Scarfaces & Mother Theresas
Chapter 14 of the Bedford Book of Genres is split into two sections: villains and heroes. What is particularly interesting is that many villains from great movies are used as examples. Being a movie fanatic myself, I used some of my favorites as examples in this blog. For example, in a list curated by the American Film Institute, Hannibal Lector (Silence of the Lambs) is credited as being the greatest villain of all time. A researched argument by Stuart Fischoff first emphasized the importance of a well-developed villain. A villain with no purpose or development who just does bad things for the heck of it isn’t believable. Fischoff presents two angles of personality forces. First is a villain who is much like any normal person, but does not possess restraint. His example is an abusive parent – he says everyone grows frustrated with their children, but the abuser lacks the power of the inhibitory mechanism. The second angle is the “don’t ignore me angle.” This describes villains who do what they do to stand alone and be counted in the world. They crave attention. For example, Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) in Scarface is a Cuban immigrant desperate to make himself known in the American drug scene. Another example that is used (my personal favorite) is Al Pacino in The Godfather. The author describes how excellently the director takes the audience through Michael Corleone’s descent into moral darkness. In the beginning, Corleone wants no part of his Italian family’s association within the mafia, but after the attempted murder of his father, he slowly begins to turn ruthless (much like his father). Fischoff points out that this is an interesting point of view because throughout the film Michael is also shown as a loving father and husband. This is an example of making the villain relatable and realistic to the audience. Another important aspect of villainy is environment. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, young schoolboys who are wrecked on an island become savages, killing one another and thinking little of it. In this example, their environment drove them to this villainous insanity.
The chapter goes on to talk about heroes. It uses Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani student and activist for girl’s education, and Rick Freidman, the first black and openly gay man in the NBA, as an example of someone who possesses the qualities of a hero. All in all I thought this chapter was very interesting. What is particularly interesting is how I was drawn more specifically to the villainous side of it. I believe this is because villains are far more interesting to analyze. Think about the many books and articles that have been published that analyze the mindset of Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. No one is trying to crack into the mind of Mother Theresa. I suppose it doesn’t matter why we are doing good things as long as we do them. Now, why people do bad things – that is where the psychology gets truly interesting.
