American Beauty Essay 2 Question (a) A successful film offers an insight into our own society. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Many successful films provide insight into our own society. This is observed in the film ‘American Beauty’ by Sam Mendes‚ which presents us with the idea of the American Dream/Materialism which is also relevant in today’s society. In this essay I will explore this idea by linking our society to what is portrayed in American Beauty‚ along with the aspects
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The Virgin Suicides The Virgin Suicides is a film set in 1974‚ Michigan. The story follows four boys who are reflecting on their old neighbours‚ the five Lisbon sisters. The Lisbon sisters are strictly unreachable due to their overprotective parents. The Girls‚ Therese‚ Mary‚ Bonnie‚ Lux and Cecilia are the puzzle that fill the boys’ conversations. At the beginning of the film the youngest sister‚ Cecilia‚ attempts suicide as she slits her wrists in a bath. In attempt to make her feel better Mr
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Introduction to the Analysis of Lester Burnham When I was told to choose a movie to perform a psychoanalysis on a character. I did not know what movie to choose. After watching the two hour long film on the multiple characters that seemed to be struggling to find their inner happiness: American Beauty. I knew that I should not look any further. One character that especially stood out was‚ Lester Burnham. A forty-two year old father with a mid-life crisis. In the film‚ American Beauty Lester Burnham
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As Lester from American Beauty once said‚ “This isn’t life‚ it’s just stuff. And it’s become more important to you than living. Well‚ honey‚ that’s just nuts.” This classic film is replete with themes‚ symbols and motifs‚ but the most noteworthy theme relates to everyday happiness. An individual’s happiness depends on a plethora of psychological factors such as interpersonal relationships as well as individuation and this film explores the psychological aspects that determine happiness (Hewison)
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American Beauty demonstrates how construction of spectacles can be used to obfuscate our true selves. Mendes reflects on society during the 90’s whereby technological advances had been made evident through the computer and success of the mobile and Internet. The mass production of goods‚ rapid industrialisation and urbanization enabled individuals to compare their prosperity‚ achievement and success to each other. Mendes thereby refers to “spectacle culture” developed by theorist Guy De Bord (1931
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American Beauty American Beauty‚ directed by Sam Mendes‚ exploits the overwhelming misconception of beauty‚ and of how to achieve happiness. The tag line‚ “look closer”‚ prompts viewers to look deeper into the characters and thus into themselves; something that society should also be prompted to do. The characters in American Beauty are not what they appear‚ and throughout the course of the movie‚ reality hits and many realize the life they have been living is somewhat unsatisfactory. Through
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American Beauty (1999) – Sam Mendes American Beauty is a movie that shows the journey of Lester Burnham‚ a middle aged man living in what seems to be the perfect life‚ but on the inside Lester is truly unhappy and what he describes as “already dead” in the opening voice-over scene. One truly influential scene is the scene in Lester’s office. The director used a few color techniques and angle of framing techniques to demonstrate Lester’s distaste for his job‚ and his life in general. The
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The American Dream is futile. There is not much point chasing after something that is pointless and unsatisfying once it is thought to be obtained. People thought that the American Dream was a measure of how successful you were in life. If you had a wife‚ two children‚ a nice house‚ two cars and a stable job you were the definition of success. If you didn’t have a few of those things‚ or had none at all‚ then you hadn’t succeeded in your life. That is not the case. Procuring the American Dream does
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The theme of beauty‚ and specifically American beauty‚ emerges through all of the main characters in the movie. The American Beauty could be the sultry teen Angela‚ the epitome of blonde American sex appeal. Carolyn’s obsessive tending her rose garden is a pervasive and double-sided symbol of beauty‚ as her flowers are a thin cover for the ugliness in her life. Perhaps the greatest messenger of beauty in the film is Ricky Fitts‚ the eccentric pot-smoking teenager who through his camera lens perceives
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While it has been some time since I have seen the movie "American Beauty"‚ as I remember it‚ Kevin Spacey portrays Lester as the films main character‚ a middle aged man experiencing a mid-life crisis. After being fired from his job‚ Lester decides to return to his high school career as a burger flipper‚ smoke marijuana‚ lift weights in the garage‚ and try to impress his daughter’s high school friend. During this series of events‚ the other characters in the film go through crises of their own‚ until
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