The Age of Innocence - Essay Example

The Age of Innocence (1993) A film by Martin Scorsese. Written by Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks. Based on the Novel of the same by Edith Wharton. When one mentions of a film by Martin Scorsese, themes of violence, anger, and passion come to mind. The movement of his camera and the angles of his shots are as violent as his scenes of bloodbaths and shootouts. But here comes one movie where Scorsese tackles a different battle and shows his audience to a battlefield where no blood is shed and no weapons are used. In this movie, Scorsese paints a magnum opus that still delves on his favorite theme of repressed passion in a much more vicious way. The underlying issue that the film revolves around is the issue of freedom or individuality against societal dictates. The film's setting is New York in the late 19th Century. Edith Wharton wrote the book, which the movie was based upon and she was born in such a setting. She admitted that on the time she wrote the book, such age of innocence was long gone. Despite that, the main dilemma of the book (and consequently the film) is timeless as it is still affecting societies at the present time. Social mores are dictated upon an individual in order to be accepted and for order in the community to be maintained. On the other hand, the individual struggles against such restrictions, as she/he perceives it to be a hindrance to her/his own personal living. This tension is dramatically emphasized in the movie and the development of events within the movie show the moral dilemma that people go through when encountering the crossroad of choosing between your passion and the dictates of society. The plot revolves around the Newland Archer, a young affluent lawyer, who is about to marry May Welland, also coming from a rich and influential family. Marriage then was not decided by love but by the intention of keeping the wealth of the rich families intact and even gain more wealth. They lived in a society where the aristocracy reigned and where their movement was dictated by an invisible code common to all. The aristocrats were more than willing to live under such rules just to maintain the status quo. Selfish desires were set aside for the good of the class. Most, if not all, were fine with the set-up in fear of staining their reputation. Newland Archer is one of those who were content with the status quo of repressed emotions for the "good" of everybody and for the preservation of their culture and lifestyle. He had thoughts of his own and even observed the absurdity of this faade his society puts up with yet he accepts it for his own perceived good. In this society, people had to hide their individuality under their masks of blind compliance to their norms. This charade of theirs is even more emphasized by the shots Scorsese makes throughout the film. His usually fast-paced camera movement is tempered here to focus on the background. The grandeur of the drawing rooms, the flowers, and the painting-like backdrop of the scenes are emphasized by the scenes in the movie as if the director wants to convey to his audience that the focus is on the appearance or form and not the substance. It parallels the mind-set of the society portrayed in the film. Then, the movie proceeds with introducing the conflict in the form of May's cousin Ellen Olenska. Considered to be an outcast by the New York aristocracy for marrying against the society rules and living in "scandalous" European circles, here is a woman who thinks on her own and lives on her own rules. She seeks a divorce from her Polish husband and the family pushes Archer to dissuade her from doing so. This leads Archer to be enthralled by Ellen's disposition. He is captivated by her way of thinking and her bravura to face up against the same rules they share to be absurd. He gets a taste of freedom and he yearns for more. In a society that seems to be like an iron glove, it is all the more relevant that the most explosive scene in the movie involves gloves. In a movie that portrays repressed desire tasted and ends unconsummated, one scene stands out to be one of the most sensuous in recent history even with the protagonists never taking any piece of clothing, except for the symbolic glove. Archer and Ellen are boxed-in a carriage and in a turn of events, Archer removes Ellen's glove to feel her wrist on his cheek. The scene explodes with sizzling passion much like something long suppressed and yearning to burst out is finally given the opportune moment. The "forbidden" couple falls prey to their passion and yet remains reluctant to fully push through as Archer labors to decide between the societal norms he lives by and his newfound freedom of living vicariously. Crossroads of this kind are abundant in life and much like Archer; the film viewer recognizes the dilemma and sympathizes with Archer. The tension mounts up within him as Ellen inexplicably seeks to return to Europe. In this part of the movie, we see just how guile May and the rest of New York elite are. May puts Archer into a situation where he has to give up his freedom for the future of his family life. Archer succumbs to the influence of his society and gives up whatever affection he felt toward Ellen. In the conduct of a farewell party for Ellen, Archer reaches upon a conclusion that describes that vicious society he surrendered his freedom to. He concludes that "to all of them he and Madame Olenska were lovers. . . . He guessed himself to have been, for months, the center of countless silently observing eyes and patiently listening ears, he understood that, by means as yet unknown to him, the separation between himself and the partner of his guilt had been achieved, and that now the whole tribe had rallied about his wife on the tacit assumption that nobody knew anything, or had ever imagined anything . . . ". He surrenders to this observation with the regret of a helpless man in a helpless situation. This is for the reason that he has to since he considers himself as a civilized gentleman and by that, it his duty to remain with his wife and the child she bears in his name. With this, viewers are drawn to Archer as he becomes more and more real as the film progresses. It is a recognizable fact that everyday, people make this kinds of decisions, decisions that are bitter pills to take but are necessary nonetheless. The movie ends with a scene where Archer and his generation have grown three decades older. The times have changed. People then recognized that they had the right to be happy without being told by society how to be happy, but by their own rules for living. Archer sits on a bench outside Ellen's abode in Paris. His is a look of a man resigned and has left his past behind. This feeling of resignation is how Scorsese resolves the conflict of the film. When one sacrifices his freedom and happiness for the security of his future, there is loss and sadness but eventually there is the feeling of being resigned to what you chose, for there is no other way to live normally under such circumstance than to let it go. Such is the path of people who take the same route as Archer in times of such crossroads. Work Cited: 1. Scorsese, Martin. The Age of Innocence. Hollywood: Columbia Pictures, 1993. Read More