Father’s Day: Iconic dads in film
Here are five very different portraits of what it means to be a father.
Harry Stamper in Armageddon
When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), who agrees to head up the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. (Ben Affleck), who Harry thinks isn’t good enough for his daughter (Liv Tyler), until the mission proves otherwise.
Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster thriller directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Mufasa in Lion King
As a king and leader, Mufasa holds a deep understanding of the forces that make the Pride Lands balanced and healthy. As a father he is responsible for teaching his son Simba to be a wise king like himself.
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Pictures.
(God)fatherhood the Sicilian way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d115-YK-9BQ
Essentially a father and sons story, The Godfather is almost Shakespearian in its tale of a King and his three vastly different heirs. Central to the story, however, is the relationship between Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) and his youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino).
While Sonny and Fredo have followed their father into the ‘family business’, Michael shuns his father’s attentions and ambitions for him, determined to follow his own path. This, of course, makes him far more his father’s son than the others will ever be and Michael’s subsequent descent is both inevitable and tragic.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on Mario Puzo‘s best-selling novel of the same name.
Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird
Although To Kill a Mockingbird is rightly remembered for its stance on civil rights and the relationship between father Atticus Finch and daughter Scout, it is equally about Atticus’s relationship with his adopted son, Jem. Gregory Peck’s portrayal of Atticus – the father we all wish we had—stands above all as the ideal portrayal of the ideal paterfamilias.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The 1962 film is considered one of the best films ever made. It was a box office success and won three Academy Awards including Best Actor for Peck.
Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness
“Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something, not even me. Alright? You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it, period.”
The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical film based on entrepreneur Chris Gardner‘s nearly one-year struggle of being homeless. The film features Will Smith as Gardner, a homeless salesman and Smith’s son Jaden Smith as Gardner’s son, Christopher Jr.
