This essay is a cross-cultural examination between the movies “Rebel without a cause” by Nicholas Ray and “Clueless” by Amy Heckerling. Although these two films take place in the same American city of Los Angeles (LA), they were set nearly 40 years apart. Thus this essay looks at the LA society through the cross cultural theme of time. This essay focuses on the teenage demographic in LA in 1955 and 1995. This essay looks at the continuities and differences between:
• Family
• Roles and status
• Conflict, cooperation and decision making
• Gender
• Communication
• Power and Authority
As displayed in these 2 films.
2. Cross cultural analyses of ‘Rebel without a cause’ and ‘Clueless’
2.1. Family
In ‘Rebel without a cause’, the culture
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The Horowitz family is wealthy. There is no mother in the family, she died while Cher was very young, Mel Horowitz is a single parent. In the Horowitz family the father is a big influence in the children’s life. Mel Horowitz holds the authority in this household. Mel is also a good role model for his …show more content…
In both films, most of the conflict goes on between the teenagers and social groups at their school. In both film a lot of the conflict goes on between the different teenagers and social groups. In both films there is a person who aids in the resolutions of conflict. In ‘Rebel without a cause’ the parents have little influence on their children’s lives, however in ‘Clueless’, they have more influence over their children’s decisions. Both films explore the various issues associated with teenage life e.g. boyfriend/girlfriend issues, the want to fit in etc.…. from this tone can see that not much has changed in the 40 year gap between the two films, most teenagers are still facing the same problems in ‘Clueless’ as shown in ‘Rebel without a cause’.
3. Conclusion
When comparing these two films it can be seen that despite the 40 year gap between the 2 films there are some aspects that have remained the same or very similar e.g. the want to be accepted by peers. This is because there are simply certain problems that are associated with teenage years irrespective of environment, etc.…
Despite these similarities there are some aspects that are very different in these two films e.g. gender, in Clueless the females were more dominant and selective than as displayed in ‘Rebel without a cause’.
By comparing the two films using the cross-cultural them of time it can be seen that there are many differences and similarities
The authors both making sweeping statements about the political nature of the United States, but Ames addresses a more concentrated demographic of American society than Hedges. The latter points the finger at the venal egotism of celebrity culture for entrancing the public into complacency, and at America’s political leaders for orchestrating the fact, but he also places substantial blame on the people at-large for allowing themselves to be captivated by the entertainment industry. Ames discusses an issue in which the Millennial generation stands as the focal point, but she speaks directly to the teachers of these adolescents due to their position of influence. Although today’s youth are proven to possess a spark of political energy through their own volition—displayed through their generation-wide interest in dystopian literature—an environment of learning and in-depth analysis provides the best opportunity for the novels’ underlying calls-to-action to strike a chord with their young
One example of a similarity between the book and the movie is that the story takes place in an English bungalow. Both the book and movie describe the setting as “ ...the big bungalow”. The movie also exhibits the big bungalow and gives the audience a general idea about bungalows. In addition to, the different mediums describe the setting as “in Segowlee cantonment”. If researched one will find that cantonments are British army bases in India that existed in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The movie, too, portrays the setting as an army base as it shows other bungalows in the background. Lastly, the a large portion of the story happens in the bungalow’s big, encompassing garden. The movie and book both describe the garden as, “large, and half cultivated” and “splendid hunting ground [for a mongoose]”. The settings in the book and in the movie mirror each other almost
...d coloring of certain images. The novel, however, puts much greater emphasis on the imagination and creativity, and on the main character Tita. The novel really makes the reader feel Titas pain and grow with her as she discovers her freedom, whereas the movie failed to achieve this. Moreover, the movie tends to ignore the significant of 3 integral motifs, cooking, tears and sensuality.
