Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Second Blood
Ok, so we watched the flick. I'm wondering what you noticed about it while you watched. I'm interested in specifics here...the kind of things you would have jotted down in your notes. The main focus we were encouraged to take was one of gender roles and constructions of masculinity. But, there are other focuses one can take when they analyze the film. So, I'll leave it up to you. Pick at it a bit in a comment. I'll get us started.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
35 comments:
As the film opens, it sets up the later conflict between John Rambo and the rest of civilized society in a few ways. First, as I mentioned to one class he arrives at a sphere of domesticity and family...kids playing, etc. It's almost idyllic. He is quickly told that his connection to this world is dead, in the form of his buddy, who "wasted away to nothing," an apt metaphor to describe what is happening to Rambo, too. After Rambo leaves, he enters a small town called "Hope" next to signs that say "Welcome to Holiday Land." The name of the town and signs signify what life around here means to civilians, but not for Rambo, the returning war vet of an unpopular war.
FYI: You'll see that I'm analyzing here...getting specific, etc. But, it's not strictly focused on gender...more on how pieces relate to later events of the film and psychology of the character.
I feel that this film is also talking about how war affects how people live in everyday society. Rambo has flash backs of things in the war that have damaged his mind permantly. For example when the gaurds are about to shave him he flashes back to the tourture that happened to him in vietnam. He still feels that he is on a mission in the jungle, like when his army leader is talking to him over the radio like he is still at war and that is the only way he can respond. This film also has an idea that war damages the people who are involved in it and will make it nearly impossible to adapt back into everyday society.
When he first goes and talks to his friend's mother and she doesn't say a word other than to say he's not here, Rambo is kind of friendly and almost smiling because he is excited to see his friend. Once he finds out that his friend died of cancer his character becomes much more to himself and desolate. He doesn't answer any of the cops questions because he is still being affected by what has happened to him over the war. He didn't even do anything wrong and they are pounding him for questions when they should be thanking him for serving the country so they can have their "Holiday Land." Rambo gets the shaft in this movie and nothing was even his fault at first. If he hadn't been through everything that he went through in even the movie let alone the war then he wouldn't have had to draw blood at all.
When Rambo gets arrested the sheriff starts telling him he needs to get a hair cut to look acceptable for the judge but in war he did not need to do that. Rambo is not used to civilization and its so called clean ways. He still feels like he is in war. When Rambo enters the woods and accidently kills the man in the helicopter Rambo does not feel any remorse for him, he just takes his rifle. On top of that, Trautman keeps on telling the sheriff that Rambo is a killing machine and is trained to kill no matter what. That is what is normal to Rambo. Getting to masculinity, Rambo breaks down at the end of the movie, talking about how people did not accept what he did and how he watched his friends die. All Rambo wanted was to be accepted in normal society and when Trautman does that, Rambo feels that and Trautman acts as the "Mother Roll."
I agree with ben in that it shows how war affects people. the flashbacks get the whole thing started. When he ends up out in the woods he acts as if he is under attack like he was in vietnam. He had a hand up on the everyday cops who thought they could catch him as he was just an ordinary runaway to them. They later found out that he was treating this as another mission and doing things such as carrying a knife on his side, sewing his own arm up after getting it cut, and making his own weapons, which are things people dont do in everyday society. However, this was survival mode kicking in for him.
I noticed the differences in motivation that compelled Rambo and Teasle to fight so violently against each other. Teasle seemed to need dominance in order to fulfill his role as police officer. When his authority seemed to be threatened, he would react violently. He refers to the community as 'my town.' Having control seems to give him self-worth. If Teasle was stripped of that control, he would become something like Rambo. On the other hand, Rambo has lost his place in the world. Back in the United States, he is nothing, has no control. He seems to have lost touch with reality because he has no place in reality in the United States. When he is treated aggressively, he seems to revert back to who he was in Vietnam. He behaves violently because he is desperate to find his place again in the world.
Rambo is not used to life outside of war. He is constantly thinking of war. He thinks of when he got cut by the vietcong. He attacks the cops when they come at him with a shaver because he is relating that to the war. Once they start to come after him he relates that to fighting because he talks about how thye drew first blood and that he is just retaliating. He wouldn't be able to adjust to normal life. The way he interacts with people is wrong. He does not talk or shave or do anything.
