The latest Poliwood (free, no reg required) is up and the subject is Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. Who doesn’t love Clint – the last American hero? And Lionel and I both thought Gran Torino one of his good ones (except for a problematic, if inevitable, ending).
The movie raises interesting questions of political correctness because Eastwood’s character is deliberately not PC. Yet, not surprisingly to readers of this blog, his character proves least racist of all. That of course is one of the great ironies of political correctness and its pseudo-intellectual partner in crime “cultural relativism.” Lionel and I discuss that distinction and review our favorite Eastwood films of the past. Have a look and please add your own favorites below. (BTW, what I mean by “movie correctness” in the title is letting your characters – not your ideology – tell the story.)
Other back Poliwood’s are here. Next week: The Wrestler. [Aren't you going to reveal how you voted in the Academy Award nominations?-ed. I think I already forgot.]
I think the ending was what was required.
And, given the unrelenting ‘pussiness’ of the Whites in the Story (except for Wally), I think one of the messages was that America’s hope lies in her immigrants.
And, the beautiful centerpiece: the Gran Torino. It was created by Wally’s generation. The young generation (the hoods, and his grandchildren) thought they could steal it or get it for free through Wally’s death.
There were no mature Hmong men around. It is a world of the young and the very old (the latter sitting having a beer in the Legion). Sorry. There is a construction job, and there Toad sees an actual mature man running the job.
Whites will be too busy sucking up to Obama. (On TIME cover yet again.)
Wonderful movie and damned if I didn’t know there were so many derogatory words for folks of the Asian world.
He was a man amongst a bunch of wimps.
I enjoyed your PJTV review of Gran Torino — just saw the movie tonight. I agree with your take 100%, but I think you and Lionel missed some important points that I was led to by your discussion.
American Ideals vs. “Tribalism”
There were, at my counting, three separate representations of “tribalism” in the film: Walt’s open “racist” banter and inertia, the Hmong family’s traditionalism, and “gangs”. Walt thought, by even his own family, to be an unrepentant and unreasonable bigot, reveals himself to be ultimately compatible with the traditionalist Hmong, [paraphrased]: “my God…I have more in common with these bunch of gouks than my own spoiled children”.
Notice also the many of references to him as an “American”, even though we’re not sure of the citizen status of those who use the term. The Hmong grandmother figure might “hate” him, as his equal in traditionalism, there is a telling dialogue where the interest in Thao by Walt is said by their mother to “be a good thing….because he is an ‘American’”. Not because he is “white”….”American”, something, through their own struggle of tribalism, they are pursuing.
Juxtapose that with the ultimate symbol of tribalism in the film: gangs. They are the enemy in the film, and a very real tribalist enemy in real life.
Walt is very hard on both the “new” tribes: the racial outsiders, and the multi-culti “whites” (like the guy playing “black” with the Hmong girl), and even his own family’s acquiescence.
The conclusion: Walt sacrifices himself (as his last act, knowing he is about to die) to safekeep a thriving tribal, but Americanizing family by neutralizing the spectre of the worst sort of anti-American tribalism hanging over them, not through vengeance, but by allowing their brutality to be easily apprehended by the inherent American liberal democracy.
I can’t remember a movie I’ve seen that is more American than this.
Sorry….as an afterthought…how about contrasting Gran Torino with Crash?
If this movie ever makes it to Vienna I’ll have to be sure to see it.
There is a real disconnect between courage we see displayed on the silver screen compared to how things are in real life. The entire Star Wars series was a tribute to taking up arms and kicking butt. Funny, the same generation that flocked to see those movies elected the metrosexual, girly man, Barak Obama.
I see that Israel has declared a cease fire in Gaza despite rockets still being fired into Israel. I wonder what movies they have been watching. It certainly wasn’t “The 300″.
Hi Roger,
During the Soviet era, the Soviet Union spent considerable effort trying to undermine American society.
Here are a rough set of ideas which the Soviets attempted to promote in America (in order to destroy it):
* There is no truth, only competing agendas.
* All Western (and especially American) claims to moral superiority over Communism/Fascism/Islam are vitiated by the West’s history of racism and colonialism.
* There are no objective standards by which we may judge one culture to be better than another. Anyone who claims that there are such standards is an evil oppressor.
* The prosperity of the West is built on ruthless exploitation of the Third World; therefore Westerners actually deserve to be impoverished and miserable.
* Crime is the fault of society, not the individual criminal. Poor criminals are entitled to what they take. Submitting to criminal predation is more virtuous than resisting it.
* The poor are victims. Criminals are victims. And only victims are virtuous. Therefore only the poor and criminals are virtuous. (Rich people can borrow some virtue by identifying with poor people and criminals.)
* For a virtuous person, violence and war are never justified. It is always better to be a victim than to fight, or even to defend oneself. But ‘oppressed’ people are allowed to use violence anyway; they are merely reflecting the evil of their oppressors.
* When confronted with terror, the only moral course for a Westerner is to apologize for past sins, understand the terrorist’s point of view, and make concessions.
References Here:
http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=260
It would seem that this picture (accidentally) attempts to push back on some of these ideas. It is interesting that these ideas have lasted in America long after the Soviet Union has disappeared.
James
One of the best eastwood movies is White Hunter, Black Heart.
Gran Torino is great because it has so many aspects, including the conundrum: what makes “America”? What is “Manliness”? Remember the scene, by the way, where Walt is luxurating in the great food at the Hmong home, surrounded by joyous Hmong ladies?
play misty for me…..said it well and entertained a broad range of audiences.
My favourite Eastwood movie was Unforgiven. Slow, plodding, but with an ending that gives me quivers just thinking about it.