Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

Appendix G: Films Illustrating Psychopathology 247
winds up being sodomized, and Reynolds kills the
rapist, using a bow and arrow. Based on a James
Dickey novel, the film raises interesting questions
about personal responsibility and social justice.
Disclosure (1994) Drama ΨΨ
A less-than-illuminating film about reverse sexual
discrimination. Stars include Demi Moore and
Michael Douglas; based on a novel by Michael
Crichton.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Crime ΨΨΨ
Al Pacino holds up a bank to get enough money to
fund a sex-change operation for his homosexual
lover. Good illustration of a basically good person
caught up in an stressful situation.
Down and Dirty (1976) Drama ΨΨ
An interesting examination of the effects of poverty,
squalor, and alcoholism on an Italian family.
Dressed to Kill (1980) Thriller Ψ
The film confuses transsexualism and schizophrenia
but offers good suspense. Mimics Hitchcock.
Elephant (2003) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
Well-crafted, foreboding, eerie Gus van Sant film
that attempts to explain a tragic school shooting.
Powerful parallels with Columbine. Winner of
the Palm award at Cannes for Best Picture and
Director.
End of Violence, The (1997)
Drama/Suspense ΨΨΨ
Bill Pullman plays an action/violence film director
who is almost murdered so he hides out from society
and starts a new life. While his character both
promotes and greatly fears violence, a secret government
worker (Gabriel Byrne) tries to prevent
violence by watching over the city with thousands
of cameras.
Executioner’s Song, The (1982)
Made for TV Drama ΨΨ
Tommy Lee Jones plays serial killer Gary Gilmore.
Based on a story by Norman Mailer.
Extremities (1986) Drama Ψ
Farrah Fawcett plays a victimized woman who gets
revenge on the man who rapes her.
Fight Club (1999) Drama/Suspense ΨΨΨΨ
A disillusioned, insomniac (Edward Norton) meets
a dangerous, malcontent part of himself in the
character of Brad Pitt. Norton then establishes
“fight clubs” where men can violently release their
aggressions by fighting one another.
“The great war is a spiritual war;
the great depression is our lives.”
Fight Club
Gangs of New York (2002) Drama/Action ΨΨΨ
Martin Scorsese picture of the turbulence of New
York City in the mid-1800s.
Godfather, The (1972), The Godfather, Part II
(1974), and The Godfather, Part III (1990)
Drama ΨΨΨΨ
The three-part gangster trilogy, directed by Francis
Ford Coppola, examines violence, corruption, and
crime in America.
“We’ll make him an offer he can’t
refuse.”
The Godfather
Halloween I-V and H2O (1978, 1981, 1982, 1988,
1989, 1998) Horror Ψ
Infamous mass murderer depicted as an escaped
mental patient and a deranged toy maker. These
films have contributed significantly to the negative
stereotypes of mental illness.
Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The (1992)
Thriller/Drama Ψ
Sociopathic woman seeks revenge for the suicide
of her husband by moving in and taking over the
family of the woman she holds responsible for her
husband’s death. Predictable performances, but
still an engrossing film.
Heavenly Creatures (1994) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
A New Zealand film directed by Peter Jackson
and based on the true story of two adolescent
girls who grow up sharing a fantasy world.
When the mother of one of the girls decides to
separate the children, they murder her. One of
the girls, Ann Perry, now lives in England and
writes mystery novels.
From: Wedding, D., Boyd, M.A., & Niemiec, R.M. Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology
© 2005 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers (www.hogrefe.com)