Film Review: The Day of the Locust

John Schlesinger’s (1975) vision of Nathaniel West’s seminal The Day of the Locust (1938) uses Hollywood to metaphorically depict America during the Great Depression. The story focusses on a small group of characters: the socially and sexually awkward Homer Simpson (Donald Sutherland), Yale graduate and storyboard illustrator Tod Hackett (William Atherton), ex-Vaudeville trouper turned door-to-door salesman Harry Greener (Burgess Meredith), and his daughter Faye (Karen Black), an ‘actress’ who is romantically involved with both Homer and Tod throughout.

All four characters have moved to Los Angeles to fulfil their fantasies. This includes gaining their share of the American dream and taking advantage of the country’s economic mobility. However as the film unravels it becomes evident that none of them will achieve this. Like the rest of the US that it represents, Los Angeles is unable to deliver on its promises. This idea is frequently alluded to throughout by Tod’s sketch of a group of faceless and miserable people, the locusts, sitting on a city bench and waiting for a bus that never seems to come.

The 'locusts' waiting for a bus that never comes (Schlesinger 1975)

Following my last post about falseness in Los Angeles, I think the metaphorical use of the city to represent a land of empty dreams is particularly interesting. This dates back to the late 19th century when boosters created an image of the city as the answer to the nation’s problems. In doing so they rewrote the region’s narrative using the ‘Spanish fantasy past’ as a foundation. The San Bernardino Arms, a crumbling Spanish Mission Revival style housing complex where our characters live, is perhaps a nod to the city’s artificial history. Following the era of intense boosterism described in my previous post, Los Angeles’ facade has only been amplified by the film industry. This is a key theme in The Day of the Locust. It is this dream that has lured the superficial and shallow to the city. Homer, Tod, Harry and Faye are all victims of this.

While the film does an excellent job portraying an unsatisfactory America and the profoundly negative effect unfulfilled promises can have on its people, I felt that Schlesinger went a little overkill on his metaphorical allusions. An apocalyptic final scene depicting rioting outside a premier at Grauman's Chinese Theatre suggests the country is headed for an anarchistic revolution. During this crux, Schlesinger perhaps hits the message a little too far home by overlaying Tod’s sketches of locusts onto the rioting crowd. This leaves very little for audiences to interpret themselves.

References

Schlesinger, J. (1975) The Day of the Locust, Hollywood: Long Road Productions

West, N. (1938) The Day of the Locust, New York: Random House.