Monday, June 13, 2005
Cape Fear
The View Through Dani’s Window
For all the violence, what is real here is the skeleton in the closet.
Comments
2
Memory may not be serving me well enough...Is there on-screen stuff to support a REAL incestous relationship between Dani and her father, or is this merely a TENSION we are supposed assume exists between most attractive daughters and their fathers at this stage, in this socio-economic bracket? I seem to remember a few scenes that indicated his discomfort with her budding-ness, but a far cry from anything that would establish conclusively that he was having her. Surely no one’s suggesting it’s all the same skeleton?
Posted by on 07 Aug 05 at 12:49 PM
3
Great explanation, Kristy! I thought I understood the film until the final moment when the camera closes in on the girl’s eyes and the music goes all dramatic, and then I thought “what the...?”
I found the whole film rather amusing as the only version of the story I had encountered was the Simpson’s parody. I couldn’t believe it when it showed him underneath the car! I was dissapointed that he didn’t stand on a rake (or ten) when he climbed out from under it!!!
Posted by on 16 Aug 05 at 04:54 PM
You provide a scintillating breakdown. Does it occur to you that the incest may be imaginary? A good cinematic analogy is the recent ‘The Hostage’, where the appearance of the evil ‘Mars’ indicates the young heroines growing fear of surrendering her virginity. So it is with Dani, I think. The latter ‘Cape Fear’ is a bit more direct than the original or ‘The Hostage’, but the message is the same, namely: there is no exsistential terror greater than that of a young girl facing womanhood. The reference to incest is a bold hint at the side effects of Oedipal/Electral causality. A fact of growing up.
Thanks for your article.
The Hang’d Man