Austin Power Sociological Theory

Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, and Karl Marx were “great” Western thinkers. They each had different biological, historical, and psychological perspectives. Their ideas can still be applied to current issues and cultural artifacts. As time progresses their ideas are still the foundation of many other theories. Each would analyze two cultural artifacts of Western Civilization: Grand Illusion (1937) by Jean Renoir, and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1999) by Mike Myers differently.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery has several discrete messages and references. Austin Power’s has to adapt to the changes in society that occurred since he was frozen in 1967 to when he was unfrozen in 1997. Austin has to overcome the
new vies of the nineties society. This includes less sexual liberation, a more conservative view, and in general the historical events that occurred while he was frozen. As Miss Kensington says, “I sometimes forget that you haven’t been around for the last thirty years…” Several scenes in the movie are up to interpretation by Freud, Darwin, and Marx.
Freud’s analysis of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery would focus on the psychological aspects in the movie. Near the end of the movie Dr. Evil says, “Isn't it ironic, Mr. Powers, that the very things you stand for; swinging, free love, parties, distrust of authority- are all now, in the Nineties, considered to be...evil?” Austin responds by saying, “No, man, what we swingers were rebelling against were uptight squares like you, whose bag was money and world domination. We were innocent, man. If we'd known the consequences of our sexual liberation, we would have done things differently, but the spirit would have remained the same. It's freedom, man.” Freud is quoted as saying, “The urge of freedom, is therefore, directed against particular
forms and demands of civilization or against civilization altogether….No doubt he will always defend his claim to individual liberty against the will of the group.” (Freud, 43). When compared Freud would think is why in the 1960’s people were rebelling against society. Dr. Evil goes on to say, “Your freedom has caused more pain and suffering in the world than any plan I ever dreamed of. Face it, freedom failed!” Austin again responds, “That's why right now is a very groovy time, man. We still have freedom, but we also have responsibility.” Freud would see this as a part of mankind’s need to find a middle ground between an individual’s claims and the group’s claims. As Freud says, “One problem that touches the fate of humanity is whether such an accommodation can be reached by means of some particular form of civilization or whether this conflict is irreconcilable.” (Freud, 43). Either the individual will form an agreement with society or there will always be conflict. When Austin refers to “freedom with responsibility” he is talking about that middle ground that has been formed by civilization. Freud would also find the scene in the movie where Austin is unpacking is suit case and pulls out his gun and compares it to Miss Kensington’s gun which results in Austin having “gun envy.” Freud says, “Normally, there is nothing of which we are more certain than the feeling of our self, of our own ego.” (Freud, 12). When Austin gets envious of how large Miss Kensington’s gun is he is letting his ego get in the way of the task at hand. Freud also says, “…the ego, indeed, is the libido’s original home, and remains to some extent its headquarters.” (Freud, 65). This relevant when Miss Kensington tells Austin, “Give your libido a rest.” She is tired of Austin trying to make his ego even bigger because Austin thinks he can have any women he wants. In many ways his ego is conflicting with his sexual drive. Darwin would analyze this film with more of a biological perspective. Dr. Evil says, “But Scott, who's going to take over the world when I die?” Darwin would say that this is man’s Struggle for Dominance. Darwin says, “It is good thus to try in imagination to give to any one species an advantage over another….All that we can do, is to keep steadily in mind that each organic being is striving to increase it’s geometrical ratio; that each at some generation or at intervals, has to struggle for life and to suffer great destruction.” (Darwin, 87). Darwin would say that Dr. Evil is just concerned with his family being the dominant species. He has to fight and struggle to keep that position. He wants his son to keep fighting for him when he is gone. The species, in order to survive, will try to increase its geometrical ratio by doing whatever it can. This is conveyed in the film when Austin Powers says, “Don't be sorry. You're right to be suspicious. I shagged her. I shagged her rotten.” Austin thinks that “shagging” Alotta was okay because it was his instinct, but in the Nineties it is considered wrong to “shag” anyone. Darwin would say he was just trying to struggle for existence. Darwin would also suggest that the scene in which Austin is trying to be seduced by the femme bots is a representation of sexual selection. An example of sexual selection is found in the bird kingdom. The more colorful a male bird is the more a female is attracted to him for a mate. The femme bots are made to be attractive to the opposite sex so that they may kill them before they have chance to realize the threat. In the movie, Austin actually overcomes their good looks and is able to destroy them by turning the situation around. Austin is able to seduce the femme bots with his “good looks” and they explode from having their circuits overloaded. Last, Marx would view this film historically. When Austin is first unfrozen he is welcome by British Intelligence and Russian Intelligence. Austin says, “Thank God. Those capitalist dogs will finally pay for their crimes against the people, hey Comrades?” Austin doesn’t know who won the Cold War and assumes that the Soviet Union won and now communism is what people support. Marx would view this as saying that Communism