CASTRATION ANXIETY
While Oedipus himself was able to kill his father, the little boy in the throes of an Oedipal complex has no chance against his massive rival. Furthermore, since the son harbors feelings of aggression toward his father, he also assumes that his father harbors similar aggressive feelings toward him. This assumption is confirmed when the father punishes or spanks his son for naughty behavior. According to Freud, the young boy fears that his father wants to eliminate him as a sexual rival by castrating him. Even the staunchest Freudians typically apply a figurative interpretation to the concept of “castration anxiety,” focusing on the feelings of powerlessness and impotence that a small boy feels in the presence of an angry and violent father. These early childhood fears were exploited to the maximum degree in The Shining (1980), in which a psychotic axe-wielding father (Jack Nicholson) chases his son through a haunted hotel. The little boy in this film is literally afraid that his father is going to chop him into pieces.
POWERLESSNESS
Powerlessness in the presence of danger is an extremely terrifying experience that can be used to elicit gut reactions of fear in audiences. Horror films often employ the device of an evil man, monster, or psycho stalking a helpless child or a maiden in distress. Even though “Slasher” films like the Halloween and Friday the 13th movies overused this device for decades, the device still retains the power to terrify. Horror movies utilize a similar device when the menacing figure attacks his victims in states of defenselessness. In “Slasher” films, there is always a scene in which a victim is attacked in bed, in the bath, in the shower or while having sex. At these moments, the victims are powerless to defend themselves. Incidentally, they are also naked – their genital regions precariously exposed to the slasher – who is invariably wielding a knife. Castration anxiety in these scenes is related to a literal fear of the character having his genitals slashed off.
ROLE REVERSAL
A role reversal in which a caregiver becomes a menacing figure is particularly terrifying. The young boy experiencing an Oedipal complex expects his father to love and take care of him. When he suspects his father of wanting to kill him, he has no defense and no one to run to. In The Night of the Hunter (1955), the menacing figure (Robert Mitchum) is even more terrifying because the helpless children that he is hunting are his stepchildren. In Flowers in the Attic (1987) and Mommie Dearest (1981), the menacing figures are the children’s mothers. And in Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Suspicion (1941), and Gaslight (1944), frail and frightened women suspect that their menacing husbands are plotting against them. Misery (1990) is an especially horrifying film, because a woman who starts out as a caring nurse (Kathy Bates), gradually turns into a sadistic and brutal psycho. Meanwhile, her powerless victim (James Caan) is confined in the emasculated positions of a sickbed and wheelchair. A role reversal in which a caring figure becomes menacing elicits fear because it defies the viewers’ expectations, while also creating the sense that the victim is trapped with no one to help and nowhere to run. On an unconscious level, the role reversal recalls childhood fears of parental punishment.
BODY SWITCHING
Several films have used the “body switching” scenario to generate literal role reversals between parent and child – typically to a comical effect. In Freaky Friday (1976 & 2003), mother and daughter are magically transfigured into each other’s bodies. The same device was employed in a male version of this plot in Like Father, Like Son (1987). In each case, children experience a sense of freedom and release when they are suddenly elevated from their state of second class citizenship as mere kids, and get to indulge in all the privileges of adulthood. Josh (Tom Hanks) in Big (1988) initially revels in his newfound independence when his wish is granted by a magical carnival game, and he grows big overnight. And Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) in Home Alone (1990) relishes his freedom from his restrictive elders when he suddenly finds himself unfettered in his big house, all alone.
Parents also experience a psychological release when their adult roles as responsible parents and workers are relinquished, and they can enjoy being careless kids again. These movies tend to be successful because they key in to fantasies that reach a crossover audience. Both parents and kids can experience vicarious pleasure by identifying with these role-switching characters. However, the simplicity of the plot device leaves little room for variation in the resolution of the story. In the end, parent and/or child must return to their original states, having learned valuable lessons from their time spent in the others’ shoes. They both gain a sense of respect for each other’s struggles, (i.e., “the grass is always greener… ”). And they also learn to work together and cooperate in order to rectify their freaky predicament.
THE POSSESSIVE PARENT
Role reversal and body switching themes in movies address a real psychological need in parent/child relationships. Parents and children often do not see eye-to-eye on many crucial issues. Though there are an infinite number of ways in which parents and children can disagree, these conflicts can typically be broken down to the fundamental issue of independence. Children want the freedom to determine their own lives. Parents, in their desire to protect their children from the perils of the adult world, may display their care through possessiveness – a desire to control every aspect of their children’s lives. This basic conflict is Oedipal in nature, because it recalls the parent’s desire to monopolize the emotions of their children, and the child’s emerging need to escape from the claustrophobic state of love and fear within the Oedipal relationship. Nowhere is the conflict of parental possessiveness more apparent than in stories in which daughters wish to marry suitors against their parents’ wishes. In these situations, the young suitor and possessive parent become true rivals, as the daughter is torn between an infantile love for the parent and a passionate love for her suitor.
In Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Tevye’s inability to accept his daughter’s choice of a goy for her suitor leads Tevye (Topol) to denounce his daughter, losing her love forever. The conflict can be a source of terror, as well. In Psycho (1960), Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) mother was so overpowering and possessive that she devoured Norman’s identity and controlled his psyche, even after her death. When writing your script, remember that the Oedipal themes of rivalry and possessiveness are excellent sources for internal conflict, violence, and drama. Originality does not require finding new sources of conflict – it merely demands unique and creative ways of expressing these ancient mythical themes.
CHAPTER ONE SUMMARY POINTS
The Oedipal complex, in which the infant boy feels psychosexual love toward his mother and jealous aggression toward his father, provides the basic template of neurotic conflict. Neurotic conflict can be represented externally as conflict in the script, when the characters want what they should not have, fear awesome powers, desire love, hate tyranny, experience sexual desire, or express violent aggression.
The Electra complex can be interpreted as the female version of the Oedipal complex, in which the infant girl experiences psychosexual love for the father, and feels jealous aggression toward her mother.
Eros and Thanatos, respectively, are the primary drives toward life and death. Eros represents the need for love, sex, and affiliation; Thanatos represents the urge toward aggression, violence, and destruction.
Neurotic conflict in the Oedipal complex arises from the “incest taboo” – the illicit desire for mother. This theme is commonly represented as an obstacle to love in films in the ubiquitous “forbidden fruit” plot line.
Adultery is an example of a popular “forbidden fruit” plot line, in which the illicit desire for a married man or woman recapitulates the infant’s illicit desire for sexual union with his mother.
Oedipal rivalry between the infant son and his father over the love and attention of the mother is recapitulated in film in the rivalry plot line between the hero and another character over the heart of a mutual love interest.
Castration Anxiety is the infant son�
��s fear of his father.
Powerlessness makes the infant son’s castration anxiety even more intense, as the small child is powerless and defenseless in the presence of his adult father.
Role reversals in films, such as when a nurturing caregiver becomes a menacing figure, recall the Oedipal fears of early childhood, in which the small child fears that the same sex parent will destroy him.
Body switching is a popular theme in films because it indulges two fantasies. The child’s fantasy of becoming a powerful and independent adult is indulged, and so is the adult’s fantasy of returning to a state of childhood, in which there are fewer obligations and responsibilities.
The possessive parent is a universal figure in movies. The parents try to control their children’s lives because they love and care for them, while the children crave freedom and independence.
CHAPTER ONE EXERCISES
1. Analyze the Oedipal themes in the following classic films: Mildred Pierce (1945), White Heat (1949), Psycho (1960), The Graduate (1967), and Chinatown (1974).
2. Identify at least five more films in which a major aspect of the Oedipal complex is symbolically represented.
3. Now identify five films in which the Electra complex is symbolically represented.
4. Identify five films in which the hero must overcome powerlessness in order to succeed.
ADDRESSING OEDIPAL THEMES IN YOUR SCRIPT
1. Is there a love interest in your script? If not, do you think adding a love interest would add drama to your story?
2. If there is a love interest in your script, is there a conflict between the characters? Could this conflict be intensified by adding Oedipal themes such as the “forbidden fruit” factor, a rivalry, or an obstacle that must be overcome?
3. Does the hero in your script have a rival? If not, consider how a rival may add conflict or tension to your plot.
4. If the hero in your script does have a rival, could this rival be developed to a higher degree? Consider tying the hero’s rival in with the primary love interest, and how this may increase tension in your plot.
5. Are you writing a script or scene that should be scary? If so, can you employ the “castration anxiety” themes of powerlessness or role reversal to make the menacing figure more terrifying?
6. Does your script contain a parent/child relationship or love relationship? If so, could conflict be added to this relationship by including the theme of possessiveness?
