A New Interpretation
The Searchers RelationshipsTo start off the theme or plot of the movie was extremely similar to the old western movie of "The Searchers". In "Hardcore" is a movie that tells the story of a father who's daughter is taken and "forced" to join a society that is so different that that which she previously belonged to. In "The Searchers" the girl was taken by Indians and made to live with and like them. In "Hardcore" the girl was taken into the lifestyle of the porn industry which is extremely different from that of her small town lifestyle. A more prominent similarity is the development of the main character. In both "The Searchers" and "Hardcore" the main character was not the common idealistic character. Instead they could be considered an "anti-hero" in the idea that they break many of societies ideals. Jake in "Hardcore" goes from a hardcore religious man and slowly develops into a more modernized man who has now thrown himself into the porn industry. The scene that really makes Jake an anti-hero is when is in the motel and finds the man who can help him find his daughter. He stays calm at first but then beats the crap out of the man to get information out of him.
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Modern ConceptsThere are several aspects of life that are pointed out in "Hardcore" however my attention was drawn to specific ones during the movie. Obviously the concept of porn growing in society was the major topic. Jake was the "pilgrim of porn" to all the viewers. The way for people who had no knowledge of how this aspect of society worked; giving them basically the tour of it. Showing scenes or situations that would make the viewer uncomfortable in the same way as the main character. As the story progresses Jake, along with the audience, develops a more comfortable or even humorous view on the porn industry.
The other aspect is that of Jake's religion. Jake and his entire town believes (in my own opinion) a cynical belief. They believe that God has predetermined or selected exactly who will make it into heaven right from creation and that nothing you do on earth will change that. To me that's a very depressing thought considering that everything we do has an effect on who we are. Jake believes that if he follows this belief that he will be one of the chosen to be let into heaven. With this belief that he already knows hes going to heaven and that others will never have a chance to get into heaven really shows the problem. He feels like those who don't have the same lifestyle or damned to hell or some purgatory. So he treats them as such; putting himself at the top of the totem pole. |
Schrader in the 70sTo be 100% honest this article was a bit beyond me the first few times I read it . I was able to understand Andersch's ideas on how some "malevolent" father figures are trying to redeem or reconcile with their children. Or how Schrader was using this film to tell the story of his own life in a much different way. How Grand Rapids resembled his own hometown and the porn industry resembled the movie industry that he was now part of. How the contrast in the lifestyles can really change a person. The part that I didn't understand well was small notions of Schrader's own father and how he resembles Jake, the church going man who believes he will be redeemed through his beliefs attempting to "justify himself to the hooker and her world."
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