There is a very good discussion and synopsis of the film here that looks at the main themes and explains anything you may have missed, the fast editing ( which won an Oscar and was very innovative for the time ) may have confused you if you have not seen the film before, so have a read through and think about what you understood. Try and relate the visuals to things that you are already familiar with - other films and trends that were influenced by the movie.
It was a very grim film, but full of jokes - "I'm one hell of a gorgeous chick, I'm 28 years old" being my favourite, and the Director was also very sly and liked messing with our heads - before the film came out there was quite a buzz about the content and the sexual themes - obviously Joe Buck wasn't actually gay - but the very first scene is him 'dropping the soap in the shower' - that was Schlesinger playing a trick on the less sophisticated 1970's audience and leading them up the garden path - unsettling them.
The main think I got from the film was about identity - all the way through - Joe tries to be something he is not - he idolises John Wayne and the first thing he does in New York is put up a poster of Paul Newman - but nobody takes him seriously, at the end - when he dumps the boots and hat and just wears ordinary clothes - he looks and feels better - and the first thing that happens is a pretty girl notices him and is friendly. Identity is the currency of design - I keep telling you all to be honest and to understand what a product is before you try to give it an identity - the closer to the truth of something you get - the better the result will be.
I'm happy to take suggestions for film club, and I want to cover as many genre types as possible that influence design and popular culture - so far I'm looking at Blade Runner, Clockwork Orange and a selection of New Wave, Gothic, Camp, Noir and Comedy - if there is something you would like to see - let me know.
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