Scene Still: The Lisbon Girls

Friday, May 6th, 2011

http://raveenaj.glogster.com/lisbon-sisters/

*The annotation of a scene still*

Virgin Suicides: Books vs Movie

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Throughout watching the movie, I could not help but always think about how I read or interpreted particular scenes in the book and whether or not what I am watching is matching what I have read. When you read, the interpretation is all up to you. You can think anything about the person, scenario, setting etc. However, when you watch a movie, your interpretation is cut because everything is shown to you and your  "thinking cap" is taken away. There were many characters that I could say were different throughout the movie and particular scenes that were different than the book.

Trip Fontaine:

Trip Fontaine 

Trip Fontaine was quite the same in both the movie and the book. His attitude, his look was exactly the way I envisioned it to be. He was the ultimate heartthrob and in the movie you could see how easily his charms worked on the girls. For instance, there was one scene when Trip was late coming to school and he had to go to the office to get a slip. A young girl was sitting at the chair and he basically proved why every girl in the school drooled over him. All he did was go up to her and say "Hey beautiful. I'm late again." Then he pushed a strand of her hair back and she blushed. That's it! That's all it took for him to get a slip for being excused for being late. Fast forward to the scene when Trip is at the assembly with Lux. In the book Trip says "I'm gonna come over and ask your old man if I can take you out." The way Trip said it in the book made it seem like he's doing her a favour by asking her out or rather issuing an order. However, in the movie he seemed genuinely interest in asking Lux out. He said "I'm gonna ask you out. I'm gonna come to your place Sunday then I'm gonna ask you out." Just the way the dialogue was said in the movie by Trip seemed more sincere. Another scene where Trip seemed different was when he asked Mr. Lisbon if he could take Lux to homecoming. The reason for that is because the way the dialogues were delivered just made it seem like Trip was head over heels in love with Lux and she was the only one he'll ever want. The way he said "I just want you to know that my intentions for your daughter are completely honourable.'' He made it seem like a marriage proposal and I guess that was the reason why Mr. Lisbon hesitated with saying "No" and eventually gave into Trip's request. The one scene which I found was the most different compared to the movie was the scene when Trip and Lux have sex on the football field. In the book Trip said "I just left her. I didn't care how she got home." In the movie Trip says " I don't know why I left. I just got up and left, not caring how she got home." Trip Fontaine regrets leaving Lux a lot more in the movie than in the book. He seemed more heartless in the movie about doing so. When I read this exact scene in the book I was so mad at Trip for doing that but when I saw the exact same scene in the movie I wasn't mad because this time I could understand his emotions. It seemed as if Trip was scared about how hard he fell for her and leaving her was the only solution he could think of at the time. In the movie I felt bad for Trip because it seemed he was confused about his feelings for Lux. 

Mr. Lisbon:

Mr. Lisbon

He was one character I really despised in the book but once again I had a change of heart when I saw the movie. In the book Mr. Lisbon seemed as equally if not more responsible for the girls' suicides. He seemed rude and strict in the book but his character in the movie was different. In the movie it seemed as if Mrs. Lisbon wore the pants in the house and in their relationship. For instance, when Trip asked Mr. Lisbon if he could take Lux to the Homecoming dance, Mr. Lisbon said "Oh I don't know. I'll have to run it by my wife first." Which means Mrs. Lisbon makes all the big decisions and not Mr. Lisbon. However, if you look at the time period of the movie, 1970's, the men were considered to have more power over woman. However, in this case it was the opposite. When Mr. Lisbon came home that day and told his wife about the events prior in the day she replied "Girls your father and I will discuss this later." Then she gave Mr. Lisbon a good stare which could interpret into "I will have a very detailed and lengthy conversation about this with you!"It seemed as if Mr. Lisbon was a blind person and needed Mrs. Lisbon to take care of him and guide him, kinda of like those dogs for blind people. When Lux Lisbon won the award for Homecoming Queen at the dance Mr. Lisbon seemed very proud. His facial expressions revealed he was thinking "That's my girl." When the girls were getting ready for the dance Mr. Lisbon came in and took a photo but all Mrs. Lisbon did was say "Drive carefully" or "We normally don't allow this." Not once did that lady say "Girls, you look stunning today. I love you." Kids, especially girls want and need to be told that they are loved and look beautiful especially when they dress up. Mr. Lisbon just seemed more caring and loving in the movie than in the book. Just by the way his face turned stoneless when he held Cecilia's dead body in his arms showed his deep love for her. Mr. Lisbon emotions gave me a new perspective of him in the movie.

