Both movies, Taylor Hackford’s Ray and Miloš Forman’s Man on the Moon
are about economic interests in entertainment and are thereby
emphasising the “business” in showbiz.
In Milos Forman’s Man on the Moon this becomes vivid after Andy Kaufman’s first performances in a small bar, where local acts perform. Although Kaufman offered to do his shows without any payment, the owner of the place decides to let him go. Kaufman’s performances scare away the customers. “Show-Business, Show-Business; without the business, there is no show!” are his exact words. The scene raises to question, if the entertainment industry is actually just a business is thereby detached from its artistic claims.
Whereas Andy has to prove his “economic viability”, Ray Charles has to cope with much more profound complications – racism. His talent as a musician is at first completely irrelevant. Only after a fellow white man convinces his friends they are stunned by the way he plays the piano. But " if one compares the reactions of both protagonists, the underlying motivation gets carved out. Ray’s reactions are real and are always mirroring his inner state of mind, which is also supported by means of camerawork.
In Milos Forman’s Man on the Moon this becomes vivid after Andy Kaufman’s first performances in a small bar, where local acts perform. Although Kaufman offered to do his shows without any payment, the owner of the place decides to let him go. Kaufman’s performances scare away the customers. “Show-Business, Show-Business; without the business, there is no show!” are his exact words. The scene raises to question, if the entertainment industry is actually just a business is thereby detached from its artistic claims.
Whereas Andy has to prove his “economic viability”, Ray Charles has to cope with much more profound complications – racism. His talent as a musician is at first completely irrelevant. Only after a fellow white man convinces his friends they are stunned by the way he plays the piano. But " if one compares the reactions of both protagonists, the underlying motivation gets carved out. Ray’s reactions are real and are always mirroring his inner state of mind, which is also supported by means of camerawork.
Figure 1
In figure 1, we see Ray Charles left alone by his fellow band members.
The shot creates a distance between the viewer and Ray, creating a
voyeuristic and private scene. This distance and Ray’s blindness make it
theoretically impossible for him to detect us. As a result, Ray just turns on
his chair and plays the piano again. This moment is very powerful,
because it represents the piano as a substitute for doings his blindness
prevents.
After his dismissal, Andy Kaufman dramatically runs out of the bar, directly towards the camera, until he is only a few inches away from the viewer’s screen. With his eyes closed, he seems to mourn about his recent put- down. But as if the camera gets turned off, he switches to a humble smile, loosens his shoulders and walks off in a complacent pace. Instantly, the viewer asks himself: Is he just playing a role and who is Andy Kaufman really?
After his dismissal, Andy Kaufman dramatically runs out of the bar, directly towards the camera, until he is only a few inches away from the viewer’s screen. With his eyes closed, he seems to mourn about his recent put- down. But as if the camera gets turned off, he switches to a humble smile, loosens his shoulders and walks off in a complacent pace. Instantly, the viewer asks himself: Is he just playing a role and who is Andy Kaufman really?
Figure 2: Cover of Man on the Moon
Man on the Moon’s movie cover also displays this question (figure 2)1. We cannot be sure whether it is Andy Kaufman or Jim Carry climbing that ladder up to the moon, as implied by the mixture of letters of both names on the cover. When Kaufman is asked if he is crazy, he just answers: “No, I am just acting crazy”. Also after the first wrestling show, Lynne Margulies, his later girlfriend, insults him as an asshole, but Andy just replies: “That’s what I am good at”.
