Barry Levinson’s Rain Man is an uplifting and comical film, based in the 1980s, in America. Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is a car dealer, who discovers in the shadow of his father’s death that he has an autistic brother called Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Charlie’s vulgar attempt to seize his late father’s inheritance from his brother, entices the audience into a journey of self-discovery, culture and self-awareness. The hardships of living with a disability are communicated using minor characters as props and how they are misconceived as being unintelligent or even abnormal. For example, a waitress suggests that Raymond is a “very clever boy”. Fascinatingly, she is the only minor character who treats Raymond with respect and sympathy, in contrast to Charlie and the general public who evidently takes advantage of his condition. In addition, the mise-en-scene composed of high key lighting and a wide-angle shot creates an ambient atmosphere, which makes it seem as if Raymond is unique, in contrast to abnormal or strange.(Cinematheque, 2010, p. 1). This conversation with the waitress shows that Ray’s disability makes him unique, in a positive way, especially because the general public seem to be uneducated about mental disabilities in this film; this is evidently shown where a man is seen screaming as Raymond, as he stands in the middle of a busy intersection. As a result, the director breaks down these misconceptions and generalisations about the, as if he is reprimanding that the disabled are a part of our society and that they should be treated with respect. Moreover, this interlinks with the disability making Ray inferior to other members of the public. When they depart the mental asylum in Wallbeck, Cruise poises hims... ... middle of paper ... ...ty and pain. From this it can be derived that Charlie has lost two people: his father to death and his brother to an incurable Savant’s Syndrome. Cruise continues to hold his upset expression till the final scene cuts, when he walks to the exit with his posture straight. As a result, this highlights that Charlie is dignified for establishing a relationship with his older brother and promoting an equal society, unlike in the beginning. In conclusion, Rain Main is evidently a classic for both the modern and original audience, with clever contributions from the costume designer, lighting director and score composer. However, it is the actors, Hoffman and Cruise who, as a skilful cinematic duo perfectly accentuate themes of self-discovery, disability and self- awareness, in order to tell the audience that disability is a medical condition and not a social status.
The two essays “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris are excellent pieces of work that share many similarities. This paper would reflect on these similarities particularly in terms of the author, message and the targeted audience. On an everyday basis, people view those with disabilities in a different light and make them conscious at every step. This may be done without a conscious realisation but then it is probably human nature to observe and notice things that deviate from the normal in a society. In a way people are conditioned to look negatively at those individuals who are different in the conventional
Upon the arrival of his wife’s friend, the husband is ultimately uncomfortable around Robert because he does not know how to communicate with or act around him. His discomfort is revealed when Robert and his wife were sharing their experiences “about the major things that had come to pass for them in the past ten years” (367). He felt it was necessary to join in because he thought Robert would “think [he] left the room and didn’t want [his wife] to think [he] was feeling left out” (367). It is obvious the husband is overly involved with Robert’s handicap and fails to see him as a person with his own thoughts and ideas.
Moreover, within the text, the significance of symbolism is apparent as there are indications of the presence of different handicaps. Notably, those with above average physical attributes and above average intelligence are required by law to wear handicaps. Thus, the application and enforcement of handicaps are metaphors for sameness, because individuals with advantageous traits are limited and refrained from using their bodies and brains to their maximum abilities, for that is considered to be unfair to those who does not possess the same level of capability. Several main examples of handicaps includes “...47 pounds of birdshot… ear radios… spectacles intended to make [one] not only half blind but to [provide] whanging headaches”. Therefore, the intensity of the handicaps is a sign of the government’s seriousness in the field of administering disabilities onto their own citizens. Unfortunately, in order to maintain the sickly “equality”, the people are stripped off of their freedom. When announcers are unable to speak properly, and ballerinas are unable to dance properly, and musicians unable to perform properly, and people are unable to formulate thoughts properly — it is not a matter of equality, but a matter how low society
Disability, a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movement, senses, or activities. Lisa I. Iezzonis’ reading “Stand Out” depicts a rather stimulating framework of how the disability is seen and treated. The relationship between health, illness, and narrative in this reading marks the idea of discrimination of disability through her own life events by separation of identity, people. The author employs repeated phrases, metaphors and perspectives to display this. The form of literature is written and told in the form of the first-person perspective short story but in storytelling form.
The narrator’s prejudice makes him emotionally blind. His inability to see past Robert’s disability stops him from seeing the reality of any relationship or person in the story. And while he admits some things are simply beyond his understanding, he is unaware he is so completely blind to the reality of the world.
