American Beauty

AMERICAN BEAUTY

America, a county well known for its beauty and power may not be so beautiful inside and out. Alan Ball’s “American Beauty” is a microcosm of America as a whole. On the outside, all the families introduced in the film, are perfect portraits of a wholesome American family. But as time proceeds and as each family is analyzed, it is clear that there are wounds and scars behind their smiles. Behind each “happy” family lie unfulfilled dreams and desires, as well as their subjective philosophy of life. It is Sam Mendes who is able to capture the most important hidden message in this film; the red roses. It is not a coincidence that the title of the movie is the name of the red roses seen throughout the film. American Beauty is an “American variety of rose, periodically bearing large crimson blossoms.” At first the title of the film may seem ironic, but after watching the film, it is clear that the roses are used to represent “beauty.” Although, it does not end there, the colour red continues to be seen throughout various parts of the movie.

Nietzsche’s Existentialism is one theme present throughout the film. Many characters such as Lester and Carolyn Burnham, as well as Frank Fitts portray this theme. Lester Burnham, is a middle class working man who has been living life as though he is dead, and is no longer interested in gaining his daughter’s love back as well as his wife’s. Near the start of the film, a family portrait of the Burnham family is displayed in black and white, one which they were so happy in, and then an updated family portrait is shown of the Burnham family, one that seems too commercial. Lester’s life has clearly gone downhill to a point where he accepts his daughter’s hate towards him and is okay with sleeping beside a woman every night and not feeling that sexual desire towards her. Lester claims that he is “just an ordinary guy with nothing to lose.” Lester could have gone ahead with a divorce, but that wouldn’t portray him as a very good father and so restrictions like this limit him. Lester introduces this theme when he says,“I feel like I've been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I'm just now waking up.” But it is a crush that Lester develops on his daughter’s friend that sparks that old flame within him. This is a turning point in the movie for Lester, for he realizes he doesn’t have to live by other peoples rules. So he decided, he should make the choices he desired and that he should live his life. As for Lester’s personal relationship with God, that is not clear, nor is it discussed throughout the movie. Lester no longer lives to please his wife, Carolyn Burnham. Who, only seems to be satisfying her materialistic needs. Carolyn seems to see nothing beyond, her image, money and her Italian silk couch, the couch that she preferred over making love to her husband. Carolyn is confronted by Lester, about her materialistic desires many times during the film. Thomas Hobbes materialism philosophy also seems to fit with Carolyn’s life style. Carolyn portrays existentialism for she does not seem to care about anything other than her career. After all she does seem to agree with Buddy Kane’s philosophy of life:” In order to be successful one must project an image of success”. At last is Frank Fritts, a man who is so tied up in his past that he has hurt his family in the process. Frank, who used to serve in the US army, has clearly been affected by it. He treats his son like a soldier, who calls him “sir” and has broken his wife into bits and pieces because he was not happy sleeping next to a woman. But of course gays are extremely unacceptable in a wholesome all American family. Therefore, all three characters seem to be lacking Soren Kiekegaard’s Existentialism, for they all failed to make authentic choices in their lives. But each reflects Nietzsche’s philosophy in different lights.

As for Angela Hayes, the girl of Lester’s dreams, fit, blonde, and beautiful. Angela seems to have it all and seems way too perfect. But only surprise the viewers of how insecure she really is. How it’s all an act and nothing she says is half true. The theme of Reality versus appearance is the best match. As she appears to be a true “American Beauty” and a girl who says there is nothing worse than being “ordinary” is in reality ordinary. In a way all the characters in this film display the theme of reality versus appearance. All but two, Jim Olmeyer and Jim Berkley, the gay couple next door. It's ironic, for too many such as Col. Frank Fitts, USMC <http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0030577/> they may seem very odd, yet they are the only family who seems to be the same on the surface as well as on the inside. To prove this is the opening scene where the couple gets into a very small argument about the dog.

With all this aside, there is one character that stands aside, the one character that sees the world for its true beauty. One who can be categorized as an empiricist, one of Aristotle’s students perhaps? Ricky Fitts, the only son of Col. Frank Fitts, seems to be the only one who sees true beauty. It is amazing that even after all the psychological damage that his father has caused him he still finds the beauty in life. He claims to believe that there is “a entire life behind things” which so easily represents the essence of things. For Ricky beauty is not ideal, it’s not artificial, it’s not something one might call “American Beauty,” it’s the small things in life, the things that one might pass by everyday and not notice. Ricky’s hobby of videotaping all his moments are quit symbolic, he captures his memories, his experiences because he finds there is so much beauty in the world, that he feels overwhelmed. Ricky finds beauty in things that others may find disgusting, a dead bird, a plastic bag or even Jane. He finds beauty in Jane’s face beauty that everyone claims is in Angela’s face. When Ricky is filming Jane’s window from Angela puts on a show, a show many would love to see but he focuses the camera on the small mirror that showed just a glimpse of Jane’s face, for him that was beauty. For him Lester’s death was beautiful, he saw the peace in his face, the grin he had on. Jane however, finds all Ricky’s weirdness attractive, she is inspired by his ability to forgive his dad, and really focus on building his life rather than holding onto old and hurtful grudges. Jane too claims she’s been hurt by her father, not physically but mentally. Through her friendship with Angela, Jane is jealous of her, because she thought she portrayed a beauty and not herself. The opening scene in the car, Angela told Jane “there is nothing worse than being ordinary,” making Jane feeling as though she was ordinary. But in Ricky’s eyes Jane was the beauty and Angela was nothing but an ordinary and boring teenager.

