Movie Essay
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:05 am
Austin Hepburn
The two movies, “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”, depict two different languages and two different cultures, yet, they both follow the same critique on old conservative values. “Mona Lisa Smile” looks at the conservative ideology toward woman and its shift to liberal. “And the Spring Comes” looks at the conservative ideology of being “normal”. In another words, it critiques the normality of normal and encourages individualism.
“Mona Lisa Smile” takes the role of a critic on conservative ideology toward woman. Not only does it make the conservative ideology seem laughable, but it also embraces the liberal feminist ideology of the time by using the character Kathrine Watson as the main protagonist rhetor. The setting focuses on a small college and Kathrine’s art history class in particular. Kathrine preaches to her students that there is more to life than marrying a wealthy young man and tries to teach them more than what is in their textbook. Her ideology is new and controversial. Betty, a student of Kathrine’s, in particular challenges her teachings and writes an editorial critiquing Kathrine’s liberal viewpoint.
Throughout the movie, we see the journey of her students throughout their college experience and their dealings with the conservative female viewpoint. The conservative viewpoint can be described as the female mostly having a role in the household as the caretaker, mother, and wife of her family. The liberal viewpoint describes the female having the same role as the male, to be successful and happy in life. This means a female should be able to strive to be successful in a profession without the need to be married. The audience sees the pressures from society along with pressures from the family to marry young and to a rich man so that particular woman has a luxurious life. In one particular scene, we see Kathrine getting hit-on at a wedding. The entire scene focuses on the gossip from the others at the wedding about the man flirting with someone the likes of Kathrine, already assuming Kathrine would flirt back. As a young woman, it is assumed that Kathrine would be into this attractive and wealthy man. Yet, as if unexpected, she disregards his flirt and he goes on to dance with someone else. This reflects back on the liberal viewpoint that a woman does not need a man and a woman does not have a responsibility to flirt back to a rich man. Also, throughout the movie, after every students’ situation, we see the downfall of the conservative ideology through the events that unfold. This is done as the mechanism to convey the producers’ message. We see the character, Charlie, turn down his parents’ arranged marriage offer and go off on his own journey with a different woman. This in itself is controversial since arranged marriages were typical and it was often an insult to the parents to turn down such an offer. In the end, we see the editorial student divorce from her husband and apologize to Kathrine. This was the signaling that progressive liberal feminism had won the fight against conservative feminism in the movie.
In one scene from “And the Spring Comes”, the two characters discuss what is considered “normal”. He starts the conversation off by saying “don’t you know I’m one of the dangerous in town”. She replies, “that is because you are the most courageous of them all”. These lines explore how society looks at people who are different and how they feel about them. She calls him courageous because no one would come out the way he did if they knew the social repercussions that are therefore put against them, yet he did. He then goes on to say, “I am the source of deep confusion people feel about themselves”, turning the situation into not his problem, but society’s problem. The woman looks concerned and saddened throughout this conversation, but he remains smiling, as if he has accepted society’s response to his difference and she has not. The movie effectively embraces the liberal ideology of individuality when the woman says, “knowing you gives me the courage to stay in this city”, finally putting a positive spin on the man’s individuality. His own courageous actions had convinced her to be courageous and stay in the city that attacks their individualism.
The two movies, “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”, depict two different languages and two different cultures, yet, they both follow the same critique on old conservative values. “Mona Lisa Smile” looks at the conservative ideology toward woman and its shift to liberal. “And the Spring Comes” looks at the conservative ideology of being “normal”. In another words, it critiques the normality of normal and encourages individualism.
“Mona Lisa Smile” takes the role of a critic on conservative ideology toward woman. Not only does it make the conservative ideology seem laughable, but it also embraces the liberal feminist ideology of the time by using the character Kathrine Watson as the main protagonist rhetor. The setting focuses on a small college and Kathrine’s art history class in particular. Kathrine preaches to her students that there is more to life than marrying a wealthy young man and tries to teach them more than what is in their textbook. Her ideology is new and controversial. Betty, a student of Kathrine’s, in particular challenges her teachings and writes an editorial critiquing Kathrine’s liberal viewpoint.
Throughout the movie, we see the journey of her students throughout their college experience and their dealings with the conservative female viewpoint. The conservative viewpoint can be described as the female mostly having a role in the household as the caretaker, mother, and wife of her family. The liberal viewpoint describes the female having the same role as the male, to be successful and happy in life. This means a female should be able to strive to be successful in a profession without the need to be married. The audience sees the pressures from society along with pressures from the family to marry young and to a rich man so that particular woman has a luxurious life. In one particular scene, we see Kathrine getting hit-on at a wedding. The entire scene focuses on the gossip from the others at the wedding about the man flirting with someone the likes of Kathrine, already assuming Kathrine would flirt back. As a young woman, it is assumed that Kathrine would be into this attractive and wealthy man. Yet, as if unexpected, she disregards his flirt and he goes on to dance with someone else. This reflects back on the liberal viewpoint that a woman does not need a man and a woman does not have a responsibility to flirt back to a rich man. Also, throughout the movie, after every students’ situation, we see the downfall of the conservative ideology through the events that unfold. This is done as the mechanism to convey the producers’ message. We see the character, Charlie, turn down his parents’ arranged marriage offer and go off on his own journey with a different woman. This in itself is controversial since arranged marriages were typical and it was often an insult to the parents to turn down such an offer. In the end, we see the editorial student divorce from her husband and apologize to Kathrine. This was the signaling that progressive liberal feminism had won the fight against conservative feminism in the movie.
In one scene from “And the Spring Comes”, the two characters discuss what is considered “normal”. He starts the conversation off by saying “don’t you know I’m one of the dangerous in town”. She replies, “that is because you are the most courageous of them all”. These lines explore how society looks at people who are different and how they feel about them. She calls him courageous because no one would come out the way he did if they knew the social repercussions that are therefore put against them, yet he did. He then goes on to say, “I am the source of deep confusion people feel about themselves”, turning the situation into not his problem, but society’s problem. The woman looks concerned and saddened throughout this conversation, but he remains smiling, as if he has accepted society’s response to his difference and she has not. The movie effectively embraces the liberal ideology of individuality when the woman says, “knowing you gives me the courage to stay in this city”, finally putting a positive spin on the man’s individuality. His own courageous actions had convinced her to be courageous and stay in the city that attacks their individualism.
