Force of Evil & Citizen Ruth
It can happen that you
pick up a DVD in the classics section of a store and note that Martin Scorcese is a big fan. That might be the reason you watch
the movie, called Force of Evil. It’s
in black and white and was made in 1948. So, the plot, inasmuch as it involves
so-called numbers banks in the New York of the day, you probably consider to be
unusual, and maybe contrived. It’s not unenjoyable,
however, and the large tracts of expository dialogue and occasionally
transparent editing flaws perhaps contribute to its charm.
Citizen Ruth comes across as a clever synthesis of attitudes
towards abortion in large parts of the developed world, primarily the USA. It
was originally released in 1996. Seen today, it’s clear that expository
dialogue is certainly not needed, and is not given, bearing in mind the sense
of familiarity which accompanies the representations of the adherents on either
side of the argument. It just so happens that Ruth,
the central character who may or may not have an abortion, adheres to neither
side of the argument, particularly. It’s maybe a significant shortcoming of the
screenplay, Ruth’s apparent indifference to the fetus
developing in her womb. On the other hand, much of the comedy derives from her
being easily swayed one way and another by those who take a principled stance.
Force of Evil and Citizen
Ruth are satires to varying degrees. FoE, being inspired by left-wing political
ideas of the time, wears this satirical aspect more subtly than Ruth, itself being somewhat more of a
romping pastiche. One might suggest that both accord on the class question. An upper-class
old-boys network has a brief but significant appearance in FoE, playing its part in facilitating
the downfall of a dodgy lawyer with a working-class background. In Ruth, the main character, allowing for
the pastiche nature of the movie is, to use the term applied by the American police,
an “indigent”, while those who vie for her allegiance have property at least.
Not surprisingly, the
two movie differ in terms of mood. There are a good
many opportunities for a chuckle in Ruth,
perhaps at least partly as a consequence of what could be seen it’s irreverence.
Not surprisingly, for such a so-called film noir, moments of levity in FoE are like hen’s teeth. At times, the characters
talk with a desperation that verges on madness, insofar as they do not make much
sense, apart from conveying a general sense of defeat.