Lux Lisbon:

Lux Lisbon

There was one significant scene about Lux and Trip that was different than in the book. There was one phrase that Trip said to Lux and that was "Your a stone fox". After the both of them have sex, they do not speak to each other again. That was the same in both the movie and the book. What was different was when all the girls were taken out of school and were in their rooms, that Lux replayed that sentence in her head while sitting on the window seat. For me, that changed the relationship dynamic between them. The repeat of that phrase proved that Lux still cared about Trip but more importantly still thought about him. That dialogue was never repeated in the book and therefore I was sad that Lux and Trip never got together or never thought about each other. That phrase was repeated at a very crucial time in the movie. It was right after the girls were taken out of school and right before Lux started sleeping with many faceless men. She was at her lowest point when she was thinking about him and it could be that she was comparing herself to him and thinking well if he can charm his way into sleeping with girls then why cannot I charm my way into sleeping with guys. 

*Side Note*

Cecilia Lisbon

I noticed in the movie that when the Italian exchange student jumped off his relatives house in order to prove his love for a girl, Cecilia was right there. Shortly after, she used the same technique to kill herself. The major difference between the two scenarios is that when the Italian kid jumped off he fell into a bush and then got up, unharmed, put his shades back on and walked away as if nothing had happened. The point is that Cecilia could have wanted to just scare her parents again with doing the exact same thing the Italian kid did. Maybe she thought she could survive as well and come out unharmed but instead she landed right into the fence. I think she probably just wanted to scare her parents again, in order to get them to loosen up a bit. On the contrary when she slit her wrists the girls got a party out of it. If Cecilia had jumped and come out unharmed then maybe the girls would have been allowed to do more things.

First Reaction

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

This was my absolute first time watching the movie Virgin Suicides and I enjoyed it very much. I thought the director did a very good job at the casting. Almost every actor was portrayed exactly how I thought they would be. I found that Trip and and Mr. Lisbon were extremely different than how they were portrayed in the book.

One difference between reading a book and watching a movie is that in the book interpretation, imagination is all up to the reader and in the movie everything is pretty much laid out right in front of you. I found I could describe the characters a lot better than the book because in the movie I could study their facial expressions. In certain scenes such as the scene when Lux is sitting on the rooftop after having sex with yet another faceless man you could tell what she was thinking. You could see various emotions on her face such as being fed up, feeling worthless, and so much sadness. When reading a book emotions could be told but not seen. When emotions are seen, the passage or book is taken to a whole new emotional level.  The one part where I absolutely loved to see the emotions on the characters faces was when Cecilia died because in the book the circumstances were discussed more than how everyone was feeling. Also, it was interesting to see the reactions of the Lisbon girls' once they returned to school after Cecilia's death.

In the book the setting of the story was left to our imagination. Sure, a description was given but every person will have a different description. Seeing where the Lisbon family lived and where the story took place reminded me of California. It reminded me of a town in California that consisted of a rich families. The flowers and landscaping all reminded me of Bakersfield, California.

I wanted to make a quick note of how perfect Kristen Dunst portrayed Lux Lisbon. I have never really liked Kristen Dunst but for some reason I loved her in this movie. She did a fantastic job playing Lux. The flirty, wild and carefree side were all expressed very well. After this movie my opinion about her has definitely changed as an actress.

Overall, fantastic movie accompanied with a fantastic book. It was great to see that the movie and book went along together and that they were not something totally different. The movie touched my heart and to me that is what made it better because in order to make me really feel for a movie, takes a a lot of work! I usually do not get caught with the emotional drama in movies because I know it's fake but the case was totally different for this movie. Maybe because suicide is very delicate topic and a very sensitive one. I loved the movie and I am extremely glad I chose to read this book.

Two Last Burning Questions?!

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

1) Could the author not have the girls, trip's point of view in the book?


2) Why do stories like this always have to take place in small rural towns?

Sometimes I wonder if the story would have been different if the author had put the views of the girls' and various others. I think that would have sparked more debate over who's right and who's wrong. Also, it would have made the story more interesting to read about everyone's opinions rather than an outsiders.

I have read many various books and saw one movie last semester and it was about Truman Capote. In that movie a whole family was killed and it also took place in a small town. Why do murders, suicide books always take place in small towns. That is something I hope to figure out soon.  

Last Character Reflection!

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Now that I am officially done reading it is time to reflect and do an overall analysis of some important characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon, Lux, Cecilia and Trip Fontaine.

