David Mamet: Beyond Realism
David Mamet’s plays are illusions of reality for although they may give the immediate appearance of a Realist play they are in actual fact creating something that extends beyond realism. It is Mamet’s skill as a writer that he is able to create such “real” unreal characters that although played realistically extend beyond realist drama simply by what they say, how and when they say it.
“Speed the Plow” extends beyond realism because the action of the play and the characters within the play reflect Mamet’s desire to create upon the stage something other than reality. Truth for Mamet is not reality in its truest sense but a reality that has more to do with a certain view of Hollywood and what Mamet, himself, sees as the contradiction inherent in an industry that believes itself capable of creating art.
The world created in “Speed the Plow” is a heightened reality, an extended reality that is created to reinforce the ideas and themes inherent in Mamet’s vision of Hollywood which is a cynical one where greed and power usurp artistic integrity. His vision is given greater clarity through the action of the drama which is finely honed to reveal all and only that which is required to serve Mamet’s purpose of polarising the cynicism and expediency that drives Hollywood.
The same can be said of the characters which symbolise attitudes and values that Mamet sees as endemic within Hollywood. They are not fully rounded characters so much as driven individuals who reveal more about the world they supposedly inhabit than they do about themselves. In this regard “Speed the Plow” extends beyond realism to actualize the thoughts and attitudes of the author. Ultimately, the play is not about the characters as in a realist drama but about the ideas represented by the characters as it would be in an Expressionist or Symbolist play.
It is through language, the driving force of the drama, that Mamet so deftly achieves this. Words take on an importance that extends beyond realistic dialogue. It is Mamet’s use of language that drives the action, shapes the characters and serves the efficient expedition of his purpose which is to find truth in the confrontation of ideas rather than to find truth in the revelation of character.
The characters are essentially expressionistic. It does not serve Mamet’s purpose to create truly realistic and fully dimensioned characters because the conventions of realist theatre would make it difficult for Mamet to bring to the fore so quickly the interplay of ideas that are at the centre of “Speed the Plow” and which drive forward the drama. Rather than realizing fully dimensioned characters whose development upon the stage would only slow down the drama, Mamet through Expressionist and Symbolist techniques is able to cut to the chase. The characters are symbolic and their language is heightened beyond the restrictions of the Realist tradition to more ably reveal the thoughts and feelings of the author and the dialectic that he wishes for us to hear.
In “Speed the Plow”, Mamet creates a pressure cooker environment for the ensuing power play to take place. Unlike in a Realist drama, it is not necessary for the audience to understand these characters beyond the confined world created by the playwright. Indeed, it is hard to imagine Gould and Fox existing beyond the immediate reality of “Speed the Plow” as an audience may be encouraged to do in a conventional Realist drama where character, setting and action create a truth that is meant to reflect the lives of real people and the world that they inhabit. We might briefly imagine Fox at home greeting Doug Brown but it is momentary and of little significance as the drama is quickly moved on by the frenetic dialogue of the moment.
The play’s settings are purpose built to reveal all that needs to be revealed to further the author’s vision rather than contribute to the revelation of character as would be the convention in a realist drama. The discourse between Gould and Fox needs the four walls of an office to represent the world of the business deal and to heighten the sense of pressure that propels both characters. Yet the scene could just as well be set in a boxing ring because it is the ideas and attitudes inherent in the play that are the essentials. Scene 2, set in Gould’s home, reveals little about him but provides a stage for the ensuing power play and sexual tension between Karen and Gould.
In “Speed the Plow”, Mamet takes an aspect of Hollywood and expands and develops it to a point of emphasis whereby it becomes the whole. Mamet is saying to us, this is Hollywood or at least this is the essential philosophical dilemma of tinsel town.
Robert McCuaig
David Mamet’s plays are illusions of reality for although they may give the immediate appearance of a Realist play they are in actual fact creating something that extends beyond realism. It is Mamet’s skill as a writer that he is able to create such “real” unreal characters that although played realistically extend beyond realist drama simply by what they say, how and when they say it.
“Speed the Plow” extends beyond realism because the action of the play and the characters within the play reflect Mamet’s desire to create upon the stage something other than reality. Truth for Mamet is not reality in its truest sense but a reality that has more to do with a certain view of Hollywood and what Mamet, himself, sees as the contradiction inherent in an industry that believes itself capable of creating art.
The world created in “Speed the Plow” is a heightened reality, an extended reality that is created to reinforce the ideas and themes inherent in Mamet’s vision of Hollywood which is a cynical one where greed and power usurp artistic integrity. His vision is given greater clarity through the action of the drama which is finely honed to reveal all and only that which is required to serve Mamet’s purpose of polarising the cynicism and expediency that drives Hollywood.
The same can be said of the characters which symbolise attitudes and values that Mamet sees as endemic within Hollywood. They are not fully rounded characters so much as driven individuals who reveal more about the world they supposedly inhabit than they do about themselves. In this regard “Speed the Plow” extends beyond realism to actualize the thoughts and attitudes of the author. Ultimately, the play is not about the characters as in a realist drama but about the ideas represented by the characters as it would be in an Expressionist or Symbolist play.
It is through language, the driving force of the drama, that Mamet so deftly achieves this. Words take on an importance that extends beyond realistic dialogue. It is Mamet’s use of language that drives the action, shapes the characters and serves the efficient expedition of his purpose which is to find truth in the confrontation of ideas rather than to find truth in the revelation of character.
The characters are essentially expressionistic. It does not serve Mamet’s purpose to create truly realistic and fully dimensioned characters because the conventions of realist theatre would make it difficult for Mamet to bring to the fore so quickly the interplay of ideas that are at the centre of “Speed the Plow” and which drive forward the drama. Rather than realizing fully dimensioned characters whose development upon the stage would only slow down the drama, Mamet through Expressionist and Symbolist techniques is able to cut to the chase. The characters are symbolic and their language is heightened beyond the restrictions of the Realist tradition to more ably reveal the thoughts and feelings of the author and the dialectic that he wishes for us to hear.
In “Speed the Plow”, Mamet creates a pressure cooker environment for the ensuing power play to take place. Unlike in a Realist drama, it is not necessary for the audience to understand these characters beyond the confined world created by the playwright. Indeed, it is hard to imagine Gould and Fox existing beyond the immediate reality of “Speed the Plow” as an audience may be encouraged to do in a conventional Realist drama where character, setting and action create a truth that is meant to reflect the lives of real people and the world that they inhabit. We might briefly imagine Fox at home greeting Doug Brown but it is momentary and of little significance as the drama is quickly moved on by the frenetic dialogue of the moment.
The play’s settings are purpose built to reveal all that needs to be revealed to further the author’s vision rather than contribute to the revelation of character as would be the convention in a realist drama. The discourse between Gould and Fox needs the four walls of an office to represent the world of the business deal and to heighten the sense of pressure that propels both characters. Yet the scene could just as well be set in a boxing ring because it is the ideas and attitudes inherent in the play that are the essentials. Scene 2, set in Gould’s home, reveals little about him but provides a stage for the ensuing power play and sexual tension between Karen and Gould.
In “Speed the Plow”, Mamet takes an aspect of Hollywood and expands and develops it to a point of emphasis whereby it becomes the whole. Mamet is saying to us, this is Hollywood or at least this is the essential philosophical dilemma of tinsel town.
Robert McCuaig
No comments:
Post a Comment