An Officer and A Gentleman

Directed by Taylor Hackford and written by Douglas Day Stewart, An Officer and a Gentleman is the story of a troubled man who joins the naval academy as he contends with an uncompromising drill sergeant as well as his own demons while falling for a local woman. The film is an exploration into a young man who is trying to find himself through the Naval academy as he tries to escape the life he is destined to be from his own father. Starring Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Lisa Eilbacher, Harold Sylvester, Lisa Blount, Grace Zabriskie, David Caruso, Robert Loggia, Tony Plana, and Louis Gossett Jr. An Officer and a Gentleman is a riveting film from Taylor Hackford.

Set in the American Pacific Northwest, the film revolves a Naval officer candidate who arrives at the naval academy to make something of himself as he deals with a no-holds-barred drill sergeant while he falls for a local woman who is eager to get out of her small town life. It’s really a film that is about two people trying to make changes in their lives as they both have to contend with themselves and their own environments. Especially as they’re eager to have a chance to get a better life in a world where there’s many expectations and such. For Zachary Mayonnaise (Richard Gere), he hopes to succeed as a naval aviator officer in the hopes that he doesn’t become like his father (Robert Loggia) who has a reputation for being a drunk and chasing whores overseas where the young Zachary was forced to live him following his mother’s suicide.

Douglas Day Stewart’s screenplay explores Mayonnaise’s desire to better himself as he is also known for being a loner that feels guilty for his mother’s death. Upon arriving at this naval academy, he contends with Gunnery Sgt. Foley (Louis Gossett Jr.) who is uncompromising in his tactics but knows what to do in ensuring that his recruits would have to succeed as he sees Mayonnaise as a troublemaker. Even when he discovers that Mayonnaise does do a side business of selling pre-shined shoes and belt buckles for money where Sgt. Foley would haze him to wonder why Mayonnaise wants to be a pilot and why he’s at the academy. While Mayonnaise would befriend other candidates including Sid (David Keith), Seeger (Lisa Eilbacher), and Perryman (Harold Sylvester), he would also do whatever it takes to prove that he can be an officer.

During breaks at the academy, he would meet and fall for Paula Pokrifi (Debra Winger) as she is among the group of women who hopes to bag an officer so they can get out of their life of working in the factory and staying in a small town with little hope. Her friend Lynette (Lisa Blount) would bag Sid as Paula deals with Mayonnaise’s moody behavior and unwillingness to be close to someone as she copes with not having a good life. Especially as she is a naval officer’s daughter who abandoned her mother (Grace Zabriskie) when Paula wasn’t even born as it plays into the roles women have and uneasy one where Lynette would make an announcement for Sid that would compromise his chances to become a naval pilot. Especially as Mayonnaise becomes more reliable in helping others succeed instead of himself as he is unsure if he can be a gentleman for Paula because of his own demons.

Taylor Hackford’s direction is quite simple as he shoots the film largely in the state of Washington for its Pacific Northwest setting along with a few shots set in the Philippines for Mayonnaise’s flashback scene as a kid. Much of it is presented with simple compositions where Hackford use a few wide shots for the setting while maintaining an intimacy into the training sequences and other moments involving Mayonnaise and the hazing he would get from Foley. The usage of close-ups and medium shots are quite prevalent while Hackford does bring in moments of humor along with some intense moments to play into Mayonnaise’s loner persona as he doesn’t make him afraid of being selfish. Even as the moments where Mayonnaise would be hazed with such brutality as it would have this key emotional moment for Mayonnaise about why he refuses to quit.

Hackford also amps up the drama for the film’s third act as it relates to Sid’s own situation with Lynette that would prompt Mayonnaise to do something while coping with the people in his life that he lost. Even as he wonders if is destined to become his own father as it plays into this desire of wanting to not just an officer but also a gentleman in order to give Paula the sense of hope that she needs. Overall, Hackford creates a very engaging and compelling film about a man trying to start a new life in a naval academy and help a woman to escape her own dreary environment.

Cinematographer Donald E. Thorin does excellent work with the cinematography as it‘s quite straightforward to play into the look of its location where the colors are a bit dark and gray while going for more low-key lighting for the scenes at night. Editor Peter Zinner does brilliant work with the editing to capture the intensity of the training along with some straightforward cutting to play into some of dramatic events as well as some montage-style cutting for Mayonnaise‘s flashback scenes. Production designer Philip M. Jeffries, with set decorator James L. Berkey and art director John V. Cartwright, does terrific work with the dorm rooms the naval candidates live in as well as some of the locations such as the training bases and the motel where Mayonnaise and Paula would go to.