Trip Fontaine: 

Trip Fontaine

Oh the heartthrob! Trip Fontaine is the symbol of masculine and of a heartthrob in the book. Ever since Trip came back from the trip of his to Acapulco he went from baby fat to every woman's dream. He came back as a man who lost his virginity to a 30 plus year old woman. Ever since then, he changed his physical appearance and started wearing better clothes, which helped him, get woman in his bed everyday. Every girl wanted to be with him and every guy wanted to be him. He is the symbol of an American playboy. Trip being a playboy is probably the best reason to understand why he just left Lux Lisbon on the field after they had sex. Trip spent an endless amount of time trying to take her on a date, and tries so hard to convince her dad to take Lux to the dance to which Mr. Lisbon eventually agrees. However, Trip said that after they had sex on the football field, he just left her and did not even care how she got home. His excuse-- "I just got sick of her." Although, before he described her as "The still point of the turning world, man." To him maybe, Lux Lisbon was something that was hard to achieve, a challenge. Trip Fontaine probably wanted to solve the challenge and when he did he saw no reason for sticking around. He left Lux heartbroken and with hatred in her heart. On the contrary, one good thing about Trip is that he does not speak of his one-night stands with anyone else. He hardly revealed anything about his time with Lux to the boys. 

Lux Lisbon:

She is probably hands down one of the most important characters in the book. She is rebellious, mischief, bold, sexy and is the narrator's dream. She was the one that went against her parents the most. For instance, the first time when Trip Fontaine came to the Lisbon home to ask Mr. Lisbon if he could take Lux out on a date, the first sign of Lux's boldness was shown. After indirectly being told no and to leave, Trip goes back to his car only to find Lux already there and she gropes him and has a quick make out session with him. So that means, when the girls were told to go upstairs to bed, Lux snuck out of the house, into Trip's car. That right there shows she was willing to disobey her parents for just a taste of the playboy's lips. Her second rebellious act was her smoking. Her parents are strict Catholics and smoking is a huge NO! So the fact that Lux smokes shows she does not care about her parents' rules and will smoke behind their backs continuously. At one point in the end of the book, Lux was smoking in the family room while her parents were asleep upstairs. Another rebellious act of hers was when she drank at the dance and shared many make out sessions with Trip despite the fact that both her dad was chaperoning the dance. At one point she was making out with him right in front of his sister. Then comes the most rebellious act of the night-- sex with Trip Fontaine on the football field. That was a huge risk considering anyone could have seen them and her dad was at the dance. Afterwards, Lux turns into the female version of Trip and has sex every night on the rooftop with faceless men. To add to that, she had sex with them in the middle of the night while her parents were asleep! Talk about guts! Yet she seemed bored of sex because she would pick zits on the back of her sexual partners. Lux Lisbon was a difficult person to read and it was hard to tell what her real emotions were. If she was every boy's dream, then she was every parent’s NIGHTMARE! Out of all the sisters, Lux also wore the boldest clothes. The boys were so infatuated with her that they remembered a yellow halter-top she wore one July but was told to take it off by her mom. "Tied behind her neck in a bow, the halter descended on two thin straps over her pale shoulders and sculpted collarbones, swelling finally into two yellow slings. The halter was slightly askew on the right side, revealing a soft white plumpness as she stretched. '' July, two years ago,'' said Joe Hill Conley, identifying the last time we'd seen the halter" (pg 201). Her choice of clothing represented her personality and coincidently she wore that same halter top that her mom told her to take off when she committed suicide. She was the only one who had the audacity to go against her parents. 

Cecilia Lisbon:

Cecilia with her cintage 1920 wedding dress

Cecilia was not in the book too long but yet she left an impact on the reader and her family. Cecilia was known to be the shy girl with low self-esteem and the one who survived her first attempt to kill herself. Cecilia never spoke much. However, one important moment of hers is when she has a conversation with the doctor. The doctor says, "What are you doing here, honey? You're not even old enough to know how bad life gets." Cecilia responded with saying "Obviously, Doctor, you've never been a 13-year-old girl." That one life basically summed up her character. She was having a hard time and did not like her parents or her environment. Her sisters liked her so much that in order to preserve her memory they stood in front of Cecilia's favorite elm when workers came to chop it down. The sisters stood around it, holding hands and they did that until the workers gave up and left because that tree was their last memory of their deceased sister.

Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon:

Anyone who will read this book will absolutely despise the parents. Their lack of sympathy, love and emotion just makes you want to slap them senseless. The parents do not let their daughters date, wear revealing clothes and socially interact with other or go to parties. The one time they let the girls out, Lux comes back home past curfew and drunk. The parents were so harsh that they pulled the girls out of school and put the girls on house arrest. That is inhuman! Is that a way to treat your children? However, it seemed as if the parents were in denial of their lack of love. Mrs. Lisbon was quoted saying "My girls did not lack of any love. We had plenty of love in our home." You obviously did not have enough love in your home because the neighborhood said so, you put your children on house arrest, pulled them out of school and news flash-- ALL of your girls committed suicide because they were sick and tired of abiding by your senseless rules. Let your girls live a life. Protection is good but overprotection gets you nowhere though. One part I would have to say I was pleased with the parents and that was when the workers came to cut the tree and they tried convincing the Lisbon girls to move aside and let them cut down the tree. However, the girls refused to budge and the workers ended up going to the parents but Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon refused to help them. ''I don't want to call the police'', said the worker. '' The police?'' Mrs. Lisbon asked. ''The girls are just standing in front of their own front yard. Since when is that a crime?'' I loved that! It shows that the parents still care about Cecilia and want to protect and preserve the last memory of hers that they have. That was her favorite tree and the Lisbon’s' do not want to forget that. On the contrary, the award for best parents definitely does not go to them. 

