GOING ALL THE WAY
US, 1997, 103 minutes, Colour.
Jeremy Davies, Ben Affleck, Amy Locane, Rose Mc Gowan, Rachel Weisz, John Lordan, Jill Clayburgh, Lesley Ann Warren.
Directed by Mark Pellington.
A re-creation of 1954 as a setting for another story of a young, shy man (Jeremy Davies) ,just back from fighting in Korea, trying to find himself: to escape his dominatingly tidy mother (Jill Clayburgh), to find a satisfying relationship and enlisting the help of his seemingly capable friend (Ben Affleck). The 50s atmosphere is a plus but the material is familiar and some of the characterisations and situations (though a blend of fantasy and reality) a touch too caricatured.
1.The film as something of a cult film after its initial release in the late 90s? Its themes? Young veterans? Adapting to the American way of life? The pressures? Suicide?
2.The 1950s setting, the aftermath of the Korean war, the returning soldiers? Ordinary life? The presentation of family, the young men trying to get away from family, family pressures?
3.The cast, at the beginning of their careers? Subsequent careers? The veteran actresses playing their mothers?
4.The focus on Sonny, his age, his having left home to enlist, the experience of the war in Korea, his friendship with Gunner? Not at school? On return? The bonds between them? Opposite temperaments? Gunner and his extroversion, ladies’ man, action? His taking on Sonny? The repercussions for Sonny, trying to adapt to a more outgoing way of life? Drinking? The sexual encounters? His own sexuality and problems? His being attracted to Gale? His being impotent with her? Friendship with Marty? Buddy as his girlfriend, returning to her? His relationship with his mother, the pressures from his mother? The quiet father? The effect of this experience? Optimistic/pessimistic?
5.The contrast with Gunner, Ben Affleck’s style? At school, the hero? Action in the war and decorations? The return, the experience of Asia, the touch of Zen Buddhism? His taking on Sonny as a friend, or as a case? Introducing him to a more extroverted way of life? His own experiences, relationship with women, drinking? The responsibility for Sonny’s behaviour? The developments, his future?
6.The role of the young women, Gale, glamorous, Sonny attracted? Relationship with Gunner? Her friendship with Marty? Buddy, the small-town girl, her relationship with Sonny? The perspective on women – from the film director’s point of view, from the central character’s point of view?
7.The portrayal of the families, the parents? Alma and Elwood Burns, religious, serious? Their influence on their son, his wanting to get away from them? His mother and her continued influence, dominance? The contrast with Nina, her relationship with Gunner, a more permissive approach to life?
8.The background of the friends, Luke, the other young men of the period, the girls? Social way of life in the early 50s?
9.How much insight into human nature, the problems of the 1950s for young adults, continuing in subsequent decades, different forms and manifestations?