But lets not overlook the negative aspects this composition alludes. "
The ladder seems to represent his way to the top, but as we see some letters falling down and Andy clearly struggling with the task of pinning his name up in the sky, this switching of identities is criticised. Regarding his shows, switching between characters and playing with the viewer’s mind is something exceptional to do. But in the end, this leads to a lack of Kaufman’s off-stage identity; “You don’t know the real me” – “There isn’t a real you” – “Oh yeah, I forgot.” (Figure 3)
The ladder seems to represent his way to the top, but as we see some letters falling down and Andy clearly struggling with the task of pinning his name up in the sky, this switching of identities is criticised. Regarding his shows, switching between characters and playing with the viewer’s mind is something exceptional to do. But in the end, this leads to a lack of Kaufman’s off-stage identity; “You don’t know the real me” – “There isn’t a real you” – “Oh yeah, I forgot.” (Figure 3)
Figure 3: Close-up of Andy Kaufman
This dialog between Kaufman and Lynne is narratively placed after his
sitcom got cancelled, thus having more time for themselves. It is important
to notice here, that every true revelation about Kaufman is cinematically
implemented to a close-up of his face, reducing the information given
through the frame to what it is really about: the “real” Andy Kaufman
(figure 4).
Figure 4; Andy’s deteriorating physical state
In Taylor Hackford’s Ray the viewer is confronted with similar doubts about identity and true character. Of course this questions arises after Ray’s drug misuse increases or after he mistook his affair with his wife. "
Actually, this question is generated much earlier, in an artistic manner. His
playing and singing gets appreciated, but criticised for not developing his
own style. He is compared to similar artists, but has yet to shape his
individual tone. This tension between characters or altered egos becomes
excessive in the case of Ray Charles, because of the toxic mixture of a
traumatised young boy, consequent flashbacks and hallucinations and an
increasing drug misuse. His trauma is caused by the death of his brother
he had to witness at the age of nine. Since this very moment, he is
haunted by feelings of guilt, which are visually converted in flashbacks and
hallucinations. The interesting thing to note here is, that the drug misuse is
tolerated, as long it does not interfere with his performing on stage. "
Both movies unveil a public claim for specific rules of behaving after one became a famous entertainer like Andy Kaufman or Ray Charles." Kaufman repeats several times that he is not a comedian and that he did not intend to say or do something funny. But after his sitcom involvement and after his initial catchphrase (“Thank you very much” in an altered, high pitched voice”) are established and well known, the term “comedian” becomes a stigma for everything he does. It has to be funny, just because Andy Kaufman is on the stage. This reduction becomes obvious in the short compilation of clips involving Kaufman as the “dorky taxi mechanic”, which compresses his artistic talents in a few-seconds clip, ending with several repetitions of his catchphrase, thus burning into the viewers mind and shaping the audiences perception on Kaufman. "
Kaufman shaped the phrase “anti-humor” and ridiculed the common thinking in labels, from which he was not spared either. He struggled against the public perception of him as a comedian. In the scene, where Andy goes off-script at the Saturday Night Life show and starts a little fight, the manager is obviously fond of this alteration, but nonetheless tells Kaufman to clear everything up after the commercial break’s end, so no viewer is left behind concerned. What Andy actually does is repeating the exact words of his instructor and thereby creating the atmosphere of a kidnapper video, where the victim has to announce the ransom demand.
Both movies unveil a public claim for specific rules of behaving after one became a famous entertainer like Andy Kaufman or Ray Charles." Kaufman repeats several times that he is not a comedian and that he did not intend to say or do something funny. But after his sitcom involvement and after his initial catchphrase (“Thank you very much” in an altered, high pitched voice”) are established and well known, the term “comedian” becomes a stigma for everything he does. It has to be funny, just because Andy Kaufman is on the stage. This reduction becomes obvious in the short compilation of clips involving Kaufman as the “dorky taxi mechanic”, which compresses his artistic talents in a few-seconds clip, ending with several repetitions of his catchphrase, thus burning into the viewers mind and shaping the audiences perception on Kaufman. "
Kaufman shaped the phrase “anti-humor” and ridiculed the common thinking in labels, from which he was not spared either. He struggled against the public perception of him as a comedian. In the scene, where Andy goes off-script at the Saturday Night Life show and starts a little fight, the manager is obviously fond of this alteration, but nonetheless tells Kaufman to clear everything up after the commercial break’s end, so no viewer is left behind concerned. What Andy actually does is repeating the exact words of his instructor and thereby creating the atmosphere of a kidnapper video, where the victim has to announce the ransom demand.
