WOMEN’S RIGHT FOR CHOICE OF CAREER IN SAM MENDES’ REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (2009): A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

Ariyani, Dewi (2010)

Abstract
The major problems of this study is women’s right for choice of career in Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road. The aim of the study is to analyze the film based on the structural elements and to analyze the film based on the feminist theory. In analyzing Revolutionary Road film, the writer uses the qualitative method and Feminist Perspective. The data sources are primarily data source, which uses the Revolutionary Road’s script written by Sam Mendes in 2009, and secondary data source is biography, an essay, comment, historical information and other relevant information’s. The method of collecting data is notes taking and image capturing. The technique for analyzing is descriptive analysis. The outcome of the study shows the following conclusions. First, from the structural analysis of the movie, it is clear that the director conveys a me that women should have the right to choose the career they like. Second, from the feminist analysis, it is evident that in this movie, Mendes illustrates the social phenomena in which women are restricted in the patriarchal culture.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of The Study
Revolutionary Road is a drama romance movie. This movie is being released on 23 January 2009 in USA, and has duration 119 minutes. The screenplay of this movie is adapted from the same title by Richard Yates. This movie directed by Sam Mendes and Screenplay by Justin Hythe. The music score by Thomas Newman, produced by Dream work picture. In 2 June 2009 DVD of the movie was release. This movie is being launched on DVD and in movie. Revolutionary Road has professionals’ actor and actress like Leonardo Dicaprio as Frank Wheller and Kate Winslet (April). This movie also has another actor as, like Kathy Bates as Hellen Givings, Kathy Hahn as Milly Campell, David Harbour as Shep Cambell, Michael Shannon as Jhon Givings, Richard Easton as Howard givings, Zoe Kazan as Maureen Givbe and the last is Jay O. Sanders as Bart Pollock.
The director of Revolutionary Road is Sam Mendes (Samuel Alexander Mendes) was born on 1 August 1965. He lives in Berkshire (England). He was graduated from University of Cambridge. Now he lives in New York. Sam Mendes career began in 1993, started as a theatre director. Some movies which is directed by Sam Mendes are American Beauty in 1999, Road Perdition in 2002,
Jarhead in 2005, Starter for Ten movie in 2006, The Kite Runner, in 2007 and the last in 2008 Mendes directed Revolutionary Road. This story began from New York at 1948, on cocktail party, Frank Wheller and April Jonshon met. Then they married and have two children. The couple was marriage when they are 30th, before they are marriage, April work as play in the opera. She shows good performance to the audience, but Frank does not like April job and April performance, when she stands on the stage. April has dreaming to be an actress, but Frank prohibits April’s want. Frank does not like April’s job and dream. Frank fencing that work play is not good, because in these years, job as an actress or work in entertainment is not good. Frank does not like April to stay at home and take care of their children to become an actress. April and Frank have different assumption about April job. April says that, her job is good and she is like it very much, but Frank has assumption that work in entertainment is bad job. April very upset when Frank says it, because job as marketing in Knox Business Machine is not any longer enjoyed by Frank. However find keep in that job to continue his father job at Knox Business Machine.
April unsatisfied in her life. She was bored every day. She stays at home everyday as an house wife and take care of her children. It does not interesting activity in daily life. April bored with her routine, because she also wants to a career. Her neighbors mentioning that Frank and April Wheeler as the model good couple for the town, but it is wrong. April feels that her life unhappy. In one night April give surprised for her husband birthday. April and her children sing happy birthday in front of the door. In next scene April says to her husband about her planning. April have a plan moving to Paris to get better life and follows their dream. April also says that money is not important. She does not want to be an actress; April can be career as a secretary, because take a secretary opportunity in Paris is very good. Frank agrees with April want. In her days are full of happiness, because her desire will be come true about Paris. April gets their visa and the whole traveling documents. When Frank working in their office, he called into the boss (Bart Pollock), his half assed work hit the jackpot, and it got great reviews in the company and Frank getting offered a promotion to work as the chief executive on a new project (computers). Frank doesn’t take the job yet and doesn’t mention it to April at home either. They are so happy because of feeling starting a new life.
