Blog Three. Breaking Away. "You're Not A Cutter. I'm A Cutter."

ROY.  I cut the stone for this building...I was fine stone cutter.  Mike’s dad, Moocher’s, Cyril’s, all of us.  Well, Cyril’s dad...never mind.  Thing of it was, I loved it.  I was young and slim and strong.  I was damn proud of my work.  And then buildings went up.  When they were finished the damnedest thing happened.  It was like the buildings were too good for us.  Nobody told us that.  Just, just felt uncomfortable, that’s all.  Even now, I’d like to be able to stroll through the campus and look at the limestone, but I just feel out of place. You guys still go swimming in the quarries?
DAVE. Sure.
ROY.  So the only thing you got to show for my twenty years of work is the holes we left behind.
DAVE.  I don’t mind.
ROY.  I do.  Cyril’s dad says he took that college exam.
DAVE.  We both took it.
ROY.  How did both of us do?
DAVE.  Well, I don’t know. One of us did okay.  But neither of us...Hell, I...don’t want to go to college.  To hell with them!  I’m proud of being a cutter.
ROY.  You’re not a cutter.  I’m a cutter. What, are you afraid?
DAVE.  Yeah.  A little bit.  And then there’s the rest of the guys.
ROY.  Well, you took the exam, all right, didn’t you?
DAVE.  Yes.
ROY. Well, that’s good...

Breaking Away is primarily a movie about identity:  having it, the loss of it, the search for it, the conditions of it.  We see this in the main characters.  Mike, our one-time QB, laments that he'll never be the star again and can't be a cutter either.  Cyril early in the movie says, "You get to vote and drink when you're 18, what do you get when you're 19?"  Dave's father was once a cutter and was proud of it, but something changed, and now he is living bitterly with that loss or lack of direction.  And there's Dave who has found cycling and with it a pretend identity as an Italian exchange student.

And not to be ignored is the fact that our characters are townies, working class guys who live alongside the more wealthy college kids in their Mercedes convertibles, blow dry haircuts, and trips to Italy.  At a low point Mike says, "They might really be better than us."

There's a lot going on here in the search for identity; many factors are involved in it:  leaving childhood, friendship, work, economics, class, ambition, family.

Write about 300 words on the following:

1.  How do you see Dave's struggle for identity?  What role does the fake-Italian phase play in his struggle?  How is he different than his friends (if he indeed is)?  And what strikes you about his relationship with his father in this struggle for identity?

2.  Who do you identify with in the film—the cutters or the college kids?  And how so?

3.  In your search for identity (assuming it is part of being a 16 and 17 year old), what are the the main factors that play into your identity at this point in your life?

Here's a clip from the television series that was made from the film in 1980.  It was actually pretty good.  It only lasted a season unfortunately.  Local note:  it was filmed in Athens. 

See you all tomorrow.

Blog Two. Shane Part 2. "I Love Shane Almost As Much As I Love Pa. Is That Okay?"

1. In Shane, Joey is offered two versions of manhood.  Consider when you were younger, say 9 or 10.  Who did you look up to?  Who was your hero?  And how so—what did you admire about this figure?  Do you see that figure differently now?  Would you feel the same about that person today?

2.  Who do you most look up to now—and why?  And how does this person compare or contrast to your younger hero?

3.   One could argue that Shane is a movie about little Joey and his fascination with violence through his worship of Shane,  his fascination with Shane's pistol, and his wide-eyed obversation (if not interest) in killing.  How do you explain this?  Remember—this is a nine year old boy.  And (the big question): write about your own fascination—or lack— with violence.  Remember: a number of you clamored for us watch some really violent movies later in this class—what's that about?

Here is the clip of the final shoot out: take a look at it.  And here is Shane showing Joey how to shoot. Watch both.  Remember: 300 words.  See you tomorrow.

Blog One. Shane. "Can You Whup Him? Can You Whup Shane?"

SHANE.  You were watchin' me down it for quite a spell, werern't you? JOEY.  Yes I was.
SHANE.  You know, I...I like a man who watches things go on around.  It means he'll make his mark someday.

Here's the trailer to Shane when it came out in 1953.  It was, by the way, a huge hit, raking in over 20 million dollars against the three million dollars it took to make.

Thrower, like you all, has never seen the movie, a classic American film.  He called it straight-forward—as genre pieces (like a Western) often are (most of you know what's going to happen because you know how the genre works); yet at the same time he saw its complications.  There's a whole lot of deep looks going on between our characters; Joey's looking at his dad and Shane and his mom; Marion is looking at Joey and Shane and her husband Joe; Shane is looking at all them and Joe; and Joe...it's not clear—but he sure is in love with his little lady, as he calls him.  The tension here is not necessarily what is going to happen, but how it's going to happen, and what it will do to these decent people.  It can't end happily. 

But to the concerns of our class.

1. We talked about your concerns today as a young man.  What do you foresee your biggest concern being in 10 years?  In 20 years?  In 30 years?  Just one concern for each year.

2.  In today's discussion, your concerns broke down pretty much into the following: concerns of

a. responsibilities
b. emotions
c. not knowing the future
d. relationships

Which of these do you think is the most important concern for not just you, but for young men your age—and why?

3.  Shane:  What do Shane and Joe offer little Joey in terms of modeling a way for him to be?  For each adult, give the main thing he offers Joey.  And who do you see Joey leaning toward at this point in the film—and why do think this?

4.  Finally: you're Joey.  Who do you lean towards-and why?

That's plenty.  We're looking for about 300 words in total for your response to the questions.  Good class today.  See you guys tomorrow.