week10 - c-faculty.chuo-u.ac.jpc-faculty.chuo-u.ac.jp/~oniki/resources/week10.pptxa.pdf ·...

Week 10

Losing Inner-‐Direc2on in It’s a Wonderful Life

Mass society

•  Two problems. •  How much does inner-‐direc2on maBer in this mass society?

•  What happens to local communi2es?

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

•  Compared with Capra’s early films (such as You Can’t Take It With You), the local connec2ons in community become less and less important.

People leaving community

•  George’s younger brother:


•  Sam, the capitalist:

No2ce the difference between George and Sam’s clothes, par2cularly their wives’ clothes.


•  Violet Bick, the “single girl”:

Movement away from local iden2ty

•  People are leaving the small town. •  Their reasons for leaving are based on increased mass produc2on.


•  Mass produc2on for war.


•  Mass produc2on for factories. •  Sam owns one.


•  Mass produc2on for ci2es (where this is “new love” for young single women).

“Single Girl, Married Girl” (Carter Family -‐1928)

•  Single girl, oh single girl She's going dressed up so fine Oh going dressed up so fine

Married girl, oh, married girl She wears any kind [of clothes] Oh, she wears any kind


•  Single girl, oh single girl She's gone anywhere she please Oh, gone anywhere she please

Married girl, oh married girl Got a baby on her knees Oh, got a baby on her knees


•  Single girl, oh single girl She goes to the store and buys Oh goes to the store and buys

Married girl, oh, married girl She rocks the cradle [the baby] and cries

“Single Girl” as modern young woman

•  The “single girl” as signifying the “new” modern woman.


•  Made in 1946. One of the first films about postwar America.

•  Towards a mass society.

What about George Bailey’s inner-‐direc2on?

Scene

•  Conversa2on with Father

Conversa2on with Father

•  George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: I couldn't face being trapped here (in this town) all my life.


•  George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: It's just this business of nickels and dimes (５円１０円単位）. [It’s too small-‐scale!]


•  George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: I want to do something big and something important.


•  George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: I want to do something big and something important. I'm going to be an architect and build things.


•  George: I'm going to design new buildings, plan modern ci2es.

I want to be a leader large-‐scale produc2on. Therefore, I want to travel and live in a city.

George Bailey’s inner-‐direc2on

•  The scale of George Bailey’s inner-‐direc2on is so big, he doesn’t want a family.

•  Because having a family works against his inner-‐direc2on

Inner-‐direc2on hero

•  The inner-‐directed hero is ocen ambivalent about staying home and having a family.

•  This is ocen the case with Western films. The cowboy, lone gunman and such.

George’s inner direc2on fails

•  Unfortunately, George Bailey doesn’t succeed at his inner-‐direc2on.

•  He is stuck in a small town, and gradually realizes he fails at his inner-‐direc2on which includes: a. travelling b. becoming an architect c. living in a city

Compare American Madness (1932) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)


In American Madness, the bank depositors end up suppor2ng the banker.


In It’s a Wonderful Life, everyone is withdrawing, no one is deposi2ng money.


Perhaps there is less a rela2onship of trust between the bank and its clients.

Bank Run

•  Where is the trust? •  It’s not so obvious in this film. Local trust is weaker in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), compared to American Madness (1932).

•  Trust becomes a rela2ve rela2onship, not absolute rela2onship.

•  Trust becomes a rela2ve （相対的）rela2onship, not absolute rela2onship.

•  PoBer: Why you’re worth more dead than alive! [If you died, your insurance would produce more money than you could alive].

•  What happens when George Bailey cannot even trust himself?

•  He thinks of killing himself. •  He will get more money from dying (insurance) than from living.

Middle of film

•  Instead of defining “posi2ve” trust between people…

•  Money defines “nega2ve” doubt between people… (I want my money back. It’s mine! Not yours!)

•  So where is the investment in the future?

Middle of film

•  Money represents not trust, but the central power in the form of PoBer’s monopoly.

•  No2ce how PoBer hides the money. He hides/owns/controls the informa2on.

Middle of film

•  He manipulates the money and informa2on to control the town economically.

•  Whoever controls informa2on, controls trust.

•  Maybe trust is a maBer of control?

Less trust?

