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Year: 1990 - Westerly Film
Director: Whit Stillman Screenplay: Whit Stillman Cinematography: John Thomas Starring: Edward Clements, Carolyn Farina, Christopher Eigeman, Taylor Nichols, Allison Parisi, Bryan Leder, Elizabeth Thompson, Isabel Gillies, Dylan Hundley, and Will Kempe |
One such clique that is very "in" gathers at the apartment of Sally Fowler. We are shown this society through the eyes of two individuals; Tom Townsend and Audrey Rouget. Tom, played by Edward Clements, joins this exclusive group by accident. After making a good impression on the others in the group, he is asked to join them for more dances and parties in the coming days. Tom refuses, saying he does not believe in such things. Suspecting that Tom is hiding the fact that he is of limited financial resources, Nick Smith cajoles Tom into staying with the group. Nick appeals to Tom's sense of social obligation to the young women in the group. He points out that Debs mature much later socially than other women and Tom's rejection of the group would be taken personally by the women. Nick, played delightfully by Christopher Eigeman, is a charming snob, who understands that class distinction is not based on money. He therefore readily accepts Tom into the group because of Tom's preppie background. Tom, although claiming to be a Social Marxist, enjoys the company of his new friends.
Carolyn Farina's portrayal of Audrey is very subtle and believable. Audrey is an insecure young debutante who has had a secret crush on Tom since their prep school days. Less experienced than the other three women in the Sally Fowler Group, Audrey's notions of love and romance are based on Jane Austen novels. She became infatuated with Tom after reading Tom's romantic love letters written to a classmate, Serena Slocum. While discussing Jane Austen with Tom, Tom reveals he never reads novels. Tom prefers reading critical treatise of a fictional work rather than the original work itself. This way, he explains, he can get the author's ideas in a more concise manner. While Tom asserts that the highly moral and romantic ideals conveyed through Jane Austen's novels are ridiculously out-of-place in today's world; he unknowingly holds those very values in high regard. When it seems clear Tom is still in love with the more attractive Serena Slocum, Audrey withdraws from the group. Only after the departure of Audrey does Tom realize his folly.
Aside from the love story in the movie, the social interaction of this group is fascinating. I would not believe that young people actually would know how to, much less enjoy, doing the cha-cha at a party. Their social behavior is somewhat like sophisticated adolescence. They drink cocktails, discuss literature and philosophy, and then play Truth or Dare and Strip Poker. Charlie Black, the somewhat neurotic intellectual of the group played by Taylor Nichols, has some amusing insights into their class. He asserts that the whole preppie class is doomed to extinction for various reasons. Like an anthropologist cataloguing a disappearing society, Charlie obsessively analyses the dynamics of the decline and failure of the Manhattan Bourgeoisie. Having obtained his position in society by birthright, he feels insignificant compared to his predecessors; who attained their positions in society as the fruit of their own efforts. He therefore suffers from low self-esteem and is preoccupied with failure. Nick Smith, in comparison, is conceited, arrogant, and perfectly comfortable with the prospect of living the leisure-class life. Nick thoroughly enjoys all of the absurd conventions and excesses of his class. His arch rival is Rich Von Sloneker, a titled aristocratic young man who has little regard for the social rituals of his class or the vulnerability of its young women. Von Sloneker, played by Will Kempe, has a reputation as a playboy who takes advantage of women. A reputation that he tries to encourage as much as possible. In Victorian times, Von Sloneker would be considered somewhat of a cad. Since Tom, Nick, and Charlie all hold somewhat Victorian ideals, they therefore consider Von Sloneker as such.
One of the most ironic aspects of the movie is Tom's assertion that Jane Austen's values and morality are ridiculously out of place in today's world. Contrary to this contention, Tom displays the chivalrous character prevalent in Austen's novels. One of the ways Stillman subtly illustrates this romantic quality is with a toy derringer. While passing his fathers building, Tom accidentally comes across this toy gun in the trash his father is throwing out. This disregard for one of Tom's cherished toys from childhood, coupled with his father disinheriting him and skipping town with his new wife without telling him, awakens Tom to the true nature of his relationship with his father and his father's horrible behavior toward him. The derringer, although not contemporary to Jane Austen, was considered the weapon of gentlemen on television and in movies. When he and Charlie go to Von Slodeker's house to rescue Audrey from the clutches of the wolf, Tom brings along the the derringer to brandish. The whole rescue attempt is quite silly, with Tom and Charlie having to take a taxi out to Von Slodeker's estate, and then are forced to hitchhike back. This turns out to be just the type of gallant gesture to win Audrey back. This story, if told among these Ivy Leaguers would probably be hilarious. To the majority of Americans their behavior would just seem naive and bizarre; and that is what I find so enjoyable and even charming about the picture.
