Lovers on the lam key themes:

Dysfunctional society/family
Animalistic
American Dream
Pop cultural references
Modern Fairytale
Trapped/freedom
Rootlessness

Road Movie location conventions: Gas Stations, Motel, Open road, Diners
Red white and blue themes
violence (weapon convention) gun, knife etc

Bad Lands, Natural born killers, In time, Moonrise kingdom

Media influence - Tv fame/ tape recording (Kit/Mickey)

Bad Lands

The camera often shows Kit and Holly in a 2 shot when the couple are particularly close. The camera separates them when there is a sense of conflict between them. 

section C practice question - messages and values

Section C –

Messages and values are expressed throughout both films but some differ. Gender representation changes from when Badlands was set – directed by Terrence Malick, to when Natural born Killers was exhibited. This is because in Badlands, Holly’s female character showed inferiority compared to Kit and her performance was that she was calm and quiet, obeying Kit. There was a recurring one shot of the characters, implying an emotionless relationship. However, In Natural Born Killers, the director, Oliver Stone shifts the gender power by giving Mallory some superiority because her performance showed her to be shouting at Mickey and expressing herself aggressively, in turn showing the theme of ruthlessness. This highlights dysfunctional society because the traditional male empowerment had been abandoned and people had almost turned animalistic, shown by the mise en scene of snakes around Mickey and Mallory in the desert.  They are shown to be in a two shot, highlighting their passionate relationship, which is not the same as Badlands.

Non-linear flashbacks occur in Natural Born Killers, showing that Mickey had a dysfunctional family with the mise en scene of his father abusing his mother, which helps to see why he is the way he is and that his violent persona was influenced by the past. It also helps to show his rootlessness of never being accepted, which is why he is always on the run with Mallory. The crime genre is imminent throughout. On the other hand, Badlands has no flashbacks, which questions Kit’s motives because I get a sense that there is no logical reason for the way he behaves which implies a theme of rebelliousness since he is always rebelling against society regulations, linking to the James Dean persona that he tries so hard to achieve.  Both films glorify the idea of fame, Kit always recorded his voice (diegetic sound) so that he could be like Elvis Presley and Mickey always pointed out the fact that he was on TV (mise en scene) which also resembled the idea that fame was his only motive. The fact that fame was the importance and recurring genre showed the idea of society idolising criminals, which supported the theme of dysfunctional society, absorbed by the media. Scenes in both Badlands and Natural born Killers were shown with a Dutch angle to highlight exactly that.  “Genre are instances of repetition and difference.

Both films have a car convention implying lovers on the lam but the locations are different. Mickey and Mallory have mise en scene of gas stations and American Diners, showing the modernized culture of society but Kit and Holly have locations of the open road and the wild setting which shows that they are less accepted in comparison as the isolated setting reflects off their isolation from society.

In Badlands there are binary opposites because Holly is shown in light(purity and innocence) where as, Kit is shown in shadow, implying that he has a dark side. However, In Natural Born Killers, Mickey and Mallory’s performance are both shown to be rebellious and aggressive, showing no signs of innocence or purity, yet again highlighting that most of America were corrupt.

Throughout the sequences, there are a lot of connotations to the American Dream ranging from the colour themes of red, white and blue of Mickey and Mallory’s clothes or the location setting shown in Badlands of mise en scene of holly’s picket fence and her home represented as the perfect life.