Brief
reflections on “American Gigolo” (1980)
Directed
and written by Paul Schrader
Starring
Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Hector Elizondo et al.
“American Gigolo” is an allegorical
tale cum thriller that is very European in style in that it focuses far more on
observation of character and society than on plot, and as such it is much more insightful
and successful as an allegory than as a thriller.
Julian Kay is a high-end
male escort who is pretentious, materialistic and somewhat superficial, perhaps
necessarily so due to his profession. We see him as he charms his way through
his life, providing an attentive service to his clients but also grating on
colleagues and business partners as he pursues his career and puts his
ambitions above loyalty, gratitude or even true friendship.
His world is one of
heartless transaction and reciprocation in which ambition and self-promotion
are set above compassion and values, and I suggest this is to be seen as an
allegory for American society at that time. Everyone, though especially Julian,
appears to be content to be superficial and mercenary, committed to the
principle of quid pro quo and cold-bloodedly using one another for personal
benefit. As such, the choice of male prostitute as the central character is
perhaps perfect as Julian uses others but is also used by others to achieve
personal satisfaction.
However, Julian learns
the disadvantages of this state of affairs when he is suspected of the murder
of a former client and no-one is willing to support him or tell the truth about
their involvement with him. He discovers that his entirely superficial
existence, void of connection, depth and attachment, renders him entirely
expendable. Indeed, he may be seen as the perfect candidate for a frame up exactly
because no-one is willing to defend or support him, making him the perfect
patsy, and the thriller element of the film involves his attempts to prove
himself innocent despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
He meets socialite
Michelle, with whom he starts a relationship and this relationship becomes
essential both in terms of Julian’s personal development and the thriller
aspect of the film, and it is Michelle’s involvement that I find particularly
problematic. She invites compassion and represents genuineness and depth, and
she is clearly the means of Julian’s spiritual salvation as she provides him
with emotional closeness, spiritual depth, loyalty and sincerity. However,
while I can see that she may not be receiving such relational features within
her marriage and may seek them elsewhere, I fail to see why she would find Julian
so spiritually attractive as he has displayed none of these qualities beyond
the most superficial level.
Nor can I understand why
he would abandon his carefully cultivated outlook on life all of a sudden and
indulge in the kind of emotional attachment he has resolved to avoid and which
has, from the evidence presented to us, held no interest for him.
I understand that for the
sake of the storyline and the desired transformation, this shift in character
is essential, but I find the rationale behind it quite unconvincing.
I understand that
virtually everything in the film is about fakery and appearance and we, along
with Julian, are being taught a lesson about the need for connection, honesty
and sincerity, but ultimately, Julian’s alibi, provided by the loved-up
Michelle, is also a fabrication. Granted, it reveals the depth of her feelings
for Julian and the lengths to which she is prepared to go for him, but it is
yet another lie in a web of fakery, appearance and reciprocity as opposed to integrity,
authenticity and compassion hinted at as an alternative.
The film is stylish and
beautiful to look at but it is quite uninvolving and unconvincing in terms of
character development. Its strengths include its observations of character and
society, its depiction of a spiritual and moral vacuum, and the plot device of
the death of a former client, but the frame up is an obvious and clumsy attempt
to introduce much needed threat and urgency while the genuine jeopardy created
by the death of Julian’s business associate (and Julian’s direct involvement in
it) is casually discarded on a legal technicality to allow for Michelle’s act
of salvation!
Quite apart from these
structural issues, I would say it doesn’t succeed terribly well as a thriller because
we don’t really care about Julian’s fate. We may recognise the injustice of his
situation but we are curious, not outraged, as we have remained emotionally
unengaged by a character whose principal trait is lack of emotional engagement.
Somewhat ironically, if
fittingly, I found it a beautiful but shallow and not very rewarding
experience.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)
No comments:
Post a Comment