Films Of The Mid-Seventies Era - Essay Example

Films Of The Mid-Seventies Era Films are at time influential and determinants of societal behavior. Film, therefore, is believed to be progressive forces in any society and is a reflection of that society. Analysis of Rafaelson’s ‘Five Easy Pieces’ shows the reflection of the mid-seventies era with historical social attitudes and values in the film’s plot and characters, demonstrating the social context of the 1970’s America (Boyer 21). A brief comparison of the film and other contemporary issues in the 1970’s era is also made. ‘Five Easy Pieces’ directed by Bob Rafaelson is among the greatest films of the Hollywood 1970s golden era. In the film, the character of Bobby Dupea is the archetype of numerous heroes from that period. Bobby is stuck in two worlds. He is a man who cannot fit into the American society and is making efforts to find a place which he truly belongs to. One of the outstanding features of the 1970s films was the character’s struggle to deal with the problem of alienation that was prevalent in the America at that time. This emerged from the sixties when there was the rejection of both the working class and leisure class values. The film portrays how an individual is trying so hard to deal with the alienation problem without being a counter culture hippie. The post sixties era mostly exhibited the theme of alienation - a theme that defined the mid-seventies era. However, the films of the 1990s and 1980s era extremely reflected the alienation theme with the so bloody and violent action genre. The heroes in these movies are violent, anti-social and alienated. They generally have no societal respect. The first scenes of “Five Easy Pieces” show the main character Bobby as a typical oil mine worker. Bobby puts a lot of energy in his work to get his money. He spends his leisure time drinking beer, playing cards, watching television and bowling. He stays with his girlfriend, a beautiful waitress named Rayette Dipesto. At the beginning of the film, Bobby is reflected as a happy person, but further progress of the movie reveals a man dissatisfied with his life. Rayette clingy mature annoys Bobby so much. He loathes country music and dislikes the way his girlfriend lives her life through Tammy Wynette songs. Rayette seems to play songs for every occasion of her life. When they go out with their friends Stoney and Elton, Bobby could not enjoy the bowling. He is angry and highly competitive at Rayette’s inexperience in the game. At some point, he later cheats on his girlfriend with a woman named Sally Struthers. This film ,therefore, reflects one of the social trends at that point in time where men popularly cheated on their wives and girlfriends (Boyer 87). In contrast with his coworker and friend Elton, Bobby hates the life that comes with their job. Elton loves spending time with his wife and kid. His job at the oil field is due to lack of skills and that job provides the basic needs for his family. Elton represents the working class which is in pursuit of the American dream. Bobby is more interested in worldly things. This film ,therefore, is a reflection of how the mid-seventies society was focused on the American dream. The contrast between the two characters is clearly depicted in the great scene where Elton and Bobby are in freeway traffic after being sent home. They were sent home for drunkenness. Having been bored while sitting in traffic, Bobby climbs at the back of the truck hauling some households. He uncovers a piano amongst the hauled households and begins playing it. He gets so absorbed in playing the piano that he does not notice the truck moving. The truck takes a wrong exit without Bobby’s knowledge. This leaves Elton bewildered and shocked wondering what has gotten into his friend. Later during a work break, Elton reveals to Bobby that his girlfriend might be pregnant. This news angers Bobby to an extent where he swears he might call off his friendship with Elton and reveals to his boss he is quitting. Bobby is scared of the prospects of being tied down by his girlfriend as he prefers to live like a free spirit. The revelations from this scene are a reflection of life in the mid-seventies where men were scared of commitment to relationships. Bobby is a reflection of that time men alienated who do not know what their position in life is (Schatz 91). Later, Elton is confronted by a couple of men who chase after him. It is at this point that Bobby comes to Elton’s rescue to find out that the two men were federal agents haunting Elton for participating in a gas station robbery a year ago. Bobby sees the secret past that comes to haunt one. Bobby’s secret past is revealed when he travels to his sister Patricia - a classical pianist who lives in Los Angeles. His sister is so happy to see him and reveals to him that their old man had two strokes and that he should visit their home on the island. The interaction between Bobby and his sister reveals a well-mannered man, different from the rough wild blue collar worker. These multiple personalities displayed by Bobby are a reflection of alienation featured with the mid-seventies era. Bobby’s past life sheds some light on the reasons for his dissatisfaction with his lifestyle. It is evident that he tries in vain to adapt to the new life. He cannot free himself from the snobby prejudices from his upbringing. His reluctance to let Rayette accompany him on the family trip shows that he is ashamed of her. On their way to California, they give a lift to two women who have wrecked their car on their ride. One of the women has plans of moving to Alaska because she believes it is clean just from a picture she has seen previously. She however, continually makes statements of how filthy everybody and everything is. She has a terribly negative view of life and wants no relationship whatsoever with the American society. She is a representation of cynicism and alienation of the America during the seventies’ period (Schatz 77). When the four travelers stop over for some food at a restaurant, Bobby orders for toast and later on changes his mind from the chicken sandwich salad he had ordered initially. The waiter says that they cannot allow for substitution of the orders as it is against the rules. This frustrates Bobby to a point where he directs his frustrations by violently clearing the table. This expression by Bobby is the frustration that most Americans had in an endeavor to deal with the uncaring and impersonal systems taking place throughout America. After the incident at the restaurant Bobby kicks out the overly complaining woman out of the car. However, when they get to a town near the island, Rayette checks in a motel while Bobby crosses the water heading towards the island. This is a symbolic reflection of how his family was out of touch with mainstream society. At the family reunion, Bobby finds that his father is in a worse condition, and his brother treats him as the biblical prodigal son. Bobby’s family is made of famous classical musicians. His brother is accompanied by a student Catherine - a young divorced woman. In the process, Bobby falls in love with her even though she perceives him as unlucky person who has quit his life as a pianist. When Rayette shows up at the island, this ends the romance between Catherine and Bobby. His two siblings, however, embraced Rayette. This shocks Booby and during the party Bobby explodes to protect his love and the choices he has made throughout his life. From this explosion of Bobby, we can tell the Bobby is experiencing issues with alienation and the two different lives he leads now. He later on makes amends with his father, just like the biblical prodigal son. The issue of identity crisis and alienation in the mid-seventies is revealed further when the Booby abandons Rayette with his old identity and money to embrace a new life. This lack of responsibility by Bobby is a reflection of the mid-seventies era when people felt so trapped by their responsibilities. From the above analysis of Rafaelson’s Five Easy Pieces, it is clear that films are a reflection of the current prevailing societal attitudes and behavior (Schatz 43). The film “Five Easy Pieces” reflected the societal behavior and attitudes during the mid-seventies era. Works Cited Boyer, Jay. Bob Rafelson: Hollywood Maverick. Michigan: Twayne Publishers, 1996.Print Five Easy Pieces. Dir. Bob Rafaelson. 1970. Film Schatz, Thomas. Hollywood: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. Michigan: Routledge, 2004.Print Read More