Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, Page 4
Thursday, April 6, 2000
A rose by any other name would smell
W hen the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences decided to honor the film
American Beauty with 5 Oscars, including Best
Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, they sent a
message that contrasted violently with last year’s
awards.
Last year, the major awards were divided up
among three films, Shakespeare in Love (Best
Picture, Best Actress), Saving Private Ryan (Best
Director) and La Vita e bella (Life is Beautiful),
each in its own way an affirmation of life.
This year, the Academy concentrated its praise
on a depressing film that expresses the “culture
of death” and earned an “O” (morally offensive)
rating from the Catholic Film Office.
In a nutshell, American Beauty concerns the
decline and fall of Lester Burnham, a middle-
aged husband and father, well played by Best
Actor Kevin Spacey, whose midlife crisis leads
directly to his death. Terminally distracted, he
loses his meaningless job and his alienated wife
(Annette Bening), becomes infatuated with his
daughter’s underaged, cheerleading friend and
hooks up with Ricky Fitts, a disturbed neighbor
hood drug peddler, whose father, a fascistic
Marine colonel, suspects a homosexual relation
ship between them and kills Lester. The “joke” is
that the audience thinks Lester’s wife, whom he
has caught committing adultery and is known to
be armed, is the one who pulls the trigger. It
even suspects, for a fleeting moment, that Ricky,
by now involved with Lester’s daughter, might
be the murderer.
Why are so many people gunning for Lester?
Nothing this flawed man does in the movie war
rants his death. It seems, instead, that he is the
scapegoat for the bourgeois malaise experienced
by the other characters. In the director’s vision of
the intact, suburban family as hell, the paterfamil
ias apparently must die for the others to live.
The symbolism of the American Beauty Rose
is forced throughout. Mrs. Burnham grows these
roses, then they begin appearing in Lester’s fan
tasies, at one point filling up a bathtub. These
blood-red flowers are apparently meant to repre
sent something, but what remains to be seen.
Like the overwrought symbolism of the plague
of frogs in Magnolia, another recent critically-
acclaimed but ultimately depressing film, the
rose-symbolism of American Beauty is forced
and artificial, suggesting a sophistication that is
more apparent than real.
American Beauty is not as avant-garde as it pre
tends to be. The supposed “emptiness” of middle-
class family life is nearly a Hollywood cliche.
What would really be a daring move on a direc
tor’s part would be to turn the same kind of crtici-
cal and sardonic gaze on Hollywood’s own pre
suppositions. A movie that questioned why
Hollywood scoffs at intact families, tends unthink
ingly to portray military officers as fascist homo
phobes, despises the middle class and assumes
that “father knows least” would be truly daring.
It is bad enough that immoral acts are por
trayed in a tolerant light in this film; its moral
stance—essentially nihilism—is what is ultimate
ly objectionable about it. That the Academy hon
ored not just the technical skills of its director
and lead actor but the script and film itself
should give us pause. Where is Roberto Benigni
now that we really need him?
—DKC
By Rose Cisik
ollowing in Jesus’ footsteps, we
can taste and see the goodness
of our Lord. Through our good
deeds, actions, and kind words, oth
ers will be able to see Christ in us,
and it will lead our sisters and
brothers to Christ.
Psalm 34:9 says, “Taste and see
how good the Lord is, happy the
man who takes refuge in him.” See
ing Jesus with the eyes of faith, we
have hope and trust in him. Instead
of concentrating on ourselves and
our problems, we know that God
really cares for us no matter what
the circumstances appear to be.
“God is
We may sometimes look for happi
ness in luxuries and what the world
offers. But Jesus teaches us that the
formula for success and happiness
begins by centering our lives on God.
This focus leads to love and respect
for all people God created, and all
people for whom Christ died. The
Lord is among us. He speaks to our
hearts, through Scripture. We know
that he is truly present as we partake
in the Eucharist. God is with us to
the end of our lives, even to the end
of the world.
Jesus has given us plenty of exam
ples where to find him, he eats with
the outcasts of society. He praises
50 good”
the poor, the hungry, the weeping,
the persecuted. So presumably, if we
wanted to find Jesus today, we
would look among these kind of
people in our search for him. We
would find them in nursing homes,
public home projects, down the
street; the poor and the homeless.
God’s love is all encompassing
and everlasting. However, in order
to experience this kind of love for
our brothers and sisters, we must be
open to God. We must do our part
to maintain this vital relationship.
We must seek to give our best if we
want to receive his best!
In Words to Love by Mother
Teresa, the late Nobel Prize winner,
she says, “Where Jesus is, there is
joy, there is peace, there is love.”
That is why Jesus made himself the
Bread of Life, to be our life of love
and joy. No one else can give what
he gives and he is there all the time.
We need only to realize this.
The song title, “God is so Good,”
is so true. He cares for each of us
and loves us so much. If we obey
his will, we will taste and see the
Lord’s goodness and be able to
share it with others.
Rose Cisik is a member of Saint
Mary on the Hill Parish, Augusta.
601 E. Liberty Saint
Savannah, GA
31401-5196
Thanks
Dear Editor,
I loved the editorial on “busy
ness” (3/30) by Mrs. Hart. I was
guilty of the need for busy status.
We moved to Georgia about six
months ago and I was able to cut
back to part-time work. It is defi
nitely an improvement for my fam
ily and me. I agree with her 100
percent. Please tell her to keep up
the good work.
Margaret Milkas
Macon
Wanted: Broken Rosaries
Dear Editor,
Wanted: Broken rosaries, bits
and pieces, to fix. I need the beads,
chains, crucifixes to complete
FAX: (912) 238-2339
E-mail:
DClark5735@aol.com
other rosaries. I will also accept
holy articles for the missions along
with cancelled stamps and used
eyeglasses. And I will fix your
rosary for free; please mark it sep
arately. Send to: Mr. and Mrs.
Louis J. Alfery, 23 Oak Ave, Camp
Hill, PA 17011-4237: Phone 717-
761-5036 via fourth class parcel
post or UPS.
I do not charge for this service. I
consider this a ministry. If anyone
wishes to send me a rosary to be
repaired, I only request that they
mark it as such and keep it in an
envelope separate from any bits
and pieces they might send for my
spare parts.
Louis J. Alfery
Camp Hill, PA
Letters
Survival School!!
“A Vision of Ministry in the Church of Today”
July 23-28,2000
Leader: Mr. Terry Temple and Team, Diocese of Phoenix
Survival School is designed for those who are entrusted with respon
sibility for the management of church-related programs staffed pre
dominantly with volunteers. The workshop, now in its 22nd year, is
presented by the Phoenix Diocesan Center for Religious Studies and
Lay Ministry Formation (Kino Institute) and is staffed by leaders with
extensive experience in church management, both at the parish and
diocesan level. Recommended especially for Coordinators of Religious
Education, Youth Ministry, of Liturgy, Pastors, heads of parish organi
zations or ministries.
Workshop begins on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and closes on Friday
by 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $284 (Private) / $229 (Double) / $80 (Commuter) + Tuition of
$250. Registration Deadline: June 21, 2000
Contact: Marywood Center for Spirituality & Ministry
1714-5 State Road 13 • Jacksonville, Florida 32259-9253
(904) 287-2525