The Portrayal of American Families in the Movies
Today it’s hard to find a person who would be indifferent to family values, marriage, and family union. The need o family is one of the central benefits of an individual; family is a natural union of man and woman and is a cell of the society and the entire nation. It’s often said that the love of the motherland, other people are born only to the family. So it’s quite absurd to discuss what the family gives to a child and a person. Of course, the leading role of the family is to prepare an individual for his future independent life in society. Like other cultures of Christian tradition (mostly European cultures), American culture views family to be central in molding personality and teaching him social basics. The role of the family had passed through an evolution in quite a short period some 50-60 years. The youth of 1950’s was in many aspects different from the youth of 1900’s, and the youth of 2000’s is different from the youth of 1950’s. The main reason for such evolution is devoted to the social, political and economic aspects of our life. Technological and Cultural Revolution played a considerable role as well. Youth, the most dynamic part of society, was always subjected to different political and cultural new trends, ideologies and philosophies. It’s explained by the lack of experience, lack of firm ideals, principles, and pure maximalism.
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The portrayal of American families in the movies still did not change much in last 100 years of the cinematograph. Family values, family ideals, and relations are immortal and can not be subjected to changes of degradation at least on TV. That’s the main point of cinematographers as people who watch movies are always seeking for an illusion and their ideal at least on the movie screen as they do not still have it in real life.
Today none would argue that Hollywood cinema industry produces movies where the US family is portrayed as something abstract, as a myth of ideal family with loving parents and children who succeed at school, in relations with their surrounding and are useful in the sport. Many American movies are describing family relations, or family life usually limits to the showing “Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas Eve” idyll which often has nothing to do with reality. From the certain point it’s correct as the movies which have a deep propagandist meaning especially for younger spectators have to present a positive image of family, and in many respects, they have to describe the example of how the family has to be like, not the way it is often. To understand the real situation, it’s enough to say that the rate of divorces is constantly growing and that children of divorced parents are very vulnerable to such family changes: “1988 government survey of 17,000 children found that children living apart from a biological parent are 20 to 40 percent more vulnerable to sickness. Out-of-wedlock births are nearing 80 percent in some inner city neighborhoods where family disintegration is most severe. Recent reports indicate that every day in America over 500 children, ages 10 to 14, begin using illegal drugs and over 1,000 start drinking alcohol. Among 15- to 19-year-olds, homicide by firearms is the third leading cause of death after motor vehicle accidents and suicide. Murder is the leading cause of death for young African-Americans, and those who kill them are themselves, young black men. It is just one small snippet of the overall and increasingly grim picture.”(from Woodstock Report, December 1994, no. 40)
It’s often been said that cinema is a form of art and is the form of the most influential art due to its spread all over the world. Due to this fact and due to the growing dependence upon movies, movie producers have a very responsible when they choose the scenario for a future film. None would argue that film in which families are portrayed from the positive side are more popular, they get positive feedback from the front of spectators and critics, so they are more profitable. More realistic movies, where urgent problems of today’s family life are touched are often hard for understanding, and they require the rethinking of today’s morals and values. From the other side, their context may be misunderstood by a big part of the audience, and they will get wrong understanding of the message which the author wanted to deliver to the spectator. As family question is a very complicated issue in the description, it’s enough to refer to the novels where family issue is touched (for example Anna Karenina of Leo Tolstoy) in order to understand that we can not give a single-valued judgment to the most of the family problems and Tolstoy’s words: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its way...” can serve as the best proof of it. Also, it’s enough to add the role of the negative information on the consciousness and outlook of an individual and especially a child:
“Families get very little help in fulfilling their roles. The entertainment media is a prime example for me. Look at the TV. I like TV. Thursday night last year was a popular time. But Bill Cosby’s gone, replaced by Homer and Marge Simpson family values, model parents! Sometimes the only people who don’t sleep together on network television are the married couples. On cable TV a phone call gets you a boxing match or a pornographic movie. RAP/MTV exploits women, glorifies violence. Beavis and Butthead ridicule work and basic values. Our entertainment media too often exaggerates and even celebrates violence. Children see 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on TV before they leave elementary school.” (from Woodstock Report, December 1994, no. 40)
Such movies as “Father in Law” or “Son in Law” show traditional American family which lives in understanding, love, and respect. This image became typical for Hollywood as such kind of movies have a big audience and have a positive influence. Family life described in these movies defines the standard of modern families, as it promotes the values which are in the basics of modern society not only in the USA but all over the world. Comparing to Hollywood movies, European cinematograph is more directed on the psychological portrayal of complicated family relations, showing the tragedy of today’s degradation family values. Nevertheless, in many cases, European movies often remain to be misunderstood and misinterpreted. But today there are some movies in American cinematography which differ from the mainstream of portraying typical American happy family (for example: “American History X,” “Prozac Nation” and some others).In these movies an average family is described, a family with a stable average income, with successful parents and children raised in safe neighborhoods. Nevertheless personal problems, maximalism and “unlimited freedom” lead the heroes to the deep emotional and psychological crisis as they fail to find their place in life and are lost in complicated relations of society. The problem of the American family is based in the alienation of its members; people become more preoccupied with their issues and personal needs so that they stop paying more attention and taking care of those who are close to them and those whom they love.
