Aliens and criminals are the foci of many films, mainly because these two groups of outsiders are sources of curious intrigue. The most absorbing aspect of these groups of characters is that both either dismiss or are ignorant of the earthly code of moral ethics that most of the audience members follow. This deviation from the norm, combined with the vulnerability or lack thereof of “outsider” characters decides whether these characters are intriguing and honorable or distant and disreputable. Those deviants who are revealed to be vulnerable, yet confident rebels are often well liked and almost respected by audience members. Those who ignore earthly ethics and are portrayed as indestructible become flat characters who people dislike and do not wish to emulate.
Television critic Ellen Willis writes about the attractive world of Tony Soprano: “[a world] whose inhabitants' moral and spiritual development (or devolution) unfolds within and against the norms of a parochial social milieu” (Willis 26). This weaving of characters in and out of the rules of normal society makes all gangster characters intriguing. Their dismissal of ethics would be the basis of people’s obsession with gangster characters. While the film’s watcher attempts to repress feelings of anger and violence so they do not effect his life, the film’s star attempts to repress feelings of compassion and love so they do not effect his criminal life. Perhaps the most evil character of William Shakespeare is Aaron from Titus Andronicus. When asked if he is sorry for all the heinous deeds he had committed, Aaron replies, “Ay, that I had not done a thousand more” (Shakespeare v.i.) and continues to repent all the good deeds he committed throughout his life. Following Aaron’s example, criminal characters like Tony Camonte and Tony Soprano have a completely different opinion of what “appropriate living” is than the rest of us, and this different outlook makes them film icons to whom people’s eyes and minds become glued.
Tony Camonte takes a gangster’s path to success in Scarface. He murders a plethora of mob bosses to become an effective mob boss himself. He, like Tony Soprano from The Sopranos, commits heinous deeds to become prosperous. This repeating characteristic is one that normal viewers are always instructed to avoid, with the attached promise that hard work and discipline will lead to success. As every-man character Homer Simpson says, however, “Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American Dream?” (Simpsons Episode Guide). The desire to get to the top quickly and without remorse for those left behind resides in most, if not all, hardworking Americans. The only way for most people to experience climbing the corporate ladder by eliminating competition is by watching fictional criminal characters.
Most crime films let moviegoers live vicariously
through these gangster characters who quickly mow down their opposition on the
way to the top. It is movies like Scarface
and Goodfellas and television shows like The Sopranos that make this vicarious living most possible, because
the main characters, aside from being cold-hearted killers, have very human
characteristics. As one television critic states about The Sopranos, “The show gives Tony so much nuance and depth that
it's hard to decide if he's fascinating, repulsive, or just another overworked
schlub” (Buckley 1). In each of
these crime examples, the main Mafia character has to deal with the common
problems of family life as well as problems on the job – to which any
“overworked schlub” in the audience can relate.
When an outsider character has the ability to gain sympathy from people,
this sympathy usually leads to admiration.
In Independence Day, President Whitmore asks the alien what it wants the humans to do, and the alien responds, “Die!” The aliens of Independence Day slaughter millions of people for their own selfish gain, much like the gangsters in the aforementioned crime films. When it comes to evil aliens, however, people do not desire to live vicariously through these invaders. Instead, these “pure evil” characters become a source of comparison for viewers – people like to be reassured of their superiority in regards to others. There is no better way for people to strengthen their self-esteem than to compare themselves to a virtually inarticulate, destructive monster from another world.
Viewers find something attractive about characters who are aware of the rules of society and make the conscious effort to ignore them. They do not have any tolerance or understanding for characters who were never aware of such rules in the first place. Newsweek writer David Gates comments, “even the most hostile of these creations [alien characters] turn out to have motivations with which we can sympathize” (Gates 87). This statement does not necessarily ring true, especially in regards to ID4. While audience members can take envious delight in watching Tony Camonte commit crimes for his own gain, they do not enjoy watching aliens murder fighter pilots because the basic connection of humanity does not exist between viewer and character. People can see a bit of themselves in Camonte or Soprano, who deal with family problems and ruthless bosses, but they cannot relate to the creatures in ID4, which resemble squids and attack like locusts.
E. T. proves that a human-alien connection can be made if the film portrays the alien as a misunderstood, nonviolent savior. The film instantly makes audience members sympathize with E. T., as his fearful fellow aliens leave him behind. Most of the camera angles are set up so that the audience sees and hears the film from E. T.’s or Elliot’s point of view (Ebert), so the watcher can nearly experience exactly what E. T. does. The alien with a monkey-like figure and a child-like intelligence has the power to heal, and eventually gives up his life to save Elliot. Like gangsters and the aliens from ID4, E. T. follows a different code of ethics than humans. E. T. is on the opposite end of the moral spectrum than those cruel characters, of course, but his different view of what “appropriate living” is what makes him endearing and intriguing, and perhaps the most popular “unearthly” film character of all time. E. T. breaks the rules of modern society by being more innocent and benevolent than any human can hope to become.