Sound editor Clive Smith does nice work with the sound as it‘s very low-key as it plays into the training the candidates go through. The film’s music by Jack Nitzsche is superb for its low-key yet somber score as it features elements of triumphant pieces with its usage of guitars and keyboards while being low-key at times. The film’s music soundtrack features contributions from Pat Benatar, ZZ Top, Dire Straits, Van Morrison, Morris Albert, and the ballad Up Where We Belong that is sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warren that is written by Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Will Jennings as it’s one of the finest love songs of the 1980s.

The casting by Lynn Stalmaster and Nancy Klopper is fantastic as it features notable small roles from Robert Loggia as Mayonnaise’s alcoholic naval seaman father, Tommy Petersen as a young Mayonnaise, Victor French as Paula’s stepfather who doesn’t like naval officers, John Laughlin as an unfortunate townie who got beat up by Mayonnaise, Grace Zabriskie as Paula’s mother, Ed Begley Jr. as the voice of an altitude chamber instructor, Tony Plana as officer candidate Serra, and David Caruso as the naïve officer candidate Daniels. Harold Sylvester is terrific as officer candidate Perryman as a family man trying to make it so he can provide for his family while Lisa Eilbacher is brilliant as officer candidate Seeger as one of the few women who is trying to make it as despite her lack of physical prowess in its obstacle course.

Lisa Blount is excellent as Lynette as a local woman who wants the same thing that Paula wants but a series of misunderstandings would put her into trouble with Sid. David Keith is superb as Sid as another officer candidate who is also trying to succeed until he learns that Lynette might be pregnant as he wonders about what to do. Louis Gossett Jr. is phenomenal as Sgt. Foley as a drill sergeant who is quite tough with his candidates yet is also preparing them for what is to come in combat as he’s also a man that is quite fair as he tries to push Mayonnaise to be a better man and see if he’s worthy of being an officer. Debra Winger is amazing as Paula as a factory worker who is eager to get out of her small town existence as she falls for Mayonnaise as well as try to understand his loner persona. Finally, there’s Richard Gere in an incredible performance as Zack Mayonnaise as a naval officer candidate eager to succeed as he copes with his own guilt and selfishness while finding ways to become a better man for himself and for Paula.

An Officer and a Gentleman is a remarkable film from Taylor Hackford that features great performances from Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and Louis Gossett Jr. It’s a film that isn’t just a compelling romantic drama but also a character study that explores a young man trying to make it in a naval academy to attain a better future for himself. In the end, An Officer and a Gentleman is a tremendous film from Taylor Hackford.

Taylor Hackford Films: (Bukowski) - (Teenage Father) - (The Idolmaker) - (Against All Odds) - (White Nights) - (Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll) - (Everybody’s All-American) - (Blood In Blood Out) - (Dolores Claiborne) - (The Devil’s Advocate) - (Proof of Life) - (Ray) - (Love Ranch) - (Parker 2013 film))

© thevoid99 2015

2013 Cannes Marathon: El Norte

(Played at the Un Certain Regard Section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Gregory Nava and screenplay by Nava and Anna Thomas from a story by Nava, El Norte is the story of two young Guatemalan siblings who decide to flee the country during its civil war as they trek through Mexico to go to America. The film is an exploration of immigrants’ desire to go to America seeking the American Dream where they face realities that has them questioning about the myth of the American Dream. Starring Zaide Silvia Gutierrez and David Villalpando. El Norte is a superb yet heartbreaking film from Gregory Nava.

The film is the story about two siblings from a small Guatemalan village who decide to flee the country during its civil war in order to reach America that is often called El Norte. Yet, they would have to endure all sorts of things during their journey from Guatemala to Los Angeles as they had to adapt and do things where they would go through Mexico who look down on Guatemalans especially those of Indian descents forcing Enrique (David Villalpando) and his sister Rosa (Zaide Silvia Gutierrez) to pretend to be Mexican. Upon their arrival to America in the most treacherous way, the siblings are forced to face harsh realities about the myth of the American Dream as well as the prejudice they face not just from Americans but Hispanic-Americans who are just as cruel with the exception of a few people the siblings meet along the way.

The screenplay by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas is told in a traditional structure that plays into the trials and tribulations that Enrique and Rosa Xuncax face as the different locations they’re in also play to that structure. The first act is about their quaint lives in a Guatemalan village but not everything is great as their father (Ernesto Gomez Cruz) is a coffee picker who is trying to organize a rebellion against their cruel boss only for things to go wrong as the lives of the Xuncax family is destroyed. With the help of their godmother and an old family friend, the two flee to El Norte as they hear it’s a place where anyone can succeed. The film’s second act takes place in Mexico where the two had to pretend to be Mexicans by speaking Spanish in a very brash way while realizing that it’s a place where no one can be trusted with the exception of a man who is a friend of their godparents who would take them to America but in the most horrific means.

