my family and I see the same pain.
Redford surprised everyone when his first effort at directing beat out Scorsese’s Raging Bull, when Scorsese was already long overdue to win the award anyway. Looking at both pictures, I can’t simply decide between them and argue that one was better than the other, because that would be unfair, and I have come to see that both were worthy of winning the award. It would’ve been interesting to see the amount of votes for each, I bet it was close.
All three lead performers turn in what may be their best performances. Especially Sutherland, and he gives such a heartfelt monologue near the end to his wife Beth. The reaction is hard to forget. There are other scenes like this, that elicit such power. In the latter part of the film young Conrad breaks down to his psychologist played by Judd Hirsch, and afterwards they hug. If I could, that was the point where I probably would’ve balled my eyes out. It is so simple, the story is so incredibly simple, yet it achieves so much in creating this family and the pain that follows the accident. All we are shown is the aftermath; there is no exposition that shows the accident, or the funeral. It does not lean on being pretentious, it solves something, and that something you’ll have to find out yourself. The inevitable finale brings both tears and happiness; it is hard to dodge those emotions. I don’t mean to get all mushy on you, but this is how this film makes me feel. It hit me hard, and maybe that is a direct result of things that I’ve gone through, and when it brings me to the verge of tears, I look back, and this is the only one that brings me to that state. Redford created a beautiful portrait of a family, unflinching and truthful, dated, yet relevant. The actors hold this film together, and its surprising how Redford was able to get such well-rounded and flawless performances out of Sutherland, Hutton, and Moore. He explores the ins and outs of this family, and what results is an insightful, sad, and compelling drama following an accident that tears a family apart. A beautiful tree, with the fall leaves descending downward, are only part of dreams; this is the reality.
***** out of *****
[This message has been edited by Fergus (edited 02-07-2002).]