Hollywood and The Working Class: Flashdance syndrome
According to Douglas Kellner, working-class films are inertly self-contradictory to the fact. For example, the mid-1970s to early 1980s movies such as Saturday Night Fever (1977) and the movie Rocky (1976); even shows evidence of capitalist “transcendence” desire that hypothetically threatens our contemporary neoliberal social class system e.g., the have and the have-nots. But is that really what working-class people want in general? To conform to objectivist forms of Ayn Rand's structural inequality? On the contrary to economic equality, we endlessly see neoliberal-based films like Adrian Lynes Flashdance (1983) or Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar (1978); depicting American working-class life as stereotypically “pigsty” as Kellner puts it compared to the middle-class utopia that awaits among the suburban pines (Ryan & Kellner, 1990). As, seen in ancient Rome with class based on plebes, emperors and patricians we see this class struggle relationship even playing on the silver screen in which the upper-class by (mise-es-scene) economics is projected as oppressing those who dwell at the bottom of class-driven cinematic society (Rizal, 2017, pp.9–10). This is what I call “Flashdance syndrome” which on the other side of the pond e.g., the U.K. was mostly viewed as an interpretation of working-class life through social realist films or ‘kitchen sink’ films. Or what was originally labelled as “kitchen sink drama” as shown in European films shown in the United Kingdom such as Tim Roth’s The War Zone (1999), Peter Cattaneo’s The Full Monty (1997); in addition to Michael Winterbottom’s film drama Wonderland (1999). Hence, again misinterpreting the European working class as similar to the American working class as immoral, dysfunctional or downright “pigsty”. For instance, this was more common through low-budget films distributed on Channel 4 or the television channel Film Four; in which we constantly see even the global working class being explicitly subjected to either a middle-class or social superior (8mm) close-up (Takako, 2010, p.19). In, Kellner again linked this to token politics mostly coming from a (neoliberal) conservative response as discovered in films like John Badham’s Saturday Night Fever (1977); with John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney (Ryan & Kellner, 1990).
Since this “Flashdance syndrome” working-class lampoon by 77% compared towards a more blue-collar worker opinion; or even an “average joe” perspective, mostly saw these films as a false picture/interpretation of class advancement and working-class life personified. As the movie industry is openly dominated by both upper-class performers and upper-class standards completely stuck in quite the (Reaganomics) or passé style 1980s-time warp. Nevertheless, at the height of 1980s Hollywood, national concern for the underdog or the real American working class was next to nothing as films like Arthur (1981), Class (1983), Risky Business (1983), Trading Places (1983) and The Big Chill (1983). Where more interested in promoting life from the over-gentrified/cinematic “neoliberal” heavens (Ryan & Kellner, 1990). We can also see this in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) as the working-class, female sex workers and taxi drivers and the New York homeless are even displayed as laughing mad, creatures of the night, anti-social back alley dwellers, dehumanised aliens or even close to Frankenstein’s monster; such as the New York taxi driver with one eye during the dodgy area scene: “Ain’t much better in here Kid!” said the unknown taxi driver as young Kevin nearly jumps out of his skin in fright. Thus, shows a class interaction between the middle class e.g., Kevin McCallister and the lower class e.g., The New York one-eyed Taxi Driver; throughout this Hollywood-style Panopticon adaptation. “Kevin goes to see his relatives and discovers nobody there and has to navigate in the dodgy area of NEW YORK” (See Acklam, The Doggy Area Scene, 2017). While the Renegade Cut even considers this close to socially conservative fears about the eldritch of outsiders, “The Other” or working-class intruders such as “Harry Lime and Marv Murchins;” both played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern who are both displayed as “The Wet Bandits;” two bumbling and somewhat cartoonish burglars entering upper-middle-class suburban or high-retail areas as found in Manhattan or East Midtown, New York. This is what many middle viewers see working-class jobs or culture to socially incarnate on the big screen just like “The Central Park Birdlady” also known as “The Homeless Pigeon Lady” who indicates a somewhat nameless but friendly woman who evidently lives in Central Park