THE END OF INNOCENCE
US, 1990, 92 minutes, Colour.
Dyan Cannon, John Heard, George Coe, Michael Madsen.
Directed by Dyan Cannon.
The End of Innocence is a Dyan Cannon film. Not only does she star, she also wrote and directed. The film was not a commercial success, though it was screened on Festival circuits.
The film is a portrait of an American woman, focussing on her relationship with her mother even from birth, growing up, her mother's dominance, her successful businessman father and his expectations of success, her wanting to please her parents. As a teenager, she is somewhat ignorant about sexuality, has an encounter which influences her relationship with men. There is a fine collage of her first marriage and its failure, sketching of another relationship and her becoming subservient to the man in her life. She works for her father, gets depressed, relies more and more on tablets. Eventually, disappointed by everybody, she collapses and goes to an institution. At first, unwilling to participate in therapy, she eventually relates well with the therapy group and its leader, learning to stand on her own feet, not wanting to please everyone, having some control of her own life. The film ends with some hope and optimism.
The film is stylish in its visual presentation, not relying on straight narrative, but a great number of editing devices. The film offers Diane Cannon's sensibility and sensitivity in her perception of the central character and her crises. She gives a fine performance. John Heard is the leader for therapy in the institution. There is a good gallery of supporting characters, including Rebecca Schaefer as the young Stephanie - and the film is dedicated to her as she was soon after murdered by a deranged fan.
Not easy entertainment, but a perceptive look at an American woman of the second part of the twentieth century, the pressures on her life and her having to deal with them.
1. A Dyan Cannon film and her contribution, her experience, sensibilities and sensitivities? Performance, writing, directing?
2. A portrait of American families in the twentieth century, relationships, crises and collapse, therapy?
3. The range of visual styles in editing? Realism, surrealism, collages? Reality and imagination? Images, the directing and directed story-telling by incidents, glimpses? The emotional style, information?
4. Stephanie's experience and perspective? Audiences identifying with her, her experience, crises? Women identifying? Men?
5. The title and its reference to Stephanie's experience?
6. The influences on Stephanie: her parents, her mother's reluctance in giving birth, her then controlling her daughter, her father's pride and his arrogance, expectations of success? Presents? The pressure, Stephanie wanting to please her patents? The values absorbed? The consistent injunctions from her parents? Nice girl, sex? School, with her friends? Boys, learning about sex, here self-image? The encounter with the boy and his callous love-making? Her first marriage, not knowing what she was doing, the dominance of David and his expectations? Michael and the affair and his control of her life? Drugs, tablets? The overall effect?
7. Stephanie's experience, birth, her mother, childhood, her relationship with her parents, gifts, their continued instructions and injunctions? Growing up? Her grandparents? Teenage years, school, discussions about sex, her expectations? The boy and her awkwardness, in her room, her mother calling out, his quick experience and leaving, the day after, her loathing him? The effect on her?
8. Stephanie on the merry-go-round, her growing up, change of clothes yet still on the symbolic merry-go-round? How adult was Stephanie, maturity and lack of maturity? Not having a job, her father saying he wouldn't, her being employed by him, dependence on him? His secretary? The meeting with David, introducing him to her parents, his selfish aplomb, demands on her, the collage of his statements and her responses? His control of her life, drugs, divorce? Her meeting with Mike, his self-absorption, the writing of the novel, relationships? Sexuality, her dependence on him? His leaving, the phone calls, her anxiety, his excuses? Going to the apartment, the plane tickets, finding out about him?
9. The sketch of her parents, strong characters, workplace, home, their fights, her mother leaving her husband, the screaming matches and phone calls? Demands on Stephanie to handle the situation? Precipitating her crisis?
10. Stephanie and her mother coming, her father's phone calls, hoping for Michael to come, his not coming? Going out, the rain, her collapse? Her friends' support? Going to the institution, her parents signing her in and keeping her there? Doctor Humphries and his explanations? Dean and the therapy group? Her wanting to leave? Sitting and observing, not wanting to join the group? Her parents' visits, pleading with her mother, the phone calls? Their refusal, the father and his paying good money? Her verbal attack on Dean and his saying he didn't deserve it? Gradually moving into the therapy, talking, the discovery of her anger, letting it out? Leroy's visit, the drugs and the food binge? Doctor Humphries wanting her to leave? Her wanting to stay, the gradual change? The outing - and her image of the strong man rescuing her? Her expectations, not leaving? Mike's visit, her seeing him for the first time, his wanting to write a novel about her, her strong language to him, feeling free?
11. Freedom, control of her own life, not wanting to please people, saying `No', `No' to her parents, to relationship with men? Therapy group bringing her the horse - and her joy and hope for the future?
12. The portrait of the men, her father, his relationship with his wife, nagging, relating? His attractive secretary? David and his yuppy style, divorce? Mike, the novelist, sensitive, yet self-absorbed?
13. Doctor Humphries, wisdom? Dean and the therapy sessions? His story of the monkey with his hand in the hole, letting go of the nuts to be free? Angers, straight talking to Stephanie, the outing, joy in her being better.
