Hope vs. Despair: Lang vs. Capra

 

By Michael Momper

    Good art challenges us. It nudges us toward self-reflection. From the earliest days of Old Hollywood, profound storytellers have been using the craft of filmmaking to make comments about the state of the world. The best of these films offer a sort of diagnosis on the affairs of the human soul, and suggest certain remedies, or at least make clear the pitfalls that we must avoid in order to lead a good life. Often, masterpieces of film that capture humanity's greatest strengths or weaknesses do so unambiguously, and stick with us because of their startling clarity. This clarity can take the form of either uplifting beauty, in the case of an Old Hollywood "happy ending" done right, or haunting horror, as exemplified by the greatest works of dystopian fiction. I intend to discuss how both of these storytelling roads, in the hands of a capable writer or director, can lead us down the path of virtue and provide prescriptions for the many ills in our sin-sick world.

    Enter Fritz Lang, one of the greatest directors of all time. Born in Austria and working in Germany before eventually moving to Los Angeles, Lang has been dubbed "The Master of Darkness" for his probing and stark looks into the depths of evil that can live in the ordinary man. His masterpieces include M, Metropolis, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and Scarlet Street, and his style has influenced countless directors since.

    Part of what makes Lang's storytelling often so compelling is that it begs self-reflection, as his stories often focus on the psychological fragilities of man. Two of his films that I found most haunting are You Only Live Once and Scarlet Street. The former is the story of a man, played expertly by Henry Fonda, who has finally finished his prison time for various crimes and is attempting to "go straight" so as to provide for his family and get his life back on track. He is instead met with extreme hostility from his employer, friends, and strangers, once it is discovered that he is an ex-con. Their antipathy comes across as wicked in its own right, a wickedness he thought he'd escape once back in the "righteous world". This reaction to his earnest attempts at reform drive him to despair, and derail his otherwise valiant efforts, until eventually he is broken completely and leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. 

    Similarly, in Lang's masterpiece Scarlet Street, a gentle but aloof painter (played by Edward G. Robinson) attempts to woo a beautiful woman in his neighborhood, and what follows is the corruption of a good soul. The painter is treated as a fool, nothing more than a means to a fortune that the woman mistakenly believes he possesses. She schemes with another man behind his back, and when our protagonist finds this out, he is shattered so immensely that he is driven to murderous rage that captures him like unbreakable shackles and eventually follows him for the rest of his life.

    In these two examples of some of Lang's finest work, we see the severity of the fall from grace that ensues after a good person fully gives in to despair. Because of the wickedness that these men witness, wickedness that is essentially unprompted and done to good people, further wickedness is perpetrated and the cycle of evil is enhanced. It is said that despair is the "unforgiveable sin", as it is the brother of pride- it is the belief that the power of evil is finally greater than the power of good. Once a person fully gives into despair, nihilism is the only thing that makes sense- attempting virtue is frivolous, even foolish, as nothing but darkness will prevail in the end.

    We can see that these types of nightmarish scenarios can actually encourage virtue when in the hands of a great storyteller. Read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World if you need further proof that a properly told dystopian tale can encourage one to look at the state of his own soul. But with such a sick world, with so much evil done to innocent people, with so much suffering to find even in one's own town, what is the antidote to this despair that can so easily creep in to our psyches from time to time?

    We can look again to Old Hollywood for a couple of the greatest examples of human goodness triumphing over human frailty. Frank Capra, a renowned Italian-American director, is especially famous for two of the greatest movies from this time period- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's A Wonderful Life. Though these are verified classics, in modern reviews, some critics look at the earnestness portrayed by Jimmy Stewart in these films as a little corny. I couldn't disagree more.

    In both of these films, Stewart's protagonist is pitted up against powerful, greedy men. In both cases, these men are in positions of government or business that make defiance of them almost impossible. They are giants, and Stewart is small and ordinary. The odds of making a difference in the world seem insurmountable. In Mr. Smith, greedy politicians are attempting to thwart Smith's plans to build a campsite to better the livelihoods of young boys. The politicians want to use this site for a dam that would make them small fortunes, and they use Smith's earnestness and idealism against him to win his trust and then embarrass him in front of Congress. He is totally alone, up against an entire room of cheats and scoundrels who have all the power. As we've seen depicted in the route to despair shown so masterfully by Fritz Lang, this is a turning point of the soul. This type of adversity is exactly the type of pressure that tests what a man is made of. Mr. Smith chooses to take the antidote to despair: Hope.

    In It's A Wonderful Life, which looks into the darkness of despair even more closely than Mr. Smith, our protagonist George Bailey is driven almost to suicide when he comes to the conclusion that his family's and friends' lives may very well be better off without him. He has been bullied out of business by Mr. Potter, his town's vicious real estate villain, and he has lashed out at his family as he reaches the end of his rope. Instead of ending his life, an angel prompts him to abandon despair and embrace the hope that his life has meaning, and his life can change the world around him in more ways than he can possibly imagine. George Bailey is Hope personified.

    Capra's may be old movies, but they are must-watch cinema. In today's days of complex anti-heroes and never-ending streamable content that often blurs the lines between good and evil, it can be easy to look at these Stewart characters as idealistic, or even foolish. But to really experience these movies with an open heart is to see that goodness is possible. Even when things seem to be at their darkest, Hope can pierce through. Hope can challenge even the hardest hearts. Despair only makes the darkness thicker. In a world full of Mr. Potter's, we can choose to be George Bailey. Joy is something that must be chosen, because the world often has a way of snuffing it out. And if one looks at your joy as corny, as dreamy, as impractical, as foolish... so what? Be the fool. Hope is the only antidote to despair.