MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO
A Critical Analysis
[**SPOILERS**]
Prepared for Pia Cseri-Briones
Fine Arts: Film Arts
Rochester Institute of Technology
Sean E. Williams
May 7, 1992
In the 1990's, the art of filmmaking is balanced, if not stifled, by the business side of the industry. Films are not produced on the basis of their intellectual or artistic value, or by their political or social importance, but instead by the projected net income of the studio producing the film. The only exception to this rule is the work of independent filmmakers who choose to release their work via small studios which are willing to take risks to make themselves more well-known. Gus Van Zant is such a filmmaker, and Fine Line Productions is such a studio.
Van Zant's MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO is the story of two male hustlers, Mike Waters and Scott Favor, who meet in a bad section of Portland Oregon, befriend each other for some time, and then separate.
Mike Waters (River Phoenix) is a young man who suffers from narcolepsy; a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep, brought on by a chemical change in the brain which occurs during periods of stress.
Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves) is a well-mannered, upper-class individual. He is in the hustling business mainly to bother his father who is overwhelmingly rich. His long-term goal is to become an important member of the community, and to eventually become mayor.
The film begins with a young man, Mike Waters, standing on an open stretch of highway in Idaho. Nothing can be seen but fields and hills. Mike experiences a narcoleptic seizure, falling asleep in the middle of the highway. In the next scene, he is in Seattle serving to the wishes of a customer. Later, he moves on to Portland, and is picked up off the street by a woman who takes him to a large mansion in the suburbs. There are already two hustlers here, one of which is Scott Favor. Mike and Scott had met each other before, however they didn't really get to know each other until now. Mike has another attack, and Scott stays with him until the morning.
Back in the slums, living in a condemned hotel, Mike and Scott become good friends. Scott introduces Mike to his friends and acquaintances. In particular, there is Bob Pigeon (William Richert) who is an overweight, alcoholic, old man who has a fondness for young men. Bob is the leader of the group living in the hotel. It is later revealed that Bob was once in love with Scott, and Scott used him as a teacher.
Mike decides to begin a search for his "long-lost" mother, who was last heard from somewhere in Idaho. Mike accompanies him. The two acquire a motorcycle, and their journey begins.
During the nighttime while sitting around a campfire, the two have an involved conversation which tries to define their friendship. Mike tells Scott that he loves him without getting paid for it. Scott tries to tell him that "two guys can't love each other," but Mike disagrees. Mike begins to cry, and he then kisses Scott. The two lay down to sleep. The next day they learn that Mike's mother has traveled to Italy. They go to the airport and board the next flight.
Scott falls in love with an Italian girl, leaving Mike alone and broken-hearted. Scott and the girl return to Portland, and Mike returns separately, never finding his mother.
The story is believable to anyone who has grown up in a city or at least has been exposed to city life. The scenes of bums and vagrants living in abandoned buildings should not seem odd to most people, and the idea of hustlers should not be too hard to accept. The story of Mike searching for his mother is totally natural and not forced in any way. The longing for a missing family member should be believable to anyone who is not a cold-hearted product of asexual reproduction.
The plot outlined above is primarily expository, however he entire plot is not apparent until the film is nearly ended; Mike is in Idaho, standing on the exact same stretch of highway. He experiences another narcoleptic seizure, passing out in the middle of the road. He is exactly where he was when the film started. After viewing this scene, it is quite obvious that the film actually possesses an in medias res dramatic structure.
Throughout the film we are subjected to flashbacks which reflect the inner-workings of Mike's mind. They contain images of peaceful mountain rivers, fish, buildings which fall to the ground, shots of a woman (Mike's mother) and a ranch-style house, and other incidental material. This reinforces the in medias res style. It is important to realize that the theme of this film is that Mike is searching for his mother, and the incidents which occur during the film are, for the most part, external to the actual story.
Both internal and external conflict are present in MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. Internally, Mike is dealing with the fact that he cannot find his mother. This causes much grief for him, and is most likely a contributing factor in his narcolepsy. Externally, there is the friendship between Scott and Mike which is abruptly placed on hold when Scott falls in love while visiting Italy. There is also the rocky relationship between Scott and his rich father. For some reason, Scott finds it necessary to annoy his father by avoiding him and participating in activities his father would never approve of.
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO is not a genre film, per se, but it is a formula film in the fact that there is a main character (Mike) who is searching for a long-lost relative. Generally formula films are simply reworkings of cookie-cutter stories, but director/screenwriter Gus Van Zant has decided to work a formula story into a product which contains unconventional ideas and characters, and forms of sexuality which are not appealing to the general public. These ingredients make for a very unpredictable film, yet it is a formula film nonetheless. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO is certainly not typical Hollywood fare.
It can be said that Gus Van Zant is a graduate of the auteur school of filmmaking. He wrote the screenplay for and directed MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO, as he did with his two previous feature films. His first film, which he made with $20,000 of his own personal savings, was named 1987's best independent feature by the Los Angeles Film Critics' Association. This film, MALA NOCHE, was photographed in grainy 16-millimeter black and white. His second feature, DRUGSTORE COWBOY was also met with near-universal critical acclaim. He has also directed two music videos, one for David Bowie and more recently one for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Gus Van Zant is a quiet man himself, such that an assistant sometimes has to repeat cues that he has mumbled into the megaphone. He keeps to himself, hidden behind a veil of deep thought. Van Zant has been called eccentric, as he asks that his actors perform the scene several times before the camera even begins rolling.
