Shot in different decades of the 20th century, Thelma & Louise by Ridley Scott and Badlands by Terrence Malick are often compared due to the number of similarities concerning the plot of the story. The films made history in their genre, got critical acclaim and numerous nominations and awards. In spite of the fact that they were shot the decades ago, the films are still popular among the contemporary audience and keep on inspiring the contemporary directors. This paper is thus going to contrast and compare Thelma & Louise by Ridley Scott and Badlands by Terrence Malick by identifying the films’ most powerful artistic and intertextual codes.
Thelma & Louise by Ridley Scott and Badlands by Terrence Malick are both adventure films the action of which takes place on the highways of the United States of America. The audience faces two people who for some reason turn out to be on the road, and at some point, need to escape. The storylines are framed within the complicated relationships with the opposite sexes which becomes the partial reason for the course of events. In both films, the directors surround the characters by such issues as money, murders, and police. The characters are brave and have the nature of adventurers. Any of the stories of the films would not happen, if the characters did not act in twos.
The first similar factor to discuss is the directors’ choice of the partnership in the adventure. Such decision is determined by the author’s knowledge of the human psychology: it is well known that every wild story starts from the partnership of two people. Understanding and trusting each other, the two individuals are ready for any type of adventure. Compensating each other’s flaws, weaknesses, and fears, the two, whether friends or lovers, create the perfect tandem and are able to overcome all the possible challenges. Ridley Scott chose two young girls who support each other in being strong in the men’s world while Terrence Malick made the story a romantic one by choosing the loving couple.
As for the stories themselves, they both start with the breaking point – the characters are unable to let the circumstances rule their lives and they finally take the initiative to change the course of events. In both films, the breaking points are connected to some negative experience which awakes the human instinct for self-preservation and thus does not let the characters give up no matter what the circumstances are.
Overall, the films Thelma & Louise and Badlands belong to the same genre and they are based on the identical stories. Though shot almost 20 years earlier, Badlands has not become popular to the extent Thelma & Louise has but it might have become the source of inspiration for Ridley Scott to create the motion picture that would become classical and whose names of the main characters would become common. The value of the film lies in its details so the differences hiding in the details of Thelma & Louise and Badlands are what makes the films unique each in the same genre.
Of course, the stories would not be full enough if they did not contain murders – the factor which creates a huge misbalance between the adventure and real troubles. The murders in both films make the characters realize that the road they chose has only the way forward and no way back. Unfortunately, the further course of events make them only get into more and more troubles by killing more and more people.
The differences include the nature of the relationships of the main characters: Thelma and Louise are best fiends while Kit and Holly are lovers. This factor significantly changes the motives of the main characters for their trip and offers another type of cooperation between them. Kit and Holly want to be together and the breaking point for the couple is Holly’s father’s disapproval of Kit (Stivers 10). So the two young people start the adventure because they need to escape from the limits and boundaries for the sake of love. Thelma and Louise, in their turn, want to have a rest from the drab existence and have fun. The vacation turns into the course of the problems, and the girls invent nothing better than escape (Man). Thelma and Louise plan no stress but the challenges find them in the most unexpected places and circumstances, and they are forced to solve them depending on the situation.
The breaking points in both films are connected with the lives that the main characters have no strength to continue in the same manner as they did. Thelma cannot stand her cruel husband while Louise is tired from the waitress’s work (Smelik 496). The idea of leaving for vacation was well-planned and represented the decision of two adult women. Holly and Kit in Badlands, make a decision on the basis of the current situation – the murder of Holly’s father implies escape as fast as possible (Henderson 40). The actions are the result of emotions of the two young people who are dreamers and irresponsible lovers. So apart from the different breaking points in the films, the audience can notice the contrast of ages and the different levels of the maturity of the main characters – the factors that influence hugely the audience’s attitude to what is happening.
The different endings of the film refer to the larger themes provided by the directors. Each author chooses his own final to convey some message for his audience and conclude the course of events. Ridley Scott chooses death for Thelma and Louise, and it first seems to be a high contrast to the overall atmosphere of the movie where women had fun (Smelik 500). But the attentive and intelligent audience understands that the death of both was the only logical end in this wild trip of their rebellious souls. They experienced the new life and there was no more way back – going to prison would doubt the value of everything they had been through and all the wisdom they had got. So riding the car over to the cliff towards the face of the death was the best continuation and ending for the story (Smelik 495). Though it seems awkward but the death does not make the audience feel sorry for the characters – it was a worthy ending of their wild adventure.
Terrence Malick chose the more cynic closing scene for his Badlands. In the end, Kit is executed while Holly stays free (after the probation) and even manages to marry the son of her defense attorney. Here, the director wanted to pay the audience’s attention to the fact that what happened was nothing more than a wild irresponsible trick of the youth which had no chance to stay unnoticed and unpunished (Patterson 213). Kit’s image of James Dean ends up with him being held fully liable for his crimes while the unconscious 15-year-old is given another chance for the normal life and the possible good future. Malick does not hide that the bad influence has bad consequences and the big romantic stories often end up with the cynic final – the man ruins his life and the woman marries another man in spite of the former passionate love of life (Patterson 220). After the wild story is over, the director takes the audience back to the reality where the endless highway does not save from the responsibility and the law is equal for every citizen.
Thelma & Louise by Ridley Scott and Badlands by Terrence Malick are the iconic motion pictures which became the breakthroughs in the history of the cinematography each in its decade. The films are now often referred to in all types of media and art and inspire and motivate the directors all over the world. Both films are the must-see for all the cinema lovers and those who enjoy experiencing a couple of hours of the visually attractive picture and the fundamental intertextual code. Comparing the two makes the audience see clearly and appraise the strengths and the uniqueness of each film thus educating the spectator to a great extent.
Works Cited
Cook, Bernie. Thelma & Louise Live! The Cultural Afterlife of an American Film. University of Texas Press, 2007: 240. Print.
Henderson, Brian. “Exploring Badlands”. Wide Angle: A Quarterly Journal of Film Theory, Criticism and Practice. 5.4 (1983). 38-51. Print.
Man, Glenn. “Gender, Genre and Myth in Thelma and Louise.” EBSCO Host Connection. 18.1 (1993). Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Patterson, Hannah. The Cinema of Terrence Malick. Poetic Visions of America. Wallflower Press, 2007: 224. Print.
Smelik, Anneke. “Feminist Film Theory.” The Cinema Book. Ed. Pam Cook. London : BFI, 2007. 491 – 501. Print.
Stivers, Clinton C. All Things Shining: A Narrative and Stylistic Analysis of Terrence Malick’s Films. Diss. The University of Tennessee, 2012. Print.
