Society of the 60’s portrayed in Catch Me If You Can

Society is everything we see around us - the atmosphere we live in and

the place we call home, the average people and their beliefs and what

is accepted and what is not. It is in other terms, the world around us.

In the film, society is represented as a gullible, and stereotypical

place, as people tend to generally go with what they see, and believe

everything they see. In some cases, the film is a true reflection of

society in the 1960’s. However there is a vast difference between its

setting and society today, hence it is arguable that it is not true

reflection of today’s world and society

At the beginning of the film the setting is quickly portrayed. It is

set in a small America town during the Mid 1960s. At this time family

was extremely important, especially communication and relationships

within the family unit. The bond between Frank Jr and Mr and Mrs

Abagnale appears to be very strong from the very first scene. Frank

Abagnale Jr’s eyes lighten up in awe as he watches his father

receiving his award. His is the hardest to clap and the last to stop

clapping as his mother beamed in delighted.

However, not everything is always as it seems. The family seem to have

a good relationship towards one another, especially the parents as

they had been dancing. Frank portrays fondness and affection towards

his parents watching in admiration whilst they are dancing. Frank’s

mother spills her drink and thus creating a stain on the carpet.

Although they were laughing and dancing over it, the stain may

symbolise a patch or a bad sign on their marriage, which was there was

as we see later on in the film. Furthermore, it was the mother who

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...anours.

His life changes drastically, when he is caught as he no longer has

that sense of freedom, and he finally realises that there is more to

life than just fun. He accepts to work for the FBI and this proves he

has now developed some maturity and a sense of responsibility.

Frank’s relationship with Hanratty changes drastically in the play.

They go from being enemies to being friends and become closer. They

develop a trust between them and so the relationship changes, because

Hanratty believes Frank will change, and so gives him a job and a new

life.

The film is a representation of what society was like in the 1960’s. I

don’t believe it reflects what it is like now, since it is based on a

true story on something which DID happen in the 1960’s, and people

nowadays are not as gullible or as easily impressed.