Ordinary People (film)
"Ordinary People" is a dramatic film set in the affluent suburb of Lake Forest, Chicago, that explores the emotional turmoil of a family grappling with tragedy and mental illness. The narrative follows teenager Conrad Jarrett, who returns home after a suicide attempt following the death of his older brother in a boating accident. The film delves into the strained relationships within the Jarrett family, highlighting the emotional detachment of Conrad's mother, Beth, as well as the challenges faced by Conrad and his father, Calvin, as they navigate their grief and dysfunction.
Directed by Robert Redford in his debut, "Ordinary People" received critical acclaim for its well-developed characters and dialogue, winning several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film serves as a poignant commentary on late 20th-century American attitudes towards grief, mental health, and family dynamics. It also sparked renewed interest in Judith Guest's original novel, making it a popular choice in educational settings. Additionally, the film's soundtrack contributed to a resurgence of interest in the works of composer Johann Pachelbel. Overall, "Ordinary People" remains a significant piece of cinema, appreciated for its emotional depth and exploration of complex family issues.
Ordinary People (film)
Identification American film
Director Robert Redford
Date Released in 1980
Based on a 1976 novel by Judith Guest, this film depicts an upper-middle-class suburban American family that begins to disintegrate following the death of one son and the attempted suicide of the other.
Key Figures
Robert Redford (1936- ), actor and director ofOrdinary People
Set in the affluent Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, the story centers on teenager Conrad Jarrett (played by Timothy Hutton), who has just returned home after spending time in a mental institution, where he was sent following a suicide attempt. Conrad’s precarious emotional state has resulted from grief and feelings of guilt occasioned by his surviving the boating accident in which his older brother was killed.
Both Conrad and his father, Calvin (Donald Sutherland), must navigate the tense domestic atmosphere created in the wake of the older son’s tragic death. Both are troubled by the emotional detachment of Beth Jarrett (played by Mary Tyler Moore ), the mother and wife, who retreats into the busyness of maintaining bourgeois decorum rather than confront the family’s mounting dysfunction. Conrad’s return to emotional health is abetted by his therapist, Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch), but it is hampered by the cold demeanor of his mother.
The film is a portrait of late twentieth century middle-class American attitudes toward grieving, mental illness, adolescence, and divorce. Many critics hailed the film, praising the dialogue and well-developed characters. Some, however, found the film to be sentimental, observing that the Jarrett family were too conventional to be credible, that their mannered, WASP-y affluence was a stereotype and a convenient setup for inevitable breakdown in the face of domestic upheaval. The figure of Beth Jarrett has proved an interesting, if slight, subject for a few feminist critics.
The film, which was actorRobert Redford’s directorial debut, proved very successful. It received several awards, including Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Hutton, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Alvin Sargent, as well as Oscar nominations for Moore and Hirsch.
Impact
The award-winning film adaptation of Ordinary People generated a renewed and sustained interest in Judith Guest’s book, which gained popularity as an assigned reading in high schools and colleges. The novel continues to be read, particularly by young people, probably because of the appeal of its teenage protagonist. The film has also been credited with generating popular interest in the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel, whose Kanon in D was included in the sound track.
Bibliography
Aguiar, Sarah Appleton. The Bitch Is Back: Wicked Women in Literature. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2001.
Canby, Vincent. Review of Ordinary People. The New York Times, September 19, 1980.
Maddocks, Melvin. “Suburban Furies.” Time 108, no. 3 (July 19, 1976): 68, 70.
Szabo, Victoria, and Angela D. Jones. “The Uninvited Guest: Erasure of Women in Ordinary People.” In Vision: Re-vision: Adapting Contemporary American Fiction by Women to Film, edited by Barbara Tepa Lupack. Bowling Green, Ky.: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1996.