by Salva Rubio
All Is Lost: Dirk has to work as a hustler in the outside world and gets severely beaten. Other characters reach their lowest, darkest moments of violence, aggression and morality when confronting real life.
Dark Night of the Soul: Injured and bleeding, Dirk lies almost dead on the ground in a parking lot.
Break into Three: A and B Stories cross by means of a parallel montage in which the characters’ fates are shown, with a special focus on Jack’s video adventure with Rollergirl and Dirk’s beating.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: Dirk and his friends (among them, Todd) “gather” to begin a poorly-planned drug-related deal with fake powder.
Executing the Plan: They “execute the plan” by showing up at the dealer’s house and performing the transaction. It seems to work, despite their clumsiness.
High Tower Surprise: The surprise is that Todd’s actual goal was using the robbery as a means to get inside the dealer’s house to rip him off. A shooting ensues, and Dirk escapes by the skin of his teeth.
Dig, Deep Down: Knowing that he has reached rock-bottom,
Dirk “digs, deep down” to return to his mentor and friend, Jack. They embrace and Dirk asks him and Amber for forgiveness.
The Execution of the New Plan: “We all need to start again,” says Amber. And indeed, that is their new “plan”: to be together and work together again, and to help and support each other — opening a stereo store, going back to school, re-opening a bar with the family’s help, becoming a magician, having a son...
Final Image: ...and of course, shooting films again. We see our “fool” Dirk Diggler rehearsing his lines, his confidence and self-esteem regained, but most importantly, his innocence untouched: “I am a star.”
9INSTITUTIONALIZED
Life is made up of choices! And in our necessarily social lives, one of the most common decisions we make is whether or not to belong to a particular group, which usually means conforming to their rules. Deciding to belong has both advantages and disadvantages, and if it is already difficult to choose, when you realize there is something to lose no matter what you opt for, the decision becomes even harder.
The dilemma is made more difficult when — once we are inside the group — we find out that leaving it may be as hard as joining, and not only do we have to conform to its inner rules, but we also cannot defy them in the slightest without dire consequences. So the situation becomes more difficult.
There are several “institutions” to which we can belong, and they make up our five subgenres. First, we have the Military Institution, a world of orders, uniforms, ranks and obedience in which our individual self must be suppressed (and its mouth kept shut) for the common goal. Such are the stories present in Platoon, The Experiment, Z, Land and Freedom, The Battle of Algiers or our chosen film, Paths of Glory.
The Family Institution contains another realm of inner rules, regulations and customs, and we aren’t just talking about Aunt Dora’s Thanksgiving dinner etiquette! We’re talking about any social group that can be considered a “family” (among the mafia, gangs, neighbors, roommates and friends — which is most dangerous?). Many films serve this subgenre, such as in Boyz n da Hood, L’Auberge Espagnole, Brother, Gomorrah or The Fighter.
There’s also our Business Institution, the dreaded world of collective goals, water-cooler conversations, cubicles, casual days and after-work meetings — missing just one can make you an outsider! This is the world seen in films like Margin Call, Smoking Room, Inside Job or masterpiece Glengarry Glen Ross, our choice to examine.
Teachers and masters make up our Mentor Institution sub-genre, where our indoctrination and successful submission to the rules of the group (even if it is a gang of two) is symbolized by a mentor. This mentor figure may want the best or the worst for us, but their teachings are our “choice,” as in The Last King of Scotland, Apt Pupil or Cinema Paradiso.
Finally, there is the very important and creatively challenging Issue Institution, in which multiple intersecting storylines, an ensemble cast and a powerful theme force several characters to make a choice and face the consequences. These issues and the choices they prompt are present in films like Crash (which Blake dissected in Save the Cat!® Goes to the Movies), Short Cuts, Four Rooms, Cidade de Deus, Amores Perros or our choice, pop masterpiece Pulp Fiction.
As always, we have three main components. Blake defined this Institutionalized genre as one in which an individual has to make a choice to belong to a particular group, which always involves a final sacrifice. This decision is never easy, because it may actually involve survival! And most of the time it is very difficult to predict which kind of life would be more difficult or dangerous for us when we must choose either “us” or “them.”
As for the “group,” any gathering of people, “work situations or closed societies with their own rules, ethics and bonds of loyalty” will serve. This is why unique jobs, seldom-seen societies or exotic social communities of whose customs we know little are great settings for these films.
The “choice” usually involves whether or not to belong to the group or leave it. This is not as easy as it seems, because peer pressure and self-sabotage make deciding more difficult, and the inner rules affect our decision. It is common, in the beginning of the story, for the hero to weigh the “pros and cons” of being one of the guys, which often involves ceremonies, rites of acceptance and exploring the power hierarchy that rules the group. The longer we belong to the group, the “choice becomes harder” because of the graver consequences that entail either staying or leaving.
This all leads us to the “sacrifice,” which always boils down to “them” or “me”? Will we ultimately surrender our individuality to the group to belong, or will we rebel against it and suffer the consequences? There are three possible endings in this situation: a willing submission to the group’s rules to the detriment of our unique self; uprising against the system to destroy it, thereby losing something on the way; or “suicide,” which leaves us with expressionless characters who have lost their individuality. The moral, remember, is, “Look before you join!”