This forced entertainment is shown by several more means in Man on the
Moon. For example, the visible “applause” lights, blinking furiously, support
the thesis of detached artistic claims and a profit-generating machinery,
automating and governing the development of taste by telling the audience
when to laugh.
Also the specific use of antedated, pre-recorded laughter to blend between behind-the-scenes and actual scenes from the show, stresses its artificial character, detached from any claim of “real” reference. Another important scene is George Shapiro asking Kaufman rhetorical: “Who are you trying to entertain?” after he read out F. Scott Gerald’s The Great Gatsby. Kaufman shows that he mainly performs the way he does because he likes it. He does not care for audience ratings, but is at the same time tied to them because they decide between sequel and dismissal.
Both protagonists instrumentalise the showbiz for their own but very different causes and thereby coin their overall attitude towards entertainment.
For Ray Charles his musical talent is the ticket to success despite his blindness and the fact that he grew up under very poor circumstances. Through his performances he overcomes all those impeding factors. Of course there are ups and downs but in the end he manages to leave the drugs, the poverty and most importantly the feelings of guilt behind. " Whereas the values of entertainment are over-emphasised in Man on the Moon and thereby ridiculed, they are reinforced through the character of Ray Charles. He provides the viewer with the classic values the entertainment industry tries to embody and thereby responds to Richard Dyer’s Five Values of Felt Entertainment.2
Also the specific use of antedated, pre-recorded laughter to blend between behind-the-scenes and actual scenes from the show, stresses its artificial character, detached from any claim of “real” reference. Another important scene is George Shapiro asking Kaufman rhetorical: “Who are you trying to entertain?” after he read out F. Scott Gerald’s The Great Gatsby. Kaufman shows that he mainly performs the way he does because he likes it. He does not care for audience ratings, but is at the same time tied to them because they decide between sequel and dismissal.
Both protagonists instrumentalise the showbiz for their own but very different causes and thereby coin their overall attitude towards entertainment.
For Ray Charles his musical talent is the ticket to success despite his blindness and the fact that he grew up under very poor circumstances. Through his performances he overcomes all those impeding factors. Of course there are ups and downs but in the end he manages to leave the drugs, the poverty and most importantly the feelings of guilt behind. " Whereas the values of entertainment are over-emphasised in Man on the Moon and thereby ridiculed, they are reinforced through the character of Ray Charles. He provides the viewer with the classic values the entertainment industry tries to embody and thereby responds to Richard Dyer’s Five Values of Felt Entertainment.2
Dyer’s first Value, energy, is reflected in every performance Ray gives. Especially the visual contrast between Ray walking on the stage, which looks rather pitiful than admirable due to his blindness, and actually performing on stage, annihilating every scruple about his talent, is noticeable. Just after Ray Charles has actually found something very unique and something no one has ever done before (using the influence of gospel), he gets instantly turned down due to the alleged blasphemy. Ray himself does not care at all - and it pays off. He is overwhelmingly successful. Ray is also referred to the only musician who could record a song in just one take, figuratively representing his enormous passion and energy when it comes to matters of performing.
As well as Ray, Kaufman has his “difficulties” with show managers, producers and the audience, but this is, in difference to Ray, his exact intention. He uses cultural and social faux pas, like his wrestling show, where he insists on only wrestling against women and later he agitates the people living in the south. He misuses the value of energy in Dyer’s sense, because he utilises energy to generate anger instead of bonding with the audience.
Dyer’s value of abundance answers lack of food, money and also unequal distribution of wealth. As mentioned before, Ray Charles grew up with very little money, which evokes the question if his blindness could have been avoided with the proper medical treatment. His rise to the top empowers him to buy several houses, one bigger than the other, and to drive expensive cars. But he does not settle, in fact he uses his fame to contribute to an end of racial segregation, thereby influencing the fight against unequal distribution of wealth.
Trying to verify how the value of abundance is represented in Man on the Moon, it seems like it plays a very little if not any role at all. Kaufman’s familiar background is a bourgeois one, so in difference to Ray Charles, he did not have to deal with financial problems. Also he lacks any political motivation, but he uses stereotypes and taboos for his own purposes, that is to say to draw attention to his performances. As contrasted with the viewers knowledge about how Ray spends his earned money, one gets very little information about how Andy spends it. The only spending one witnesses is for his final show, which differs noticeable because its overwhelming emphasis on a show that makes everyone feel good, instead of agitating the crowd.
