One statement that caught me off guard during the class discussion was the comparison to the game Grand Theft Auto. Being a huge video game geek (both as a hobby and as an advocate of considering it an art form), I kept this in mind while watching the film and the similarities truly intriguing. Both of these titles deal with a character attempting to escape the police by car while becoming a fatal hazard to everyone else on the road. Both also deal with extremely immoral and scandalous behavior. Even the certain subtle elements, such as the fact that both feature radio stations as the background music for the chases or that the cinematography in Vanishing Point and the "cinematic camera" in Grand Theft Auto have a very similar style, show how alike these two are. There were moments where I thought the designers of GTA created this game with an intent to imitate an interactive experience akin to Vanishing Point.
The film constantly refers to themes of rebellion and pursuit of freedom which makes sense due to its reflection on post-60s culture. Right when this film was being made, America was going through the Vietnam War, the Counter-Culture Movement and a whole social revolution that would impact our society for years to come. The recurring ideas of rebellion elicit the signs of the times fairly well. Rebellion is seen through the two main characters, Kowalski and Super Soul.
John Beck states in his essay that, "the highway in the United States has always functioned as a signifier of liberty and possibility. At the same time, road building has from the beginning been bound up with issues of social management and control". The film's camera work makes sure you notice all of the signs across the road, from stop signs to speed limit signs, revealing that even as Kowalski is pursuing freedom from "the man" on the road, there are still limitations to said freedom. That being said, Kowalski ignores and purposely disobeys these signs in an attempt to defy the law and truly pursue complete and total freedom.
Super Soul gives a first impression of a rebellious persona due to his vibrantly eccentric and energetic personality in a setting that seems devoid of any real passion. This attitude propels even further when he cheers Kowalski on in his pursuit from the cops, labeling him as "the last American hero". Celebrating someone the cops are attempting to arrest, a felon, truly is a daring feat of rebellion, even for the 70s.
Based on your comment on my blog and your last paragraph here, I can tell you are a big fan of super soul. I liked him too. He definitely stands out in a the setting that "seems devoid of any real passion" as you said. He's got so much spunk, too, which is important to his role as inciter of rebellion. The scene where the cops imitate him in an attempt to bait Kowalski was cool, because at first you think it's Super Soul, but upon Kowalski's sneaking suspicion, you notice that the voice on the radio is indeed lacking a certain something. It's lack "soul" I'd say.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd like to take this moment to point out that Super Soul's blindness seems huge. I didn't get to class Thursday so I'm not sure if his blindness was addressed, but I'm sure it was a nod to the "blind prophet" figure -- which I think started in the bible before being reproduced in Oedipus the King and many times over in other literature and film. He definitely has a "vision" that the other, dispassionate characters lack.
I can't figure out SuperSoul's character--why he's blind, why he apparently sells out, even before he gets beat up, why he's such a stereotype. Ned's point about the 'blind prophet' seems as good a guess as any.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of the GTA comparison mainly because of the fast car and the dodging stuff and the music. I don't see where you see the immoral behavior in this movie though. Kowalski's pretty upright and just wants to drive fast, unlike the GTA driver, who wins points by being as much of a sociopath as possible. Maybe the rush is similar, but the morality is very different.
I wasn't talking about the immorality of Kowalski per se, but more about the immorality of the characters and events surrounding the central character. For example, both source materials feature portrayals of corrupt police officers.
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