ice storm and witness

A detailed Summary of ice storm and witness


When adults look back on their lives they often remember their childhood with much nostalgia. For everyone it is a time of adventure. Everything is new and exciting and yet to be explored. Often we remember this period of our lives as the best time of our lives, a time when we were free from the responsibilities that mount, as we grow up. Indeed we view the experience of childhood with such reverie that when authors or directors attempt to recreate it in literature or movies, they may be plagued with stereotypes trying to recreate some ideal. Childhood is widely regarded as a time of innocence where no responsibility is taken for ones actions. It is also a time where the child is governed by adults and as such is subject to their restrictions. "Witness", a Peter Weir film identifies the relationship of the adventure of childhood as being subject to the restrictions of the adults who supervise them, a sort of domestic realism. Throughout the film, Samuel has various "adventures" which are governed by the different people whose jurisdiction he is under. Similarly we see the same process take place in the movie "The Ice Storm", a portrayal of two families in the 1970's. Here we see an entirely dif


Another example of this is when Rachel hides the gun so that Samuel doesn't play with it. Also as it against Amish culture to possess such things. Here, the adventure and mystery which surrounds the gun, is curtailed by his mother. This shows again Weir's effort to promote the idea that childhood adventures, not matter how seemingly free and fantastical, are subject to the adults supervising them. With different supervision however comes the scope for different adventures. When Samuel is with Book, he is afforded more freedom and his curiosity is allowed to manifest into adventure. With Book, Samuel discovers the gun, wanders around the Police Headquarters, and travels round the seedy districts of the city. This is quite an unbelievable experience for Samuel, a far cry from his sheltered Amish life, and is only possible when he is under the supervision of Book.

ferent message being depicted as Ang Lee creates a much more experimental and morally loose childhood for his characters. This is seen as a reflection of the limited constraints that are put upon them by their parents. Both these movies, through their representation of childhood and adulthood, show the relationship between adventure romance and domestic realism. How the adventure of childhood is constrained by the limits of adults around them.



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Approximate Word count = 1796
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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