Throughout the length of the film, red roses are seen various times. The red roses are a symbol of lost hopes and forgotten dreams. The roses at the front lawn with perfectly lined white fences represent Carolyn’s lost dreams, she uses these American beauties to project a happy family, Ball is using these red roses to show how lost Carolyn’s dreams are in reality and that it’s all an image. Bouquet of roses that stand beside the black and white photos of the happier family, in fact show the memories that have been lost. The dreams they may have had for their future the hopes, it’s all lost. The various bouquets of roses that seem to be all over the Burnham house, all symbolize all the lost dreams or desperate attempt for perfection. Yet for Lester, The rose peddles that appear while he is fantasizing, that too symbolizes his lost dreams and hopes. But of a much earlier time, his teenage years perhaps, Lester in a conversation with Ricky said all he did was “smoke pot and get laid” and that he had a job “flipping burgers” to which he referred to as happy times. When Lester does get a first kiss from Angela in one of his fantasies a rose peddle comes out of his mouth, Lester gets a taste of his lost dream. Near the end of the movie at various scenes that Angela appears a bouquet of roses appear behind her too. Even right before Lester dies, as he is watching the photo of his happier days a bouquet of roses lay beside him. But the red coloured roses go beyond all this. The colour red is hard to ignore as it appears during various band scenes. The colour red symbolizes the appearance of perfection and in a way symbolizes hidden emotions. The Burnham’s home, with the grand red front door, a door that symbolizes irony, the red coloured door means a beautiful home with a happy family. Yet it is ironic once you step into the house one can analyze all the troubles and discomforts that exist within the family, one can sense the distance between them. The updated family portrait that hangs on the wall shows how artificial they are. Carolyn is wearing a red sweater in that picture, and so does she various times during the movie. Carolyn clearly has lots of hidden emotions and angers within her, which she reveals a few times during the movie. Scenes such as her complication with selling the house, and her breakup with Buddy Kane even her cry to her daughter, Jane. Jane’s room is filled with the colour red, and this goes to show all her heated emotions that she keeps inside. The red folder that falls out of Lester’s hand bag shows that there even are hidden emotions about his job. The red oven cloth that hangs on the side of the kitchen in the Fitts family as Barbara cooks breakfast shows that even her, who seems emotionless has some sort of hidden anger within her. The red papers that appear in the office when Lester is giving his final letter to his boss were not there at the first scene in the office. This is because in the second scene that is where Lester lets out his anger about his job. All the red colours in the garage resemble all the hidden emotions that have been stored there for years under the surface. As for Buddy Kane, whose commercial board is the colour red, in this case, Buddy admits to putting on a show and projecting a happy family just for commercial and so he may be the best at his job but there are many emotions beyond that that he may be missing out on such as love. the colour red also appears in the confessional scene between Lester and Frank. as frank was standing in front of Lester, the red car behind him took a good portion of the frame, indicating all the hidden emotions Frank has had for many years and at last, after Lester's death, the red front door is shown at a rainy night. Rain indicates a source of grief and the red colour door represents a door that is supposed to open up into a welcoming home. With all this kept in mind, it is the writing at the beginning of the film that gives away the importance of the colour red, for the fonts are in that colour also.

All in all, this movie has various philosophical meanings one which includes the theme of existentialism. It is present throughout the film through the use of a few characters. Although, each character displays a different dimension of this theme, characters such as Lester Burnham, Carolyn Burnham and Frank Fitts, have been living their lives by following certain rules. Their life-styles restrict them from growing in life and or even living life with joy. They have not only affected themselves but their surroundings as well. Materialism seems to be the motto when it comes to characters such as Carolyn and Buddy Kane. They end up having an affair with each other because both their life styles seem to relate. But someone like Lester cannot be happy with Carolyn because he seems to see beyond all the material matter. It is after Lester's death and his voice talking about death that really touches everyone's heart.

Lester, says that his life was not over in a second but in a eternal ocean of time. Remembering all the little things in life that made his "stupid life" worthwhile. Like his cousin Toni's brand new car, or the "yellow leaves that lined the street,” his daughter, his wife. Like Plato said "Beautiful things and courageous acts come and go, but they have in them some of the timeless essence of true beauty and true courage". Lester claims that one-day "you will know what I'm talking about." What Lester is trying to say is that as beauty, hope, and unfulfilled dreams are in the little things in life that make one's life happy, things that may be unnoticed by one every day, things like a plastic bag dancing with the wind. It’s like picking up rocks from a pot willed with demands, the rocks are the important achievements in the materialistic world and the demands are the little things in life that give it beauty. Yet people are too busy looking for the rocks that they forget the value of the diamonds. Indeed, America is a country of power and beauty but there is more to it than it appears. "American Beauty" and "American Dream" go hand in hand.

Film Review by: Roshanak Fardniya