This genre has a set of characters that often appear, either as main or secondary personages. The first is the Brando, named after the famous revolutionary actor — he will proactively defy any system you throw at him, as his true nature is that of a rebel. He is Colonel Dax in Paths of Glory or Butch in Pulp Fiction.
You may also have a Naïf, the kind of character who, like “us,” does not have a clue about the system’s workings, so he will serve as our avatar into the “group,” perhaps being a little (or a lot) more vulnerable to its dangers, as Grace in Dogville, Chris in Platoon or Ted the bellhop in Four Rooms.
Third, you have the self-explanatory Company Man, the type of character that proudly and blindly defends the system and will use its powers against any kind of rebellion. Expect his help in becoming one with the machine, but greatly dread him if he smells your dissent! Blake defined them as often insane and, at times, sexually frustrated. Look at the roles of Kevin Spacey in Glengarry Glen Ross, Adolphe Menjou in Paths of Glory or Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction and you will know what we mean.
Let’s keep Blake’s words at the forefront: all “Institutionalized” stories are a cautionary tale about “not paying attention to the voice inside.” Whenever we are in a group, its dynamics may make us lose sight of our priorities, morals and personal boundaries, but “we who listen to our inner spirit are propelled by a power that can overcome all.”
TO BE(LONG) OR NOT TO BE(LONG)
Any time in life you are tempted to abandon your personal beliefs in favor of those of the group, you have an “Institutionalized” story at hand! You will recognize them because:
There is a “group,” a closed environment of people with their own peculiar “rules, regulations and consequences for not following them.”
At some point, you will be given a “choice” to belong, and you will feel like a “Brando” or a “Naïf,” so
beware (and don’t turn into) the “Company Man.”
However hard you try, you will not be able to avoid making a
“sacrifice” when the time comes to decide if you want to stay in the group, and the ways to do this are by “joining, burning it down or committing suicide.”
Be good and find your own perfect ending... on your own terms!
PATHS OF GLORY (1957)
The military is probably the most absorbing of the many “groups” in which the individual may feel detached from his own self while belonging to a collective. Rank and file, orders, decorations and uniforms make any instance of going solo an almost impossible task. There is a clear behavior imposed: obey!
Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory is our choice for the “Military Institution” subgenre. In it, the military as a “group” will be challenged by an individual seeking justice for the common man while trying to force the upper ranks to treat a bunch of soldiers for what they really are — human beings — instead of as simply statistics among the millions to die in the fields of Europe during WWI.
That individual is Colonel Dax, our particular Brando, an idealist who still believes in his fellow man. He must face the “choice” of defending his men against all odds (and risking his career) while facing a final “sacrifice”: to decide if it was worth putting “them” before himself (“me”).
The result is truly a masterpiece, a film that 60 years after its release feels as current as the eternal tragedy that is war. Let’s be thankful that once in a while, in such a violent and dehumanizing world, a human being like Dax will challenge any “group” to fight for human dignity.
I Type: Military Institution
I Cousins: Captain Conan (Capitaine Conan), The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite), Gallipoli, The Hurt Locker
PATHS OF GLORY
Based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick & Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Opening Image: After the chords of the “Marsellaise” (France’s national anthem), we witness a group of soldiers marching in perfect formation. We cannot see their faces or their individual features; we only observe them from a distance. Quite a different sight and visual approach from the one that Kubrick will use at the end of the film! Now they are only troops, an indistinct group. Afterwards, they will be recognizable individuals.
Theme Stated: “My men come first of all, George, and those men know it, too.” Although it seems like an honorable statement, it is ironic: Company Man General Paul Mireau (George McReady) is lying and about to dispose of his soldiers’ lives for his own benefit. He has already chosen between “them” and “me.”
Set-Up: Mireau is visited by General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou), who assigns him a seemingly impossible task: to conquer a German position dubbed “The Anthill,” a suicide attack that would kill a great deal of men. Mireau first refuses, but upon learning that a promotion is at the stake, he promises Broulard that the position will be secured. Of course, general that he is, he we will not do it by himself, so we move from the luxury of the officers’ palace to the grimness of the trenches. There we meet our Brando, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), who used to be the foremost criminal lawyer in all of France, and now “Saves the Cat” by defending his men’s behavior during a battle.
Catalyst: Unfortunately for Dax, at minute 12 he gets a request: to take the Anthill. As we would expect, Dax refuses because he knows that more than half of his regiment would die in the attack.
Debate: Mireau’s request turns into an order: Dax will take the hill or be put on furlough. Dax Debates with him about the impossibility of success, because it is basically crazy to even try — they will suffer heavy losses. He further Debates with himself whether he wants to be a part of such madness. He still doesn’t want to personally command his men to their deaths.
Break into Two: Dax accepts the mission, clearly stating, “We’ll take the Anthill.” In doing so, he makes the proactive decision to stay with his men no matter the consequences. There will be “no turning back”!
