Journey Related Text:
“THELMA AND LOUISE” Directed By Ridley Scott, 1991:
In Ridley Scott’s 1991 film “Thelma and Louise” the director explores key concepts of physical journey, showing the initial motivation of Thelma Dickenson and Louise Sawyer to undertake what they intend to be a three day fishing trip. However the two characters encounter a would-be rapist, take his life and then begin a desperate race from the authorities to Mexico.
Motivation of physical journey- fleeing- link to poetry:
In the initial scenes of the film Scott establishes the mundane lives these two women lead, through juxtaposition of shots of Louise as a waitress in a hectic coffee shop and Thelma as a bored and under appreciated housewife. Similarly to Peter Szkynecki’s “Immigrants at Central Station 1901” and “Crossing The Red Sea”, the motivation behind the physical journey undertaken by these characters is escape- it is merely what they are fleeting from that alters.
After murdering a would-be rapist in the car park of a nightclub the characters begin their frantic journey across the country in order to escape incarceration- through the characterization of Thelma crying, bruised and bleeding, and Louise as hysterical but quick thinking- Scott illustrates the fear that drives the film’s physical journey.
Shared Nature Of Physical Journey- links to poetry and stimulus text 6:
Not unlike Szkynecki’s “Immigrants at Central Station, 1901” and “Crossing The Red Sea”, as well as text 6 of the stimulus booklet, the physical journey depicted by Scott is clearly of a shared nature- the two women travel across country together in Louise’s 1966 T- Bird convertible. This collective kind of journey is particularly emphasized in the final scene of the film where Thelma and Louise grasp each other’s hands as they drive over the Grand Canyon.
Cathartic- links to poetry:
An extension of the cathartic physical journeys depicted by Szkynecki in “Immigrants at Central Station, 1901” and “Crossing The Red Sea” is evident in “Thelma and Louise”. Scott creates this therapeutic sense through his characterization and costuming of Thelma and Louise- initially Louise’s hair is tied up in a harsh French roll and both characters are heavily made up. As the film progresses the appearance of the characters becomes more natural- implying the freedom and growth they are experiencing as a result of their physical journey. This is
