Spring Break
Risqué role for Fanning
by Marianna Faynshteyn
Staff Writer
Arts | 9/16/08
Posted online at 7:55 PM EST on 9/15/08
It is in fashion in Hollywood to fawn over precocious child stars with ample potential. Case in point: Dakota Fanning.
Fanning is a chief example of a child star on the verge of attaining legitimate fame. Armed not only with a cuteness that only kittens could produce, Fanning has a mouth any publicist would die for, spouting intelligent responses more instinctively than Ivy League-educated political strategists. But this could all be tarnished-her spotless reputation, her impenetrable aura of innocence-and not by reports of late-night gallivanting or drug experimentation. Instead, Fanning stands to be scrutinized for something far pettier: an artistic decision.
Fanning will soon be featured in her most risqué role yet in Deborah Kampmeier's Hounddog. The film takes place in a nondescript Southern town during the mid to late 1950s of Elvis' heyday (hence the title) and is centered around a young girl's fixation with the rock 'n' roll pioneer, as well as the misfortunes she encounters in her short life. This generic synopsis leaves out the rather startling detail that has fueled the controversy behind Hounddog-Fanning's character is raped in the film.
Rape, especially when someone as young as Fanning is the victim of it, is a devastating notion, but its depiction is necessary in articulating the film's theme of the tragedy of coming to terms with female sexuality.
Fanning's character, Lewellen, is daughter to abusive and neglectful single father Lou, played by David Morse. Lou is designated as a villain early in his entry into the film. That is, of course, until he is struck by lightning during a fateful storm. After this rather unsubtle gesture, Lou undergoes a drastic change-his brutish masculinity is revoked, leaving him a dim-witted and sluggish male figure reminiscent of Of Mice and Men's George. This metaphorical castration is a bit forced, but it is a necessary plot device that allows for a focus on the women of the film.
Fanning is a chief example of a child star on the verge of attaining legitimate fame. Armed not only with a cuteness that only kittens could produce, Fanning has a mouth any publicist would die for, spouting intelligent responses more instinctively than Ivy League-educated political strategists. But this could all be tarnished-her spotless reputation, her impenetrable aura of innocence-and not by reports of late-night gallivanting or drug experimentation. Instead, Fanning stands to be scrutinized for something far pettier: an artistic decision.
Fanning will soon be featured in her most risqué role yet in Deborah Kampmeier's Hounddog. The film takes place in a nondescript Southern town during the mid to late 1950s of Elvis' heyday (hence the title) and is centered around a young girl's fixation with the rock 'n' roll pioneer, as well as the misfortunes she encounters in her short life. This generic synopsis leaves out the rather startling detail that has fueled the controversy behind Hounddog-Fanning's character is raped in the film.
Rape, especially when someone as young as Fanning is the victim of it, is a devastating notion, but its depiction is necessary in articulating the film's theme of the tragedy of coming to terms with female sexuality.
Fanning's character, Lewellen, is daughter to abusive and neglectful single father Lou, played by David Morse. Lou is designated as a villain early in his entry into the film. That is, of course, until he is struck by lightning during a fateful storm. After this rather unsubtle gesture, Lou undergoes a drastic change-his brutish masculinity is revoked, leaving him a dim-witted and sluggish male figure reminiscent of Of Mice and Men's George. This metaphorical castration is a bit forced, but it is a necessary plot device that allows for a focus on the women of the film.
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