Take off that Mask

A detailed Summary of Take off that Mask

As sad as it seem first impressions often dictate the way people feel about one another. In most cases the way a person looks doesn't at all reflect on their personality. This stigma of the way a person looks goes far beyond being pretty and ugly. All to often people are assumed mentally retarded because of a facial deformity when in fact that person is as able or in many cases more then able to perform and task they are asked to perform. Ironically in this modern society where such stigmas exist, some movies are able change our thinking if not remove the stigmas altogether. The film Mask is a perfect example. This movie shows the stigmas for what they are and at the same time changes our impression of facial deformity. This movie enables anyone who views it look at a person and see them for who they are and not what they look like.

The film Mask we see the story of Rocky Denis, played by Eric Stoltz, is a teenage boy dealing with the effects of craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. Craniodiaphyseal Dysplasia also known as Lionitis, is a life shortening disease that causes calcium to accumulate in the skull. The calcium make the head grow to twice the normal size. Rocky obviously does not look like the average tee

The results of the emotions we watch Rocky endure are that we feel them ourselves. The movie is able show us how a person with a facial deformity is a person. The only thing different about a person with a facial deformity is that they do no fit the mold we have stereotypically put on how a face should look. This movie enables the viewer to throw this stereotype out and view a person with a facial deformity as a person.

The film again captures the view of Rocky's face and the first impression people have when Rocky goes to his first day of school. At the junior high school the students see him and make their impression and Rocky carries on as he always has. The students seem to overlook the fact that a biker from the gang dropped Rocky off at the school. In most junior high schools a student that is dropped off by a biker would get the full attention of bystanders. In this case all they notice is Rocky's facial deformity. As time passes the students like the principal accept Rocky for who he is.

Mask Dir. Peter Bogdanovich. Pref. Eric Stoltz, Cher, Sam Elliot, Laura Dern. 1985

After all of these interesting new emotion take hold Rocky decides that he will take the job at the summer camp. The camp is for blind children so chances are he will not be troubled with his face making false first impressions. From the moment Rocky arrives at the camp he is greeted and judged as someone without a facial deformity. This is evident when he is asked to remove his mask. Rocky jokingly shows that he can't take off a mask because he isn't wearing one. The reason this is a warm and non-judgmental greeting is because the person was not saying it in order to upset Rocky. It was just that from the distance that he was standing it looked like a mask. It is more evident as we watch Rocky and his relationship with Diana. Diana, played by Laura Dern, is a blind girl his age that can't judge Rocky by his face because she can't see it. Diana eventually becomes Rocky's first g

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rocky Rocky, Sam Elliot, Laura Dern, , Rocky Rusty, Outside Rocky, Dysplasia Lionitis, Eric Stoltz, facial deformity, deformity person, person facial, rocky rusty, conversation gar, person facial deformity, Diana Diana, Gar Gar, facial deformity person, camp blind children, argument mother, summer camp, film mask, rocky goes, job summer camp, sam elliot,

Approximate Word count = 1333
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Movies