Hard Eight

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Hard Eight

The story of P. T. Anderson’s Hard Eight, as made clear in the latter half of the film, is a story of redemption. Sidney, played by Phillip Baker Hall, is an ex-mobster responsible for the death of John’s father. Stricken with grief and regret, Sidney assumes the father figure role in John’s life. In finding John down on his luck, Sidney takes him under his wing and makes John his own apprentice. Teaching John how to play the casinos and live the life of a full time gambler, Sidney grows to love John as if he were his own son. He cares for his relationship to John so much, in fact, that he would kill to protect it. This film was the directorial debut of Paul Thomas Anderson. In it, as in his later films, there is a concentration on father figures. The absence of a conventional father figure is one that has been dealt with in stories as old as time itself. While Sydney’s actions are noble, it is questionable whether he deserves his forgiveness due to his dishonesty.

Sidney’s actions and emotions throughout the entire film reflect that of the typical father. He gets upset when John marries Clementine, and doesn’t tell him. His care for John and his life are shown as he watches John and Clementines wedding video, a very emotional scene for Sidney. He even pays for John’s mother’s funeral, something that would normally be handled by family members. He doesn’t approve of John’s new friend, Jimmy, who is a constant source of Sidney’s suspicion. Also, when John finds himself and his new wife in legal trouble, Sidney selflessly sends them out of town, sacrificing his relationship with John for his own happiness with Clementine. This constant theme of father figures fits in with Raymond Bellour’s “Oedipus”...

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... presence of a father’s care for his offspring gives them a higher sense of morality. The idea of fatherhood is something that every viewer can understand. The past crimes of Sidney in Hard Eight, or the excess and sin of Burt Reynolds in Boogie Nights, can be salvaged in the hearts of viewers based on this idea. As far as plot and storyline go, not all stories are Oedipus. However, every storyteller’s own idea of fatherhood and the importance of family are placed in the story somehow. It is what makes every story different, and it is what makes them all the same.

Bibliography

Alfred Bates, The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization, vol. 1 New York: Historical Publishing Company, 1906, pp. 123-126

Raymond Bellour, Psychoanalysis and the Classical Hollywood Text.

Journal of Popular Film & Television (1990): 7

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