4 responses so far ↓

• 1 Eric // Jul 7, 2008 at 10:02 pm

  John,

  I love this movie, and am glad you included it in your book. Seeing it again recently, I was struck by the power of one of its main themes.

  The robot has been programmed to use force when confronted with a threat. To overcome this, Hogarth instills in the iron giant a sense of volition and self-determination, reminding him that “you are what you choose to be.” The robot is then able to change his own programming, and accomplishes it by a kind of mantra, “I am not a gun.”

  I think Hogarth’s concept of the “self-made soul” is a very important theme to introduce to children (and adults,too!) Too often our therapized culture wants to believe that we are all victims of deterministic forces.

  What’s fascinating is how this concept plays itself out within the film. When the government and military get involved, and we see their rash and dangerous desire to employ lethal force, we desperately want them to learn what Hogarth has taught the iron giant; We want a military that will not automatically and unthinkingly respond to a threat by use of physical force.

  Since this film was made, we’ve seen the disastrous results of a government that responds to perceived threats in such a reckless manner. The movie, on recent viewing, almost seems as much about our own time as those paranoid Cold War days.

  I believe Brad Bird’s two subsequent films, THE INCREDIBLES and RATATOUILLE, to be even stronger than THE IRON GIANT. What all three films share is the willingness to explore complex themes through distinctive and fully-realized plots and characters. I’m curious to hear which of these you believe to be the strongest and why.

  Eric

• 2 John DiLeo // Jul 8, 2008 at 10:03 am

  Hey Eric,

  Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Unfortunately, the powerful themes in THE IRON GIANT will never seem dated because of the world in which we live. I agree that the film is even more resonant today than it was when it was released nine years ago. With the Bush administration behaving very much like the government in the movie, it does send chills down one’s spine, especially since, as you noted, this is a Cold War story, a period piece.

  Though I admire all of Brad Bird’s movies, I still feel that THE IRON GIANT is the best. I admit a certain protective feeling for it because, unlike the two that followed it, it was a box-office failure. It still hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, even though it was highly praised upon its release. Another thing about it is that it may in fact be the final great “cartoon” feature, a form pretty much laid to rest. It ranks with Disney’s classic cartoon features.

  Both those reasons, I admit, are somewhat sentimental. I do, also, believe THE IRON GIANT to be more successful artistically than both THE INCREDIBLES and RATATOUILLE. While their explorations of, respectively, family and art, are sophisticated and filled with feeling, neither, to me, has the depth, power, or sheer beauty of THE IRON GIANT, a film that stays with me, haunting me in the great tradition of films that leave an indelible mark. I liked the later films but little in them has remained with me, either thematically or visually, though both are clearly at the top rank of recent films made for children. No relationship in Bird’s later films can compare with the moving and intimate connection between Hogarth and the giant.

• 3 Eric // Jul 9, 2008 at 12:29 pm

  John,

  You make an excellent point in how endearing the relationship is between Hogarth and the Giant, and I can understand how and why this movie speaks to you. I’d argue, though, that in terms of “depth, power, and sheer beauty” the two subsequent films are superior.

  Depth, to me, is measured in terms of how deeply a film can penetrate into a theme or character. While it may seem that THE INCREDIBLES is more action than psychological exploration, a closer look reveals a profound insight into the dysfunction and existential angst which festers in a person, family, or culture that constrains or suppresses its abilities. The Parr family is extremely complex and interesting in this regard.

  Hogarth, by contrast, is a fairly straight-forward character. (Though I do recall a funny scene wherein Hogarth drinks coffee, and in a brief caffeine rant, reveals the beginnings of a distinctive and interesting character.)

  Similarly, the psychic depth of the antagonists in both subsequent films are more interesting than the shallower, one-dimensional villain in THE IRON GIANT.

  Power, if meant to suggest a film’s ability to move us, may be a purely subjective property. If so, I’ll assert that RATATOUILLE is the most emotionally powerful of the three films. It has stayed with me in the same indelible way you described.

  I’ll admit that in terms of sheer beauty, THE INCREDIBLES, while visually stunning, is not especially beautiful. It is, however, much more visually inventive than the other two. When it comes to sheer beauty, I’ll never forget the moment in RATATOUILLE when Remy first emerges from an adventure in the sewers to discover Paris. This is sheer beauty. The gorgeous autumnal colors of THE IRON GIANT come in second here for me.

  In addition to depth, power, and sheer beauty, I’d add that in terms of originality, the two later films have much more creatively ingenious and original plots than THE IRON GIANT, which seems in many ways like a retread of E.T.

  I’m splitting hairs here, because the broader fact is that all three of these films are major achievements in animation and storytelling. A theme common to all three is the idea of self-mastery. Whether it is a robot discovering that he can overcome his programming, or a suburban family who can unleash their superhero capabilities, or a rat who can transcend the low expectations set by his species, they all demonstrate the ability to be the authors of their own characters. And I’m thankful to Brad Bird for expressing this theme again and again.

• 4 John DiLeo // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:10 pm

  Hi Eric,

  I hope Brad Bird is listening because I think he’d enjoy our conversation. After all, we’re discussing three films of his that we both like, while trying to get to the heart of why I prefer one and you prefer the other two. I can only say that I fell in love with THE IRON GIANT on a first viewing and couldn’t wait to see it again and then, later, write about it. I know THE IRON GIANT quite well and, as I said, I feel protective toward it (as I do all the films in SCREEN SAVERS). I liked and admired Brad’s subsequent films but never revisited them because they didn’t stir my imagination in quite the same way. You have certainly made me want to see both again, and soon!

  All three films have silly scenes, some slapstick for the kiddies, but I do remember being turned off in RATATOUILLE, early on, when that old woman destroys her home with a shotgun in her attempt to kill the rats. The movie had to win me back (and eventually did).

  Regarding the villains, I have to say that I find the villain in IRON GIANT to be fascinating. It’s not outrageous anymore to have a government man be a bad guy but it is subversive to visualize him as the boy next door, while making the dark beatnik the hero. It’s a real treat to see stereotypes of the Cold War era turned upside down.

  The Paris of RATATOUILLE is gorgeous but I think my favorite image from that film is the red and velvety interior of the restaurant. Book me a reservation! In IRON GIANT, even more than the beautiful seasons, is the spectacular color and textures unleashed during the giant’s rampages.

  I understand your E.T. comparison regarding Hogarth and the giant, but E.T. was essentially a living stuffed animal, a cuddly and unthreatening pal almost from the start. I think the intensity of the Hogarth-Giant relationship, and the distance it travels to become such an emotional bond, surpasses cliche and sentimentality. Hogarth is mature beyond his years by the end, and the giant is clearly more human than many of the actual humans.

  I find it very satisfying that in THE INCREDIBLES, the family, after stifling their powers, expresses love more easily when releasing those powers. They pull together, become close, and enjoy themselves once they are utilizing their full selves. That’s how I remember it anyway. It makes me think of BEWITCHED and Samantha having to stifle her own creativity in suburban America, a place apparently fearful of a woman’s gifts.

  I did read the Ted Hughes book on which the IRON GIANT is based. This added further to my admiration of Bird’s achievement. Most of the movie is not in the book, which functions more as inspiration than literal source material. Bird’s film is very much his own. I hope we like his next movie as much as these three. At least we know we’ll be in the audience if his name is on the poster.

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