I just ignore *beep* like that. They are probably in their teens or twenties and think that all bodies should look like Scarlett Johansson (which, frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing nude, but that's another story <grin>). They don't understand that the human body comes in all shapes and sizes, all ages, and while Hopper's body wasn't all hot like some twenty-somethings would be, he looked great for 60. Amy Irving looked amazing too.
They totally missed the point of the scene, which was about how we as humans often (stupidly) deny ourselves the little pleasures in life. It's about how we get stuck in a rut, or find ourselves allowing something in our past to rule our present, our future. As I watched the scene I thought, isn't it amazing how sometimes we let all this time go by, time we could be enjoying life, and yet we are allowing something stupid to keep us down, squelch our happiness and before you know it so much time has passed before we suddenly think, what the hell? Why am I doing this? I could be looking at my wife nude and enjoying myself. It's a great moment and one of few where the nudity was actually instrumental to the tension in the scene.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
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the sphynx
14 years ago
Agreed. The full frontal nudity in that scene was as important to the scene as it was in "The Piano"--an indication of a person trying to break out of his shell and be truly vulnerable and ask frankly for what he wants, instead of settling for the same old, same old.
Plus, it made more sense of why he found the young girl irresistible, and why he hesitated to tie his life to the otherwise worthy schoolteacher. Beauty only takes you so far. He loved Catherine's shamelessness and feared sinking into Rosealee's prudish predictability. If he could break through the latter, he'd have everything he needed in a woman he knew well enough to really love.
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f6strings
14 years ago
Hats off (so to speak!) to Dennis Hopper and Amy Irving for having the guts to bare themselves for the movie. (Amy Locane, too, but, it takes alot less guts to bare it all when you look like she did!).
R.I.P., Dennis. We miss you, and always will.
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Bladerunner
14 years ago
Very well-written and the last bit, quite eloquent. I agree, what he really wanted was Rosealee joining him in that element they *both* were missing out on.
However, I also think that Joseph (Hopper) was trying to conform Rosealee into something that would sate his desire for Catherine, which is frankly a fool's errand. Rosealee is Rosealee and not Catherine and never the twain shall meet. Though I agree with your assessment in part, I also believe that Joseph foolishly thought he could someone turn Rosealee into what he was passionate about in Catherine. And though he could get Rosealee to be more open, she still wouldn't be Catherine and I feel he still would have found Rosealee to be wanting (in comparison). However, Catherine was (as you point out) wanting as well. So, Joseph was trapped in that place many humans are, where they want everything in one pretty package, and life simply doesn't work that way.
This doesn't mean that Joseph wasn't right in attempting to get Rosealee to appreciate and enjoy things that she had (wrongly) suppressed, but I think the film illustrated that Joseph was fooling himself if he thought this would make everything "okay". It didn't.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
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