by Salva Rubio
Debate: Will Albert accept? Can someone like Lionel really help him? And can a nobleman really give the kind of “total equality” that Lionel demands? For starters, another of the usual FT beats happens when Albert gets a “name change” from Lionel — from now on, he will be “Bertie.” Lionel is making a clever move here, side-stepping the “establishment” that burdens Albert. To prove his worth, Lionel bets a shilling with Bertie, that he will be able to speak without stammering. Under Lionel’s tutelage, Bertie reads a piece without hearing himself, but considers the matter hopeless and leaves.
Theme Stated II: The Duke meets his father King George, a notable orator and symbol of the “establishment” who warns him that with the scandalous behavior of his brother the heir, Bertie will have to talk a lot more in public. “We have become actors,” he says. “We’re expected to have charisma. And we’re expected to instill trust and faith in the people through our speech.”
Break into Two: Later at home, Bertie is restless and nervous, and decides to listen to the recording of his voice that Lionel made. Astounded, he hears himself speak without stammering... and is left appropriately speechless.
B Story: Bertie and Lionel are two men who couldn’t be more different but will develop an unlikely relationship — from being unable to trust each other, to becoming mentor and mentee, confidants and friends. But much must happen for that to become a reality!
Fun and Games: How does a king behave when not in public? And how does he work on his speech impediment? Can our “fool” really be triumphant? There is a long road ahead for Bertie, who has a temper and orders Lionel to treat him as royalty, which Lionel refuses to do. Soon they are having quite un-kingly literal Fun and Games, jumping, relaxing and doing bizarre exercises that help Bertie slowly improve at speaking in public. Meanwhile, the “establishment” plot slowly evolves — we meet our Insider, jealous brother David (Guy Pearce). Soon after, their father dies and, luckily for Bertie, it is David who will become King Edward, although we suspect he is not truly ready for the task.
Midpoint: A and B Stories cross when Bertie visits Lionel and they drink together. The Duke comes out (showing us a glimpse of his inner pride) when he reveals that his father’s last words were for him: “Bertie has more guts than the rest of his brothers put together,” a moral false victory if there ever was one. Relieved at not having to be king, Bertie talks more intimately to Lionel, even joking, “Lionel, you are the first ordinary Englishman I’ve really spoken to.” Quite another coming out ! But Bertie still has room for change, for when Lionel asks, “What are friends for?” he answers, “I wouldn’t know.” He has one in front of him and still cannot see it.
Bad Guys Close In: Bad Guys come in all shapes and sizes for Bertie. He meets Wallis Simpson, the divorced American woman who is the lover of King Edward... and realizes that Edward intends to marry her, something that could cause a national crisis. The Insider accuses Bertie of wanting the throne (isn’t he a bit right?), so our “fool” seeks Lionel’s advice. But he feels his speech counselor is overstepping and decides to stop seeing him, “disintegrating the team.” Also, Bad Guys Hitler and Stalin are creating tension in Europe, and Churchill is sure there will be a war. Edward abdicates to marry Wallis, and Bertie has a “change of mission” when he is made king, his greatest fear.
All Is Lost: Bertie, now King George VI, tries to speak before the Archbishop (Derek Jacobi!) and the noblemen of his country. Burdened by the looks of those before him, he is unable to utter a word.
Dark Night of the Soul: Bertie cries in his wife’s arms when he realizes the magnitude and complexity of the task that lies ahead, especially the coronation ceremony. It is clear that he needs help... and a friend.
Break into Three: Bertie swallows his royal pride and visits Lionel at his home, and they both apologize to each other, as A and B Stories cross and he finds the courage to go on. Bertie pays the shilling he owed Lionel for fulfilling his promise, and they make the proactive decision to go on together.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: Together as a “team,” Bertie and Lionel “make plans for the attack” on how to deal with the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, and they “amend hurts” when Lionel’s enemies try to break the king’s trust in him. “I have a voice,” says Bertie.
Executing the Plan: The coronation is successfully held, and the King is crowned for all the world to see. Everything seems right, until...