behind the retail and high-rise buildings of New York City. As the film projects the “Pigeon Lady” winding up homeless or physically derelict by her own personal choice since she had a bad relationship with her former partner; and according to the plot, she just doesn't trust people. (See Renegade Cut, 2019). Anyway the homeless by choice narrative remains a well-known blast from the past economic idea from president Ronald Reagan supported during his time in political office as seen on Good Morning America: “The people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless who are homeless you might say by choice” (ABC, Good Morning America, 1984). Nevertheless, movies like Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992); and other neoliberal flicks will always project this “loud and distributing” political message to clearly undermine the harsh reality of working-class income inequality or homeless life on cold or dangerous streets from mostly an upper-middle-class social class viewpoint while emanating both mirth and snobbery from the safety of their own central heated front room, parlour, family space or suburban living room; while paying little or no social, economic or political educational attention to either: “low wage growth, a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, homelessness beyond their front door”; or even that of mental health issues endlessly begin ignored by the “glitz and glamour” of fake Hollywood; or the failures of the socio-economic American political system combined. But we are led to understand by the ongoing Hollywood narrative that this is “done by choice” as it will always be seen “as the poor’s fault” or a lack of Pep Talk! from some lifestyle guru suburbanite like Kevin McCallister talking to the Central Park “Pigeon Lady;” while surreptitiously supporting Reaganomics system; that evidently impacts the homeless, the poor and the vast American underclass today (See Renegade Cut, 2019).
While this periodical lampooning of the working class in urban America has also been displayed in the 1987 movie Adventures in Babysitting. (also known as A Night on the Town in certain countries). Which is mostly a group of middle-class suburban kids getting lost in the big city of urban Chicago Illinois. As Gangs are seen riding the CTA Blue Line carrying blunt instruments. The Car Thief portrayed by the late John Davis Chandler known as “Bleak” is stereotypically African American. The car mechanic known as “Handsome” John Pruit played by John Ford Noonan Jr. is deformed with a “hook for a hand.” Brenda's Station scene is jammed full of outré homeless characters and hostile deformed faces. Everyone outside the babysitter, the suburban kids, Brenda and the parents that don’t show up at the end of the film which takes place at “the glass tower corporate party” are just portrayed as deformed, weird, homeless or roaming criminals that live beyond the gated suburban community of middle-class Chicago, Illinois. It’s very sad and somewhat fictionally biased in my personal view that most of these 1980s family-oriented films mentioned above would show one class of people to be more civilized or socially fitting than another, a type of neo-Dickensian setting meets 1980s family-friendly Bastard feudalism (See Adventures in Babysitting, 1987).
Adventures in Babysitting. (1987). Flim Director. Columbus, C. Producers. Debra Hill. Lynda Obst. Cinematography. Ric Waite. Touchstone Pictures. Silver Screen Partners III. Rose Productions.
Acklam, A. (2017). Home Alone 2 Dodgy AREA SCENE. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8A20D3seBU. 12/01/2022.
Flashdance (1983) Flim Director. Lyne, A. Producers. Simpson, D. Bruckheimer, J. Cinematography. Peterman, D. Production Company. PolyGram Pictures.
Giorgio Moroder, Irene Cara, Keith Forsey. Flashdance (1983). The Orchard Music (on behalf of Cleopatra Records); LatinAutor — SonyATV, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORS DE MUSICA — UBEM, ASCAP, Polaris Hub AB, Sony ATV Publishing, Warner Chappell. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfPyUGpJVMc.
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. (1992). Flim Director Columbus, C. Producer. John Hughes. Cinematography. Julio Macat. Production Company. Hughes Entertainment.
Kellner, D. Ryan, M. (1990). Class, Race And The New South: The Hollywood Working Class. In: Camera Politica: The Politics and Ideology of Contemporary Hollywood Film. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
President Reagan Interviewed by ABCs Good Morning, America’s David Hartman in Oval Office on January 30, 1984
Renegade Cut, 2019. Home Alone — White Suburban Revenge Fantasy | Renegade Cut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pa8bRdDyW4&t=965s. 12/01/2022.
