The Screen at Contemporary: American Rebel
Outsiders and loners in nine classic films.
This season of the screen we explore those on the periphery. We celebrate the other, the outsider, the misfit and the loner of American Cinema.
The Fits (2015)
Dir. Anna Rose Holmer
In partnership with Reel Equality Film Club
Loneliness, belonging and fear of the female are choreographed with powerful skill in this haunting indie. Our lonesome heroine joins a dance troupe in which the girls are gripped by mysterious seizures. With a performance from Freedom Dance& Performance and a discussion on the themes of the film led by Sonia Long. Brought to you in partnership with Equation’s Reel Equality Film Club, showing great movies that tell women-centred stories. Equation is a Nottingham-based charity striving to end domestic abuse and promote healthy, equal relationships.
On the Waterfront (1954)
Dir. Elia Kazan
An expertly constructed look at class, loyalty, poverty and masculinity in the form of a masterful crime thriller. Marlon Brando’s legendary performance changed acting forever in what’s now regarded as one of the greatest performances of all time.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Dir. Nicholas Ray
The original teen movie. Ray tackles what it feels like to be restless, lonely and misunderstood in America’s middle class, with James Dean as the archetypal voice of disaffected youth. The iconic performances by the three leads are raw, natural and cut you to the bone.
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Dir. Norman Jewison
While travelling through the Deep South, a black Philadelphia detective finds himself the ultimate outsider when he is accused of murder. Filmed at the height of the civil rights movement, this nuanced study in racism, police brutality and the fear of the other resonates as much today as it did fifty years ago.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Dir. John Schlesinger
The ultimate outsiders’ movie. Two lost souls, played to perfection by Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, struggle to survive in New York City. Part of the American New Wave of the late 1960s, the film caused controversy on release; today it remains a sensitive but unsentimental portrayal of those on the sidelines of society.
Easy Rider (1969)
Dir. Dennis Hopper
The counterculture road movie that spoke to a generation. Two bikers go cross country in search of the authentic America. What they are confronted with is a fractured nation deeply fearful of the other. A compelling artefact of the hippie era that has much to say to our current age of rage.
Grey Gardens (1975)
Dir. David & Albert Maysles
The derelict mansion Grey Gardens, home to two forgotten socialites, provides the setting for a reverse American Dream in a much referenced and pastiched documentary classic. By turns heart-breaking, profound, life-affirming and funny, this love letter to outsiders everywhere is not to be missed on the big screen.
Rumble Fish (1983)
Dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Adapted from teen-rebel poster girl S.E. Hinton’s novel, Coppola’s movie is both impeccably stylish and unabashedly cinematic. The grubby early-1980s vibe combines with an idealised 1950s biker aesthetic to give this tale of American delinquents and aimless youth a feverish, fairy-tale quality.
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Dir. Gus Van Sant
Based loosely on Shakespeare’s Henry IV, this early example of the New Queer Cinema follows two sex workers – a narcoleptic and a rebellious rich boy – as they set off on a journey through America’s dives, crooks and hustlers. Dreamy and sublime, it is one of the most original road movies ever made.