DEATH BECOMES HER
US, 1992, 104 minutes, Colour.
Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, Isabella Rosselini, Ian Ogilvy.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Death Becomes her is an over-the-top entertaining parody of American consumerism and the fear of death. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, who has enjoyed himself in quite a range of films with special effects, especially the Back to the Future series as well as Forrest Gump and Roger Rabbit?
The film offers star turns for both Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn and they play well on their image as well as against their image and join in the atmosphere of farce. Bruce Willis is effective as the put-upon hero. Included in the supporting cast are Isabella Rossellini as presiding over a bizarre Gothic castle and having the secret of life - and looking like a vamp in the Theda Bara style - and Ian Ogilvie as the hairdresser.
The film won an Oscar for its special effects. It was co written by Martin Donovan (Apartment Zero) and David Koepp (Carlito's Way, Jurassic Park and writer-director of The Trigger Effect).
1. An entertaining black comedy? The targets of the satire: American lifestyle and wealth, the preoccupation with beauty, the world of fashion and reputation, the desire for false immortality? From a women's perspective? Men's perspective?
2. The lavish style of the film? The atmosphere of the credits and the Broadway musical - the musical of Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth? The building up to the atmosphere of American city society, wealthy homes, hospitals, the church? The move into the surreal with the centre for the transformation into immortality? The musical score? The Oscar for special effects and their humour?
3. The title and its irony, with reference to Madeleine, with reference to Helen?
4. The status of the stars, their sending themselves up, the interaction between Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, their playing along with the special effects, the satire and the farce? Bruce Willis as their target? Isabella Rossellini and her esoteric style?
5. The portrait of Madeleine: seeing her in the Broadway show, `Songbird', Ernie and Helen and their being in the theatre, her stealing Ernie from Helen? The wedding and its paraphernalia? The passing of seven years and Ernie and Madeleine together, the effects of the years? Their marriage and the 14 years? Staleness, the angers, Ernie and his sense of emasculation? His moving from lawyer to mortician? Madeleine and her not having performed? The information about Helen's book, Madeleine beautifying herself, going to the launch, her anger at Helen's beauty and flirtatiousness? Chagall and his beautifying Madeleine, his suggesting that she go to visit Lisle? Madeleine and her lover and his callowness? Her motivation, going to Lisle, listening to her, the possibility of drinking the potion? The need to disappear? Her return, the plot to kill her and her falling down the stairs, her going to the hospital, her not being dead? Her neck twisted around the wrong way? The confrontation with Helen and her shooting her? Attacking Ernest, wanting him to take the potion, his refusal? Her making peace with Helen, realising that they had taken the same potion? The passing of the years, the love for Ernest? 37 years and the church, Ernest having repaired the two, their going to his funeral, their literally falling to pieces? The parody and Meryl Streep's style?
6. The contrast with Goldie Hawn as Helen, being in the audience, engagement to Ernie, losing him to Madeleine? Her dowdy appearance, her becoming fat and overeating? Her being taken to the psychiatric centre? Her appearance on television, the launching of the book? Madeleine's jealousy? Her plot to murder Madeleine? The institution, berserk and desperate? The shock of seeing her at the launch of her book, her youthfulness? With Ernest, Madeleine's jealousy? Plotting with Ernest, the phone call, Madeleine's fall? Madeleine shooting her - and the hole in the middle? The discovery of the truth, the reconciliation with Madeleine - and the funeral and her falling to pieces?
7. Bruce Willis as Ernie, engaged to Helen, infatuated with Madeleine? His marrying her, the passing of the years, his becoming a mortician? The discovery of Helen, the plot to murder Madeleine, the fall, the surgery, the blood - and yet her not being dead? The passing of the years, the tinting of the corpses? Their taking him to Lisle's place - and his refusal to take the potion? The pursuit, his fleeing, the fall - and his being saved? His being trapped with the two women, the 37 years, his big family, the funeral tribute and its irony?
8. Lies and her appearance as a Theda Bara vamp, as a witch? Her Gothic palace and her clientele? The bizarre parties? Her henchman? Chagall and his being an agent for her? The parody of the guests - Elvis and Marilyn Monroe?
9. The doctor and his desperation with Madeleine not dead - a comic piece from Sidney Pollack?
10. The variety of set pieces for Madeleine and for Helen? The atmosphere of parody? The parody of the zombie and eternal life movie?
11. The parody of American vanity, consumerism, the desire for immortality?
