I absolutely loved watching Almost Famous. Yet when we were asked when the main character "comes of age," I came up with a blank. I thought about it and realized that he didn't really change personality or habits-wise by the end of the film. As we discussed in class, he still loves his mom (and never rebels against her), he still loves rock n' roll, and he still doesn't do drugs. He does lose his virginity, but that's the only scene we see of him having sex, and what's more, we actually don't see the actual act of having sex. The scene serves only as a major, almost magical moment in William's life where time stands still (both in his mind and in the eyes of the audience via slow-mo effects).
Upon thinking about all of this, I realized what keeps Almost Famous relevant today: the spirit of rock n' roll. When Noah called on us to freely associate words that come to mind when thinking of "rock n' roll," none of those words are really what we as audience members take away from the film. When we were questioned to detail how William changed, the discussion was pretty thin. For me, this was because I fully realized just how swept away with this film I was--I told myself I loved it once I finished watching it, but I couldn't answer questions about it. This is very similar to the feeling one feels when listening to rock n' roll, a feeling that kick-starts William to become a rock n' roll journalist. When you listen to rock n' roll (or whatever your favorite kind of music, for that matter), you can't help but feel swept away by it. Should a critic come by and call out your song for its lack of musical proficiencies, it's just human nature to be either insulted, dumbfounded, or both. The characters of Almost Famous are all affected by rock n' roll in some fashion or another; it's only natural for the audience to be affected by it, too. A timeless movie is a movie that takes the audience to another world. It's a film that sweeps the audience away. You don't ask questions. You just go. And that's just what any famous rockstar (or any other industry success story would say--I view much of this film as an analogy for the film industry, for example) would tell any aspiring rockstar. This film still rings true today because it captures the free spirit of rock n' roll.
I actually haven't seen all too many films about rock n' roll in general to compare this film to those. Can you think of any rock n' roll films that create the same viewing sensation as Almost Famous, or is this really something that makes Almost Famous stand out for its fellow films?
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Yes, rock n' roll. Although Lester Bangs would vehemently disagree, I believe that the spirit of rock n roll lives on today, but it is definitely not in the same form. I agree that good music can take you away, especially the rock n roll culture, and I believe that's also why this film was so well-liked by a great deal of people. Yes, it allowed many people who grew up in the 70's to re-live those days with the cultural references and style of the characters, but think about all those people that didn't live through those years who still have a strong connection to this movie. I consider myself to be one of those people. This has been one of my favorite movies for years, and while the story line is fun and heartwarming, it's the music that I know and remember the best in this movie. From The Who's "Sparks" at the beginning to Zeppelin's "Tangerine" at the very end, each song created a strong emotional connection to the story for me. I think the "cultural relevance" that Crowe really spearheaded was the idea of good music=good times. As proved by the "Tiny Dancer" scene, all you need is a good song to lift you up again. ACL is also a great real-life example of this. Dust bowls, extreme heat, dehydration, spending 2 days walking through feces--it's all worth it for some good music.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was made within our lifetimes. While we might find it relevant now, do you think our identification with it is more a factor of the universal ideas Crowe communicates or that it was made fairly recently? And, relation to your answer, do you think this movie will ever become outdated?
The movie's potrayal of themes of Rock'N Roll culture and its culture are the most relevant aspect of the movie. The feel good aspect of Rock' N Roll still rings true today, and I would also say that Rock "N Roll is now proliferating and taking on different forms, which only helps to romanticize the genre. In the movie, the characters are all united by one thing: their love for Rock 'n Roll and all its glory. They idolize the basic experiences: the excitement brought on by a good show, standing hours in line to see your favorite band, knowing all the words to the opening song...etc.
ReplyDeleteThis persona of Rock' N Roll, that was created and exaggerated during the 1960s and 1970s, has carried on to the present and I don't think it's very likely that this romanticized image will fade away anytime soon, especially not in our lifetime. Do you?