should have won and the world is worse off as a Capitalist society. Towards the end of the film Number 2 says, “There’s no world just evil corporations.” Marx would say that this is what happens when a capitalist society is in control. Marx says, “Capital is therefore not a personal, it is a social power.” (Marx, 24). This is why corporations have taken over the world. They are now socially in charge. Marx would say that they will lead to a rebellion, which has not yet happened, in which the proletariats unite across the world and fight back against the capitalist bourgeoisie. As Marx is famously quoted, “Workingmen of all countries, UNITE!” Freud, Darwin, and Marx also can interpret the Grand Illusion several ways. The film is set in World War I. Captured enemy soldiers are trying to escape from the prisoner of war camp they are at to go to Switzerland to be safe. The year is 1937 and many themes and ideas are evident in this film. Among them there is nationalism, cross-dressing, alcoholism, and the struggle for existence. Freud would immediately notice the cross dressing that occurred in the movie during the play scene. The soldiers liked to cross dress. Freud wrote in his footnotes about man’s sexuality: “Man is an animal organism (like others) an unmistakably bisexual disposition.” (Freud, 52). Freud suggests that man naturally has bisexual tendencies that are suppressed by society. Freud also is quoted as saying, “Present-day civilization makes it plain that it will only permit sexual relationships on the basis of a solitary, indissoluble bond between one man and one woman…,” (Freud, 52). Outside of normal society and during wartime the soldiers are freer to act on instinct instead of what is expected from the in society. Freud would also view the abundance of alcoholic consumption in film to be a way for these men to escape from reality. Freud says that human beings can’t help but try to escape from their pain by whatever means possible. They want there pleasure points stimulated and a good way to do that is to drink alcohol. Therefore, the drinking in the film is symbolic of how unhappy the soldiers are with there life at that point in time. Darwin would view this movie as having the over all theme of war. War is the outcome for the struggle for existence between species. Species are constantly fighting each other or nature to survive. Darwin says that the struggle fro existence is the “dependence of one being on another, and including (which is more important) not only the life of the individual, but success in leaving progeny.” (Darwin, 76). As a species, we have an instinct to do whatever we can to live. Darwin also would say that this movie is a great example of the ability of man’s ability to adapt to its’ surroundings. The prisoners of war are able to adapt to there harsh surroundings in order to survive and if they don’t they will die. Darwin says, “…the as the favoured forms increase in numbers, so, generally, will the less favoured decrease and become rare.” (Darwin, 111). In the camps if prisoners were unable to adapt they were less favored. They would die because they were not able to adapt to their surroundings. At the end of the film, Marechal and Rosenthal are escaping to Switzerland and Rosenthal hurts his foot.
If Darwin were analyzing that scene, he would think of survival of the fittest. Darwin uses the phrase “survival of the fittest” to represent how traits passed genetically to offspring that vary from the norm cause Natural Selection. If an offspring is born with, a trait that helps them survive better than another then that trait will be passed on and soon be the dominant trait among a species. The same occurs when an offspring is born with an injurious trait. This trait will not survive because the offspring will not survive long enough to pass it to the next generation. The injury that Rosenthal gets is away for the best fit for the environment to live. If it were for Marechal’s help Rosenthal would have been captured and probably would have died. Marx would view the movie in more of a historical sense. He would observe how nationalism did not rank over class solidarity. An example of this is when Capt. Von Rauffenstein and Marechal are able to respect each other because of their high rank in the military even though they are on opposite sides. Marx says, “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle.” (Marx, 9). Because of this, Marx can say that the reason the two high-ranking soldiers get along so well is that class bonds them. They are able to relate to each other; unlike they can with the other
soldiers. Marx says that “…literature which, in every great modern revolution, has always given voice to the demands of the proletariat…” (Marx, 39). The scene in the movie Grand Illusion where the soldiers burn books is a great example of this quote. The soldiers are fighting for what they believe is a better form of government, but at the same time they burn books which Marx believes helps the proletariat have his voice heard. Without literature society wouldn’t understand the point of view of the so-called “enemy.” Out of the three “great” thinkers of Western civilization, I think Freud would be able to best illuminate the layered meanings in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Grand Illusion. He is able to analyze the basic instinct and mind of why the characters do what they do in the films and how it relates to civilization (especially Western civilization). I also was able to find more examples of Freud in both movies than I was able to of Marx and Darwin. Freud’s theories can be applied on many levels in each movie and are still very apparent in each film. Darwin and Marx, although had some examples in each film, were less relevant in each movie. Freud, Marx, and Darwin have influenced Western civilization permanently. Even in the year 2005, we can still apply their ides to many social and cultural artifacts. Their ideas have continually appeared in movies and written work. They will be remembered as “great” thinkers and be the basis of many further studies on society.