If I asked you what the most significant films of the 90s were, we would probably get a few safe films, like Pulp Fiction (1994) and Unforgiven (1992), big animation features like Toy Story (1995), a begrudging nod to big ticket sellers like Titanic (1997), and The Phantom Menace (1999), or maybe a cult hit like Being John Malkovich (1999). But what makes one film worth studying and another simply a piece of popular fiction?
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut would not be on the traditional list. And yet, for some strange reason my thoughts continue returning to it. It may well have been the most significant film of the 90s. It earns this status on three grounds; the first is the sheer balls of the directors to produce it, the second is its place within the history of narrative film, and the third is in cinematic form.
Let's begin with the ideas that it explores. But before we delve into this masterpiece, I'd like to note that people need to view the film with the same approach they'd normally save for films like Un Chen Andalou (1929) or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). You need to de-construct the meaning from the imagery to really appreciate it.
Two ideas come under heavy criticism in the film. The obvious one is censorship; the subtle one is American Exceptionalism. These two ideas are explored in not just taking them to extremes but also by varying them across contexts.
When the four boys return from the new Terrence and Phillip movie Asses of Fire, we find that the film has had a profound effect on their behaviour. As it would, there is a lot of documented evidence that children imitate what they see in media, both in in terms of aggression and altruism. However, the more abstract the portrayal, the less the chance of imitating it. Parents are watched more closely than many would like to admit, and seeing your own godfather kill a man makes the behaviour seem way more valid than observing it on television.
Still, the parents take up a crusade against the film that gradually gets out of control. Of interesting note are the different parenting styles that are on show in the opening sequence:
- Stan's mother is a caring and trusting parent given how happy she is to see Stan that morning, and he's very open with her.
- Kenny's mother rules by fear mongering, which obviously leads to delinquency.
- Kyle's is authoritarian and coercive, and it is obvious that he has to lie to have a sense of freedom.
- And Cartman's has spoiled him rotten, giving him almost all the power in their relationship.
It is understandable that parents would want to have control over what their children do, but fear is a powerful catalyst for this controlling tendency. Since they can't undo the “damage” that the film has inflicted, they punish their children by grounding them and go out to recruit others to their cause (effectively undermining the impact of said punishment).
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Article comments
1 - Sterfish
Excellent, spot on review of that movie.