This Property is Condemned is the film that fascinates its spectators by the author’s message, the original plot, dramatic episodes, and technical features like music and light. The film starts with the meeting of an illiterate girl Willie Star and a boy called Tom. She tells him a flashback of her family story which happened not a long time ago. Her sister Alma is considered the most attractive girl in the city. But she is in constant depression as she has no possibilities to fulfill herself in the town. She is introduced to Owen Legate and falls in love with him. After a while, they have to be apart. Alva marries another man and then cheats him and escapes to Owen. But still, she is not completely happy. Finally, her life is terminated by the length of infection.
The author’s message of the film lies in the fact that further personal development is impossible in the small town. It is strongly reinforced by the idea, that Alva is an ambitious person who suffocates by the absence of ways to express oneself. “Alva: … the most fearful thing about being buried alive is the risk of suffocation”. (Pollak, 7) Besides, the crisis of the personality is deepened by the strict family traditions and socio-economical situation. The film shows how a truly desirable person can be completely smashed by life coincidences and unfavorable social conditions.
Thus, the main character of the film is Alva – a girl trapped in a small town. Her mum limits her daughter, trying to make a fortune from her beauty. Living in Dodson she widely uses her natural attractiveness for constant change of partners. Possibly she is just trying to entertain herself, but Alva understands that her behavior may cast a shade on her reputation. She becomes a victim of her beauty as even Mama and Willie envy her, while even Mama’s partner JJ flirts with Alva. Finally, she makes her personal use of her nature, betraying JJ and escaping to Owen. This is her most vivid expression of inner power but it still doesn’t make her happy. The film highlights her attempts to struggle over the inappropriate conditions for her further development. All the time, she crosses upon the wall of economical and social decay, intrigues, and envy. In one of the film’s episodes, the character manifests that the most fearful thing in being buried alive is suffocation. This symbolizes her constant depressive feelings caused by her mother’s control and futile attempts to change her life. In this connection, the reason for Alva’s death manifests the decaying condition of the society, which results in losing its most valuable and promising members. Thus, society is killing itself.
One more point that makes this movie out-of-wall, is that it is made as a frame story of the main character’s sister. She expresses the story in her specific way letting pass it through her mind. This also helps understand another heroine’s inner world and compare it to that of Alva, taking into consideration her feelings, facts, treatment, or possible envy.
This film never leaves you indifferent if you are a true cinemagoer or an emotional person as it is overwhelmed by touchy scenes and dramatic episodes. Even the beginning of the film is emotionally charged with the episode of Willie’s sad story about her late sister. Then follows the scenes when Alva talks to Owen about her life in the town which seemed happy and carefree for the first glance, but deeply frustrated and suppressed the girl in real. The episode when young beauty confesses that she would better die than live in this town with her mother touches your soul. Apart from this, the episode when workers get up in the morning to start their day-to-day routine receives their pink slips about termination of the contract also strikes you with its dramatic charge. But the scene in Memphis, when Alva decides to break out with JJ and leaves him early in the morning stealing his money, pretends to be the dramatic culmination of the film.
But the spectator does not perceive the information only in a visual way. A great part of the film’s success depends upon the music and soundtracks. Thus, the film grasps you with its music which deepens and reinforces the impressions of the scenes. The lyrics by prominent authors like Jay Livingston and Ray Evans assist in understanding the author’s message, discovering the implicit meaning of the shown scenes, and evoking the pure emotions of the spectators. These are the features that every genuine art aims at. Besides such songs as Wish Me a Rainbow and Sing You Sinners became real hits after the film’s distribution.
Works cited
Pollack, Sydney. This Property is condemned. Script. New York: Public House, 1966.