High Tower Surprise:...the situation in Europe gets worse when the British declare a state of war against Hitler’s Germany. Bertie has a new, much more frightening task: to deliver a radio address to all of his empire, to inspire his people to stand united.
Dig, Deep Down: Forty minutes before the broadcast, Lionel coaches Bertie for his ultimate challenge, making him “dig, deep down,” using many not quite kingly words that start with a loud “F.” But Bertie also “digs, deep down” in another way — he is humble enough to thank Lionel, who instructs him: “Say it to me as a friend.”
The Execution of the New Plan: With the entire world listening, the King’s speech is delivered and he inspires all. He is now a real king and, for the first time, Lionel calls him “Majesty,” a title he has earned. As a great “fool” character, he has not revolutionized the “establishment,” but he will make a big difference.
Final Image: All hail the King! We started with a mere duke who made people feel embarrassed, and we finish with a wise king who is acclaimed by his subjects, ready to lead the country into its toughest challenge. Most importantly, we started with a man with no friends, and we close with two companions for life.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997)
Another film that caught the world by surprise, this $ 20 million budget Italian motion picture became a worldwide success and enjoyed a long, triumphant run when it won not only the Grand Prix at Cannes, but also the Academy Awards ® for Best Foreign Language film, Best Actor and more. Piu bello!
As its name suggests, Life Is Beautiful is an inspiring movie about keeping faith and high spirits in the toughest situations, a challenge made unforgettable by the performance of Roberto Benigni as Guido, our “undercover fool,” who will pretend that his family’s imprisonment in a concentration camp is a mere game — all to protect his son from its horrors.
Guido is the ultimate “fool,” with his joy of living, naiveté and wonderful way of using reality to pretend that he is inhabiting some sort of fairytale in which he is a prince and his beloved Dora is a principessa in their storybook world. His gentle manners, innocence and “village idiot” demeanor will enable him and his family to sustain their morale in a time of need.
Finally, the “establishment” is meant for us to be terrifying, and nothing is more frightening than a Nazi concentration camp! For Guido, the only way of challenging its strict rules is by pretending that the camp is something entirely different. Thus, our fool will use his “transmutation” into a prisoner to actually preserve his family’s lives and hopes.
FT Type: Undercover Fool
FT Cousins: Eastern Promises, The Drop, The Danish Girl, A Prophet (Un Prophete), Cruising
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Story and Screenplay by Vincenzo Cerami & Roberto Benigni
Directed by Roberto Benigni
Opening Image: After an unknown narrator tells us about the nature of this “fable” (a bookend with the Final Image), we meet Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), a young Jewish man who is traveling to Arezzo in 1939 to meet his uncle and open a bookstore. Guido has a full life ahead of him, with great passion and joy.
Theme Stated: “Buon giorno, principessa!” Good day, princess! This thematic cry of joy will be repeated throughout the movie, signifying not only Guido’s will to remain in his fantasy world, but the declaration of optimism that he will use to bring happiness, even in the toughest of times.
Set-Up: Let’s get to know Guido a little better. Not only he is good at using reality’s accidents to his advantage (even being mistaken for th
e king of Italy), but as soon as he finds someone he likes, he pretends to live in a fantasy world, calling himself a prince. Aptly, he soon meets “princess” Dora, with whom he is smitten. Upon arriving at his Uncle Eliseo’s, something wrong is in the air — Eliseo has just been attacked by what appear to be fascists. It is too early for Guido to worry about them; instead, he notices some fun occur-rences he will later use as part of his fantasies, showing his prowess at spotting them (and showing the talent of the writers for funny Set-Ups).
Catalyst: At minute 11, Guido literally runs over Dora with his bicycle, which means that she lives in the same city, and he hopes for them to find each other sometime “in a standing position.”
B Story: Dora is the “love story” of our film, and from the very beginning, Guido shows an intense admiration and infatuation with her, which slowly becomes mutual. This love will inspire him to take the greatest risks and make the ultimate sacrifice.
