The pivotal moment in this movie was the scene where Russell gambles away Penny Lane in a game of poker. This event has a powerful impact on William, as it reveals to him how the real world works. At the beginning of the movie, we see that William is an innocent and timid individual. He seems to be extremely mature when it comes to writing and knowledge about rock and roll, yet lacks a certain understanding of the people who surround him. Whenever he sees Russell gamble Penny away, it seems like something clicks inside him to where he suddenly becomes more assertive and mature. His changed personality is the result of both his love for Penny and his frustration in Russell's actions. It seems to be the first time in his life that he has been experienced such strong emotions. Thus, I think the point of the movie was to show a character's coming of age and loss of innocence along the course of a rock tour. William's character is an example of how experiencing something firsthand rather than just knowing about it can be entirely life changing.
Penny Lane seems to fit Kerouac's definition of a "mad" individual. What are the the effects of her actions on the point of the movie?
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I agree that this movie is a coming of age for young William. He experiences things way beyond his maturity level yet is probably the most mature one out of the whole group. Stillwater seemed to really take a liking to the kid taking him everywhere they go and sharing private details of their lives. None of this should have probably been shared with "the enemy". However, I think Russel also had a "coming of age" throughout the film. He shared with William early on that he was being held back musically by the band but couldn't leave easily because they were his friends. This caused a fight between the band but he learned that the love of music is what keeps them together, as shown by the Tiny Dancer clip. He bets away Penny Lane in a poker game, denies all what William wrote for Rolling Stone after saying "write what you want", and always stood above the band like he was better. He hurt alot of people. Towards the end of the movie he said, "maybe we just dont see ourselves the way we really are". William saw the way they really were and wrote about it. It made Russel think about what really matters to him, Penny Lane, and he finally learns how much he screwed William, whom she really liked. After being tricked into going to William's house, he apologizes and gives him the interview that he kept promising to give. He finally understands that William is not the enemy but a fan of music, just like he is. He learned alot from William and they both ended up as better people after the trip. So, are you ever too old to have a "coming of age"?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that this is a coming of age for William. It's almost as if everything he's been missing out on in life hits him full-force within a relatively short period of time. He falls in love, he is "de-flowered," he drinks, and spends time away from his controlling mother. He handles all of this with remarkable maturity, especially in comparison to most of the other characters in the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe way that he differs the most from the other characters is his ability to really care for people and know what that means. He was the one that was there for Penny and seems to make a genuine effort to understand what everyone else is about, beyond their rock-n-roll exterior. This is probably because a product of his inquisitive nature as he is indeed a journalist, but as he reveals to Lester Bangs, he thinks he is actually becoming friends with them.
Another aspect of this "coming of age" is when they all betray him in the end out of selfishness for themselves, even though he was very patient and loyal to the band. He is completely floored by this behavior, and it certainly jars him from a certain state of naivete.
I also agree that this movie showed parts of William's coming of age experiences. His mom kept him sheltered as a child, and though he was a senior in high school he was only 15, which also kept him from fully experiencing everything that comes with finishing high school and officially becoming an adult. It all seems to hit him one after the other, as if all his experiences were caged and then let lose to happen all at once. I agree that he does handle all of the freedom with a maturity that most never really reach. After everything that he sees with the band, and the feelings he's developed for Penny, he is left with a deeper outlook on life, but still manages to hold on to some of his previous views. In the beginning he was naive to a lot, innocent, and just accepted things kind of as they were. By the end of the movie, William was able to express himself more freely and through his own experiences, and loss of innocence, was able to teach Russell some things as well.
ReplyDeleteThe coming of age for someone always seems to be triggered by a certain experience. In this case when he sees Penny Lane gambled away as an object it really hits him hard and maybe this is because he has feelings for her or maybe it could be for another reason. After this point he seems like a new man who can really say what he means. The silent nervous boy who first got on the tour bus seems to have died. The effort that he puts in to really try and figure out who all these people are never really goes both ways. As jackie said in the very end when he betrayed by the band probably has something to do with the change in his behavior.
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