Throughout our lives we constantly find ourselves submerge in a social hierarchy amongst our peers which severs constant reminder of what is considered socially acceptable and what is not. The 1978 film Animal House, directed by John Landis, spins the social hierarchy of a college campus on its head for a flare of humor, but not without a serious subelement. In the scene where Eric”Otter” Stratton(Tim Matheson) and Donald “Boon” Schoenstein(Peter Riegert) take insult to ROTC officer, Doug Neidermeyer(Mark Metcalf) brutally hazing their fraternity pledge, Kent Dorfman(Stephen Furst) only to then start to embark in a game of golf to hit Niedermeyer and the horse he’s mounted on (19:44-22:21). In which Landis uses the film techniques, a low-angle
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This is a unique concept as previously in the scene Niedermeyer was established as the higher up before Otter and Boon’s entrance. Due to normal social constructs, Niedermeyer, highest ranking officer in this scene who is hashing out insults and commands left and right he would normally be the more superior role. However, due to Niedermeyer’s more caricatured personally he is seen as ridiculous by the viewer, and along with the visual symbolism of the low angle gives the wise-cracking and laidback Otter and Boon are given this the more superior role in the scene. This technique of exaggerating a type of social group or persona up to the point it’s laughable is what sets the scene as an element of social satire. As Thomas K. Lindsay argues that it is through comedy that Animal House is able to demonstrate “our weeping at nature’s inadequacy is the last count, laughable, while our laughing at convention’s pretensions is, at bottom, deadly serious”(55). Animal House has an undertone of seriousness showing the cruelty of the stuffy uptight social groups that occupy a college campus and presenting a pair of charming troublemakers as liberators of the …show more content…
There is a slightly low angle as Niedermeyer looms over Dorfman. This gives the viewer the impression that Dorfman is intimidated by Niedermeyer and thus giving Dorfman the submissive role of the hierarchy. As Niedermeyer shouts orders and insults at him the viewer starts to empathize with Dorfman and they begin to antagonize Niedermeyer. This when Boon and Otter begin to take notice of the situation and are outrage claiming that only they can harass their pledges. Boon then leisurely attempts to aim a golf ball at Niedermeyer only to miss twice breaking two windows Otter than takes the club and begins t show boon how to make the shot. Both Otter and Boon appear to be very lackadaisical in this scene as if they were playing on a golf course instead of terrorizing the ROTC officer. This gives the viewer comfort as they have grown to dislike Niedermeyer over the course of this scene, and want justice to be taken for his brutality. Lindsay argues, “conventional comedy, then offers a healthy outlet for our natural hostility to the variety of moral and social constraints responsible for both civilization and its discontents”(56). The audience can relate to Dorfman as ever one has been scolded by a superior, and wishes for justice to be served. Which is why Otter and
This is a unique concept as previously in the scene Niedermeyer was established as the higher up before Otter and Boon’s entrance. Due to normal social constructs, Niedermeyer, highest ranking officer in this scene who is hashing out insults and commands left and right he would normally be the more superior role. However, due to Niedermeyer’s more caricatured personally he is seen as ridiculous by the viewer, and along with the visual symbolism of the low angle gives the wise-cracking and laidback Otter and Boon are given this the more superior role in the scene. This technique of exaggerating a type of social group or persona up to the point it’s laughable is what sets the scene as an element of social satire. As Thomas K. Lindsay argues that it is through comedy that Animal House is able to demonstrate “our weeping at nature’s inadequacy is the last count, laughable, while our laughing at convention’s pretensions is, at bottom, deadly serious”(55). Animal House has an undertone of seriousness showing the cruelty of the stuffy uptight social groups that occupy a college campus and presenting a pair of charming troublemakers as liberators of the …show more content…
There is a slightly low angle as Niedermeyer looms over Dorfman. This gives the viewer the impression that Dorfman is intimidated by Niedermeyer and thus giving Dorfman the submissive role of the hierarchy. As Niedermeyer shouts orders and insults at him the viewer starts to empathize with Dorfman and they begin to antagonize Niedermeyer. This when Boon and Otter begin to take notice of the situation and are outrage claiming that only they can harass their pledges. Boon then leisurely attempts to aim a golf ball at Niedermeyer only to miss twice breaking two windows Otter than takes the club and begins t show boon how to make the shot. Both Otter and Boon appear to be very lackadaisical in this scene as if they were playing on a golf course instead of terrorizing the ROTC officer. This gives the viewer comfort as they have grown to dislike Niedermeyer over the course of this scene, and want justice to be taken for his brutality. Lindsay argues, “conventional comedy, then offers a healthy outlet for our natural hostility to the variety of moral and social constraints responsible for both civilization and its discontents”(56). The audience can relate to Dorfman as ever one has been scolded by a superior, and wishes for justice to be served. Which is why Otter and