The Day the Earth Stood Still features a combination of the good and evil aliens featured in E. T. and Independence Day. Much like E. T., Klaatu is the Christ-like alien who befriends a child and is carelessly killed by his earthly hosts before resurrecting and ascending. Between Klaatu and the boy (Bobby), there is an almost immediate sympathy (Saleh 45). Both audience members and human characters in this film can sympathize with Klaatu, for he is the misunderstood alien made an outcast by society. The way people can sympathize with Tony Soprano because he is vulnerable to stress is the same way Klaatu’s vulnerability regarding the close-mindedness of humans makes him a character to which people can relate.
The “evil” alien in this film, Gort, is the robotic police alien who murders people without remorse and has the power to destroy the planet. The inarticulate, unwavering, indestructible Gort can be easily compared to the aliens in ID4. Their heartless destruction with a powerful “primary weapon” distances (purposely) the human audience members from getting to know and relate with these characters. While people might secretly desire to emulate the ruthless, cunning acts of Tony Soprano, aliens like those in ID4 and Gort are not fit to mimic. Even though these characters commit similar acts of destruction, people do not relate or secretly wish to emulate them because of the invulnerability and immobility of these particular outsiders.
Being distant from outsider characters extends beyond evil aliens in films. The character Kit from Badlands is so calm in the face of danger and violence that he is nearly unapproachable and viewers are unable to sympathize with him. Kit murders Holly’s father among many others and becomes so desensitized to death that killing his friend Cato does not effect him. Kit becomes an unfeeling robot bent on fame, as even his dancing with Holly is passionless. The invulnerable Kit cannot be caught even after military troops are sent to North Dakota and a bounty is placed on his head. Holly’s vision of the Kit’s capture fits the film and his character very well, for no one can stop Kit but himself. Kit’s invincibility during his questionable killing spree distances viewers from this character. Kit does not become the adored antihero like James Dean in Rebel without a Cause, but rather, he becomes a soulless, human replica of Gort.
Ghost Dog is another character that might be considered similar to Gort, but is revealed to be more like Klaatu on closer inspection. Ghost Dog is a silent, effective assassin. He follows the order of his master, just as Gort follows the orders of Klaatu. What differentiates Ghost Dog from Gort and from the other “outsider” characters is that his code of ethics revolves around the way of the samurai and its text, the Hakagure. While the film portrays Ghost Dog as a cold-blooded killer, his unrelenting loyalty to the samurai and to his master makes him an honorable character. The film also allows the viewer to see a human side of Ghost Dog when he befriends Pearline and has several conversations with his other friend, Raymond. Finally, Ghost Dog proves his vulnerability when Louie guns him down in an unbalanced shootout. Ghost Dog murders as many people as Kit does and just as calmly, but his cognizant betrayal of the laws of society, his friendships, and his vulnerability make this outsider less like Gort and more like the sympathetic Klaatu.
The attraction of the “outsider” characters stems from the elements which, initially, are not known to viewers. In alien films, questions arise about the outsider’s appearance and powers. In crime films, how the characters deal with crime and the problems of “normal” life becomes a source of intrigue. In both, the most obvious and frequently thought question becomes “What will he/she/it do next?” because when the characters are not following the rules of society, anything that can be imagined, can be done. The code of ethics that binds normal people to mundane jobs and unexciting family lives does not affect Tony Camonte, E. T., or Gort. Their blatant disregard for rules is their most attractive characteristic because is one that audience members are not allowed to have.
In regards to which characters are revered, which ones people can relate to and which ones people simply hate, the characteristic of vulnerability seems to decide the way each character is perceived. Viewers usually dislike those characters who are impervious to anything happening around them, because these characters are too distant – too inhuman. David Gates labels these distant characters as the “moral equivalent of rabid bats,” which is why audience members find themselves disgusted by their actions (Gates 87). Characters who show that being a rebel has a hurtful side, like Tony Soprano and E. T., are usually respected and favored by audiences.
Along with providing characters who break social codes, films about aliens and criminals reflect and fill the need for a savior. Klaatu fills that need by explaining that there is a whole universe watching over us, making sure that we do not destroy ourselves and any other planet in the process. E. T. is a savior gives people the hope that miracles can happen, and that friendship and love can conquer all. The aliens in Independence Day make saviors out of normal men, and unity in this film and The Day the Earth Stood Still ensures peace for all mankind. Criminals like Tony Camonte and Ghost Dog save us from the rut of everyday life and from the unnatural repressed state into which society forces us. These characters rescue their fans from their ruts for a few hours, while the watchers live vicariously through their favorite social-deviant saviors.
Works Cited
Buckley, William F., Jr. “On the Right - The Sopranos' Underside.” National Review. 30 April 2001: 1.
Ebert, Roger. “E. T. – The Extra-Terrestrial.” April 22, 2001. <http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/greatmovies/et.html>.
Gates, David. “Rockets, Robots, & Aliens.” Newsweek. Summer 1998: 87.
Saleh, Dennis. Science Fiction Gold: Film Classics of the 1950s. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1979.
Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. 21 April 2001. <http://www.gh.cs.usyd.edu.au/~matty/Shakespeare/texts/tragedies/titusandronicus_5.html#xref017>.
Simpsons Archive, The. “Treehouse of Horror IV”. 21 April 2001. <http://www.snpp.com/episodes/1F04.html>.
Willis, Ellen.
“Our Mobsters, Ourselves: Why
The Sopranos is Therapeutic TV.” The