I wrote the following post for the summer course I am teaching, which is called THR 350: Plays as Film. The first unit is on the terms "theatrical" and "cinematic," and students are asked to track theatrical and cinematic techniques in one of the top 50 highest-grossing films (or a personal favorite film. My post is a little bit longer than the suggested length of 500 words.
Cinematic and Theatrical Techniques in Troop Beverly Hills
One of my favorite movies is Troop Beverly Hills, a 1989 comedy starring Shelley Long and
directed by Jeff Kanew. This film is not even close to the top 50
highest-grossing films of all time, but I watched it often with my sisters
growing up, to the point that most of my family can recite lengthy portions of
the dialogue. It is a film that offers a
balance between theatrical and cinematic strategies, primarily because the central
protagonist is a larger-than-life persona.
Shelley Long plays Phyllis Nefler, a housewife and socialite
who is going through a “terribly messy divorce” from husband Fred Nefler,
played by Craig T. Nelson. Jenny Lewis (now a singer-songwriter) plays Hannah
Nefler, Phyllis’s daughter. Phyllis becomes the leader of Hannah’s Wilderness
Girl troop, leading to much mother-daughter bonding and to Phyllis finding
meaning in life. Phyllis’s main antagonist is Velda Plendor (played by Betty
Thomas), the District Leader of the Wilderness Girls organization who clashes
with Phyllis over what it means to be a Wilderness Girl.
Troop Beverly Hills makes
use of cinematic elements to tell the story in two main ways: location shots
indicate realistic places, and juxtaposition shows the passage of time. The
film begins with an animated title sequence that transforms into a real-world
setting, using a cinematic technique known as a dissolve. Other key location
shots include shops on Rodeo Drive, the steps of a courthouse, and a log over a
ravine in the film’s climactic scene. The realism of these locations is often
increased by the use of extras, who inhabit the space along with central
characters in the film, but whose behavior is not important to the narrative of
the film. For example, when Velda walks toward the hotel where Phyllis and her
troop are staying, two joggers run by. These extras add to the sense that the
characters from the film are inhabiting the real world. (Because the “real
world” of this film is Beverly Hills, the joggers are Annette Funicello and
Frankie Avalon, who starred in a number of beach-related teen movies in the
1960s. This casting adds a layer of intertextuality that may push toward
theatricality, if viewers recognize Frankie and Annette.)
Another cinematic strategy is the use of juxtaposition to
show the passage of time. In a long sequence, Phyllis leads Hannah’s troop in
earning a series of merit badges. Each segment is introduced with a shot of
Phyllis sitting at a table, reading the Wilderness Girl Handbook. The camera
focuses on the book so that the spectator can see the topic of the patch the
girls are going to earn. Then the girls enact the requirements for earning the
patch. A shot of the Dance patch is followed by a scene in which Phyllis
teaches the troop nostalgic dances such as the Frug and the Mashed Potato. A close-up on the “Create-A-Patch” page shows
Phyllis drawing a diamond for the Jewelry Appraisal Patch, which leads into a
scene in a jewelry store. While this type of juxtaposition would be possible on
stage, it is much more frequently used in film and is clearly a cinematic
technique. (A related technique is known as montage; all of the Rocky films feature montage sequences
that show Rocky training for a boxing match.)
The theatrical aspects of Troop Beverly Hills center on the outlandish antics of the
character Phyllis Nefler. Phyllis is constantly trying to be the center of
attention, putting herself into situations where she has an audience. She takes
the stage at several troop meetings, in a courtroom, and at a lavish party.
During an extended sequence related to cookie sales, Phyllis and the troop
perform an elaborate “Cookie Time” song-and-dance number surrounded by orange
and green cookie boxes. Phyllis also organizes a fashion show highlighting the “Wilderness
Look,” her own revised take on the Wilderness Girl uniform (in collaboration
with her tailor, Henri). Costume is a
significant theatrical aspect of this film; Phyllis’s outfits frequently call
attention to herself. In this and other ways, Shelley Long’s portrayal of
Phyllis Nefler is comparable to Rosalind Russell’s Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame. Auntie
Mame offers an excellent example of theatrical strategies on film: many
scenes end with the lights fading into a blackout, as though Mame were on a
stage. Troop Beverly Hills doesn’t go
quite that far, but we do frequently see Phyllis alone, talking to herself or
to an object as though she had an audience. At the very beginning of the film
she addresses a jewel-encrusted frog: “I’m going kiss you, froggy, and turn you
into a handsome prince.” Later, she ruminates on her life changes in a
monologue about metaphorical patches, such as the Divorce patch. This
theatrical relationship to the audience is somewhat similar to Matthew
Broderick’s narration in Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off, though Phyllis never acknowledges the viewer in the way that
Ferris does.
Troop Beverly Hills thus
incorporates both theatrical and cinematic strategies. In this case, the
theatrical strategies tend to focus on giving a sense of character. Phyllis is
placed in theatrical situations to show us that her character has a big
personality, but her soliloquies allow for a more intimate relationship with the
audience. Nevertheless, cinematic strategies keep the film grounded in reality.
Though Phyllis is a larger-than-life, theatrical character, the world she
inhabits is based on the reality of Los Angeles. Cinematic techniques also
allow the filmmakers to demonstrate the passage of time. As we watch other
films in this course, try to track how filmmakers deploy both cinematic and
theatrical strategies.
