Menu
By Ronan Watters Last night, I decided to sit down and watch a film that I hadn’t seen in quite some time. That film was American Beauty (1999). It was my third time viewing it, but it was my first time to watching it since the allegations against Kevin Spacey were made back in October 2017. While I was able to get through the film and enjoy it as much as the previous times I had seen it, there was a creeping thought in the back of my head that wouldn’t stop persisting throughout the first half an hour of the film: “Kevin Spacey is in this.” Since he was first accused of sexual misconduct, more than 30 people have made allegations, including attempted rape, against Spacey. Apart from one incredibly bizarre video he uploaded in late 2018, where he seemed to defend himself against the allegations by using his Frank Underwood character from House of Cards, we haven’t heard much from him since actor Anthony Rapp first blew the whistle on his depraved behaviour. This led me to ask myself a question after I finished watching American Beauty: Is it possible to watch an entertainers work without the controversies of their personal lives influencing our opinions of the work they are in? The actions of Spacey and others like him should not be dismissed. They rightfully deserve the hate being thrown at them, as some people in the entertainment industry have gotten away with their sick behaviour for decades. Yet I found myself confused, because I was still able to watch American Beauty. While I thought about the allegations against Spacey for about half an hour into the film, I was still captivated by it. Bar one half of the storyline, which sees Spacey’s Lester Burnham sexually fantasise about his daughter’s underage friend Angela (which makes the real life allegations all the more uncomfortable), I was able to watch in awe of the countless other great performances in the film, from Annette Benning and Thora Birch as Burnham’s long suffering wife and daughter to Wes Bentley and Chris Cooper as troubled father and son. The cinematography, direction, and writing are to be admired as well. Conrad Hall shoots the film beautifully under the tight direction of Sam Mendes. The film went on to win five Academy Awards in 2000 and is still thought of as one of the best American movies ever made. But people I have spoken to have told me that they can’t watch it solely due to the presence of Spacey. I am not speaking for anyone bar myself, but I am torn about whether we should dismiss the work of controversial entertainers, as they are not the only people who have worked on their respective projects. Anyone with a small interest in films will know that hundreds upon hundreds of people can work on a film at a time, especially on big budget films. Should their work be all for nothing because of the actions of one of the stars? Some people use the argument that those who work on the films “don’t care” about all that because they still get paid. But that’s where they are wrong. Many people who work on these films do it because they love it. They want to get their film that they have tirelessly laboured over out there for people to see, and I’m sure there is nothing more frustrating than when their work is overshadowed by the actions of one individual. One of my friends told me that he didn’t know that Harvey Weinstein was a producer on Pulp Fiction, though his name is proudly displayed in the opening credits. His enjoyment of the film is ruined because the thought of Weinstein being involved in any way now sends shivers down his spine. That leads to another question: the severity of what they are being accused of. Weinstein has received the most attention as he was the first big name to be exposed by the media for his abusive behaviour. The “Weinstein Effect” has seen other powerful men be ousted as abusers. One man accused of allegations is Dustin Hoffman. Seven women have accused Hoffman of misconduct, while Weinstein has been accused by over 80 women. I am not dismissing what Hoffman allegedly did, but this example shows who the media targets more: We are still talking about people like Weinstein and Spacey, yet Hoffman has remained largely quiet, just as the media have remained quiet about him.
My thinking about Kevin Spacey also led me to think of others in Hollywood who have seen their behaviour exposed to the limelight. I began thinking about Roman Polanski, a man who was convicted in 1977 of drugging and raping a 13 year old girl, a man who fled to France when he learned the judge was going to lock him up, a man who won the Best Director Oscar in 2003 for his work on The Pianist (2002) and was visibly applauded by his peers in Hollywood. Since the rise of the Me Too movement, behaviour like this is not tolerated anymore, and rightfully so. But I myself am still able to watch Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Chinatown (1974) without letting Polanski’s real life crime distract me from his films. At first, I thought I was being too cold and ignorant, but my personal feeling is that we shouldn’t let the hard work of so many people be thrown to the waste due to the actions of one single individual. It reminds me of the controversy surrounding Liam Neeson. Neeson’s new film Cold Pursuit (2019) was to have a red carpet event for the premiere, but was swiftly cancelled in the wake of accusations of racism against Neeson. I saw the film myself last week and enjoyed it thoroughly, and was able to immerse myself into the film without letting the real life controversy surrounding Neeson ruin my enjoyment of the film. Of course, Neeson is dealing with a whole different type of accusation compared to men like Spacey, Weinstein and Polanski. The controversy surrounding Neeson warrants an article of its own. As I have stated, this is only my opinion on the matter. Many people will disagree with me and that is fine. I am not defending these men, but I can immerse myself into a film without thinking of the actions of one individual. I can appreciate a film for what it is and I can respect the hard work of others without letting it be spoiled by the depraved, sick and selfish actions of some. The presence of entertainers embroiled in controversy can be distracting for a while, but I still find myself enjoying their work.
0 Comments
|
UCC Film WritersEditorials and reviews by students at University College Cork. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|