ALICE'S RESTUARANT

 ALICE'S RESTAURANT 

• Arthur Penn (1969) 
• Arlo Guthrie - also co-screenplay writer. 
• Alice.
• Ray. 
• Entrenched in the hippie culture and sitting outside of societies norms. 

TRUE EVENTS:

- Based on Arlo's own attempts to avoid being drafted into Vietnam War. 

- He visits his friend Alice - having been asked to leave college.

- Thanksgiving.

- He and a friend dump rubbish and are arrested.

- He comes before the law for this. 

THEMES AND PENN'S AUTHORSHIP:

• Quintessentially confer cultural - rebellion 
• Youth - new generation "hippy" culture 
• Anti-Vietnam 
• Old vs young 
• Linear narrative 
• Post Hays Code - freedom into expression in film 
• The title sequence includes non-diegetic sounds, as if the story is continuing with no visuals. 
• Broken America
• Recklessness

Arlo goes to school in the hopes of getting out of being drafted in the war.

Goes to Alice after dropping out of school for smoking weed in the dorms.

Alice and Ray buy a church and convert is into a restaurant and place for the hippies to hang out. 

Alice opens the restaurant and Sheli and Alice have sex. 

Alice visits his dying dad and Sheli gets out of the hospital

Alice runs away to Arlo's house in New York after having a fight with Ray. 

Arlo and Roger illegally dispose of rubbish after the thanks giving party and gets put into jail, in which Alice bails them out. 

Arlo purposefully fails his drafting physical examination and goes back to Alice with his new girlfriend. 

Sheli dies in a motorbike crash after overdosing on heroin, Arlo's dad dies. 

Alice and Ray get remarried and Arlo takes off with his girlfriend. 

ALICE'S RESTAURANT and the 1960's 

• Counter-culture symbolised in youth vs the older generation - conflict of ideals, values, politics as much as age gap (Ray older than Arlo and Roger).
• Creating an alternative society with different priorities; hippies, communes, sharing, reaction to power and greed. 
• The motorcycle motif - new energy, drive, youth snd rebellion. 
• Spaces - The old church, a place of tradition, worship, old values - so maybe occupying the church and opening up the "Back Room" are about investing these places with new ideals. 

THEMES AND IDEAS:

The insanity of war - underlines the film - two sequences where Arlo is examined and questioned with a view to being drafted - uses comedy and satire to convey heavy criticism against government and authorities - anti war. 

Possibilities of building a new society and investing it with new values - the alternative life of the hippie commune. 

Focusing on the drafting sequences as a starting point, write about the importance of the 1960's counter-culture in Penn's Alice's Restaurant. 

Penn's auteurschap is thoroughly expressed within Alice's Restaurant, his ability to dive into the conflict of ideals in the 1960's while providing comedic space and satire is most certainly an effective method of presenting what is "right and wrong". The hippie culture of the 1960's was becoming increasingly popular, rebelling against the power and corruption of the authorities was a fight for peace and security; the Vietnam War caused the majority of the young generation to be against the governments decisions. Instead, having the enigma to create an alternative society with different priorities, a changed reaction to power and greed. Arlo himself and his loyal friends are advocates for this "new wave", the drafting sequences in the film showcase these beliefs. 

An example of this is his physical check at the official drafting building, Arlo is passionate in failing his examination in order to prevent fighting in the war, I personally believe that one of the most effective uses of film form is when Arlo begins to say to long story of his arrest from dumping garbage illegally, his former "crimes as well. The officer and Arlo are walking down the corridor while a voiceover is being used, describing what Arlo was saying, a tracking shot is also used here their whole bodies are in the frame. The tracking shot serves a vital purpose here, of course, the upsetting topic of War is presented throughout this whole sequence, but in this specific moment perhaps a sense of "moving on" is expressed. The tracking shot emphasises the officer's shock when hearing Arlo's story, his facial expressions also make this reaction evident; the continuous movement of the scene contribute to his failure of the exam, as if he is symbolically becoming further and further away from being drafted.

 Furthermore, the mise-en-scene in this sequence is extremely impactful, the large amount of teenagers that are only wearing underwear, pacing about the corridor. This costume choice and everything that is in the scene is effectual in almost ripping away the teens dignity, removing what they personally believe and how they present themselves in order to prepare them for the possibility of being drafted. The spectators are already familiar that the hippies care about expression and self-worth, to be calm and at peace, the mis en scene of the sequence drive the idea of the authorities disregarding anyones confidence, Penn is dispensing that the government is perhaps more reckless than the hippies, instead of uniting with the ideology of tranquility and harmony, they prefer to deflect their opinions in destruction and strip people of their individuality. However, although the drafting building is expected to be a place of sorrow and terror, Penn actually uses a rather warm lighting throughout the sequence, the spectators follow Arlo, perhaps Penn is purposefully using this yellow toned lighting to enforce the fact that the hippies bring light to any situation, Arlo's infectious attitude is brought with him everywhere, even to a place where he is identified as a number and not a human. 

PENN AS AN AUTEUR - FOCUS ACROSS BOTH FILMS 

SIMILARITIES:

• Strong female roles and representations - Alice and Bonnie - regarding performance, Alice is the mother of the group, and usually makes decisions. - Bonnie is presented to have masculine characteristic throughout the entirety. 
• Glamourising crime and sub-cultures. 
• The celebration of youth used in cinema. 
• The controversy of the younger generation and their growing power and confidence. 
• Changing the norms of society. 
• Penn is always wanting to push on the boundaries. 
• Representations of the 60's 
• Both Arlo and Bonnie are seen leaving their parents behind. Coming of age, rejection of traditional ideas. Emblematic. 

DIFFERENCES:

• Alice's restaurant released the same time it was set in, Bonnie and Clyde had a 30 year gap compared to their production context. 
• B AND C has a specific focal point meanwhile Alice's Restaurant has a broader plot. 
• AR Concrete locations which are repeated vs constant movement in B AND C. 
• AR uses more non-diegetic music throughout. 
• All about pacifism and anti-war, BC about violence and enjoying destruction. 
• AR is less subtle about their ideologies, BC you can watch it without understanding the ideals due to their narrative. 
• AR includes the use of a voiceover, brings the spectator along with the characters, reflects their idea of a movement and togetherness. BC rather made for entertainment.