Probably the most famous American movies which depict “other typical family” are Traffic and American beauty. They have a common theme of degrading modern family, the decline of family values but they depict this degradation from different sides. “Traffic” directed by Soderbergh shows how modern society influences family and changes it. In “Traffic” the decline of the family is a result of the drug catastrophe and drug trade. On the hand, with the drug trade, a numb of other social problems are disposed: corruption, the policy of double standards, hypocrisy and different social values which lead to the change of personality. Today cocaine is used not only but criminals and people who have r\direct relation to the world of illegal but by students, high school kids and even by children of the most respectful government officials, including those who have the job to fight against the spread of drugs. The influence of drugs on youth and youth culture is brightly shown on the example of the family of Judge Robert Wakefield who had the primary task to stop drug invasion in the USA. His daughter becomes addicted to drugs and drugs start to ruin normal family relations along with destroying the health of his daughter Caroline. Even the family of the state official is far away from the standard of a typical American family. Here the family is subjected to ruining because drugs penetrate to the life of judge’s daughter, to the family where before this tragic point everything seemed to be normal.
In “American Beauty” family decline is shown from the other side. This movie portrays degradation of the family from the inside. Everything starts from the gradual alienation, and here we see now influence on the family caused by drug addiction or other external evil. Such situation which is described in “American Beauty” is becoming typical for middle-class suburban families today. Vivid evidence of indifference and alienation of the Lester and Carolyn Burnham is the fact that Lester masturbates in the shower, which doesn’t take place in ordinary families, his wife spends too much time with their next-door gay neighbors, which is also not typical for marital relations. Lester also becomes obsessed and involved in a sexual affair with his daughter’s girlfriend from cheerleading team, his wife has a relationship with property agent, and their daughter even escapes from realities by absorbing into relations with next door neighbor.
Concluding it’s important to say that differences in portraying typical American family in the movies are caused by gaps in understanding of family today. Filmmakers can either promote idealistic American family based on traditional virtues and norms, or they can criticize and depict real life in a realistic manner. The problem is that perhaps in second case the effect would be minimal as it’s difficult to change the society in whole to improve the family after pointing on the vices of nowadays. Hollywood is often criticized for the lack of realism in the movies, but we should also understand that dream factory has even the function of creating dreams and presenting idyll to seek it and do the best to make it the reality. Movies have a profound esthetic educational potential, and it’s vital to use it for social purposes at least to save traditional family values.
The portrayal of American families in the movies still did not change much in last 100 years of the cinematograph. Family values, family ideals, and relations are immortal and can not be subjected to changes of degradation at least on TV. That’s the main point of cinematographers as people who watch movies are always seeking for an illusion and their ideal at least on the movie screen as they do not still have it in real life.
Today none would argue that Hollywood cinema industry produces movies where the US family is portrayed as something abstract, as a myth of ideal family with loving parents and children who succeed at school, in relations with their surrounding and are useful in the sport. Many American movies are describing family relations, or family life usually limits to the showing “Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas Eve” idyll which often has nothing to do with reality. From the certain point it’s correct as the movies which have a deep propagandist meaning especially for younger spectators have to present a positive image of family, and in many respects, they have to describe the example of how the family has to be like, not the way it is often. To understand the real situation, it’s enough to say that the rate of divorces is constantly growing and that children of divorced parents are very vulnerable to such family changes: “1988 government survey of 17,000 children found that children living apart from a biological parent are 20 to 40 percent more vulnerable to sickness. Out-of-wedlock births are nearing 80 percent in some inner city neighborhoods where family disintegration is most severe. Recent reports indicate that every day in America over 500 children, ages 10 to 14, begin using illegal drugs and over 1,000 start drinking alcohol. Among 15- to 19-year-olds, homicide by firearms is the third leading cause of death after motor vehicle accidents and suicide. Murder is the leading cause of death for young African-Americans, and those who kill them are themselves, young black men. It is just one small snippet of the overall and increasingly grim picture.”(from Woodstock Report, December 1994, no. 40)
It’s often been said that cinema is a form of art and is the form of the most influential art due to its spread all over the world. Due to this fact and due to the growing dependence upon movies, movie producers have a very responsible when they choose the scenario for a future film. None would argue that film in which families are portrayed from the positive side are more popular, they get positive feedback from the front of spectators and critics, so they are more profitable. More realistic movies, where urgent problems of today’s family life are touched are often hard for understanding, and they require the rethinking of today’s morals and values. From the other side, their context may be misunderstood by a big part of the audience, and they will get wrong understanding of the message which the author wanted to deliver to the spectator. As family question is a very complicated issue in the description, it’s enough to refer to the novels where family issue is touched (for example Anna Karenina of Leo Tolstoy) in order to understand that we can not give a single-valued judgment to the most of the family problems and Tolstoy’s words: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its way...” can serve as the best proof of it. Also, it’s enough to add the role of the negative information on the consciousness and outlook of an individual and especially a child:
