EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY PT.2
(AD138: FASHION ILLUSTRATION AND IMAGING – IDENTITY AND THE BODY)
I recently watched the film ‘The Greatest Showman’ (2017), which is directed by Michael Gracey and the screenplay was done by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon.
Figure 1
The film is based on the real story, which follows P. T. Barnum from the moment that he becomes orphaned and work as an apprentice for a tailer. As a child, Barnum meets the girl of his dreams whilst working for the tailer and he promises her the world. As they grow older, he makes it his life long mission to give her the life she wanted and he does this by creating a show in a museum of oddities that features people who have features that are unusual. At the time these people were called ‘freaks’ and were mistreated due to their appearance. However, the film follows the journey of them becoming a family and accepting and embracing their qualities. Along the way P. T. loses his way and becomes swept up in the fame and fortune of it all.
Figure 2
It is well known that in real life, P. T. was not necessarily and nice man all the time as he kept the animals and ‘acts’ in poor conditions and did not pay them what they deserved. Unfortunately the film, being a happy-go-lucky type of musical, does not touch on this. But what the film does do, is create such an overwhelming feeling of happiness and appreciation for people being different. Nowadays, we believe that different types of people are much more widely accepted however, I believe it is important to acknowledge that this is not always true. There are still people with huge prejudices and who act on them in horrible ways.
The film tackles the idea of identity and empowerment through following the ‘circus acts’ and their journey to appreciating and loving themselves as they always should have done. In the beginning, to each other they all seem completely different as they each have ‘abnormalities’ or different colour skin. However, as the film moves on, the characters acknowledge that they are all the exact same as each other and as the audiences who enjoy their shows for reasons that I believe are revolting.
I really loved the way this film really praised individuallity and I think this is something I have always done. Perhaps, individuality and being unusual is a part of what ‘Identity’ means to me.
stay groovy x x
Figures
Figure 1 – “The Greatest Showman Clapper Board.” 2017, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796/mediaviewer/rm2169845248.
Figure 2 – “The Greatest Showman Still.” 2017, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796/mediaviewer/rm572021504.