Mousse

YouTube Video of the Buddy Dean show (Inspired the Cornie Collin's show)

The film we viewed and analyzed this week was Hairspray. No we did not hear Christopher Walken adorably serenading John Travolta (who was dressed in drag). We watched the original 1988 version of Hairspray directed by John Waters. This film paid tribute to real events, hit on the issue of segregation, and used fads to make his point

SUCCINCTLY SUMMARIZE THE MAJOR ARGUMENT/S IN THE READING W/ ORIGINAL ANALYSIS

Parts of this film were based on true events:

Wikipedia tells is that John Waters wrote the screenplay of which Hairspray was made titling it White Lipstick. I don't really know why he chose the name. I looked up "White Lipstick" and didn't find anything helpful.

Wikipedia goes further into history informing us that John Waters based the Corny Collins show off of a show that truly aired called the Buddy Dean Show. Apparently the film's climax is based on an actual event that took place on that show in the summer of 1963 (Wikipedia). What event was that? The fact that the show was bravely claimed to be integrated or the bomb in Amber's mother's hair. I really hope only the first option.

John Waters:

This film was one of John Waters most tame. Wikipedia says "Hairspray's PG is the mildest rating a Waters film has received. Most of his previous films were rated X by the MPAA."

A few of the articles in the packet we were given actually interviewed John Waters. From these articles I was able to get a better understanding of who this man was.

Dennis Cooper says that "[John Waters] is easily the world's most famous icon of cultural outrage and transgression." To prove his impish personality Dennis Cooper brings up Water's choice of Christmas gifts that year. "This year, you sent out this amazing transparent Christmas tree ornament with fake dead roach inside."

From the reading I figured that JW used this film as a way to make fun of a social issue to further bring attention to it in order to induce social change. Renee Curry says that Waters "recognizes the power of film to manipulate time. His image of history as film spectacle licenses him to portray an ultimate story, the one he wanted rather than the one that has taken our culture these past twenty years to stagger through."

Wow, this chick was super analytical:

I was really interested by The Revolutionary Way to Restructure and Hold Your History essay by Renee R. Curry. I felt pretty shallow when I watched the movie thinking about the entertainment factor and then saw how deep she got into it. There were some awesome interpretations she came up with! The two I saw most analyzed were hair and dance, "Waters deploys dance and hair as revolutionary communication vehicles."

Dance:

"The dance sequences alternate between typical "white" and "black." [...] The white dances generally require memorization of steps, twists and turns, whereas, the black dances often require planted feet, slow methodic ody gyrations, and individual nuances."

What does this mean? Are whites more likely to follow everyone else and expected to conform to the policies of society? What does that mean about the blacks. Interestingly enough, it might mean that blacks are more free, but what about their feet staying planted? They are forced to stay in one spot, but make the most out of their freedom as they can?

Hair:

"The hair in Hairspray also articulates a rebellion[...] Tracy Turnblad begins the film with a coyly teased flip in imitation of Jackie Kennedy: then as she transforms into Corny Collins Show star and politically aware mouthpiece for desegregation of the show, she courts and ever-heightening half-blond, half brunette do, which on the television screen appears black and white and displays a vivid transitional symbol. By the end of the film, she wears an ironed, straight black look, initiated by a beatnik woman's insistence that she could not in fact "overcome" racism with an outdated teased hairdo."

Truthfully, I just noticed the changing styles, I didn't even consider dissecting the meaning behind it. It makes complete sense though! Tracy starts out following the latest fashions, cleverly imitating a historic figure of the time, Jackie Kennedy. Then, when she realizes the unfairness of segregation and wishes to "mix" she changes her hair color so it is black and white on screen. I'm not so sure about the black do in the end, but like Renee said, maybe she was working to or felt she had "overcome" racism.

One more analysis I want to pay attention to. Renee R. Curry's evaluation of the actual product of hairspray.

"Hairspray, the substance variously made of SD alcohol 40, isobutane, vinyl acetate, crotonic acid, propane, aminemetyl propanol, as well as that all-important ingredient- fragrance-holds together, while it's flammable ingredients threaten to explode [...] hairspray serves as the hilarious namesake for the title of a film that depicts the precarious nature of restructuring a history."

Wow. How do you even think that up? It makes soooo much sense! Did she come up with that on her own, or did JW ever reveal that as his intention. This product, that both helps 'hold' the new fad of an up-do as well as being explosive. This film is about Tracy, who tries to follow the trends, and then works to break the system of segregation, causing considerable chaos. Fantastic.

