Relevant Social Psychological Principles in Being John Malkovich - Movie Review Example

Movie Analysis Running head: Analysis: Malkovich MOVIE ANALYSIS: BEING JOHN MALKOVICH Movie Analysis 2 Abstract Being John Malkovich is probably one of the most original, inventive and imaginative movies ever made. The storyline is surrealistically impossible but the movie’s themes speak of truths basic to humanity. Thus, the movie besides its intelligent script and its clever direction also features a study of social psychological principles that motivate the characters to act the way they do. Introduction Being John Malkovich is a different movie which doesn’t belong to those “dime-a-dozen” movies with stereotyped storylines. In fact, it is a weird, offbeat movie featuring weird, surreal experiences and phenomena which are distortions of reality and which probability of occurring in real life is pegged at almost zero. But then this is a smart and clever, head-trip of a comedy where moviegoers’ disbelief is momentarily suspended throughout the movie as they find themselves unwittingly enraptured by the intensity of the story and the acting of the whole cast as well as the fantastic imagery. Moviegoers soon become enmeshed by the palpable reality of its themes of manipulation, voyeurism, identity and the desire to experience being a matinee idol even for a brief instance. Director Spike Jonze and scriptwriter Charlie Kaufman expertly weaves a bizarrely original, wildly imaginative tale of adventure-seeking people crawling through chutes and transforming themselves into modern Alices in Wonderland or Gullivers except that the fantasy world they have rode into is inside the mind of a celebrity which they try to control and appropriate for themselves for their personal, selfish benefits. The movie functionally begins when Craig Schwartz a puppeteer working as a filing clerk in a low-ceilinged office in the 7 1/2th floor of a New York building, discovered a portal behind a filing cabinet. Crawling into the narrow tunnel, he was suddenly whisked into the brain of actor John Malkovich, experiencing what Malkovich experiences as if these were his own experiences. After 15 minutes, he is spewed out and dumped near the New Jersey Turnpike Movie Analysis 3 Relevant Social Psychological Principles In Being John Malkovich Social psychology is the science that seeks to understand how people’s behaviors, thoughts and feelings are influenced by other people (Schneider et al 2005,p.2). In this movie, 6 principles of social psychology can be utilized to explain the characters or behaviors of one or more of the dramatis personae in the movie and these are the following: 1. The Looking Glass Self- One forms a self-image of himself from the reflections i.e. the judgments or critiques of others. These make him alter himself or even make him rebel against change because the responses or reactions of others to his appearance, speech, actions, beliefs make an impact on his being (Anderson et al,1999,p.60). 2. False Uniqueness- The tendency to serve self-image by believing oneself to be unique compared to others i.e. having better personality, better character and competencies, better moral judgments and opinions, more talents and brighter future. Similarly, it is also the tendency to believe that one’s “undesirable behaviors are uniquely shared” (Olson et al,1986,p.148). 3. Illusion of Control- The tendency for human beings to believe that they can control or manipulate or at least influence outcomes which they demonstrably have no influence (Lindzey & Aronson,1985,p.463). 4. Behavioral Confirmation- A type of self-fulfilling prophecy, where people in their interaction with others, often use their preconceived beliefs and expectations of a target actor as their guides to action thereby causing the actor to behave in a way that resembles such people’s expectations (Fletcher & Clark,2002,p.374). 5. Mere Exposure Effect- The psychological phenomenon wherein “repeated presentations of a neutral stimulus produce a mild, pleasant response to the stimulus” (Albarracin et al,2005,p409). This means that the more one is exposed to something, the more one develops a preference or liking for it. Movie Analysis 4 6. Just World Phenomenon- The tendency for people to believe that the world is just and that “suffering and punishment, like joys and rewards, should be deserved” and therefore people get what they deserve (Snyder & Lopez,2002,p.34). Conformity Or Nonconformity To The Social Psychological Principles Craig was originally exposed to the Malkovich brain occupation by sheer accident. But the experience of going through a 15-minute journey into somebody else’s psyche is an ultimate novelty-experience that answers man’s hidden desire to be someone else especially if that someone is a celebrity. It also fulfills man’s clandestine urge to control someone else’s thoughts and actions. Movies, books, television and the rest of media celebrate man’s rich and adventure, thrill-filled life and force people who lead dreary lives to long to be in someone else’s shoes even for only 15 minutes. Media and people in general compel the ordinary man to build a self-image of himself that is so negative that when there is a chance to experience an ‘ideal life’ that people consider exciting, he grabs it and wallows in it. This ‘looking glass self’ theory and ‘the behavioral confirmation theory’ push Craig to conform to social expectations which look down to dismal, ordinary lives and explain why Craig dares to occupy the mind of Malkovich and later on to control his mind turning Malkovich into a master puppeteer. Both theories celebrate the attractive lover and because Maxine ‘behaviorally confirmed’ and held a ‘looking glass’ before Craig showing that he is neither attractive nor the desired lover, Craig was forced to use Malkovich’s body to have romantic and sexual dalliance with Maxine, who is Craig’s ultimate inamorata. Repeated experiences inside Malkovich’s brain developed in Craig an intense liking that was tantamount to addiction as predicted by the ‘mere exposure effect’ that the experience had become an uncontrollable urge. Not only Craig went through the eerie experience Movie Analysis 5 but others too who were willing to pay $200 for the 15-minute journey into Malkovich’s brain in consonance with the ‘looking glass self’ and ‘behavioral confirmation’ theories. Thus, the ad that said “Ever want to be someone else? Now you can” caught fire with those who lived dreary, commonplace lives. The ‘looking glass self’ and ‘behavioral