Figure 5; initial arrangement
Figure 6: the camera has to move
back to grasp the entire setting
Figure 7; crowded stage
Figure 8: Entrance of Santa Claus
The scene starts with just Andy playing bongos and playing a call and
response game with the audience (figure 5). As time goes by, the stage is
filled with different acts - an orchestra, dancers, a choir (figure 7)- each
consisting of many performers, creating a setting of abundance and
overstatement.
Kaufman directly answers to Dyer’s values of intensity and energy by
overdoing them (compare the entrance of Santa Claus in figure 8). He
uses several means to bond the audience to the performer and to heat up
the atmosphere, like mentioned call and response schemes, leading
literally to a pretended death of an elderly woman, caused by Kaufman’s
furious directing of the orchestra to play faster. (figure 9)
Figure 9: Death and Resurrection on stage
Compared to James Brown’s style of bonding with the audience, there are many analogies on the first sight, especially the use of perpetual death and resurrection. But there is a big difference on the cause of those deaths on stage. While James Brown pretends his own death, due to his debilitating devotion, to make the crowd go crazy, Andy Kaufman latently unveils the danger and perversion of pushing everything to its limits and even beyond. The aspect of perverted idolisation is also represented as Kaufman, at his lowest point of his career, offers the audience to touch his “celebrity cyst” but demands a dollar for it.
That said, not only the bonding between the diegetic audience and Kaufman, but also the bonding between the viewer and Kaufman in Man on the Moon is quite elaborate. The movie starts with a black and white scene which seems as if it is supposed to be the ending. “Thank you for coming to my movie. I don’t even like it!” he says, looking stressed out and quite uncomfortable, addressing the viewer directly. Then one sees the after-credits, while Kaufman stands impatiently next to a small gramophone. The shot goes dark and just after a few seconds, Kaufman sticks his head inside the left boarder of the frame, welcoming the viewer back: “I just did that to get rid of the folks who just wouldn’t understand me. Actually the movie is really great! It’s just filled with colourful characters like the one I just did, and the one I am doing now!” He congratulates the viewer, who had the patience to keep watching - a quite paradoxical thing to do, regarding the running-time of only a few minutes." It also refers to the labelling of upcoming movies as “instant-classic” or “must-see”, although the movie has not been accessible, but this time it is done inside the movie. Also insightful is the initial presentation of the logos of two major film production companies while a capella voices dramatise and at the same time ridicule this “epic” introduction.
Figure 9: Death and Resurrection on stage
Compared to James Brown’s style of bonding with the audience, there are many analogies on the first sight, especially the use of perpetual death and resurrection. But there is a big difference on the cause of those deaths on stage. While James Brown pretends his own death, due to his debilitating devotion, to make the crowd go crazy, Andy Kaufman latently unveils the danger and perversion of pushing everything to its limits and even beyond. The aspect of perverted idolisation is also represented as Kaufman, at his lowest point of his career, offers the audience to touch his “celebrity cyst” but demands a dollar for it.
That said, not only the bonding between the diegetic audience and Kaufman, but also the bonding between the viewer and Kaufman in Man on the Moon is quite elaborate. The movie starts with a black and white scene which seems as if it is supposed to be the ending. “Thank you for coming to my movie. I don’t even like it!” he says, looking stressed out and quite uncomfortable, addressing the viewer directly. Then one sees the after-credits, while Kaufman stands impatiently next to a small gramophone. The shot goes dark and just after a few seconds, Kaufman sticks his head inside the left boarder of the frame, welcoming the viewer back: “I just did that to get rid of the folks who just wouldn’t understand me. Actually the movie is really great! It’s just filled with colourful characters like the one I just did, and the one I am doing now!” He congratulates the viewer, who had the patience to keep watching - a quite paradoxical thing to do, regarding the running-time of only a few minutes." It also refers to the labelling of upcoming movies as “instant-classic” or “must-see”, although the movie has not been accessible, but this time it is done inside the movie. Also insightful is the initial presentation of the logos of two major film production companies while a capella voices dramatise and at the same time ridicule this “epic” introduction.