THE OEDIPAL COMPLEX AT A GLANCE
ELEMENTS OF THE
OEDIPAL COMPLEX
CHARACTERISTICS
CHARACTER
MOTIVATIONS
EXAMPLES IN FILM
Eros & Thanatos
The primal drives
toward sex and
aggression
Love & Hate
Sex & Violence
Revenge & Spite
Duel in the Sun
Natural Born Killers
Death Wish
Oedipal Rivalry
Aggression toward
the father
Rivalry for Love
Rivalry for a Goal
Gone With the Wind
Rocky
Incest Taboo
(Forbidden Fruit)
Guilt over sexual
desire for mother
Incestuous Desire
Adultery
Tadpole
Unfaithful
Castration Anxiety
Fear of the father
Powerlessness
Role Reversals
The Shining
Freaky Friday
Parental
Possessiveness
Parental desire to
control the lives of
their children
Possessiveness
Drive toward
Independence
Fiddler on the Roof
The Wild One
Rebel Without a Cause
Chapter Two
NEUROTIC CONFLICT
Freud’s structural model of neurotic conflict was born out of his theory of the Oedipal complex. In order to illustrate this internal psychological conflict, Freud separated the unconscious into three separate structures. The Id represents the primal, animalistic drives that are present in the infant at birth. A literal translation from Freud’s German term – “dases” – is “the it.” The id is pure instinct, driven entirely by the “pleasure principle” and interested only in satisfying its own impulses. The power behind the Id is “libido,” the primal life force that empowers every animal with the basic instincts of sex and aggression, (the biological drives at the heart of Eros and Thanatos). The Id is the bestial part of the unconscious that wants to make love with Mother and kill Father.
THE ID AS VILLAIN
The villain character in films is often a representation of id energy. In Cape Fear (1991), Max Cady (Robert De Niro) is a villain whose fearsome presence arises from his primal motives and behavior. When he appears for the first time, he is in prison… a caged animal. He has “love” tattooed on one hand and “hate” tattooed on the other, symbolizing the two drives behind his character – sex and aggression. Max’s primary goal is to get revenge against Sam (Nick Nolte), the lawyer who sent him to jail. Max indulges his sexual drives as a means of satisfying his aggressive impulse toward revenge. In a truly terrifying sequence, Max seduces/rapes a young woman and, while having sex with her, bites off a chunk of her flesh. In that moment, Max is pure id. He is all sex and aggression, combined into one evil villain. The psychological power behind the villain comes from the sense that his character is a wild animal in human clothing. You never know how far he might go in order to satisfy his primal urges.
While not all villains are as evil as Max, the basic quality of the villain’s character is typically related to either sex, aggression, or both. Vampires are excellent examples of id monsters, because they derive sexual pleasure from the aggressive act of sucking blood from the soft throats of their maiden victims. Serial killers such as Hannibal (Anthony Hopkins) from Silence of the Lambs (1991) also tend to mix their aggressive business with sexual pleasure. Other villains direct their aggression into evil schemes of destruction, domination, or conquest. Villains such as Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) and Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) in the James Bond movies are always out to destroy or conquer the world in some way.
Whether a villain is out to destroy the world or just one person, the villain is usually the character who is the most fun to write. Immune from all inhibitions, morals, guilt, or regret, the villain is free to express his id desires completely. Audiences secretly love the villain because they can release their own inhibitions and satisfy their own id desires vicariously through him. The secret to writing a good villain is to get in touch with your inner id. Lose control, drop your inhibitions, let all of your primal impulses flow out onto the page, and express your darkest fears, dreams, drives, and desires through your villain character.
THE ID AS PRISONER
The id is like a caged animal inside our unconscious minds. Id drives are always trying to get out, but we repress them constantly and keep our primal urges locked up. As a representation of the id, the villain is often cast as a prisoner behind bars. This villain’s plot line begins with him escaping or being released from jail. Max Cady in Cape Fear starts out in prison, as does Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) in Superman II (1980). The villain escaping or leaving prison represents the release of id energy. Audiences vicariously enjoy this release. Escape movies such as The Great Escape (1963), Papillon (1973) and Escape from Alcatraz (1979) are popular because audiences identify with the feeling of being caged by a repressive society, and they vicariously enjoy the freedom of released inhibitions.
While the villain is out of his cage (while the id is temporarily unrepressed), you should try to give the audience its money’s worth. Have fun with the lawless immorality of the id. Lex Luthor was a great supervillain because he enjoyed being an evil scamp who did exactly wha
t he wanted to do without a second’s thought. The villains in Bond movies are so entertaining because they revel in their evilness, and take pleasure in concocting their diabolical plots. Every script and story has different demands, but if a plot calls for a villain, fill him up with as much gas as possible and then let him loose. Typically, the entertainment level in a film is not based on how good the hero is, but on how bad the villain is.
THE RETURN OF THE VILLAIN
It’s no secret that audiences enjoy the unrepressed villain more than the goody-goody hero. As the representative of the id, the villain is a sinner, and sinners have much more fun. Many scripts intentionally leave gateways at the end of the story so that the villain, if he is popular with audiences, can make a return in a sequel film. Instead of being killed by the hero, the villain may be imprisoned, exiled from the country, or he may even get away. Hannibal Lecter (voted the American Film Institute’s #I villain), escapes from prison at the end of The Silence of the Lambs (1991), only to return in Hannibal (2001), in which he escapes once again at the end. By leaving the door open at the end of the script, the writer retains the option of resurrecting the villain and giving him one more chance to wreak havoc on society with his perverse plans.
Psychology for Screenwriters Page 3