Rain Man is about two brothers who comes from two different walks of life. The first brother name is Charlie Babbitt who is a young struggling Los Angeles businessman who sells expensive cars for a living. Charles is a self-centered person who only cares about himself and what he can gain from others. Charles is getting ready to lose his business when he gets a call that his father Sanford Babbitt has passed away. Charles has not spoken with his father for many of years and his father lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Upon arrival to his father house to talk with the “will “person he finds out that all of 3,000,000 dollars will go to an unnamed person in a trust. Charles was only granted his father 1948 Buick convertible (Bed of rose).
“Rain Man’ is a movie about two lost brothers named Raymond and Charlie Babbitt. Raymond was the brother that suffered from an autistic savant syndrome. Charlie did not know he had a brother due to a very distant relationship with his father. During the movie his father dies and leaves Raymond a three million trust fund for his care in the institution, where he has spent most of his adult life. Charlie is left with his fathers rose bushes and his 1949 Buick Road master that ruined their relationship. Charlie and his girlfriend, Susanna, travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to track down who his father left his trust fund too. While Charlie is looking for the person that just inherited the three million. Raymond was outside
In a society where the talented are so handicapped that they cannot even function, the theme reflects the impracticality and dangers of egalitarianism. Harrison Bergeron symbolizes defiance and survival next tot eh TV symbolizing brainwash. The third person narrator creates an effective and fair method of detailing all the events in this futuristic society. Harrison Bergeron’s conflict creates an understanding of the result of total equality. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. emphasizes the need for competition and individuality in society, in order to live with freedom and prosperity.
Society is quick to judge and label people different from themselves. Whether it is because of different ethnicities or any form of disability. Most of the time these labels are put forward with intention to hurt the recipient’s feelings. In the passage Nancy Mairs challenges and rebels against society’s discrimination and use of improper labels. She emphasizes that she should only be called crippled rather than handicapped or disabled because from her perspective the other labels make her seem weak and inferior. Mairs establishes her claim through the use of rhetorical devices such as tone, diction, and anaphora.
The movie begins with self-centered, materialistic Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), learning the death of his father. To settle his dad’s estate, he and his business partner/girlfriend, Susanna (Valeria Golino) travel to his home town Cincinnati. While he was hoping to inherit all of his dad’s estate, all he got was a car and a collection of rosebushes that he simply has no use for. The remaining $3 million fortune was put into a trust for an unnamed beneficiary. Charlie demands to know the identity of the beneficiary and finds out that it is a mental hospital where his long-lost autistic brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) resides with a caretaker, Dr. Bruner (Gerald R. Molen).
District 9 is a film that takes us into a realm of a different world from the one that we know now. It combines extraterrestrial life with immense science fiction to illustrate a story we could only imagine to ever actually occur. Although it was created for entertainment purposes, the motion picture can be compared to many different types of individuals and situations. District 9 displays many underlying concepts throughout the movie about racism, prejudice and discrimination. While studying and analyzing the plot and characters, these concepts became more translucent to me, the viewer. This paper will discuss the treatment of District 9 residents and equate their treatment to people with disabilities.
This film is a multi-genre film— science fiction and film noir— which creates a very unique stylistic world. The film is characterized in the science fiction genre with flying vehicles— police cars and advertising blimps—, the futuristic city with congested streets, and advanced technology—picturesque billboards, Voight-Kampf machine, picture phones, and voice activated photo analyzers. It also depicts the movie genre of film noir with its low-key lighting consistent throughout Bryant’s office and Deckard’s apartment, the claustrophobic framing with various characters—the overcrowded nightclub—, heavy shadows caused by venetian blinds in Deckard’s apartment, and the rain soaked landscapes during the night.
In the essay “Disability,” Nancy Mairs discusses the lack of media attention for the disabled, writing: “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anyone’s life.” An ordinary person has very little exposure to the disabled, and therefore can only draw conclusions from what is seen in the media. As soon as people can picture the disabled as regular people with a debilitating condition, they can begin to respect them and see to their needs without it seeming like an afterthought or a burden. As Mairs wrote: “The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time.” Looking at the issue from this angle, it is easy to see that many disabled people were ordinary people prior to some sort of accident. Mairs develops this po...
Savant syndrome isn’t bad or harmful at all to the autistic person it is actually highly beneficial to the person and other people so there is no need for treatment for this. There have been no previous records of anyone trying to treat savant. A big benefit that Charlie had from Raymond was being able to count playing cards. Charlie taught his brother how to play black jack. After Charlie took Raymond to the casinos in Las Vegas Raymond help Charlie when a bunch of money.
In Wim Wenders’ 1984 film, Paris, Texas, we find its theme of loneliness harboured in Travis Henderson, but very much so in the film’s imagery, eloquently captured by Dutch cinematographer, Robby Müller, “When I choose to work on a film, the most important thing to me is that it is about human feelings. I try to work with directors who want their films to touch the audience.” And his imagery does just that in Paris, Texas.