Film Analysis:
Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008)
The film is a documentary on the use of steroids in American athletics and directed by Christopher Bell. In a quick glance the film appears to be an entertaining exploration of the use of steroids by Bell and his two brothers. When viewed succinctly it appears that steroids have been used as metaphor to predict the modern life in America. The film views the constant drilling into the children by their parents and the teachers that winning is everything in modern society. This view is also reinforced by the media. In this exercise, moral injunctions requiring us to play fair, display sportsmanship and doing the right thing have taken a back seat. It is not difficult to guess the way children are likely to go when their role models like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hulk Hogen who preach clean living but have openly revealed their own reliance on steroids. A superhero with spectacular muscle is an irresistible role model for any child of impressionable age. Almost every child dreams to be a superman and change into the skintight blue superman suit. The movie Bigger, Stronger, Faster portrays the evolution of an action hero like G I Joe from a physical fit soldier to a mountainous hulk with a v-shaped body an idea which is becoming increasingly achievable due to the steroids.
The movie mulls at what constitutes cheating while looking objectively at the role played by medicine in competitive sports. Can it be consider as cheating if by cycle racer sleeps in a high altitude chamber so that more oxygen can be pumped into his system? Can we say that the Lasic eye surgery performed on Tiger woods has given him an unfair advantage? Therefore the movie suggests that the distinction between fair play and cheating is very hazy almost to the point of becoming arbitrary. Pharmaceutical enhancement have even extended into the world of classical music where the musicians who suffer from stage fright take beta-blockers which keep them calm during their performance.
The film suggests that in some particular areas, deception is becoming quiet common. For example the claims made by the food supplement industry are hard to digest. It is common knowledge that sometimes the before and after pictures given in the advertisements of fitness industry are taken on the same day and then doctored to produce the effects.
The editing process gives a more creative control to the editor through the use of montage techniques, fast paced cutting and purpose full jumps. Montage is an artistic device used for creating a message economically through cutting together the short lengths of the film instead of telling the whole story. These sequences are different from continuity editing. They are generally used to explain narrative information or time passing in a condensed way.
The movie Bigger, Stronger, Faster explores the role of performance enhancement in the field of sports. It starts with the objections raised by the physician of the United State weight lifting team when the Soviet athletes were being given injections in mid 1950s. Almost immediately after that the pharmaceutical industry in America also started the development of oral anabolic steroid called Dianabol for the athletes in America. In between the movie comes back to the life of Mr. Bell and his brothers who have taken up weight lifting to over come their feeling of inadequacy as there was a tendency towards obesity in their family.
Mr. Bell who is the smallest of them is a power lifter and has also written TV segments for the World Wrestling Entertainment. He use to take steroids but sworn them off unlike his brothers. His elder brother Mike Bell was an overweight boy in his teens and was called Pugsley but became the captain of the football team of the high school after he started weight lifting. Once in college he discovered that he was not the strongest and the biggest player of his team, he give up football and started wrestling. Mike was so obsessed with a dream of becoming a star of the World Wrestling Entertainment that he even attempted suicide at one occasion. The saddest moment of the film is when he declares that he can not even bear the idea of not becoming a WWE star.
Their youngest brother Mark Bell had a learning disability but he developed self esteem after he started power lifting. He gave up the pursuit of becoming a professional wrestler after his marriage but continued to take steroids and entered weight lifting exhibitions and this was not liked by his wife.
The movie also raises doubts regarding the stories portraying the horrors of steroids abuse. Several experts point that the explosive aggression which is known as the “’roid rage” is largely a myth only. The movie shows the interview of a man in Houston who thinks that steroids are to be blamed for the suicide committed by his 17 years old son. It also shows an AIDS patient from San Francisco who was wasting away but improved after he started taking steroids. The movie raises doubts regarding the assertion of football star Lyle Alzado that the brain tumor which caused his death in 1992 at the age of 43 was caused by the use of steroids. Thus although the movie does not defend the use of steroids, at the same time it does not attack the use of steroids.
The film is thought provoking and puts a new light on performance enhancement. It shows both sides of a provocative subject. It is a well researched and well edited movie which avoids sensationalism and allows the viewers to draw their own conclusions. It treats all the subjects with respect and dignity and would certainly help in opening up the minds of some people regarding the use and abuse of steroids and provide them a different perspective.
