Mickey Rourke, the Wrestler - Article Example

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler The official poster of the Mickey Rourke starrer ‘The Wrestler’ literally pushes you to the theatre. It has all the ic elements for a movie poster that can literally tell the tale. However, here we will analyze the poster and compare it to the different happenings of Mickey Rourke’s life and career. Let’s start with the present and go back to the past. In an interview with Bob Strauss, of the Los Angeles Daily News, on Jan 8th, 2009, Mickey related how he was almost out of the role and how disappointed he was when told that he was again on the project. Director Darren Aronofsky came to meet Mickey, who had already started with the training to look the part of the ‘Ram’ (the character in the movie), to tell him that they were not able to raise the $16 million necessary. They needed a star name that they could bank on. Mickey resigned to his fate and in a way was not unhappy; doing the movie would have meant visiting areas of his mind that he tried to forget. When we look at the poster, the image of Mickey Rourke embodies this element of resigned acceptance of fate. The head down, beaten and tired, and holding on to the ropes (in pain, agony?), stands out. His whole body language is that of a man who is in pain, hurt and bruised emotionally and physically. There is pain and hurt in Rourke’s real life. The pain of a lost love, a lost career, a ravaged physique, a handsome Irish face; the struggle of living the life of a commoner losing everything that a man can dream of. The face, shadowed by the hunched body shows grim lines; is he hiding his ravaged face, bruised from years at professional boxing? Rourke became synonymous with ‘The Wrestler’ in more ways than one. This was a comeback story of a real-life wrestler (Randy Robinson) portrayed by a man who had also been into professional boxing and was making a comeback as an actor. This is something that happens in one out of thousand movies that are made each year. Here was an actor who could not only understand wrestling, look like a wrestler without much of effort, but could also empathize with the pain of being out, and the glory of rebirth. An immensely talented actor, whose performance was highly praised in movies such as Diner, Rumble Fish, Heaven’s Gate, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Angel Heart, Wild Orchid, 9 ½ Weeks, had moved into oblivion through bad career choices, misbehavior and was alienated from the movie world. He also spent a few years in professional boxing during the 1990’s. This official poster of the movie has been designed in a dark color, which is very similar to Rourke’s phase of life where he falls from grace. David Ansen in Newsweek, describes Rourke as a ‘half human half Frankenstein monster,’ who with his scarred face, steroid injected and tanned body, and a face swollen from years of actual abuse, was the perfect for the role of Randy Robinson, the character that Rourke plays in ‘The Wrestler.’ Any other actor could have acted out this wreck of a character and created easy tears and ready pathos. But Rourke gave it soul. This soul is what is reflected in the poster. You want this battered man to rise and win; come back a second time, have a second chance. Rourke had it all, a wife who was a supermodel, luxury cars, a Hollywood Hill house, and an acting career that was enviable. His first movie Body Heat made him more talked about than the two leading stars and soon Mickey was on his way to make leads out of character roles. However, his own follies that included fights with his directors, getting into trouble at night clubs, and spending nights in jails for stupid activities, culminated in flops; the 1990’s saw him chucking a career that could have been revived, and going into professional boxing. The Irish good look and mischievous smile got battered to take him into anonymity. In the poster here this battered body tells the tale, the low down face hides the scars. One good thing was that the smashed face could go without hours of make-up needed to play the character. Rourke physically fitted the character of Randy the Ram to perfection. Rourke had to undergo numerous reconstructive surgeries and this has given a waxen look to his face. His downfall started simultaneously with his marriage, and within no time this man who had everything, lost everything, money, love, looks, friends and career. Mickey gave the impression of a man who was out o destruct himself with repeated attempts that included spousal abuses, fight with directors, his obsession with the Chihuahua dogs, his mob ties and the constant battering from his sojourns into the boxing ring. He survived through all this self-destructive moves, just like a hypnotic and hurt animal with the incredible capacity to attract. The poster of the movie has used this hypnotic animal quality to attract the audience. Rourke’s personal charisma flows out from the poster. People want to go and watch the hunted animal turn into the hunter. The poster sells the Mickey Rourke name. Why? Because THE Mickey Rourke was back in action! This was the classic case of fallen glory trying to make a comeback. Will he succeed? Or will he plunge back into some irretrievable black hole? The name of Rourke raises promise, hope and curiosity and this is what the poster capitalizes on. The tag line on the poster says, ‘Witness the Resurrection of Mickey Rourke.’ The marketing purpose of the poster is achieved through this line. Mickey Rourke was dead and buried. Mickey Rourke has come back to life, in the same miraculous way that Jesus had come back to life. The poster conveys the feeling that ‘The Wrestler’ is more than a movie; it is the rebirth of a star. The actor is not the medium to portray the character (Randy Robinson); Randy or the Ram is the vehicle that portrays Mickey Rourke, the wrestler, who fought out of a life of dark gloom. For Rourke, the success of the movie is more than just professional glory. It is evidence that he can also conquer his own worst enemy and that is himself. The poster shows Mickey’s weary back covered in a golden glow of light. In Mickey’s own words in an interview he gave in 2008 to Steve Garbarino, in Maxim, “I let my past destroy me,” he says. “I was walking around my adult life with my fists clenched, pointing the finger at everyone but me. But I finally opened my hands and went, Wow! This is a lot easier than walking around with smoke coming out of my ass. I was looking for this big fight, this war, you know? And it was all in my head.” The Director Aronofsky could easily get Rourke back into shape, as Mickey had already been a good boxer. The success of the movie has made him realize that this is a second chance, his last chance, and that he had been lucky to get it. The acclaim has come as a summer shower that has cooled an anguished man and he knows that now more than ever he cannot falter, he cannot let down those who have trusted him. And that includes all those who have believed in him, worked as hard as he had, and appreciated his lifetime performance. The dark, bold and gritty poster also showcases this determination of Rourke. The words ‘love, pain, glory,’ used on the poster defines stages of Mickey Rourke’s life. The love and adulation of his initial years as an actor, sought by producers, praised by critics and idolized by millions. Then the stage came when pain defined his life. He left his movie career to join professional boxing and the physical battering on his body and face was so severe that he had to do reconstructive surgery. The psychological blow came with the loss of his good looks, his reputation, his money and fame. Then the glory years were back with ‘The Wrestler,’ being praised critically and popularly. Reference List: 1. A Perfect Casting Call. David Ansen | NEWSWEEK. [Internet] (Updated 22 Sep 2008) Available at: http://www.newsweek.com/id/158591[Accessed 24 Feb 2010.] 2. His Fists Are Up and His Guard Is Down. PAT JORDAN. [Internet] (Updated 28 Nov 2008) Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/magazine/30rourke-t.html [Accessed 26 Feb 2010.] 3. Mickey Rourke got back into mental and physical shape for "The Wrestler". Bob Strauss [Internet] (Updated 08 Jan 2009) Available at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2008605332_rourke09.html [Accessed 24 Feb 2010.] 4. Mickey Rourke is Oscars comeback kid. Elizabeth Weitzman. [Internet] (Updated 20 Feb 2009) Available at: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/oscars/2009/02/21/2009-02-21_mickey_rourke_is_oscars_comeback_kid.html [Accessed 26 Feb 2010.] 5. Oscars 2009: Best actor battle between Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn. Anita Singh. [Internet] (Updated 06 Sep 2008) Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/4734386/Oscars-2009-Best-actor-battle-between-Mickey-Rourke-and-Sean-Penn.html [Accessed 26 Feb 2010.] 6. Shades of Brando Mickey Rourkes odd career, reborn with the Wrestler, is curiously familiar. Leitch, Will. [Internet] (Updated 29 Sep 2008) Available at: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-186873515.html [Accessed 24 Feb 2010.] 7. The Resurrection Of Mickey Rourke. Steve Garbarino. [Internet] (Updated Dec 2008) Available at: http://www.uniquelyrourke.com/maxim2008.html [Accessed 24 Feb 2010.] 8. The Wrestler: Mickey Rourkes Comeback. Richard Corliss. [Internet] (Updated 06 Sep 2008) Available at: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1839310,00.html [Accessed 26 Feb 2010.] Read More