confirmation’ theories force these people to toe the line i.e. the expected social perceptions and expectations and experience a dynamic life. Craig after enjoying a temporary personality transference and after having a taste of celebrity life albeit behind the Malkovich mask and after feeling completely free being behind Malkovich’s persona, thought of moving one step higher. Moved by the desire to steal Malkovich’s identity, believing that his suppressed but superior puppeteering talents need world exposure in view of the ‘false uniqueness’ theory, Craig wanted to control, manipulate, exploit and possess not only Malkovich’s mind but also his body, intending to use Malkovich’s body to copulate with Maxine and thus release all his lust for Maxine. He also wanted to pull the strings in Malkovich’s mind, making Malkovich perform acts without his knowledge and outside his consciousness. The principle of ‘illusion of control’ is perfectly exemplified in Craig’s selfish and self-absorbed design to annihilate Malkovich’s identity and implant his ‘self’ and identity in Malkovich’s body and mind, thereby erasing the mind-body dichotomy. Craig not only used Malkovich’s brain but allowed Maxine, his wife Lotte and others who were willing to pay $200 for the unique experience, to trespass Malkovich’s sacrosanct rights to his own body and mind for their own selfish benefits. Maxine, who is also guilty of manipulating and taking advantage of Craig’s lust for him and thus pulling Craig’s strings to satisfy her ego, also exemplifies the power of the “illusion of control’ and ‘false uniqueness’ principles. In Lotte’s case, society obligates her to play the role of an ideal wife to Craig but by experiencing the 15-minute Movie Analysis 6 journey to Malkovich’s psyche and by feeling the sensory perceptions of being a man, decided she wanted to give vent to her concealed and suppressed lesbianism. Thus, she decided to rebel against the preconceived societal ideals of being a wife and woman as expressed in the ‘looking glass self’ and ‘behavioral confirmation’ principles. Repeated exposure to the Malkovich experience convinced her that being a man is her life preference thus proving the efficacy of the ‘mere exposure effect’ principle. The experience reached its apex when she experienced copulating with Maxine using Malkovich’s body. The movie revealed an unexpected twist when Lotte discovered that the hidden portal had been used since time immemorial by Dr. Lester and his ilk to preserve their youth and immortality. All the advertisements on potions, creams and surgeries to preserve one’s youth and immortality serve as a potent force via the “looking glass self’ and ‘behavioral confirmation’ principles to convince Dr. Lester and prior to him Captain Mertin to move from one ‘vessel’ to another and thus preserve their immortality. Dr. Lester and his ilk, as well as Craig’s group, are all selfish users and trespassers of another’s identity and being and all suffered from ‘illusions of control’ and liked the experience the more they were exposed to the Malkovich experience in line with the ‘mere exposure effect’. All their experiences crystallized the fact that in life, one is either an actor or a director or even both. Because all of them took an alternative identity, they all should be considered essentially as actors. Because many of them manipulated Malkovich’s body and brain, such as Craig, Dr. Lester and Captain Mertin, they should be considered as directors who pull all the strings. All three should be considered as simultaneously acting as actors and directors. Using laws on ethics, morality and property, Craig and the rest of the group’s unauthorized occupation of Malkovich’s body and brain contravenes against the Movie Analysis 7 tenets of such laws and thus must be denounced as illegal and immoral. The brain is a hallowed organ of the human body where private secrets are stored. It is thus unlawful to access another’s brain without the owner’s consent because it is a clear invasion of his right to privacy. Worse, to commercialize the access to one’s brains for a fee and without his permission and without the owner deriving economic benefits from the use of such access is an unparalleled crime and inequity. Thus, Craig must pay for all his inequities and his sorry fate in the end is his just reward. He deserves such fate on account of his transgressions. Another secret that Lotte unearthed was that when the vessel’s body becomes ripe, the one who wishes to attain immortality must enter the Malkovich portal exactly prior to its becoming fully ripe and that late entry means that the one who does so will suffer the ignominious experience of being trapped in the body of the next vessel, being reduced to a mere spectator to all events as seen through the eyes of the next vessel without any power to control. It must also be noted that Craig never in all the time that he took control of Malkovich’s body and brain, absorbed Malkovich’s personal identity. Rather he retained his own personal identity proven by the fact that he had full memory of his being Craig Schwartz. He never had memory of being John Malkovich. He just never became John Malkovich. However, when Craig enters the portal he leaves behind the persona of Craig and enters the persona of Malkovich. This suggests a physical continuity of personal identity. Conclusion The movie Being John Malkovich is a misnomer because Craig in reality never absorbed the identity of Malkovich but merely manipulated and controlled Malkovich’s body and brain without flinging his own identity. The movie is a potent study of social psychological principles that move and orchestrate the characters to act the way they do. These principles are the motivating factors that cause the dramatis personae of the film to act the way they do. REFERENCES Albarracin, D., & Johnson, B., & Zanna, M. (2005). The handbook of attitudes. Routledge. Anderson, R.,& Carter, I.,& Lowe, G. (1999). Human behavior in the social environment. Aldine Transaction. Fletcher,G.,& Clark, M. (2002). Blackwell’s handbook of social psychology. Wiley-Blackwell. Lindzey, G.,& Aronson, E. (1985). Handbook of social psychology: theory and material. Random House. Olson, J.,& Herman, P., & Zanna, M. (1986). Relative deprivation & social comparison. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Schneider, F., & Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2005). Applied social psychology. SAGE. Snyder, C.R. & Lopez, S. (2002). Handbook of positive psychology. Oxford University Press. Read More