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artihcus022 — 17 years ago(September 04, 2008 12:52 AM)
The line works better outside context than inside. Remember it's said by a man who wants to kill his own son.
And it's not "Godwas wrong" It's "God-Was-Wrong". Staccato.
"a va by me, madamea va by me!"The Red Shoes
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Goodbye_Ruby_Tuesday — 17 years ago(October 20, 2008 03:16 PM)
That lineeven though I'd known of its existence within the film and had probably heard it in
A Journey Through American Movies With Martin Scorsese
, hearing James Mason say it and experiencing that film, it's still incredibly shocking that it was said in a 1950s film. In one fell swoop, it defied the sacrilege of religion, the power of conformity and the American Dreambut the very daring nature of the film that everyone admires is probably what caused it to bellyflop at the box office 50 years ago.
"GODWASWRONG!"
James Mason,
Bigger Than Life -
artihcus022 — 17 years ago(October 20, 2008 09:08 PM)
hearing James Mason say it and experiencing that film, it's still incredibly shocking that it was said in a 1950s film.
Well gags about religion can be found in other films of the 50's, like in John Ford films. Consider the totally dismissive way Ethan Edwards treats Christianity in
The Searchers
.
James Mason's character, Ed Avery, isn't really rejecting God in that scene. The point of the film is that ever since he went on Cortisone he's been having megalomaniacal obsessions of trying to rise above his common life. And so first, it's buying his wife clothes to make her look attractive. Then it's going to school and trying to make like a great educator(including such Nazi ideas like "Childhood is a disease and education is the cure"), then he wants to make his son a great footbal star which he never was in his youth. Finally he decides to take on God because nothing is bigger than God. His obsession with being "Ten Feet Tall" and as the film goes on, the cruel joke is that for a man who is ten-feet-tall he sure gets worked up over small things and eventually goes after God simply because he just happens to be there.
In one fell swoop, it defied the sacrilege of religion, the power of conformity and the American Dreambut the very daring nature of the film that everyone admires is probably what caused it to bellyflop at the box office 50 years ago.
The scene isn't really anti-religious. Except in that it says that church-going and listening to preachers doesn't really cut any dice anymore, hardly revolutionary. In fact the scene which follows where Ed decides to do to his son what Abraham was supposed to do his son before God stepped in a way is as Truffaut noted, a replay of that parable. When Ed goes to the room and sees his son he has a breakdown and is prevented from killing his boy(played by Christopher Olsen who also starred in
The Man Who Knew Too Much
and
The Tarnished Angels
).
To me the line that was really daring and really cut through the American Dream is in the end of the film after Ed is revived and he says to the Doctor, "You're a poor substitute for Lincoln." The Doc says, "Lincoln?"
"Ed Avery: Yes. I dreamt that I saw Abraham Lincoln. And he was as big and beautiful and ugly as he was in life."(This line by the way was written by none other than Clifford Odets, uncredited.)
"a va by me, madamea va by me!"The Red Shoes
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Eightythreeyearoldguy — 14 years ago(May 16, 2011 10:58 AM)
I was especially impressed by the 1950's feel of "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It To Beaver" in the domestic scenes early in the film, and then the growing feeling of menace with angled takes and dramatic shadows.
I'm the kind of guy, when I move - watch my smoke. But I'm gonna need some good clothes though.