Although categorized as a comedic film, The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson, takes a drastic shift in tone when one of the main characters, Richie attempts suicide. Throughout the movie up until this point, despite his ongoing love for his stepsister, Richie seems to be a stable character with good morals for he still appreciates his father, Royal although he was absent from most of his children's’ lives. Richie's downward spiral is hinted at because of his love for Margot and his failed tennis career. However, this scene is the first time where the audience is exposed to what lies underneath Richie’s sweatband, sunglasses, and thick head of hair. He is a depressed man who has simply lost his way to a happy life. Because this scene is abruptly different from the rest of the film, it is effective not only because of its tone and approach to capture Richie’s emotional state and underlying reality of what the audience thinks is all about Royal, but because it marks a critical shift in plot. Additionally, Anderson comments on Richie's mood with the usage of colors since the entire movie takes on a very "warm" feel, consisting of yellows, reds, and brown tones and now shifts to a very cold atmosphere, which in this particular scene takes place in the bathroom which is blue. In this scene, Richie is centered in the screen, implying that he is the focal point while the song "Needle In The Hay" plays simultaneously in the background. Including this song during this point is really powerful because it symbolizes Richie as the needle in the hay, meaning he is having trouble finding himself at this point of his life. Could you imagine this scene with another character in Richie's place? If so, who and what difference would it make on the plot as a whole?
I really liked how you made a point about the difference in colors of the setting along with the mood of this scene. I didn't realize until you brought it up that Richie was in a dark blue room when he tries to commit suicide, a stark contrast in the colors seen in the rest of the film.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you connected the meaning of the song, "Needle in the Hay" to what Richie is feeling at this point in the film. It reiterated the fact that Richie is still struggling to find himself, something I think Chas and Margot are struggling to do too. So with that being said, I think that any of the other Tenenbaum children could be in Richie's place here because they are all in the same emotional position. Their worlds are turned upside down with Royal back in their life, and them all returning back to their childhood house, so I could see the other two children in his place.
I don't think I could imagine this scene with another character in Richie's place because of the fact that he does seem to be the most stable character for most of the film. Most of the other characters express their feelings and opinions pretty openly for most of the film, while Richie doesn't ever really say what he is feeling, especially about his feelings for Margot, and I think because he had all those emotions bottled up for most of the movie, this scene was could only happen with Richie because he has tried to keep everything to himself.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you tied the needle in the hay with Richie's character. Richie is definitely a lost character who needs some direction in his life. As far as the other children, I actually expected this most from Margot. Being adopted, bounced between families, and settling for an unhappy marriage, Margot stood out to me as the most unhappy character. Chaz definitely does not seem as unhappy as the two because he actually has two sons, and his children almost act as his support.
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