Fathers and Sons in the Movies

About three weeks ago I watched the film Five Easy Pieces for the first time in maybe twenty years. If you've seen it, you probably recall the scene in the diner in which Jack Nicholson tries to order toast, one of the most memorable restaurant scenes in film history.

While watching the film it became apparent that I had not remembered hardly anything about it, except the beautiful Chopin piece that Nicholson plays at one point in the film.

It's a film with a lot of tension, and not easy to watch. One of the areas of tension, and one of the central hubs of the film, was the fractured relationship between Nicholson and his father. As I reflected on this, I thought about other films involving fathers and sons, and the various ways father-son relationships can be a blessing or a hardship.

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My freshman year at college was a year of new experiences for sure. One of these experiences was an album by Cat Stevens called Tea for the Tillerman. Jon Brite, an artist in Scott Quad where I roomed at Ohio U freshman year, made the introduction. While listening to a portion of it recently, as I do from time to time, I noted that the music and lyrics still hold up as the classic it was.

The thought I had, however, was how targeted this album was at the time it was written. It was an album from the point of view of youth, directed toward youthful seekers whose life quest was just unfolding. No wonder Stevens went on to sell 25 million albums. The generational dissonance is most pronounced in the song "Father and Son."

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After watching Five Easy Pieces I reflected on some other films I've seen in which the relationship of father and son is either prominent or a feature close to the center of the film. Here are a few that quickly came to mind. (Those in bold have reviews.)

The Music Never Stopped 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Godfather
Great story about a mob boss and his sons. Brando is most memorable as he kicks off the first of a trilogy.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives in a Tennessee Williams scorcher.

A River Runs Through It (A Roger Ebert review)
I have read the story at least five times and four times watched the film. Try it. Great either way.
Here's a reflection on rivers.

Legends of the Fall (Another Roger Ebert's review)

Once I started down this path some other interesting films with father-son relationships came to mind including Rain Man, The Lion King ("Remember who you are."), Back to the Future, Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, and Field of Dreams, each special in its own way.

I woke thinking about my own father yesterday and considered assembling a few memories here. Instead, I may just start by sharing my thoughts with my brothers.

Enjoy your weekend. If your father is still alive, let him know you love him.

Cat Stevens' Appeal To Iran: Free The Hikers

"Oh very young, what will you leave us this time, you're only dancing on this earth a short while..." ~Cat Stevens

Think of everything that has happened in your life the past 21 months. One week seems amazingly full for many of us. But for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, the unfolding weeks only bring more waiting.

For those who were paying attention, and unfortunately everything rolls along as if trying to make us forget, Josh and Shane were scheduled for trial in February. The net result was a very brief hearing that promised a follow up trial. That trial finally got scheduled for this past week, but the date has passed and we still do not know how long or when or why or what is happening. It is a very frustrating time for the friends and family of these two young men.

In July 2009 Shane, Josh and his now fiance Sarah Shourd (Josh asked for her hand in marriage while imprisoned) were taken captive by Iranian authorities who claim the three were hiking within the Iranian border. The hikers, who were vacationing at an Iraqi tourist region near Kurdistan, were picked up and taken away while hiking. Their parents have been permitted almost no communication, and because the U.S. and Iran do not have diplomatic relations the hurdles are even greater.

Sarah Shourd, after 400 days in solitary confinement, was released due to health reasons. The young men have spent their time imprisoned twenty-three and a half hours a day, with a brief release for exercise.

In April Yusuf Islam, the musician we all knew as Cat Stevens, made an appeal for Iran to release Bauer and Fattal if there is no clear evidence that they were nothing more than hikers. Purportedly Muhammed Ali has also made two written appeals to Iran to free the hikers.

Hear Yusuf Islam's appeal to Iran.

On the Road to Find Out

My freshman year at college was a year of new experiences for sure. One of these experiences was an album by Cat Stevens called Tea for the Tillerman. Jon Brite, an artist in Scott Quad where I roomed at Ohio U freshman year, made the introduction. And while listening to a portion of it last night, as I do from time to time, the music and lyrics still hold up as the classic it was.

The thought I had, however, was how targeted this album was at the time it was written. It was an album from the point of view of youth, directed toward youthful seekers whose life quest was just unfolding. No wonder Stevens went on to sell 25 million albums. We hear the generational dissonance in a song like Father and Son. And in this song, On the Road to Find Out, we recognize the inner flame of the hero's quest.

Well, I left my happy home to see what I could find out. I left my folk and friends with the aim to clear my mind out. Well, I hit the rowdy road and many kinds I met there. Many stories told me of the way to get there.

And what young person has not experienced this chorus?

So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out, there's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out.

To some extent, this attitude is what keeps us going, isn't it? At what point do we stop questing? At what point do we stop embracing life? Is that not the first signal that a coffin is in the next room waiting for us?

Then I found myself alone, hopin' someone would miss me. Thinking about my home and the last woman to kiss me, kiss me. But sometimes you have to moan when nothing seems to suit yer, but nevertheless you know you're locked towards the future.

Locked toward the future. At what point does this shift? For some, like Goldmund in Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund, the rockets flare out. After a lifetime of embracing the fullness of experience, he returns to the beginning. Life has changed him, and a lifetime of experience has been absorbed into him, thus preparing him for the task he was not really capable of at the beginning. Goldmund, the artist, has toured the world and learned its deepest lessons. Ultimately he returns to the monastery and completes the work for which he was born.

Then I found my head one day when I wasn't even trying. And here I have to say, 'cause there is no use in lying, lying. Yes, the answer lies within, so why not take a look now? Kick out the devil's sin, pick up, pick up a good book now.

In the process of making art, the attitude of discovery is pre-eminent. At least it seems so for me. Every project is a voyage into the unknown. Sometimes you discover miracles. Other times you only catch glimpses of something escaping on the run. But it's always an adventure.

If you're interested in an evening of first hand encounters with 130+ pieces that I've created as an ever questing artist, I invite you to The Venue @ Mohaupt Block in Duluth's West End. My show, FIRST HAND EXPERIENCES, will be hanging there till July 31. The Open House is next Tuesday from 6 - 9 p.m. on the 21st.