•  If trust is only a maBer of control (of informa2on, of money), inner-‐direc2on cannot work.

In the end

•  George’s acts [to help others] are not based on his large-‐scale inner-‐direc2on.

•  Slowly George Bailey realizes how his iden2ty belongs to the town.

In the end

•  We find the local neighbors [everyone George has known his en2re life] pay George back for everything he has done in the past.

•  They value George not for his future poten2al, but for his past acts.

In the end

•  They value George not for his future poten2al, but for his past acts.

•  These past acts were for the local community.

In the end

•  Remember, George Bailey’s [father’s] company is called “Building and Loan.”

“Building and Loan”

•  They loan money to people so they can build homes. They help people with their inner-‐direc2on [of building homes].


•  They loan money to people so they can build homes. They help people with their inner-‐direc2on [of building homes].

•  Note how the scale of this inner-‐direc2on is small.


•  They loan money to people so they can build homes. They help people with their small-‐scale inner-‐direc2on [of building homes].

•  Strangely enough, George realizes that his purpose of work [his direc2on] is the same as his father’s.

Tradi2on over Inner-‐direc2on?

•  George ends up being more “tradi2on-‐directed” than “inner-‐directed.”

•  Father to George: You were born old, George.

Ambivalence towards inner-‐direc2on

•  The film 1. warns of the nega2ve aspects of inner-‐direc2on


•  The film 1. warns of the nega2ve aspects of inner-‐direc2on

George Bailey nearly abandons/leaves his family because of his failure at inner-‐direc2on.

Failed Inner-‐direc2on


•  George Bailey nearly destroys his family because of his failure at inner-‐direc2on.

•  Breakdown scene with family

•  George: Everything’s wrong. You call this a happy family! Why did we have to have all these kids!


•  The film 2. portrays local community as part of a tradi2on-‐directed society (where people do what their parents do, and where goals are “family-‐oriented.”)


•  The film portrays local community as part of a tradi2on-‐directed society.

•  This kind of longing for the [destroyed] past is called “nostalgia.”

You Can’t Take It With You (1938)

•  Capra’s inner-‐directed films depict characters building new worlds and values.


•  His later films also make us nostalgic about the world inner-‐direc2on has replaced.

•  We “miss” parts of the tradi2on-‐directed society…



•  We “miss” parts of the tradi2on-‐directed society…precisely because we have destroyed it.



•  We “miss” parts of the tradi2on-‐directed society…precisely because we have destroyed it

•  And because new direc2ons are emerging.

Nostalgia and destruc2on

•  Postwar films ocen evoke nostalgia for prewar local small town America.

Nostalgia and destruc2on

•  While the destruc2on of prewar local communal trust is a result of postwar American economy, it is also preserved as an “essen2al inner-‐value,” one that may no longer exist in the real world.

Between 1938 and 1946

•  What happened? •  The war…war2me economy and produc2on. •  This rapid economic shic accelerated the forma2on of new social systems.


•  What happened? •  But the war is over.


•  What happened? •  But the war is over. •  Our lives are not dedicated to producing for the war.


•  What happened? •  But the war is over. •  Our lives are not dedicated to producing for the war.

•  So what are we producing for?


•  Producing for consump2on. •  Instead of producing, we are consuming.


•  Producing for consump2on. •  Instead of producing, we are consuming. •  How does this affect social character?

New social direc2on/character

•  Instead of returning to “tradi2on-‐direc2on,” however, we find a new social character emerging.

•  We will examine this new type from next week. This new type is called…

Postwar American iden2ty

•  Instead of returning to “tradi2on-‐direc2on,” however, we find a new social character emerging.

•  We will examine this new type from next week. This new type is called… “Other-‐direc2on.”

Next week (week 11, 12.6)

•  No class •  Watch The Best Years of Our Lives •  It’s long, but try watching it in two simngs.

•  Acer week 11, we will look at postwar Japanese fic2on/film and apply concepts of inner and other-‐direc2on.

Assignment

•  Watch The Best Years of Our Lives （「我等の生涯の最良の年」）

Topic: What is the “postwar” town like in this community? Concentrate on the various “spaces” of the community, par2cularly those outside their “homes.”

Assignment

•  Also, bring your copy of “Character and Society” from The Lonely Crowd next class (12.13).

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