Usually, she has a male friend who will one day be the richest man, at the ten year reunion. Denby focuses highly on the outsiders redemption and, as Denby claims, how “they might have been working at a hip software company, or have started their own business, while the jocks who oppressed them would probably have wound up selling insurance or used cars.” These high school movies are meant to intrigue us, and for the most part, they do and this is why there are so many of them. Denby closes the argument with expressing that in Alexander Payne’s, Election, Reese Witherspoon plays a very credited girl who even though she is on top, feels excluded. This shows that even surrounded my numerous cliques, you can still feel like you do not fit in. By ending this article in such a way, it gives the reader another view on these teen movies and shows that there are other movies that differ from the “mainstream” teen
Clueless it is set in Beverly Hills in America and in Emma is set in
As we progressed farther into the film the similarities and adaptations became more apparent until they were obvious. Clueless is the perfect contemporary example of a Jane Austin novel. The setting for Austin’s novels is the early 1800’s on the country side. In Emma Austin uses romance as her backdrop as she imaginatively tells the story of her larger than life characters. A major adaptation to the novel is the location and setting of the film, which is Beverly Hills in the 1990’s. This is a significant change from the rural countryside that we visualized when reading Emma and other Jane Austin novels. Although the adaptation is quite a jump from Austin’s novel, it remains true to the original idea of the novel, while updating it for modern viewing. In fact, the setting of Beverly Hills actually adds to the viewers opinion of the protagonist Cher by visually showing them how privileged she is and the advantages she has in life. The first few scenes of the film help to solidify this idea that Cher is not only privileged and atop her social hierarchy but also completely unaware of reality much like Emma. Writer and director of the film, Amy Heckerling, as well as actress Alicia Silverstone did a great job of exaggerating these qualities slightly past that of Emma’s in the Austin novel to match the setting of the film (O’Keefe,
There are similarities and differences in the novel and movie in the character Gene. In both Gene shakes the limb resulting in Finny falling off.Gene admits to causing Finny’s fall.Also, Leper goes crazy and is at the mock trial. He says that Gene was the one that stayed on the branch.However, in the novel Brinker’s dad says the war is important.Brinker’s dad is not in the movie at all. To add to that, Brinker does not enroll in the army at the end of the movie.Therefore there are similarities and differences
Rebel Without A Cause is 1955 is a film that that features young, defiant, restless, and neglected middle-class Americans. Defiance from youths has been anticipated though they did not turn out to be. The idea provides a catchy stereotyped approach at a 1950 conformist on the adolescent male nature of misinformed parents on contemporary issues.
In “High-School Confidential: Notes on Teen Movies” David Denby criticizes movies portraying high school. He writes “The most commercial and frivolous of genres harbor a grievance against the world” (426). In many movies starting in the early 90’s you began to see an extreme amount of disrespect to adults from teenagers. High school movies are filled with unruly
In conclusion, details involving the characters and symbolic meanings to objects are the factors that make the novel better than the movie. Leaving out aspects of the novel limits the viewer’s appreciation for the story. One may favor the film over the novel or vice versa, but that person will not overlook the intense work that went into the making of both. The film and novel have their similarities and differences, but both effectively communicate their meaning to the public.
Rebel Without a Cause calls attention to society’s obsession over hyper masculinity, fears of overly dominant women, homosexuality, and juvenile “delinquency” during the 1950s. Popularity of suburban life arose – along with the necessity to fit in. Accompanying the pressures of gender roles were also the rise of alcoholism, depression, anxiety, and rage. Moreover, the film explores the conflicts that lied within teenagers because of the social standards that were forced upon them.
Teenage films are often thought of films focused on issues such as teen angst, conflict with parents, coming of age, and most notably rebellion. Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause(1955) is one of the first films that could be classified as such. In today’s times, many films that fall into this genre follow the same structure as Rebel without a Cause in that perceptions and activities of youth defy what is considered to be a seemingly more stable adult life. Prior to Rebel Without a Cause, there wasn’t a film that challenged the ideas of masculinity in society and the struggles that teenagers endured in that era, so it is no surprise that the film is considered to be the poster child of youth rebellion in the 1950’s. Ray brings to light a
many similarities,the differences in the two stories stand out magnificently. In the film Life Is
A noticeable difference in the way movies have changed over the years is evident when comparing and contrasting two films of different eras which belong to the same genre and contain the same subject matter. Two vampire movies, Dracula and Bram Stoker's Dracula, present an interesting example of this type of study.
Have you ever had one of those days that were so bad that you desperately needed a night at the ice cream or candy store? The 1970’s was that really bad day, while the night of self- indulgence was the 1980’s. Americans love to escape from our daily stress, and of all the products that allow us to do so, none is more popular than the movies. Movies are key cultural artifacts that offer a view of American culture and social history. They not only offer a snapshot of hair styles and fashions of the times but they also provide a host of insights into Americans’ ever-changing ideals. Like any cultural artifact, the movies can be approached in a number of ways. Cultural historians have treated movies as a document that records the look and mood of the time that promotes a particular political or moral value or highlights individual or social anxieties and tensions. These cultural documents present a particular image of gender, ethnicity, romance, and violence. Out of the political and economic unrest of the 1970’s that saw the mood and esteem of the country, as reflected in the artistry and messages in the movies, sink to a new low, came a new sense of pride in who we are, not seen since the post-World War II economic boom of the 1950’s. Of this need to change, Oscar Award winner Paul Newman stated,