The parents of the deceased girls

Musical Conversations

Friday, April 15th, 2011

During one part in the end of the book the boys across the street and girls have musical conversations. They call each other but instead of talking they play songs of their current emotions. Here are some lyrics to each of the songs.

Lisbon girls: "Alone Again, Naturally" by Gilbert O'Sullivan
In a little while from now,
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promised myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top,
Will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church
Where people 're saying,
"My God that's tough, she stood him up!
No point in us remaining.
May as well go home."
As I did on my own,
Alone again, naturally
The boys: "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor

When you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand
and nothing, whoa, nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me and soon I will be thereTesti Canzoni
to brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call and I'll be there, yeah, yeah,
you've got a friend.

The girls: "Where Do the Children Play" by Cat Stevens

Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.

I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?

The boys: " Dear Prudence" by The Beatles

Dear Prudence won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence greet the brand new day
The sun is up the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won't you come out to play

The girls: "Candle In The Wind" by Elton John

Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude

The Boys: "Wild Horses" by the Rolling Stones
Childhood living is easy to do
The things you wanted I bought them for you
Graceless lady you know who I am
You know I can't let you slide through my hands

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away
The Girls: "At Seventeen" by Janice Ian
I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
In high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth
And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say come dance with me
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems
At seventeen
The boys: "Time In a Bottle'' by Jim Croce
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
Till Eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

The girls: "So Far Away" by Carole King
So far away, doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're just time away

Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
Holding you again could only do me good
How I wish I could, but you're so far away

These were some lyrics of each songs they sent to each other. It seems as if with every song the girls sent the boys sent a response back that said "I'll save you". Some songs I really loved were "At Seventeen" because the first two lines are I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens. The two lines basically say that they learned the truth about life rather quick and that love was never meant to be in their lives and that maybe someone who deserved love was somebody better than them--like beauty queens. "You've Got a Friend' is also a very sweet response by the boys because it is saying,  don't worry, we are there for you. However, the first song basically sums up their life becuase it has the lines "alone again, naturally". The Lisbon girls feel very alone in the world because their parents are not really there for them. 

Some of these songs made me want to cry because there was so much emotion in each one of them and gave you a harsher insight to the girls' lives.
 

Symbols!

Friday, April 14th, 2011

Throughout this entire book there have been many symbols. Some not as important as the others but they still sent out an important message about the characters, setting etc. 

The crucifix.

The first symbol is of Lux's Bra on the Crucifix. Lux's bra was found by Peter Sissen, who ended up stealing it. The bra represents the womanhood of Lux. Between the transition from adolescence to adulthood all of the girls are caught in between their innocence and their potential of becoming a woman. To the parents the girls were young innocent girls but for them they were women who were branching off to find their own identity. Lux's bra on the crucifix symbolizes Lux's sexual rebellion against Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon's strict Catholic rules and the family dynamics, which is most evidently shown by her habit of having sex on the roof with anonymous men everyday. Most importantly however, Lux's bra represents fertility and sexuality, meanwhile the crucifix represents sacrifice and death and they combine together to represent the sexual tension in chapter four. The most significant scene to demonstrate this is when Lux had sex with Trip Fontaine. That night by losing her virginity to him her innocence, her old self died and she was reborn as a woman. That was most evidently proven by Lux having sex reportedly afterwards with many men. , Lux's bra draped over Cecilia's crucifix can also symbolize the differences between the two sisters; Cecilia and Lux. Cecilia was shy, innocent, kept to herself kind of girl and Lux was bold, sexy, mischievous and rebellious.  

Cecilia Lisbon with her 1920 vintage wedding dress.

The second symbol is Cecilia's wedding dress. When I first read about her wedding dress I thought what is the big deal about it but then I thought if it wasn't a big deal then the author would not have described it with so much detail.  Cecilia's 1920 dress is actually a representation of herself in a way. The dress is not very fitting and is out of place with other dresses at the time just like Cecilia it self. Cecilia is not very fitting with the other sisters it seems and is out of place at school and even socially. That was most evident when the Lisbon sisters had a party and all the other sisters seemed to blend in expect for Cecilia who obviously committed suicide that night. The vintage dress and her old taste in classic music represent her taste in old, vintage things. The dress is white or cream colored, which represents pure and virginal. Cecilia is exactly that. She is pure and she died a virgin. The wedding dress is obviously a very mature look for Cecilia, which could represent her desire to become more mature and take on new roles.

Lux Lisbon