I found it really weird when the cops were harrassing Rambo in the police station her just stood there and didn't say a word back. I figured because of all the anger he had towards them he would be arguing back with them especially after the things they said to him. He released his anger by fighting with them and I think that is a result of war; all he did is fight and kill they didn't try to discuss issues or argue in the middle of a war. I think that is one way the war has affect Rambo and he doesn't know how to act in a civilized town.
I think this movie really shows how we treat our veterans, and how effected they can be by war. Rambo comes back from Vietnam and has really missed out on his early years of adult life. I think really he is looking for a farther figure to guide him sense he is use to always having some on take care of him and telling him what to do. With out that he is just a drifter a loner. Because of that he is looked down on society and there not willing to except him. After all he has been through he still can't get any respect from civilians.
I think that the film is very interesting when it comes to masculinity because it shows a hyper masculine figure who has been through many hardships in war. When he returns home and begins shooting cops and attacking a town; for some reason we still root for Rambo and not the cops. Its an insane thought but we still support Rambo because he is seen as a hero figure no matter what he is doing. I noted that when the cops get hurt they become out of service and fall down but when Rambo is hurt he gets back up. When he stitches his arm up after falling down the trees is a great example.
At the beginning of the movie, John Rambo seemed like a kind and lighthearted man, the movie started off by him walking down a grassy hill towards a woman hanging clothes with kids playing around her. When Rambo asks the woman of the whereabouts of his friend and she tells him that his friend died last summer, Rambo to me, seems to change into a completely different person. That is the point in the film where he goes from good guy to badass. I got the vibe that he didnt feel it was fair that he be left alone, being the last one left alive from his company while he was a green beret. He didnt like the fact that he was the only one alive so he decided to go and take it out on anybody who decided to look at him the wrong way.
When watching this movie immediately you could tell that Teasle was on some type of power trip and had to make sure that Rambo left town. Rambo was a drifter who did not fit in with Teasle's city ideals. Rambo related eveything that happen to him in the town with what happen to him back in the war. When he was being held by the police officers to have his beard shaved he remembered a time when he had a knife held to his throat during the war. I think that they were trying to show how hard it was for Rambo to fit back into normal society and everyday life.
Also if they were trying to show any of the characters as father figures to Rambo I thought that Trautman considered himself to be one. He kepy saying over and over that HE was the one that recruited him, served with him, commanded him, and owned him. He also would say that he was "his boy". When Rambo cried in his arms at the end I felt that Rambo saw Trautman as a father figure at this point and he needed him to be there for him, while Trautman seemed to be protecting his masculinity by just slighty patting him on the back and not wanting to show too much emotion.
I noticed connections on how Rambo was created for the purpose of killing during the war, and now after the war he has no purpose but he continues to kill. Trautman essentially created a monster. It reminded me of books i read in highschool like frankenstein. This monster was created by someone else, and some can argue that it is not the monsters fault at all, but the creators. The way Rambo is forced to come back and interact with civilians when they seem so ignorant on the torments that he had to deal with reminded me also of All Quiet on the Western Front. After the war, the men came back feeling useless and unable to relate to anyone back home because they did not have to deal with the gruesome brutality of war.
This movie really shows the traumatic underlying effects and emotions of war. How hard it is to come back and fit into a society that you are so far removed from. Its almost like he has forgotton how to live. Considering that he has been trained how to kill. He shows very little emotion until he physically and mentally is broken down by the difficulties of trying to be part of a society that no longer wants him. Only then, does he become "human", with feeling and emotion.
I felt that this film depicted masculinity to the fullest by the characters backround..with him being a war hero of Vietnam, the most unpopular war, but it also showed another side to men, specifically men who are war vets. Rambo broke down, and cried in front of his former commander. Throughout the whole movie he portrays someone of unconditional strength, someone who has learned to ignore pain, weather, and hunger. Rambo acts like machine. He doesn't even speak very much in First Blood until the end, where a flood of emotions pour out of him. He shows the ability to feel pain, emotion, and loss. He sheds tears after conveying the epitome of a soldier.
I think that Rambo really didn't want to fight the way he did in this movie.
Rambo survived a horrible war, where men were like machines. As much as he loved America and his buddies and as strong and tough as the war made him, he was devastated by the unlikely death of his friend.
I think this proved that he was not completely desensitized by the war, and therefore still human and still understood the impact of violence and death. I think that is why he didn't fight the police at first and why he only scared the hunting child. As you'll notice, only one person died the entire movie at his hands.