Debate: Can the couple really be together? Can a humble Jewish waiter and the daughter of a conservative Catholic family find true love in the midst of fascism’s rise? While the Debate begins, Guido gets a job as a waiter from his uncle and learns to use Schopenhauer’s will-powers. We also meet an important character, our Insider: German doctor Lessing, who shares a love for riddles with Guido.
Break into Two: Guido decides to seduce Dora by pretending to be (again, showing his “undercover” talents) a school inspector, and after he openly mocks the fascist discourse on racial superiority, he asks Dora out.
Fun and Games: This section aptly starts at the theater, during a performance of Offenbach’s “Barcarolle.” We realize (although Guido hasn’t yet) that Dora is dating another man, but out of cheek-iness, he “steals” her and uses all the previously set-up moments to have Fun and Games with her. Later, Guido has to wait tables at a party, not knowing that it’s Dora’s engagement celebration! He says goodbye to Dr. Lessing, who gives him a last riddle and a great set-up for later, while Guido sends Dora a big cake, so that she expects him to appear at any moment. However, when he hears that she and her boyfriend will be married soon, he gets nervous. How can he fight against that?
Midpoint: When jittery Guido drops a tray full of candy, Dora hides under the table to kiss him and ask him to take her away. In the best prince-like fashion, he takes his uncle’s green-painted horse and steals her from the party, as A and B Stories cross, having his own public coming out as a prince, his false victory, and a little bit later, their out-of-sight Sex at 60, which serves as a transition to our next beat.
Bad Guys Close In: Some years later, Guido and Dora have had a son, Giosué, who feels totally at ease in his dad’s fantasy world — so much so that he doesn’t realize (as we and Guido do) that Bad Guys are Closing In. In the streets, there are German patrols, and Jewish people are forbidden to enter many businesses. A couple of policemen go to Guido’s bookstore to look for him, and soon, on Giosué’s birthday, Guido and Giosué are put on a train with all the Jewish people of the city. Bravely, Dora demands to go with them.
After arriving at the camp, Guido decides to use all his imagination and resources to make Giosué believe that they are really playing a game, and the prize is a real battle tank! No matter how bad things get (they do not have food, Uncle Eliseo is killed in the gas chamber, and soon Giosué is the only living child in the camp), Guido finds a way to make him feel safe, and to communicate to Dora that they are still alive. But for how long? we ask ourselves. One day, a stroke of luck leads Guido to believe that they will get out of the camp — Dr. Lessing is there and recognizes him.
All Is Lost: The doctor does not want to help them out of the camp. He just wants Guido to solve a riddle for him.
Dark Night of the Soul: As Guido continues talking to the doctor, we realize that no matter how hard a fighter he is, this time he knows it may be too late.
Break into Three: How do you cross A and B Stories for our Break into Three if our B Story Character Dora is away from Guido, so they cannot see each other? Cleverly, Guido uses Hoffmann’s music to send a message of hope to her — he will continue fighting for his family. He tries to escape, but when he finds a mountain of dead bodies in the mist, he realizes that he will have to look for another way.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: Guido and the other prisoners “gather” to see the Nazis burning all evidence and killing as many prisoners as they can. Guido knows it is now or never! So he takes little Giosué...
Executing the Plan:...and tells him the plan: to remain hidden until no one is in sight. With Giosué safe, Guido enacts his own plan: looking for Dora while dressed as a woman and taking the “undercover” game to the very end.
High Tower Surprise: And the end seems near, indeed, when he is spotted by some Nazis and taken prisoner, presumably to be executed.
Dig, Deep Down: When they walk in front of Giosué, Guido “digs, deep down” to remain “in character” and to pretend that it is all still a game.
The Execution of the New Plan: Guido is shot dead by the guard, but his plan succeeded. Giosué remains hidden until the next day, and he gets the promised battle tank — the American army is here to liberate the prisoners.
