this movie was good I liked it alot but its one disaster after another , garp's life was really tore up from his mother to his wife and kids and everything, to go thru all the events garp went thru its tough and the movie left us hanging a little even though we expect with more of common sense that garp does die but we didnt know for sure!!
shareIt is a sad movie and Garp's life was something akin to a Shakespearean tragedy. The movie is almost like Theater of the Absurd...I don't think it is supposed to be terribly realistic...Garp's journey through life is vivid and striking and terribly imaginatie. but not necessarily realistic.
share*Spoilers*
I think it's realistic in a symbolic sense... haha. At least how it happened in the movie. Because you have to admit, that's a LOT of tragedy for one person, one family to endure, in a short period of time. And if one just takes it at face value, it's obviously a little hard to swallow.
The point in GENERAL is that life isn't black and white. In real life, as with Walt's death, you don't have time, necessarily, to react "appropriately". That only may happen in hindsight. When you're going through it, it takes a while to really sink in. So ALL of those emotions are important.
So I think in the film, it was SYMBOLIC of reality, so it could really sink in for the viewers. Ultimately, everyone's life experience is different. Some WILL experience that intense amount of tragedy. Some will experience little, or it will be much more spanned out during a life time... and thus less noticeable. This film was just life... according to Garp. <--- *teehee... lame I know. I just really like the film, and I recently graduated college with an English degree. I just wish I could have discuessed this in a class.*
characteristics, that's a really good point you've made. the question does arise at the climax-did Garp die or did he not? but a scene he draws on paper about the closer you are to death, the more you live, which made perfect sense in the end. i believe he suffered his fate and how he was proud of the last achievement he did for his literature and how someone had to murder him because they didn't agree with it.
this is an predecessor to Forrest Gump-the story of an innocent life hanging in the balance, whilst it is patrotic, this recalls a time of President assanations, Women's liberation and conspiracy theories like Watergate, which is why it too close to reality for a lot of Americans to bear and how it still beared the scars, which is why it failed the box office as well as Williams playing a serious role for the first time and people were probably also put off him, because he starred in the troubled and controversial Popeye film (that nearly finished off Altman's career in the process, had it not for his comeback)
Thinking about this now I feel the film is very similiar to American Beauty.
Although Garp's life is full of tragedy it is also full of life, he throws himself into life fully whether it's love, his writing, kids or wrestling (or even revenge- remember the dog). His attitude clearly comes from his mother who is just the same. There is always a "balance" in this film, something good happens then something bad.
If I had to take ten DVDs onto a tropical island with me (along with the means to view) this would be in there!