WHat was up with that scene? I always laughed when the other guy tells him "Don't get up!" and his dangly bits popped into view for a second, the scene cut really quickly after that and its never mentioned again. So what was the deal with that? Did the editor make a mistake or was it supposed to be a random joke that just didn't work???
~*Copulate me nonviolently with a mechanical gas powered tree cutting device!*~
Dear InvisgothOo,
I think the scene was a way of quickly showing us the carefree, breezy attitude toward music and life that Michael Humphries (Ty Henderson) had; like the dysfunctional family scene afforded Jerry di Salvo (Joseph Cali), it tried to put the character speedily into context.
There were three scenes from "The Competition" that were the most talked-about: the scene where Paul Dietrich (Richard Dreyfuss) takes over the rehearsal from Andrew Erskine, the conductor (Sam Wanamaker); the scene in which Greta Vandemann (Lee Remick) says to Erskine, "It costs extra to have 'schmuck' engraved on a tombstone, but you would definitely be worth the expense!", and the practicing-in-the-nude scene. Nice that this "little" film had a few iconic scenes that stayed with people afterwards.
Best regards,
Adam Stern
Adam,
Much as I loved you and the film, I'm going to have to disagree with the use of the phrase 'dysfunctional' in reference to the di Salvo family.
There was obviously an attempt by the adult in that scene (if you are indeed referring to the motel room scene where she confronts Jerry with the lies he told in the newspaper story) to reinforce attitudes of truth and respect in the family. The kids were reacting very naturally for young folk their age to an attempt to get them to conform to mature expectations an adult would try to impose on kids who were young and feeling their oats. Their functional support for each other was amply born out by the tears and drawing together as a family they demonstrated when Jerry did not medal near the end.
I have a very functional family (kids both in their 30s now with good jobs, families and lots of fine friends) and they certainly went through a few years of rebellion. This is how kids (it started with them at about 6 months old and oscillated on/off until their 20s) determine boundaries and their own future ethics for family behaviour, through such experimentation with pushing the edges of acceptable behaviour.
Thank you for still monitoring this message board!
Larry B
Dear Larry,
With all affection and no disrespect...
One dictionary I consulted defines "dysfunctional" as "the condition of having poor and unhealthy behaviors and attitudes within a group of people." The screaming, slamming doors, and the mother striking her son (not once, but twice) are likely not isolated incidents, but indications of how these family members relate to one another on a day-to-day
basis. I stand by my definition, even if these behaviors may seem normal to some.
Best regards,
Adam