Hedwig And The Angry Inch Response
Jeffrey Shelton
C LIT 303
3/13/03
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Response
The amount of sexuality in this film was astonishing. It seemed to take the element of the couple with the classical musical genre to extreme new levels. It was interesting to have the films primary drive being based upon not knowing what gender one wants to couple with. It seems apparent in the films that we have viewed so far that each main character has a clear cut idea on what gender they seek out. It seemed out of place that the film’s main character was uncertain of their sexuality where as this typically is not a proponent of the genre. Although this was an odd proponent of the film it still ties into the notion of the couple. The end of the film was particularly powerful in that its oddities were somewhat sweet at Hedwig finally laid to rest his search for the perfect gender. The theme of the ying and yang separation yet togetherness, carried through until the end. When viewing the final performance, it seemed like Tommy and Hedwig were almost indistinguishable once Hedwig abandoned his stage appearance. This seemed to reference that although someone can look completely opposite on the exterior, they can be identical at their core. This similar visual construction relates the fact that Hedwig realized that Tommy completed him and his search for his other half was not complete. The use of flashbacks was extreme in this film as they were used solely to tell the story of Hedwig’s past. What was amazing about these flashbacks was the fusion of Hedwig’s performances to the views of the past that the film audience is given. This plays into the relationship between sound and image as Hedwig’s songs played over the visions of the past creates a direct correlation to his current state and the events of the past that have molded him into who he is today. Overall, the film told its story with the relationship of sound and image as Hedwig’s emotions were clear throughout the film as
C LIT 303
3/13/03
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Response
The amount of sexuality in this film was astonishing. It seemed to take the element of the couple with the classical musical genre to extreme new levels. It was interesting to have the films primary drive being based upon not knowing what gender one wants to couple with. It seems apparent in the films that we have viewed so far that each main character has a clear cut idea on what gender they seek out. It seemed out of place that the film’s main character was uncertain of their sexuality where as this typically is not a proponent of the genre. Although this was an odd proponent of the film it still ties into the notion of the couple. The end of the film was particularly powerful in that its oddities were somewhat sweet at Hedwig finally laid to rest his search for the perfect gender. The theme of the ying and yang separation yet togetherness, carried through until the end. When viewing the final performance, it seemed like Tommy and Hedwig were almost indistinguishable once Hedwig abandoned his stage appearance. This seemed to reference that although someone can look completely opposite on the exterior, they can be identical at their core. This similar visual construction relates the fact that Hedwig realized that Tommy completed him and his search for his other half was not complete. The use of flashbacks was extreme in this film as they were used solely to tell the story of Hedwig’s past. What was amazing about these flashbacks was the fusion of Hedwig’s performances to the views of the past that the film audience is given. This plays into the relationship between sound and image as Hedwig’s songs played over the visions of the past creates a direct correlation to his current state and the events of the past that have molded him into who he is today. Overall, the film told its story with the relationship of sound and image as Hedwig’s emotions were clear throughout the film as