Film Analysis Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko, the protagonist of the movie is suffering from emotional problems and is even termed as a schizophrenic but in reality he is inflicted by a severe case of fear. The fear he is suffering from is the fear of dying alone. He believes that he can solve his fear through crime and disorder but the only way to solve fear is to confront it. In case of Donnie a true act of love freed him from the greatest fear he was suffering from.
Donnie was a smart teenager in all aspects; academically, theologically and philosophically. The only field he lagged behind was the social sphere. He used to insult people whom he disliked and due to this habit he was scolded many times by his superiors and was even suspended from his school. The reason behind this emotional imperfection was the fear he was suffering from. Donnie had a fear of dying alone and he spent his time listening to Frank who made efforts to convince him that he can solve his emotional problems by committing crime. However in Donnie’s case his problems could not be solved by hatred but only through love.
The story of the film starts when a jet engine traveled backwards in time and headed towards the bedroom of Donnie Darko. Frank, who is a ghost, interferes and as he can move quickly than the physical objects, he lures Donnie out of his room and takes him to a golf course in time and therefore Donnie is not even aware of the crash till the next day. It does not become clear if Donnie was sleep walking or he followed the voice but any way his life was saved by the ghost. Donnie is also aware of the fact that his life was saved by the ghost. Later on, under hypnosis he tells the psychiatrist that he does every thing that Frank tells him do because he had saved his life. On the other hand Frank has only malice for Donnie and has saved him only for the purpose of destroying him. This is the time line in which all the events of the movie take place.
Donnie burns down the house of Cunningham and vandalizes his school. A child pornographic racket is uncovered and Rose Darko needs to be on the plane along with her daughter. The time travel book is in the hands of Donnie pointing towards Grandma Death as he tries to figure out what will happen. He shoots Frank again and escaped in a car. He tells the companion of Frank to tell everybody that it’s going to be OK. He is aware of the fact that a lot of grief was caused to many people including him because he had not died in the incident when the Jet engine hit his room. He considers that it would have been better for all if he would have died in the bedroom at that time. Therefore he takes advantage of the ability to change history and sends himself back in the past. He convinces himself not to leave his bedroom at the time of the crash and this creates an EF time line in the movie.
The concept of fear and love goes along the idea of false prophets like Jim Cunningham an the idea of religion dividing life into simple answers like God or Satan and fear or love in which truth can not be found by an individual. Therefore it is not a coincidence here that Donnie is an agnostic. In his confrontation with Cunningham and his PE Teacher Donnie asserts how the world is not as simple as the answers they are trying to provide. The reason is that the life is quiet complex and intricate and there are numerous factors which also need to be considered. As Donnie received knowledge regarding the imminent collapse of the world, he commits crime so as to fight the corrupt establishments of the society as previously he could not do so because of the fear of social persecution. For example Donnie lost his therapy and driving license privileges due to previous mishaps. We can not say that his crimes were a byproduct of fear. The movie concerns several issues like fate, corruption in society, God, promethean qualities of humanity and scientology that is visible in every scene of the movie. There is a meaning in every scene of the movie but the inability to find this meaning could be disturbing.
This cinematography used as in the film is pleasing aesthetically and there are several interesting shots. For example when Donnie is sitting and the landscape is panning of the sunset. By using simplistic fonts and editing, the film is not design to be a commercial success but an artistic one. Though the film is complicated and requires the attention of the viewers, it makes more sense after it is being viewed for the second time. The movie intends to challenge the viewers and also makes them think about the issues raised in the movie.
Donnie had the vision of future and the vision of crimes which he is going to commit. These crimes ultimately ended the lives of many who were loved by Donnie at some time. Had he committed theses crimes in the reality, the fears of Donnie would have certainly escalated. On the other hand Donnie’s spirit was saved by the strongest positive emotion among the humans which is love. Had he chosen to save his life, several persons loved by him would have to lose their lives. Therefore he performed an act of true love when he decided to give up his own life instead of allowing those around him to die. When Donnie decided to give his own life to save the lives of those loved by him, fear had to lose control over Donnie Darko.
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