Reviews

Although the emphasis for this story seems to be on the great successes and failures of Howard Hughes, don't get caught up in that. Whoever did research on the personal life of Mr. Hughes had great insight, and I commend writer John Logan for taking this story to a deeper level. He does this through the relationships of the main characters; Howard Hughes/Leonardo DiCaprio; Katharine Hepburn/Cate Blanchett; and, Ava Gardner/Kate Beckinsale. Through these relationships we see what is really going on with the main character. And although some of the scenes may be anecdotal or not based on fact, they probably represent some form of the truth when we search for what really drove Howard Hughes in his pursuits.

If you think that this story only happens to the famous and wealthy, or that it can only happen if you become famous or wealthy, you are not being objective and you are limiting your point of view. Watch the opening scene carefully. It provides a clue to the underlying theme of this story, and the last scene ties the whole story together. In screen writing lingo, that's called providing the story with good bookends.

Even Martin Scorsese was attracted to the story by its opening scene. He has said that when he began reading the script, he did not know what the story was about and became interested in it upon reading the opening scene. If you watch closely, you will see how the main character's view of the world seems to be laid down by his experience from this opening scene. As he grows older, the dialogue that he repeats to himself over and over (internally and externally) seems to rule his perception of life.

That perception is what ultimately blocks any chance of a relationship he might have with women. Whether that relationship is with a cigarette girl or with the famous movie stars of his time, they are all disasters. The only exception (at least in this story) seems to come from the relationship with Ava Gardner/Kate Beckinsale. They both befriend one another by standing up for themselves and what they want out of their relationship while still supporting each other in their strengths. That is called getting real. And what better way to face life's challenges.

This is a very irrational and difficult movie to follow. When I first saw it on a large theater screen, the nudity and sex kept my attention. But most of all, the vibrant colors in the film were very prominent in the screen version. Sadly, that is not the case in the video tape version I watched recently. I could not find it on DVD.

So I used the nudity and sex to keep my attention while I tried to detach from it at the same time and be objective. That helped me find the deeper story. And although this is a very irrational story, the characters display very normal behaviour in that they continue to repeat their same folly over and over. The men are all playing trivial games with each other and with the women in their lives. In order to get them to break out of their banality, the women try their best to get them to wake up.

When they collaborate with the main male character, who is a coroner, the three main females try to use logic to justify their actions. But he just doesn't catch on. He uses the women and their circumstances to gain sexual favors from them. He, like the murdered men he buries, seems oblivious to what these females are trying to bring to him.

In order to get a sense of what this story is about, it helped me to use some symbolism. In the title, "drowning" represents the belief that one is imprisoned or suppressed. All the males in the film drown. The other symbol I looked at was "swimming" which is the desire to be accepted or loved. All three female main characters are strong swimmers and all have the same name.

In the end, you can moralize about the actions of the women, but that is not what this story is about. If you look objectively at the behaviour of the men, they are caught up in their lack of belief in themselves. So they waste time trivializing their lives. This lack of responsibility on the part of the men affects not only them but their families and the whole community.

The women are so tired of not getting love and strength from the men in their lives that they are willing to risk their own futures by murdering those men. Not a very rational choice, but very poignant one. One almost has to laugh at the men who just don't seem to get it.

This is one of my favorite films because I can watch it again and again, get something more out of it, and take what I learn from it to a deeper level. I must stay objective and observe my emotions, re-actions, and perceptions in order to get clarity on what is being brought out in the film.

The challenge for the main character (Rick Deckard/Harrison Ford) is to find meaning in a world that has gone mad. He has tried to retire from this world and shut himself away. But life is not finished with him yet. His challenge is brought to him by a beautiful woman (Rachel/Sean Young) who is a replicant, or what we might call today a human clone.

The scene that sets up his challenge is when Rachel comes to visit Deckard. He drops the key to his apartment; she picks it up and says, "Let me help." Totally oblivious to what is really happening, he replies, "What do I need help for?" He soon finds out. For as he is hunting down his prey, he himself becomes the hunted and must fight for his life. He is hunted by the ultimate replicant (Roy Batty/Rutger Hauer) who has just discovered his own death is imminent. He decides that if his life is to have meaning, it will serve a purpose to teach Deckard a lesson in what it means to be alive. This becomes one of the most intense battle scenes ever recorded on film.

Roy is not only closing in on Deckard to kill him, he is giving him verbal clues that wax poetic. He taunts him by asking him; "Aren't YOU the GOOD man?" Then when he has him cornered he challenges him by saying; "Unless you are alive, you can't play. And if you don't play…" At that point, Deckard pounds him twice on the head with a lead pipe. Roy replies; "That's the spirit!" Then, when he has him cornered one last time, Roy tells Deckard; "Quite an experience to live in fear isn't it. That's what it is to be a SLAVE." The final scene is set up when Deckard thinks he is finished with this challenge. Another cop refers to Rachel and says to him; "Too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?"

This is a story of conflict. And to handle conflict it seems the more objective we are the better we are able to handle conflict and take decisive action.

In viewing this film, start looking for the conflict in the very first scenes. You will see the re-action of one actor who doesn't like the final scene of the play within the film that forms this story. Then note the conflict between the dresser (Claire Danes/Maria) and the young women who go back stage to flirt with the lead actor (Billy Crudup/Ned Kynaston) and see how this conflict builds to the full conflict between Maria and Ned.

And where else do we find better conflict between a male and a female. This story proves even more compelling because it is between a female and a male who impersonates a female on stage. Maria's challenge seems to be to change the societal norms of not allowing female actors on stage. But this is just the face value. For she comes to see her real challenge is that she cannot relate to Ned even though she loves him very much.

For Ned, his challenge is that he thinks he knows the female better than most males. What a farce that turns out to be. As Ned's self image crumbles, he does eventually realize that it is he who must change. He finds his redemption by working with Maria and takes action that changes both of them.

Don't miss the fine performance of the King's mistress (Alice Eve/Miss Frayne) who knows exactly why and how she got to where she now happens to be in the King's court. But she doesn't let that deter her from seeing what needs to be changed. As a minor character, she is very funny, and by being detached and objective, she plays a significant role in the unfolding of the plot for this drama.