Narcissism in Film and on TV

MeAgain wrote:Spoiler: they part ways in Season 3 whilst President and First Lady!

Indeed I am interested in knowing as well how their relationship is going to evolve...

It seems like nobody mentioned Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica, has to be my favorite narcissistic character ever.

Mel Brooks. A man after my own heart and tastes in TV programmes!

http://youtu.be/WycRL8PfAw0

http://youtu.be/uNg13Ju5HN8

Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth. Codependent and Counter Dependent Covert Narcissists. Like mother, like daughter!

http://youtu.be/Cm7peg4CKoY

The Tudors. An absolute must see for us. Every character is narcissistic. Not surprising, given the era it is set in!

I was just watching the 1959 movie, Compulsion which is about a famous murder trial which occurred in 1924. Famous because Clarence Darrow was the defense attorney. (He was famous for the Scopes "Monkey" Trial where the theory of evolution was put on trial.).

This movie is about two wealthy college-age boys who kidnap and murder a young boy -- just to get away with it. To plan and commit the perfect crime. One of them (Stockwell playing depicting Leopold through the character Steiner) is seethingly cerebral N. The other is your more affluent grandiose N.

I was struck by the narcissistic performance, especially the ending. The killers were caught because the cerebral's eyeglasses fell from his jacket at the scene. Earlier in the movie, there is a dramatic point placed upon how the boys' parents didn't like Darrow for his support of atheist theories of evolution. But, they "lowered" themselves to solicit him (because he was the best). At the end of the movie, Darrow makes an impassioned plea to spare the boys from hanging. The judge agrees.

In the last 30 seconds The boys become indignant with Darrow for not doing a better job. The press fires back "where's your remorse?" Darrow makes a cynical/snide dismissal that he didn't expect them to fall down and beg god for mercy. The cerebral mocks Darrow's reference (alluding to Darrow being demonized as a supporter of atheistic teachings.). Darrow nonchalantly observes that the cerebral will have plenty of time to ponder if it was "the hand of god who dropped those glasses. And if he didn't, who did?"

What a perfect ending. Even failing at the perfect crime, the cerebral N was still defiant of anything larger than himself. Below is the full movie. It's very good. But, the ending can be seen through this direct link.




Because the story seemed so interesting, I googled and found this about the real-life Leopold in prison:

Nathan Leopold said that reading Compulsion made him "physically sick," caused him to feel "terrific shame," and induced a "mild melancholia." He felt as "if he were exposed stark-naked under the strong spotlight before a large audience." - http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/f ... O_COMP.HTM

(Also, I worked with Dean Stockwell's nephew. He, of course, plays Leopold/Steiner. Now, that is overt grandiosity! Name-dropping to get supply from rare, distant connections to fame. Some of you people simply aren't trying hard enough.... ).

I make a point of getting it TTL. Love your new avatar, btw. Like Mel Brooks, I'm addicted to Breaking Bad and loving Claire Danes in Homeland. Her husband too in Hannibal! Coverts have got to get The Last Ship. Especially for Dr. Scott and the grungy bloke, whose name escapes me. So many DVD box sets: so little time! Darlings! Lovvies!

Truth too late wrote:I was just watching the 1959 movie, Compulsion

I liked this quote from the movie:

Strauss (Loeb): When we made the deal, you said you could take orders. You said you wanted me to command you.
Steiner (Leopold): I do — as long as you keep your part of the agreement.

That is such a perfect parable of the inner Confabulation. The self-agreement to watch the inner-movie; the plausible deniability; the shifting sands of responsibility, revision of history.

http://youtu.be/gV66svFgO8o

I just saw this old movie on tv, The Grace Kelly Story (1983). Wow, this is more about her Narcissistic father than her. You really see it, like Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People (1980).

Here's one scene I found on YouTube showing how he dismisses her goal to be an acrtress while obsessed with his boys' accomplishments.



There is a really good scene in the end when she receives word from her agent that she is nominated for an Oscar award. He tells her how hard she worked for it. I even related to the awkwardness she must've felt. She thanked him, and he repeated how she did it all herself. You can see how this is the first time she's felt validated for accomplishing something. Awhile later, she reads a news story quoting her father who, upon receiving the news of her nomination, said she better pull it through "we're batting 1000" and goes on to talk about two other family members who achieved something -- "so it's all riding on her."

She hadn't accomplished anything.

I get the impression at the end that the Prince of Monaco was narcissistic. He takes over (priority over) her career in the way her father wanted her to end it and be more "pragmatic." I've got a feeling she wasn't a happy woman as Princess.