I believe the scene where Rambo breaks radio silence with Trautman is when John most prominently displays a gender role flaw. When the Colonel asks to chopper in and pick up Rambo, he refuses, insisting "they drew first blood". Right here he could be let off the hook, but instead stubbornly believes he must prove that he can't be pushed around. John feels he has the right to kill, solely to prove a point. This masculine-esque pride clouds his rationale, and thus the bloodshed continues.
Rambo entered the movie happy and quickly changed his whole attitude once he realized his buddy was dead and now Rambo was the last of the original crew from Vietnam. Throughout the movie, he has flashbacks which cause him even more anger towards the cops and others trying to capture him. At the end it proves to be way to much for Rambo when he breaks down in front of Trautman. Trautman shows uneasyness when Rambo breaks down because he, being a typical male, doesn't know what to do when another man is crying. It put Trautman in an awkward situation and it was very interesting to see how puzzled he was.
the first thing i noticed was how the sherriff reacted to rambo being a nam vet. he made it very clear that the people that lived in that town didnt want to have to see a broken war veteran. he recomended that rambo shower and get a hair cut so that he would fit in better with society. even though rambo's reaction to his bad treatment in a very radical way, i think the film might symbolize how alienated soldiers feel when returning from an unpopular war.
I noticed an on-going battle of one upmanship between the men who were trying to take down Rambo. The main sheriff was always claiming everything as his "own". I felt this yearning for his car to blow up as he drove all over to get Rambo. I also love the opening scene when the giant sign says,"Welcome to Hope". All of the men are trying to be smartasses and trying to be "stronger" than each other. They worry about their juristiction and trying to invade other's territory. Nobody wants to take help from anybody else, nobody listens, and nobody wants anyone's advice. They're all out for themselves. I remember a quote: "Now, we'll get him my way." It just shows how every man is trying to be the best and be masculine and strong. They're always trying to be macho intimidators.
I felt that there were a lot of power hungry male characters in this movie. The Sheriff was just blaming his friend's death on him so he had a reason to kill him. The whole reason why they were arresting him was completely innapropriate. I think the Sheriff was probably just bored in that town, it looked like a pretty mellow town, so he just wanted to tell someone what to do and it happened to be Rambo, someone who wasn't going to take it. I also agree with what Ben said above when talking about the war. Rambo still feels like he is in the war because of the way that people are coming after him and attacking him physically. I think that he put himself back into the mindset of the war and that's why he went a little crazy.
I didn't notice gender roles as much as I noticed the hatred towards Rambo before he did anything. He's a war vet and yet completely hated on. I know that Vietnam vets weren't highly looked upon but were they really hated to the extent of "you cant be in my town"?
I did notice how Rambo has been permanently scarred by the war. Every little thing that the police did reminded him of the torture he had to endure. He never realizes that he cannot attack police like he can foreign officers. War has been so deeply embedded into his mind that he knows nothing else. I feel I noticed a lot more of the self in this film rather than gender roles.
The policemen in the movie took advantage of their job and punished Rambo for no reason at all. They took control of him when he did absolutely nothing. I think he snapped and could not take it anymore. When he ran away into the woods I was amazed at what all he could do. His will to survive impressed me. He never gave up one time when it was everyone against him and he has gone through some rough times. He never let the rough times get to him. Showing how strong of a person he was mentally and physically..I think shows how men are. Men are seen that way
Personally this movie made me sick to my stomach. I felt so bad for Rambo, the way he broke down in the end, he sounded like a child. A child who was confused and didn't know what to do with his emotions. Here he was a Vietnam veteran one of the best fighters, but he couldn't even express his feelings. I think the reason why it got me so hard was because this sort of thing really happened to some veterans and still does. Rambo had no family no friends nothing after all that he had sacrificed. The way he was treated when he came into the town was terrible. Being harassed by a cop, then arrested and harassed more in the station. The only one who saw him for more than a criminal was that one cop and Trautmen. It just shows how war can affect more than just the countries involved. The war obviously changed who he was and scarred him for life. He had to basically blow up an entire town just to be able to breakdown and finally express his emotions.
