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
Premium Protagonist English-language films Marriage
American Beauty A Sociological Movie Review American Beauty‚ a film that was written by Allan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes in 1999 is a unique piece that demonstrates many sociological themes throughout the development of the plot. The characters strive to portray themselves as the All American Family. They live in a nice house‚ drive nice cars and seem perfectly normal to the general public‚ but the audience is allowed to view the deep set issues that plague the main characters; Lester
Premium Criminology Sociology Émile Durkheim
The Color Red "The beauty that addresses itself to the eyes is only the spell of the moment; the eye of the body is not always that of the soul." George Sand hit the nail right on the head when he said this in 1872. Appearance versus reality has been a central theme in many American creative works including the film American Beauty. American Beauty is a film that delves into your typical‚ middle-class suburban American home and slowly uncovers all of the abnormalities that lie within. The family
Premium Color Primary color Rose
A True Beauty Sam Mendes’ ‘American Beauty’ is a daring‚ startling and gut-wrenching film that explores a seemingly typical mid-life crisis of a middle-aged office drone‚ which quickly turns into an unbelievably dysfunctional dimension of self-discovery. The drone in question is none other than Lester Burnham (played by the terrific Kevin Spacey) - a 42 year old who has reached the lowest point in his unexciting‚ boxed in‚ suburban life. However this all changes when Lester meets a friend of his
Premium American Beauty
Sam Mendes’ American Beauty‚ at first‚ evinces the perfect picture of the ideal middle class suburban American life. The Burnham family appears to have everything anyone would want- success‚ money‚ status‚ and with that‚ presumed happiness. However‚ reality contravenes this façade and paints a much darker and more sinister truth. Throughout the film‚ several interpersonal communicational concepts are incorporated to depict the elaborate layers of the characters and their relationships in the film
Premium Interpersonal relationship
American Beauty tells the story of a man’s mid-life crisis set in contemporary American suburbia. The character of Lester Burnham is already dead and tells the story as a flashback. Lester works in a steady job‚ is in a loveless marriage‚ and has a tense relationship with his daughter. However‚ he doesn’t like his job‚ has extreme marriage troubles with his wife‚ and feels depressed and hopeless. He ends up changing quite a bit‚ he gets sexually obsessed with his daughter’s friend Angela‚ decides
Premium Sigmund Freud Id, ego, and super-ego Defence mechanism
The Value of Kindness and LoveFrom the very beginning of the book‚ kindness and treating others well is a main focus. Duchess raised Black Beauty to value kindness from the time he was a very young foal‚ and he obeyed his mother’s wish throughout his life. As a result‚ even though he was mistreated badly and often‚ in the end he ended up back in a kind and loving home with people he could love and trust.Mistreatment of AnimalsBeing raised a Quaker‚ Anna’s believed in the importance of showing love
Premium Horse Horse tack Social class
they are less concerned with factual research that shows how things occur. Sociologists want to know why things happen‚ and to do so they must look at the broader view of their subjects and cultivate their sociological imagination. American sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959) defined the sociological imagination as “the ability to link our personal lives and experiences with the social world.” This means that one must have the ability to break free from the immediacy of personal circumstances and put
Premium Sociology
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)
Premium F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby Family
Existentialism: American Beauty American Beauty is a movie that sets in suburban America. The story is about Lester‚ whom is a middle-aged writer working in a magazine company. He was having a midlife crisis where he felt lonely and numbed by continuous unchanging routine of his everyday life. In the movie‚ his wife portrayed as a successful real estate agent‚ but she was also going through her own midlife crisis in both her career and personal life. Lester’s daughter‚ Jane Bumham had alienated
Premium United States Race Gender