When Frank goes to the restroom to take a rest, while getting a towel, he found an abortion kit (more like a pump with long tubes) in the self. He was furious and starts to scream at April. She does not mention Frank that she was 10 week pregnant. Before that April want to abortion her pregnant, because April have opinion, if she have third baby, Frank does not want move to Paris. Then they argue some more and April understands that Paris is no longer an option. In early morning, Frank is ready to go to work, and he sees a beautiful and rejuvenated April preparing breakfast, asking to Frank politely how he wants his eggs. Frank is caught surprised, but is relieved that the whole drama is done and they go on to have the best breakfast he has ever had, as Frank puts it. Then, Frank work in her office. After her husband went to his office, April cries while doing the dishes. She boiled a pot of water and lays down some towels on the bathroom floor while she holds the abortion kit in her hand as she closes the door. April gently walk down the stair to the living room and looks out the window, as she bleeding all over carpet and her skirts while she calls the ambulance. When arrives to the hospital April was die, because she blends too much. In the end of scene Frank very upset, then he and her children’s move to town and leave Connecticut. There are many responses, some positive and among other negative to this movie. Comes from positive responses Richard Roeper : 2010, Robber Rotten : 2009, Dave Call Houn 2010. And some negative responses are by Sonny Bunch: 2010, Bryan Helder : 2010, Tom Long : 2010. First, Richard Roeper says from internet that Revolutioaary Road is darkly effective portrait of an easier however era couple who fall tragically short of reaching Camelot. Robber Roten also said the result of all this combined talent is a masterpiece of a firm that reveals the hidden disease at the heart of American life in the 1950’s. Dave Call Houn also comment that this is also being, well observed film that doesn’t fully hit the mark but sets up enough pleasing idea to chew on regarding ambition, marriage and ideals of how to live one’s life, individually and as a couple. (The Internet Movie Data Base, 2009).
Among other negative responses Sonny Bunch on Washington Times, Bryan Helder from Sydney, Tom Long from Australia. First, Sonny Bunch, he said that the character in this film weak willed pathetic losers. He just couldn’t muster much sympathy for the characters that couldn’t burst out of the cages of their own design. Second Bryan Helder said it is boring movie. This story is familiar to a lot of people because it is about a couple deals with. It’s not really that interesting, especially two hours of it. The last, Tom Long says the movie is bitter, nerve wracking, ugly and relentless. Revolutionary Road is big drama done right, a mesmerizing look at desperate lives, wrong movie and spoiled dreams that hits hard right from the beginning and never let’s up. The movie distributed by Paramount Vantage movie in 2009, and have rank move genre MPA. Total sales in the book office are $22,877,808. Theatrical perform are total US gross $22.911.480, international gross $54.078.191, and world wide gross $76.989.671. They are many 322.660, DVD unit sold 435,996. They are many awards getting from Revolutionary Road, is movie on the Golden Globe Award Kate Winslet became only the second actress to win for best lead actress in a drama. Michael Sahonnon was nominated for the academic award for best supporting actor for his role as John Giving. In Golden Globe Award Leonardo DiCaprio just nominated as the best actor and in the best director Sam Mendes just a nominated also.
There are at least four point of uttered of this movie are seen from the character and characterization, casting, plot and theme. First, character and characterization of April and Frank Wheller. April is a beautiful women life in New York city before marriage. She marriage when 30th, and have two children. April have multitalented in acting. She looks unhappy after married, she have a stress and frustration with her life. Frank is a egoistic man. As an house hold Frank have a absolutely decide for family. Second the casting which result the player to do the characters need. Kate Winslet as April Wheller, she is professional actress that has good talent in her life. She can play the role very well as frustration and depressed women. Third, is setting. The writer has interest to the places or location of Revolutionary Road in suburban Connecticut in 1950’s. Describe old time and represented all of events on the year where the truly events happened. It brings the viewers go back to the old time, that is a year 1950. Fourth, the plot of this movie is events in the story, such as April wants to work an entertainment, but her husband disturbs her desire, because Frank doesn’t like if April work in entertainment or as an actress. Frank prefers April stay at home and take care her children. Frank thinks that career is not important for woman life, and they always argue each another everyday.