Characterization is very important to Van Zant, and he prefers that his actors try to remain in-character while they are not being filmed. By doing this he feels that they will appear more natural when they are in front of the camera. This is easy for Phoenix and Reeves, as both are personality actors. Van Zant employs several methods of characterization in MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. The characterization of those living in the slums is primarily by external action and appearance, as they are typically flat characters added simply to help the story along.
Bob's character is developed by appearance and dialog, but primarily through the reactions of other characters. The main characters, Scott and Mike, are established through dialog, appearance, and external action. Another important technique used by Van Zant for River Phoenix's character is characterization by internal action. Throughout the film we are presented with brief clips which indicate his thoughts and feelings. This can also be thought of as a form of symbolism.
Another form of symbolism, which is never explained, is the use of the "smiley face." At the beginning of the film, and when Mike returns to the Idaho highway, he looks off to the distance and comments about how the mountains and clouds look like "a ... face." In another scene, Scott lies down on a bed, staring up at a ceiling lamp which is decorated with multicolored smiley faces. At the end of the film, previous to the credits, the legend "have a nice day" is displayed on the screen. For those who were raised in a cave, the phrase "have a nice day" as often accompanied by the image of the smiley face.
Another use of symbolism I noticed, which is probably totally unrelated to the smiley faces, is the oddly frequent appearance of fish. A shot of fish swimming in a river is shown twice, and decorative brass fish appear as a part of one character's home. Again, this is never explained.
Gus Van Zant's three feature films are not very similar in directional style; however they do have a few similar traits. Van Zant's films contain serious stories which appeal to one's intellect. At first, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO seems to be a simple and straightforward story, but as previously mentioned it is quite complex and involved. The subject matter that Van Zant works with is unique and original, as most directors would not be willing to work on such projects as he. During the height of Nancy Reagan's "Just say No!" campaign, Van Zant completed DRUGSTORE COWBOY, a film whose primary characters are drug addicts. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO contains prostitution and shades of homosexuality, and was made during a time when one of the most deadly diseases in the world can be transmitted by sexual contact. For whatever reason, AIDS simply does not exist in this film, and the omission is so obvious that it must have been intentional.
When referring to Van Zant's cinematographic style, it should be noted that he tends to use the objective camera; that is, the audience views as a remote spectator. So remote, in fact, that the viewer should not find it odd to find himself looking down upon a scene as if he was hanging from the ceiling, complete with a light bulb in the foreground. The only exception to this rule is that Van Zant tends to use the subjective style in scenes where Scott and Mike are not the central focus.
In most scenes Van Zant uses high-key lighting. This is most notable during scenes which take place outdoors at night. It is very rare that the characters are hidden in shadows, unless it is integral to the plot. When Van Zant desires obscurity, backlighting is used. This is most obvious when Scott and Mike leap out from behind the rock during the robbery scene. On the indoor hotel sets, Van Zant creates the appearance of sunlight streaming through dusty windows; the gloom is pierced by a warm glow, and the rooms are lit brightly enough that all details are visible.
The title MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO was inspired by the B-52's song "Private Idaho," although the film has little in common with the song. The "Private Idaho" in the film is the visions that Mike occasionally sees in his mind. Therefore it can be said that Mike is "living in his own private Idaho"--and Idaho which is visible only to him.
The music selected by Van Zant for this project consists primarily of old American Folk tunes. Therefore it is not incidental in nature, rather it provides a continual background "mood music" effect. This is totally incongruous to the typical Hollywood style, where the story is punctuated by orchestral music. The style of music used in MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO perfectly suits the smooth, unobtrusive editing and chronological narrative structure. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO has a very slow, leisurely pace. Scenes flow at an almost standstill rate, focusing on small details. Sometimes this is beneficial, as the dialog seems to be written as though it were a literary masterpiece and not natural speech. The slow pace gives the audience time to contemplate what the characters are speaking of.
The first time I viewed MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO, at RIT's Talisman, I found it quite confusing. Only after attending the second screening did it make some sense to me. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO is a very complex film which ends without resolution of the story. It deals with "taboo" ideas which are not generally dealt with in the American cinema. One reason for my initial confusion may have been I was uptight about what I was seeing on the screen, and this distracted me from the story at hand. During my second viewing I knew what to expect, and devoted my attention to the story.
I found MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO to be a very depressing film. River Phoenix's character never does find his mother; and to make matters worse, he loses Scott to a woman. His narcolepsy is uncontrollable, and this makes him an oddity to most people. Without Scott, it appears that he has no one to turn to at a time when he seems to need help the most.
[This is a report that the author prepared as part of his course requirements. He is posting it for the general reference of all. If you find a need to re-use any part, please send e-mail to sew7490@ritvax.isc.rit.edu as it is (c) 1992, Sean E. Williams]
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