As a kind of crossover with the discussion of _The Thin Red Line_, I was
wondering what salon members make of Malick's use of voice-over
narration. I find Holly's (Sissy Spacek) narration in _Badlands_ to be
unreliable, in that her overly romanticized language often seems at odds
with the reality of her relationship with Kit (Martin Sheen). This has
the quality of tension between the voice-over and visual images
on-screen. For example, Holly describes how Kit thought of her everyday
at work, and the visual shows Kit standing on a dead cow. However, in
at least one scene of the film, the image on screen seems to be the
representation of Holly's imagination. Soon after Holly dumps her pet
fish in a field out of guilt for disobeying her father, her voice-over
describes Kit lying in his bed thinking about her. The visual matches
this description, except on Kit's nightstand (on the left side of the
screen) is the dying fish. On pan-and-scan versions of this movie, the
fish is difficult to see, but as its gasping provides the only movement
in the shot, it is noticeable.
I also wonder what salon members make of Linda Manz's narration in
_Days of Heaven_. While she provides a unique perspective on the events
of the film, I'm not sure if she would be considered an unreliable
narrator.
Andrew Kunka
Dr. Andrew J. Kunka
Assistant Professor of English
Division of Arts and Letters
University of South Carolina Sumter
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