B Story: This is the time to meet our B Story plot and characters, in this case, the ill-fated men who will unknowingly become the object of Dax’s defense. For now, they are just soldiers in their own everyday conflicts, like Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker), who witnesses a lieutenant panic and kill a fellow warrior (developing a grudge because of it), Private Ferol (Timothy Carey), deemed a “social undesirable,” or death-obsessed but decorated Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel) — each of them having a personal conflict with the military “group.”
Fun and Games: The promise of the premise is to show us life and death in the trenches of France in WWI. At first we move away from Dax’s plot line to focus on our B Story narrative, including a night reconnaissance patrol. Soon, the day, hour, minute and second of the dreaded attack on the Anthill arrives. Dax bravely leads his troops, and witnesses his men die by the dozens. More problems arise when one of the companies is unable to get out of the trenches due to heavy fire, no matter how hard Dax tries to help. Company Man Mireau, who is supervising the attack, decides to have them bombarded by their own troops! When a commanding officer refuses to join the obviously doomed attack, the bloodthirsty general calls for the court martials of three men, one from each of the three companies involved in the battle.
Midpoint: As often happens at this beat, a “Midpoint meeting” is held between the main characters. In this case, Mireau raises the stakes by demanding many men be executed to inspire fear and discipline within others (“They are scum”), while Dax defends them, publicly coming out (“They are not cowards”) as A and B Stories cross. Dax is unable to stop the court martials of the three soldiers — Paris, Ferol and Arnaud, but he still gains his false victory when he is appointed their counsel. Clocks start ticking, as he must prepare their defense for the trial that afternoon!
Bad Guys Close In: After the meeting, Bad Guys Close In on Dax when he refuses to obey Mireau’s suggestion to drop representing the men, despite Mireau’s threat to ruin Dax once everything is over. A and B Stories cross as the B Story soldiers we know all too well by now are accused of cowardice. Dax’s “choice becomes harder” when the court martial begins and Dax realizes it is basically a travesty — no indictment is read, and no records will be kept of the trial. Dax tries to save the men, but the court “tightens the grip,” and he states that he feels “ashamed to be a member of the human race.” The military “group” is immune to his plea for humanity. Later, the soldiers sense death nearing as the “old values” of bravery and valor don’t work anymore. Alone in their cells, their “world disintegrates,” but they still hold on to hope.
All Is Lost: Hope is lost when a priest visits the prisoners and tells them that, despite Dax’s efforts, all of them will be executed at first light.
Dark Night of the Soul: Thus starts the darkest night for these soldiers, one in which they will contemplate their death by various means: prayer, reason or drunkenness. They even fight, and one of them is so badly hurt, he may die before the new day arrives.
Break into Three: Dax continues confronting the military “group” to hold justice to the highest standard he can, such as when he designates as leader of the firing squad the man who held a grudge against Corporal Paris. Yet along with a revelation there comes some hope: Dax obtains information about Mireau’s orders to bomb his own ranks and visits General Broulard, pressuring him about the scandal that could result... seemingly to no avail.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: Dawn arrives and the three soldiers are “gathered” to be shot. Paris tries to beg for his life, but he has only one decision left: to die bravely.
Executing the Plan: The “execution” of the plan consists of actually executing the soldiers, which is carried out and filmed in its ruthless, clockwork, military-precision coldness. Our innocent soldiers are unjustly shot to death.
High Tower Surprise: “Your me
n died very well,” says spiteful Mireau to Dax. But a High Tower Surprise awaits him: Brouleau announces there will be an official enquiry that will surely smear Mireau’s name. Such a small victory, it seems... but then Brouleau suggests that Dax only defended his men to assume Mireau’s position as general!
Dig, Deep Down: Outraged at Brouleau’s accusation, Dax “digs, deep down” to decide if he must say what he wants to, even if it will cause more problems: his time for a “choice” has arrived.
The Execution of the New Plan: Dax calls Brouleau a “degenerate, sadistic old man” and claims that he will never apologize. We don’t know what consequences this accusation will have on his career, but he has made a choice... and a sacrifice.
Final Image: At a nearby tavern, Dax hears wild cheering and cat-calling and sees his own men behaving like animals and terrorizing a young German singer, the first woman and “enemy” (Christiane Kubrick) we’ve seen in the film. Dax seems to reflect on their brutality: did he risk himself for men like these? When the frightened girl starts singing and all the soldiers sing along and cry with her, we see their tears in unforgettable close-ups, very different from the distance the director kept at the beginning. Dax seems to regain faith and gives them a few minutes more of joy... but soon his face turns serious again, which shows his “sacrifice” and the surrender of his individuality to the “group.” He cannot allow himself to be human anymore, since the war is not over yet. Is it ever?
DOGVILLE (2003)
The “family” in “Family Institution” can refer to a group affiliated by friendship or blood, but also, in our Save the Cat!® Goes to the Indies context, to any film in which that “group” accepts a stranger seeking protection, apprenticeship or survival by means of belonging. That is why, for example, crime “families” and the like can also be considered for this subgenre.