John Waters has an opinion on the NC-17 rating system as well:

I'm glad we watched the film This Film is Not Yet Rated. Why, you ask? IT KEEPS POPPING UP EVERYWHERE! I used it to extend one of my blogs as well as referenced it in my case study on Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm. Now I find that good ol' JW made a few statements within the articles about the rating.

From what I've read, John Waters seems to be a pretty 'out there' guy. He's not afraid to see the line and catapult over it. This causes his films to be harshly rated. In John Waters: The Finger on the Pulse by Greg Varner he goes into detail on this fact.

"GV: Are you afraid, for commercial reasons, of the NC-17 rating?

JW: No, not afraid. [...] People don't even know what NC-17 means! [...] I think when it hits is with the ideo and DVD and all that. That's where people in mid-America see movies, and there are some big chains that won't carry [movies with an NC-17 rating]. That's what I'm mad at the Motion Picture Association about [...] That they don't go there, with their power, and make those stores change that policy.

[...] There isn't anything the matter with NC-17- but then why does everybody in the press say "slapped with"? [...] They don't say "rated with." [...] So now it's sending the message that you can't even talk about sex unless you are over eighteen.

Amen to that, John Waters. If people don't want to see adult things, don't watch NC-17, but don't "brand" the films and allow distributors to attempt to manipulate artists, just because they show a few pubes.

RAISE USEFUL QUESTIONS

• Did this film effect the ideas of segregation at the time?
• Was this film original in the way it produced it's theme?
• Why did John Water's decide to do this film?
• How accurately were the the scenes based on true events?
• Out of the three versions (1988 version, Broadway musical, or 2007 version), which was the most effective?
• Why do these articles peg Waters for having 'bad taste?'
• Have directors been inspired by Waters to push boundaries?
• Was the film supposed to be analyzed?

SUGGEST POSSIBLE ISSUES FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

• Basing films on true events
• John Waters style (going overboard, making fun of serious situations)
• Symbolism within Hairspray (The hair, the dancing, characters)
• Was this film effective?
• Did this film hold true to the past?
• Compare and contrast the original film to the broadway show and 2007 version.

MY OWN COMPARISON

New Hairspray vs. Old Hairspray:

I first heard about the film, Hairspray probably when a lot of people my generation heard of it. I heard about it through a remake. It was summer and I was doing my annual job of working at the pool. One of my managers ran in from the weekend absolutely thrilled. He apparently saw the film, fell in love, and proceeded to watch it 2 more times within a few days. Thus, the rest of the week when he was in charge our facility was soundtracked by the scores of the 2007 film Hairspray.

It wasn't until I saw the film that my mother told me that this wasn't the first time the story was told. It was an adaption of a film made in 1988. Even with this knowledge I didn't see the original until today.

Obviously the new version had bursts of song, different actors, and John Travolta dressed in drag. It seemed a bit more light than the 1988 version though. In 1988, the hood was a little more run down. There were rats and even a drunk on the street. Though JW made his movie silly, there were some serious things going on.

Amber's mom brought a BOMB to the competition? How wacko is that? I'm pretty sure that action would go just a little too far for the sugar coated updated version. Don't get me wrong, I love the new version, it just didn't seem to make quite as big of a statement as the original. I have not seen the broadway version, so I can't really comment on the matter:)

NEW TERMINOLOGY RESEARCH

1) Coprophagous: The dictionary app on the mac computer I'm using says this word means "The eating of feces or dung." Ooookay...

Well, the context this word said by Richard Corliss is "Walters has made all eleven of his pictures, from the COPROPHAGOUS comedy Pink Flamingos to the all-stinking Polyester, in his hometown.

I guess I'll have to watch Pink Flamingos to understand... I'll look it up.

I googled "Pink Flamingos," clicked IMDB, and AHA! The first sight I see is the lovely face of Divine. Oh, John Waters, I love your muse.

The IMDB synopsis is

"Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive"."

"The Filthiest Person Alive" kind of goes with the poo word. Sounds pretty interesting.

*Side note*

I'm writing while reading and i just went to the Greg Varner article and found he had already written about Pink Flamingos. Oh well, he didn't provide a pic of divine so I'm glad I looked it up.

2) Wow, this Richard Corliss character likes to use some zaney vocabulary. Zaftig. Ahhh, perfect! The mac dictionary has helped me again. This word makes sense!

Zaftig- (of a woman) having a full, rounded figure; plump.

Oh! Apparently it comes from the german word 'saftig' meaning 'juicy.' I was wondering why this word looked so familiar! I took three and a half years of german so I'm always quite please when the language pops up in my life.

Das ist toll, ja? Spater! Aufwiedersehen!