“Families get very little help in fulfilling their roles. The entertainment media is a prime example for me. Look at the TV. I like TV. Thursday night last year was a popular time. But Bill Cosby’s gone, replaced by Homer and Marge Simpson family values, model parents! Sometimes the only people who don’t sleep together on network television are the married couples. On cable TV a phone call gets you a boxing match or a pornographic movie. RAP/MTV exploits women, glorifies violence. Beavis and Butthead ridicule work and basic values. Our entertainment media too often exaggerates and even celebrates violence. Children see 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on TV before they leave elementary school.” (from Woodstock Report, December 1994, no. 40)
Such movies as “Father in Law” or “Son in Law” show traditional American family which lives in understanding, love, and respect. This image became typical for Hollywood as such kind of movies have a big audience and have a positive influence. Family life described in these movies defines the standard of modern families, as it promotes the values which are in the basics of modern society not only in the USA but all over the world. Comparing to Hollywood movies, European cinematograph is more directed on the psychological portrayal of complicated family relations, showing the tragedy of today’s degradation family values. Nevertheless, in many cases, European movies often remain to be misunderstood and misinterpreted. But today there are some movies in American cinematography which differ from the mainstream of portraying typical American happy family (for example: “American History X,” “Prozac Nation” and some others).In these movies an average family is described, a family with a stable average income, with successful parents and children raised in safe neighborhoods. Nevertheless personal problems, maximalism and “unlimited freedom” lead the heroes to the deep emotional and psychological crisis as they fail to find their place in life and are lost in complicated relations of society. The problem of the American family is based in the alienation of its members; people become more preoccupied with their issues and personal needs so that they stop paying more attention and taking care of those who are close to them and those whom they love.
Probably the most famous American movies which depict “other typical family” are Traffic and American beauty. They have a common theme of degrading modern family, the decline of family values but they depict this degradation from different sides. “Traffic” directed by Soderbergh shows how modern society influences family and changes it. In “Traffic” the decline of the family is a result of the drug catastrophe and drug trade. On the hand, with the drug trade, a numb of other social problems are disposed: corruption, the policy of double standards, hypocrisy and different social values which lead to the change of personality. Today cocaine is used not only but criminals and people who have r\direct relation to the world of illegal but by students, high school kids and even by children of the most respectful government officials, including those who have the job to fight against the spread of drugs. The influence of drugs on youth and youth culture is brightly shown on the example of the family of Judge Robert Wakefield who had the primary task to stop drug invasion in the USA. His daughter becomes addicted to drugs and drugs start to ruin normal family relations along with destroying the health of his daughter Caroline. Even the family of the state official is far away from the standard of a typical American family. Here the family is subjected to ruining because drugs penetrate to the life of judge’s daughter, to the family where before this tragic point everything seemed to be normal.
In “American Beauty” family decline is shown from the other side. This movie portrays degradation of the family from the inside. Everything starts from the gradual alienation, and here we see now influence on the family caused by drug addiction or other external evil. Such situation which is described in “American Beauty” is becoming typical for middle-class suburban families today. Vivid evidence of indifference and alienation of the Lester and Carolyn Burnham is the fact that Lester masturbates in the shower, which doesn’t take place in ordinary families, his wife spends too much time with their next-door gay neighbors, which is also not typical for marital relations. Lester also becomes obsessed and involved in a sexual affair with his daughter’s girlfriend from cheerleading team, his wife has a relationship with property agent, and their daughter even escapes from realities by absorbing into relations with next door neighbor.
Concluding it’s important to say that differences in portraying typical American family in the movies are caused by gaps in understanding of family today. Filmmakers can either promote idealistic American family based on traditional virtues and norms, or they can criticize and depict real life in a realistic manner. The problem is that perhaps in second case the effect would be minimal as it’s difficult to change the society in whole to improve the family after pointing on the vices of nowadays. Hollywood is often criticized for the lack of realism in the movies, but we should also understand that dream factory has even the function of creating dreams and presenting idyll to seek it and do the best to make it the reality. Movies have a profound esthetic educational potential, and it’s vital to use it for social purposes at least to save traditional family values.
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