The film’s third act is about the moment they finally arrive in El Norte by going to Los Angeles where everything they had dreamed about turns out not to be real. Though things start out well at first where Enrique gets a job as a busboy at a very posh restaurant while Rosa cleans house with a woman named Nacha (Lupe Ontiveros). The fact that they both arrive to the country without documentations does add trouble where they face realities that is similar to the struggles they faced back at home making the story far more heartbreaking.

Gregory Nava’s direction is quite entrancing for the way he presents a world that is very different to an Anglo-American audience but very realistic to a Hispanic-American audience. Largely as it plays to the many differences of what is happening in Latin America where a lot of the shooting takes place in California and Mexico as it was impossible to make a film in Guatemala due to its ongoing civil war that began in 1960 and would eventually end in 1996. Still, there is something about Nava’s approach to the scenes set in Guatemala that is quite mesmerizing with its shots of the mountains, villages, and graveyards to play a world that is completely isolated from the more urban-based world. Yet, the fates of the Xuncax family would be marked by betrayal and scheming where it plays into that reality where they can’t trust anyone.

Nava’s direction in Mexico is looser as there’s some humor that occurs where Enrique would say “fuck” very often to adapt as if he was Mexican where was able to convince U.S. immigration officials that he and Rosa were Mexican. Still, there is an element of suspense that occurs including one of the most gruesome moments where Enrique and Rosa had to crawl into an old sewer tunnel that is filled with rats and such. While they arrive in America, they realize that there isn’t much difference between Los Angeles, Tijuana, and the small Guatemalan village of San Pedro in terms of the prejudices and realities that they face. While there are some sequences that play up to that sense of dream world as well as fantasy, it is often clashed with this very grim truth about the world. Though there is an air of sentimentality over the plight that the siblings face, there is truth to the struggle that they endure as it demystifies the idea of the American Dream. Overall, Nava creates a very compelling and engaging film about two people’s desire to find a good life.

Cinematographer James Glennon does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful and evocative cinematography to capture the beauty of the skylines and countryside locations to the grimy look of the city where there is this air of beauty and ugliness in the mix to play up the similarities of the different worlds the characters encounter. Editor Betsy Blankett Milicevic does brilliant work with the editing to not help structure the story but also create some interesting montages to play up some of the haunting moments of the film including the idea of fantasy for the characters. Production designer David Wasco does some excellent work with not just some of the look of the gravesite in the hills of San Pedro but the shabby houses of Tijuana and the drab apartment Enrique and Rosa live in once they arrive in Los Angeles.

Costume designer Hilary Wright does nice work with the costumes from the colorful clothing of the women in Guatemala to the more fashionable yet casual clothes that Rosa wears in Los Angeles. Sound designer Michael C. Moore and sound editor Greg Barbanell do fantastic work with the sound in not just the atmosphere of the locations but also the craziness of a world that is very chaotic. The film’s soundtrack consists largely a different mix of music ranging from folk to orchestral music that features contributions from Emil Richards, the Folkloristas, Linda O’Brien, and Malecio Martinez as it is an intoxicating and wonderful soundtrack to play up the plight of the characters.

The casting by Bob Morones, Toni Conchita-Rios, and Jean Gill is superb as it features some notable small roles from Jose Martin Ruano as the Guatemalan foreman, Alicia del Lago as Enrique and Rosa’s mother, Stella Quan as their godmother, Abel Franco as the man known as the Coyote who helps the two cross the border, Ernesto Gomez Cruz as Enrique and Rosa’s father, and Diane Cary as the woman who offers Enrique a big job in Chicago. Other memorable small roles include Enrique Castillo as a dishwasher Enrique befriends in Los Angeles while Tony Plana is very good as a slimy Chicano waiter who despises Enrique. Trinidad Silva is excellent as a landlord of sorts who gives Enrique some harsh truths about the way the world works while Lupe Ontiveros is fantastic as Nacha who helps Rosa out in adapting to the ways of American life.

The film’s best performances go to David Villalpando and Zaide Silvia Gutierrez in their respective roles as Enrique and Rosa Xuncax. Villalpando displays the role of a more determined young man eager to succeed where he would make some bad decisions. Gutierrez is more subdued as a woman who is a dreamer but also much more reserved as she deals with not just the harshness of her new surroundings but also the fact that the American Dream is really a myth.

El Norte is a remarkable film from Gregory Nava. While it is a film that can be very bleak over the circumstances the people face in this film, it is told with such care where it does have some idea of hope despite the realities the people face. It’s also a very telling film that doesn’t just reveal the struggles indigenous Latin Americans face but also the prejudice they endure from people of their own race no matter what country they’re in. In the end, El Norte is a marvelous film from Gregory Nava.

Gregory Nava Films: (The Confessions of Amans) - (A Time of Destiny) - (My Family) - (Selena) - (Why Do Fools Fall in Love?) - (Bordertown)

© thevoid99 2013