A part of Rambo that was clearly focused on was the idea of gender roles and constructions of masculinity, but there were other things that sparked my interest. The idea that his colonel was a father figure was so evident. In the end when he convinces Rambo to stand down or face his own destruction by society is a good example of his abilities as a father figure. He was the only person that Rambo respected that listened to. This was recognized by people within the story as well. The sheriff persuades the colonel to try and contact Rambo via the radio. The colonel as a father figure might have been able to reach him, and in the movie he does. The idea of father figures goes hand and hand with encouraged gender roles and the cinstruction of masculinity.
I agree with Ben that war affects people in society. During the whole movie Rambo has many flash backs of war and he cannot live like a normal person. People judge him and treat him differently then other people. When Troutman trys to talk to Rambo over the radio after he ignored the police, Rambo finally anwsers. Troutman states, "I'm the closest thing to family, so i have a half chance of talking to him." Rambo's relationship with Troutman is as a father figure. This is the only person who Rambo feels that he can open up to.
The thing that stuck out most to me was the fact that the Colonel was a father figure to Rambo. He claims him as his own and others refer to Rambo as his boy. When he is telling the police how he trained Rambo, it seems as if he knows everything about the man and in my mind I related his training rambo to a father raising a son. Also towards the end of the movie when Rambo starts talking about a specific event in the war and is crying, he looks to the colonel for comfort as a child would to their father.
Another example of masculinity was when the soldiers were shooting at Rambo in the forest. He was firing back and most of them pretended like they had been shot or killed this is the opposite of most beliefs of masculinity.
Rambo came back from the war thinking he was a hero and people would welcome him with praise and honor, however the opposite affect occurred. He was treated very poorly and was looked down upon. Another thing I noticed was how at the beginning of the movie he was very lively and talkative, as the movie carried on he began to talk less and less especially towards the sheriff.
When Rambo first shows up in the movie he is happy. He has a connection to the world. When he finds out his only friend that is left from the war is dead. He loses his only connection to the civilian world. He feels unwanted and doesn't know what to do. I feel this shows how war changed him he has lost part of himself and doesn't know what to do, not having any friend or anyone who even wants to know him. Then when just try to live with his problems and go on people are giving him crap and not letting him just do his thing. Giving him nothing to live for and trying to kill everyone who try to make him mad.
In this film, the men wanted as much power as they could get. Rambo would have never gone crazy if the Sheriff hadn't started harassing him. Masculinity is shown by the way they treat the younger red headed officer. They think that he should be a man and go after Rambo. If they had listened to him though, no one would have died. He was the one who said It wasn't them huntin' Rambo, but he was huntin' them. I actually don't even recall seeing any women in the film, besides the lady in the beginning when Rambo went back to town to see his friend from the war.
I also recall when Rambo broke down crying at the ending and hugged the Kernel. You could say that he was the father figure in Rambo's life, but it was different. When Rambo went to hug him, he awkwardly patted him on the back.
When Rambo comes into town he begins to get crticised right away. He is told that he is not welcome in the town. The officer does not respect Rambo becuase he is seen as a drifter and his apperance is rugid. The officer then says if he shaves and cleans himself he may be accpeted in town. Rambo is offended by this because he does not feel he should be told what to do. He also feels that he should be welcome in any town and that is when the confrontation occurs. The officer was looking down on Rambo and almost treating him as a child by telling him how to carry himself and how to groom himself.
Im not sure if this is right but men have this thing where they never give up never say die and that is how rambo was in the movie. Like men now they can never get out and ask someone for directions same with him he couldn't give up because he was a man.
A big thing that I noticed during the movie was the amount of masculinity and the appearance of a father figure. To me Brian Dennehy shows some masculinity when he tells Rambo that their town is considered boring, but that he "gets paid to keep it that way." And to me Dennehy acts as a father figure toward the red hair deputy when he is talking about Rambo, and Dennehy tells him that he will get Rambo "with or without you."
Also, Trautman is a father figure towards Rambo when he says that he is "the closest thing to family that Rambo has."
Throughout the movie, Rambo doesn't show a lot of emotion or facial expression. The only emotion he shows is toward the end when he had that breakdown with his general. He mention that everyone from his group is dead and he is the only one alive. You can barely understand him because how much the war affected him. Rambo can't trust anyone except his general and this leads to Rambo not fitting into society. The sheriff tried to help Rambo by giving him a lift then the next thing you know Rambo is attacking the cops because he feels so uncomfortable in the situation and the flashback from the war.
Post a Comment