Ray Charles betrayed his wife with several background singers and
conceals his addiction to heroin but comes clean in the end. The narration
tells a story of what severe consequences come into being if one abuses
sincerity or betrays someone’s confidence, thus emphasising the
importance of transparency, Dyer’s fourth value.
In Man on the Moon, Kaufman confronts the viewer with lies, abuse, deception and manipulation. He reveals the viewers’ naivety, how he or she blindly trusts the given information, without entertaining doubt about their veracity. So, while the viewer in Ray is in a position, where he or she is told narratively that something is bad or not exemplarily, it becomes a matter of taste whether one likes or dislikes Kaufman’s way of playing with the audience. The viewer has to classify good and bad actions.
As mentioned above, both protagonists develop their very own relation towards the show business. On the one hand, Andy Kaufman uses means of broadcasting to generate attention for his character and his shows and manipulates the viewer but for no bigger cause than for his own entertainment. The stressing of artificiality and compulsion cautions and sensitise the viewer for the enormous influence of the entertainment and showbiz industry. "
In Man on the Moon, Kaufman confronts the viewer with lies, abuse, deception and manipulation. He reveals the viewers’ naivety, how he or she blindly trusts the given information, without entertaining doubt about their veracity. So, while the viewer in Ray is in a position, where he or she is told narratively that something is bad or not exemplarily, it becomes a matter of taste whether one likes or dislikes Kaufman’s way of playing with the audience. The viewer has to classify good and bad actions.
As mentioned above, both protagonists develop their very own relation towards the show business. On the one hand, Andy Kaufman uses means of broadcasting to generate attention for his character and his shows and manipulates the viewer but for no bigger cause than for his own entertainment. The stressing of artificiality and compulsion cautions and sensitise the viewer for the enormous influence of the entertainment and showbiz industry. "
The relationship between Ray Charles and the entertainment industry is
something completely different. He uses the stage as an escape of his
daily confrontation with racism, illness and trauma. As a result he directly
represents Richard Dyer’s statement: "
“Entertainment offers the image of “something better” to escape into, or something we want deeply that our day-to-day lives don’t provide.”3
______________________________
Movie References:"
Man on the Moon. Directed by Milos Forman. Written by Scott Alexander, Larry Kareszewski. Produced by Danny DeVito. Universal Pictures, 1999. Edition: DVD Concorde Video 2001. 114 Min."
Ray. Directed by Taylor Hackford. Written by. Produced by Taylor Hackford, Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Universal Studios 2004. Edition DVD Universal Pictures 2006. 146 min."
Pictures:"
All screenshots were taken from given DVD’s"
___________________________
1 http://www.web-libre.org/medias/affiche-films/ 13384ffc9d8bdb21c53c6f72d46f7866.jpg
2 Dyer, Richard: Only Entertainment. Entertainment and Utopia, London: Routledge 1992; 2002, 2nd ed.
“Entertainment offers the image of “something better” to escape into, or something we want deeply that our day-to-day lives don’t provide.”3
______________________________
Movie References:"
Man on the Moon. Directed by Milos Forman. Written by Scott Alexander, Larry Kareszewski. Produced by Danny DeVito. Universal Pictures, 1999. Edition: DVD Concorde Video 2001. 114 Min."
Ray. Directed by Taylor Hackford. Written by. Produced by Taylor Hackford, Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Universal Studios 2004. Edition DVD Universal Pictures 2006. 146 min."
Pictures:"
All screenshots were taken from given DVD’s"
___________________________
1 http://www.web-libre.org/medias/affiche-films/ 13384ffc9d8bdb21c53c6f72d46f7866.jpg
2 Dyer, Richard: Only Entertainment. Entertainment and Utopia, London: Routledge 1992; 2002, 2nd ed.
3 Dyer, p. 20.
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