Final Image: Although Guido is dead, he managed to save his family, so now his narrator son, reunited with Dora, have their full life ahead of them. We feel sad for Guido, but we remain inspired by how he — as many others — sacrificed all for family and gave them and us the gift of a beautiful life.
MATCH POINT (2005)
A book like this wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t have a film by one of the American symbols of auteurship and independent film-making, to the point of being labeled a legend: Woody Allen. Fool Triumphant stories are common in Allen’s films, and he himself has played the part several times (even in real-life Hollywood, one could say), but can he give the genre a twist? You bet!
“Society Fools” refer to those individuals who don’t belong to a certain social environment because of class, money or upbringing, a fitting situation for a broke tennis player trying to fit in with a rich British family.
This is how protagonist Chris Wilton tries to engage the traditional, one-track mindset “establishment” of wealth and power, which he is welcome to join as long as he respects its rules. As a good “fool,” Chris will try to challenge the establishment, but as in many a tale, he will be defeated, performing a negative “transmutation” that will give him what he wanted, only to realize that maybe it was not what he really needed.
The rest of the elements of our genre are present, including the Insider Nola who knows the “fool’s magic powers” and who will ultimately threaten him. There is a “change of mission,” too. So let us follow the steps of Chris on his rise to the highest echelons of British society to discover if luck is all you need to be happy.
FT Type: Society Fool
FT Cousins: My Left Foot, Zelig, Shine, Billy Elliot, Sling Blade
MATCH POINT
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Opening Image: The fascinating slow-motion image of a ball moving back and forth over a tennis net sets the thematic tone of our movie — which deals with luck — and also sets the film’s mood and style. We meet unemployed, penniless Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a promising yet early-retired tennis player, our “fool,” whose situation at the end will be very different.
Theme Stated: In a very Allen-esque way, the theme is set at the very beginning of the film, with Chris’s words: “The man who said, ‘I’d rather be lucky than good,’ saw deeply into life.” Is it really better to have good luck than to have the skill or ability to create the life you want?
Set-Up: Let’s get to know our “dark fool” a little better: Chris does not want to “do the tennis tour thing anymore,” so he gets a job at an exclusive club where he will have access to wealthy pupils. He is clever and sensitive, delving into such high culture as opera, and Dostoyevski’s Crime and Punishment (did someone scream “Theme!”?). B
ut this humble, limited world seems like Stasis=Death to him, so he jumps at the opportunity to befriend Tom Hewitt (Matthew Goode), a well-to-do young man with an opera-loving family. Very soon, Tom’s sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) will be smitten with Chris, giving him real entree into the “establishment.” Will he be able to fit in, or as a “fool,” will he challenge its rules?
Catalyst: It was not all going to be that easy, of course! At minute 12, Chris meets the Insider: Tom’s fiancée, struggling American actress Nola (Scarlett Johansson), presented playing a game of table tennis (did someone scream “Theme!” even louder?). They feel a mutual attraction, both “dark fools” trying to get into the establishment and become Insiders.
Debate: What will be the consequences? How will they affect each other’s plans? Will Chris be able to become Chloe’s fiancé, as Nola has with Tom? He is on his way developing his gentle “fool” manners and finally bedding Chloe. He even goes under the radar of Eleanor’s (Tom’s mother) Insider-spotting abilities. The family doesn’t only love him, they get him a good job in the business world. Things seems to be going great for Chris, but we know his attraction for Nola is dangerous.
Break into Two: Chris bumps into Nola on the street. She is nervous before an audition, and he decides to accompany her for moral support. While he waits, a wonderful silent, almost-still shot of Chris simply thinking seems to tell us that he is making a decision. And when Nola returns, we know their love story is about to begin.
B Story: Nola is drinking too much and talks about her past, and we realize they are very similar indeed – both come from modest upbringings and have let their rich lovers groom them with luxury and affection. Life could be great for both. Nola says, “You’re gonna do very well for yourself, unless you blow it… by making a pass at me.” We see Chris’s “change of mission”: from just wanting to have a rich girlfriend, to also wanting to keep Nola for himself.