Revisiting American Psycho for about the 100th time...
So, the other day I found myself watching one of my favourite films once again- American psycho. On reflection, upon reading a review, I realised something pivotal about film in general when it tries to replicate a book, something I had never considered before. The careful nuances and subtleties in books are seldom carried out correctly in the film, and thus often leads to a paradigm of angry critics complaining, 'the film is never as good as the book!'. I often wondered why this is, after all, some of my favourite films, like The Shining and American Psycho, I read and found far more interesting than the film (even though both films I thoroughly enjoy to this day nevertheless).
In terms of American Psycho, I realised something major about the book that really lacked in the film. Considered a film about murder, Ellis himself emphasises the fact that American Psycho is NOT about murder, but rather of the yuppie culture of the 80s. The film is obsessed with image, which becomes even more apparent in the book, where designer names are used in just about every sentence, emphasising the focus on materialism. This theme of mistaken identity is important as it becomes extremely hard to distinguish between each character, with everyone of Bateman's colleagues looking almost a replica of himself, even down to their girlfriends, wives and business cards. He doesn't stand out, and instead blends in with all the yuppies around him, his only distinguishing characteristic being his violent tendencies behind his social facade.
The most pivotal misunderstanding taken from the film that confuses most people and, in my opinion, completely ruins the careful intricacies of the novel entirely is the idea that, 'it was all a dream'. This is where my initial point comes in. The dilemma of film and novel, where film demands answers, a resolution and a resolving conclusion, or audiences remain dissatisfied becomes problematic when books are completely misinterpreted by film goers. At the end of the film, Bateman frantically revisits the scenes of his murders and attempts to admit to his lawyer the heinous crimes he committed, to which falls on deaf ears. This could easily be passed off as the idea that, 'the whole thing was fake', however, even the film director did not intend this to be the case, and I am heavily opposed to this idea. Simply, the end of the film is just another prime example of the damaging culture in which Bateman finds himself, where image is absolutely pivotal, and people remain in self-absorbed words completely detached from reality. Bateman's murderous status is a reflection of the society of which he is a part of. His actions reflect a society which values nothing, and blindly conforms, a world where murder is covered up to keep property values high and social status means more than human life.
Ellis claimed that film is less interesting if it is answered for us visually and that the fact that it is real or not about this question.
A possible explanation for Bateman's lawyer telling him that he had dinner with Paul Allen just a couple of weeks ago in London, is a reflection of the theme of mistaken identity, rather than an indication that the whole thing was fake.
One thing about the film which I did find was extremely well done, was the final scene, which included a homage to Satre's play, 'No Exit', as behind him on a door is a sign which reads 'THIS IS NOT AN EXIT'. Upon reading some reviews, I found that Satre's play involves three characters who are stuck in a room which is later revealed to be hell, however, none of them leave given the option as they are too obsessed about what the other thinks of them. This refelects Bateman achieving no catharsis, as he is trapped in his own personal hell where he is preoccupied with how everyone else perceives him. The closing line, 'This confession has meant nothing', reflects the idea of a lack of acknowledgement for his crimes, as everyone's sense of reality in the film is so skewed where people are trapped, craving approval of others leaving them unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. It leaves me with the question of whether Bateman really is the psycho in the film, or perhaps he is the most in touch with reality, as the reality of sheer human blood becomes far more tangible than an obsession over Oliver People glasses and Valentino suits. Regardless No Exit now remains top of my to read list.
In terms of American Psycho, I realised something major about the book that really lacked in the film. Considered a film about murder, Ellis himself emphasises the fact that American Psycho is NOT about murder, but rather of the yuppie culture of the 80s. The film is obsessed with image, which becomes even more apparent in the book, where designer names are used in just about every sentence, emphasising the focus on materialism. This theme of mistaken identity is important as it becomes extremely hard to distinguish between each character, with everyone of Bateman's colleagues looking almost a replica of himself, even down to their girlfriends, wives and business cards. He doesn't stand out, and instead blends in with all the yuppies around him, his only distinguishing characteristic being his violent tendencies behind his social facade.
The most pivotal misunderstanding taken from the film that confuses most people and, in my opinion, completely ruins the careful intricacies of the novel entirely is the idea that, 'it was all a dream'. This is where my initial point comes in. The dilemma of film and novel, where film demands answers, a resolution and a resolving conclusion, or audiences remain dissatisfied becomes problematic when books are completely misinterpreted by film goers. At the end of the film, Bateman frantically revisits the scenes of his murders and attempts to admit to his lawyer the heinous crimes he committed, to which falls on deaf ears. This could easily be passed off as the idea that, 'the whole thing was fake', however, even the film director did not intend this to be the case, and I am heavily opposed to this idea. Simply, the end of the film is just another prime example of the damaging culture in which Bateman finds himself, where image is absolutely pivotal, and people remain in self-absorbed words completely detached from reality. Bateman's murderous status is a reflection of the society of which he is a part of. His actions reflect a society which values nothing, and blindly conforms, a world where murder is covered up to keep property values high and social status means more than human life.
Ellis claimed that film is less interesting if it is answered for us visually and that the fact that it is real or not about this question.
A possible explanation for Bateman's lawyer telling him that he had dinner with Paul Allen just a couple of weeks ago in London, is a reflection of the theme of mistaken identity, rather than an indication that the whole thing was fake.
One thing about the film which I did find was extremely well done, was the final scene, which included a homage to Satre's play, 'No Exit', as behind him on a door is a sign which reads 'THIS IS NOT AN EXIT'. Upon reading some reviews, I found that Satre's play involves three characters who are stuck in a room which is later revealed to be hell, however, none of them leave given the option as they are too obsessed about what the other thinks of them. This refelects Bateman achieving no catharsis, as he is trapped in his own personal hell where he is preoccupied with how everyone else perceives him. The closing line, 'This confession has meant nothing', reflects the idea of a lack of acknowledgement for his crimes, as everyone's sense of reality in the film is so skewed where people are trapped, craving approval of others leaving them unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. It leaves me with the question of whether Bateman really is the psycho in the film, or perhaps he is the most in touch with reality, as the reality of sheer human blood becomes far more tangible than an obsession over Oliver People glasses and Valentino suits. Regardless No Exit now remains top of my to read list.
Comments
Post a Comment