Fifth, the cinematography. The cinematographer of Revolutionary Road is Roger Deakins, in here the producer does not make photography colorful because it is the 1950’s, the producer make it gauzy and sepia because it is an earlier era.
Deakins short Revolutionary Road clean and had the negative (Kodak version 2200T 5217 and 500T 5218). The last is the theme. The theme of this movie a Women have much secret in their life, women uses feeling in her life, because women always precede feeling than their thought . Do not force our wife (your love) in bad way, if you don’t want lose her. A woman could do the criminal determinate if she feels under pressure and gave up. Based on the reason above, the researcher interested in analyzing woman right for choice of career. Specifically this study will be analyzed by using feminist theory. Furthermore the researcher entitles this research. WOMEN’S RIGHT FOR CHOICE OF CAREER IN SAM MENDES’ REVOLUTIOAARY ROAD : FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE.
A. Literature Review
The study on Revolutionary Road by Sam Mendes has not already being conducted at least in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta. It is the first study on this movie in Surakarta. The present study focuses on the Women’s Right For Choice Of Career In Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road : Feminist Perspective.
B. Problem Statement
The problem of the study is “ How can women’s right for choice of career is reflected in Sam Mendes Revolutionary Road.”
C. Limitation of the Study
The researcher focuses this research in analyzing April’s right choice career in Revolutionary Road movie based on Nancy Mandell’s, Margaret L. Andersen theory of feminist.
D. Objective of the Study
The objective of the study are as follows
a. To analyze the film based on its structural elements
b. To analyze the film based on feminist perspective.
E. Benefits of the Study
1. Theoretical Benefit
Theoretically the result of the study contributes to the large body knowledge particularly literary study.
2. Practical Benefit
Practically, the study can add the knowledge to the researcher of the right perspective theory applied in a literary work, particularly on need for positive regard to be fully function person in Sam Mendes Revolutionary Road.
G. Research Method
To analyze the data found in this movie, the writer uses the qualitative method in this study.
1. Type of the Study This research paper uses qualitative research in the form of literary work. Qualitative research is a type of research that does not uses any calculation or statistic procedure. Here, the writer does not include statistic procedure. 2. Type of the Data and Data Sources Data in this research is text, image consisting of words, phrases, and sentences. Data sources in this research are:
a. The primary data source of this paper is Revolutionary Road the movie writer by Sam Mendes.
b. The secondary data sources are taken from others, which are related to the Primary data, such as the biography of the author in Revolutionary Road, and the other resources that support the analysis of the movie.
3. Technique of the Data Collection The technique used for collecting data is notes taking and image capturing. The steps are as follows:
a. Watching the movie repeatedly
b. Finding the important data c. Arranging the data into several parts based on its classification
d. Developing of data provided.
e. Making notes of the parts relevant to the analysis.
4. Technique of the Data Analysis The writer will use two techniques in analyzing the data:
1. Analyzing the structural element of the movie.
2. Analyzing the Women’s Right For Choice Of Career the main character using descriptive analyzing based on underlying theories.
H. Research Paper Organization
To give clear understanding of the contents of this study, the writer has appointed the presentation of the study. The presentation of this study consists of six chapters. Chapter I deals with introduction covering the background of the study, literature review, problem statement, research limitation, research objective, research significance, research methodology, and thesis organization. Chapter II deals with underlying theory containing the description of the theory of feminism. Chapter III deals with social background of American society in the late of twentieth century. Chapter IV deals with structural analysis containing the structural elements of the novel and discussion. Chapter V presents feminist analysis. Chapter VI is conclusion and suggestion.