Vanity Fair
Thackeray's classic slice of mid-nineteenth century English life, which was, at the time, flush with the color of its colonies in India & China has been beautifully fleshed out by one of the few females entrusted with a major studio film. The producers, star & most of the crew were also female. I'm not aware of another film of this size so predominantly female.
So, of course the film's about Vanity, right? Interestingly, the dictionary defines vanity primarily in terms of uselessness, as opposed to self-absorption. From what I understand, the vanity examined in the story is that of the times, at least as much as the protagonist, Becky Sharpe.
She lives in interesting, colorful times and rises from nothing to a life filled with interest, excitement and comparative wealth. I guess some interpret her strictly as a social climber, interested in nothing more than money. I see her as someone guided by a strong will and inner direction that propels her forward and those around her are drawn to that. Maybe I'm coloring her with my own brush here but I see her as motivated by a desire to enjoy her life experience, not a desire for stature.
I think people interested in stature make very different choices, they choose their friends on the basis of the type of connections provided, rather than how interesting they are. They choose stuff on the basis of what it says to others as opposed to what it actually looks & feels like. The vain may make empty choices, but not in vain, they are filled with purpose. The purpose is to get to that next rung on the social ladder.
Apparently, Becky Sharpe was the inspiration for one of my favorite literary characters, Scarlett O'Hara, another feisty girl with, as they say, "pluck". I read Gone With the Wind as a young woman, long before seeing the film, and was impressed with Scarlett's passion, determination, originality, loyalty & honesty. I saw the film recently and this time was struck by the vanity of Scarlett. Not her conceit, which is probably more of a well-deserved confidence anyway, but the vanity of her love for Ashley (as in "loved in vain").
She loved him fully, honestly and passionately, never wavering, her whole life, even though she was attractive to almost every other man but him. He seems so strong and fine to her and she can't, for the life of her, understand what he sees in the milquetoast cousin he's been arranged to marry. She attributes it to duty for decades, only to find out, at the end, that although he admires Scarlett's strength, he sure as hell doesn't share it.
That's a lot of time and energy and love to waste, and served as a bit of a wake-up call for me. In the end, maybe Scarlett was undone by the very loyalty and inner direction, I, and others, find so appealing. After all, Ashley rejected her a number of times. But, it was like she just wouldn't hear it, couldn't believe it, too attuned to her own voice, which was attracted to him. Lesson: Listen!.. especially when people tell you who they are.
Maybe she just couldn't comprehend why someone she perceived as so dynamic would be attracted to someone so passive. And, that combo has always mystified me, even though I've actually spent far more time than I should have in a relationship with a passive man. In my case, I had a really in your face mother and I guess I felt life would be a lot easier with someone with a mellower style. But, in the end, I respect inner strength, and when you really get to know someone, you start to distinguish what's real strength and what's adherence to outer rules or religious phrasing.
So, yes, I admire and relate to Becky and Scarlett. I think one of the DVD commentators summed it up best, saying something to the effect of, there are mavericks and adventurers in every society who figure out how to sort of ride the wave and make the society work for them. Social surfers....not social climbers. The climbers get to their little peak, which is lonely (it's lonely at the top). The surfers are far more connected to the wave, they ride it out, not getting overtaken but not directing either. You can't direct the wave, just enjoy the ride.
So, of course the film's about Vanity, right? Interestingly, the dictionary defines vanity primarily in terms of uselessness, as opposed to self-absorption. From what I understand, the vanity examined in the story is that of the times, at least as much as the protagonist, Becky Sharpe.
She lives in interesting, colorful times and rises from nothing to a life filled with interest, excitement and comparative wealth. I guess some interpret her strictly as a social climber, interested in nothing more than money. I see her as someone guided by a strong will and inner direction that propels her forward and those around her are drawn to that. Maybe I'm coloring her with my own brush here but I see her as motivated by a desire to enjoy her life experience, not a desire for stature.
I think people interested in stature make very different choices, they choose their friends on the basis of the type of connections provided, rather than how interesting they are. They choose stuff on the basis of what it says to others as opposed to what it actually looks & feels like. The vain may make empty choices, but not in vain, they are filled with purpose. The purpose is to get to that next rung on the social ladder.
Apparently, Becky Sharpe was the inspiration for one of my favorite literary characters, Scarlett O'Hara, another feisty girl with, as they say, "pluck". I read Gone With the Wind as a young woman, long before seeing the film, and was impressed with Scarlett's passion, determination, originality, loyalty & honesty. I saw the film recently and this time was struck by the vanity of Scarlett. Not her conceit, which is probably more of a well-deserved confidence anyway, but the vanity of her love for Ashley (as in "loved in vain").
She loved him fully, honestly and passionately, never wavering, her whole life, even though she was attractive to almost every other man but him. He seems so strong and fine to her and she can't, for the life of her, understand what he sees in the milquetoast cousin he's been arranged to marry. She attributes it to duty for decades, only to find out, at the end, that although he admires Scarlett's strength, he sure as hell doesn't share it.
That's a lot of time and energy and love to waste, and served as a bit of a wake-up call for me. In the end, maybe Scarlett was undone by the very loyalty and inner direction, I, and others, find so appealing. After all, Ashley rejected her a number of times. But, it was like she just wouldn't hear it, couldn't believe it, too attuned to her own voice, which was attracted to him. Lesson: Listen!.. especially when people tell you who they are.
Maybe she just couldn't comprehend why someone she perceived as so dynamic would be attracted to someone so passive. And, that combo has always mystified me, even though I've actually spent far more time than I should have in a relationship with a passive man. In my case, I had a really in your face mother and I guess I felt life would be a lot easier with someone with a mellower style. But, in the end, I respect inner strength, and when you really get to know someone, you start to distinguish what's real strength and what's adherence to outer rules or religious phrasing.
So, yes, I admire and relate to Becky and Scarlett. I think one of the DVD commentators summed it up best, saying something to the effect of, there are mavericks and adventurers in every society who figure out how to sort of ride the wave and make the society work for them. Social surfers....not social climbers. The climbers get to their little peak, which is lonely (it's lonely at the top). The surfers are far more connected to the wave, they ride it out, not getting overtaken but not directing either. You can't direct the wave, just enjoy the ride.
posted by Intervision at 2:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home