Son of Rambow

Son of Rambow and Media Effects One has to wonder about the influence that media has on society and specifically on children; especially media created for the specific purpose of entertainment. Whether expressly created to sell something; a business model centered on mass communication, as Gerber observed, or a violent 1980s film, there is certainly an impact on the audience. In examining a film, Like Son of Rambow, it is imperative to note the symbolic or illusionary environment created through film and television and the role of censorship in that communication model – what content is allowed in and what is forced out.

 In this film, we encounter a young boy, William, an imaginative kid, who fills his bible with creative drawings, notebooks and walls with comic strips and the beginnings of story boards. Even sounds hold a special significance and he uses a variety of objects, like the pine cone, to create an auditory experience, much like the work of a Foley artist. Clearly, this boy is teetering between the real world and an imaginary one to which he escapes to deal with the death of his father or ostracizing from teachers and classmates because of his religion. The effect of media, when it finally enters his life is significant. Empowered with that one thing he had been lacking, a visual image of a brave father worth fighting for, Will experiences the imagination and messages that comes with film viewing and later with filmmaking.

 Gerbner discusses the conception of symbolic social reality and notes that “divergences between symbolic reality and independently observable (objective) reality provide convenient tests of the extent to which television’s versions of the facts are incorporated or absorbed…” (184) Will hasn’t had, for the most part, a lot of exposure to media and certainly not to violence. His first encounter with media of that sort is with Rambo, First Blood, an extremely violent piece were he can focus on a war hero that has trained himself not to feel pain or fear; one who can singlehandedly take down “two-hundred men.” After this initial encounter with a pseudo-reality, his truth is altered and his violent streak comes out. Indeed, also a repressed imagination manifests itself, encouraging him to chase after a scarecrow, compete against his own drawings paired with clips from the film, and (at least in his dream world) find his dad.

 Gerbner further surmises that television (and in the case of Son of Rambow, I believe we can talk about any media that can be viewed in a familiar space like a home or school) is the “primary common source of socialization and everyday information.” It pervades the symbolic environment, affecting the viewer’s relationship with the world around them and their vision of it. The piece of media can effectively “transport [them] in their homes.” (177) Although Will’s initial exposure took place in a strange environment, he acquires a new identity, first of a friend, then of a rebel, then of a filmmaker through the ongoing flow of messages. Likewise Lee Carter’s image is constructed largely due to the violent films he watches as he desperately clings onto anything familiar and safe in his shifting reality. He clearly suffers from the effects of a “mean world syndrome” and believes that others are only out to destroy and ridicule him and his family.

 Likewise, it is important to notice the role of censorship and contact with media messages in the film. William and his family belong to the Plymouth Brethren, a religious community that distrusts and forbids connection to film and television. From the first moments, they are protesting the influence of media on the community. They rid themselves of their watches as they meet, perhaps so as to not identify themselves with any man-made construct. They also propel a fear of progressive society. In the piece, one little boy comments to Will that: “My father won’t send us to your school. He said the peoples are a bad influence. Is it true brother William?” To which William replies: “I suppose so.” Lasswell speaks of the central channels of communication taking place in the home and in the neighborhood. Clearly this is the case with our young hero. As the story progresses, Will finds himself in three worlds that are having a hard time crossing over: Lee Carter’s world of film, imagination, and violence, his church’s view of the danger of associating with those outside of your approved circle and “protecting their way of life”, and the new world with Didier, who wants to exist solely within film and stereotype to avoid living in the real world. As Will is taking part in each of these worlds, there is a significant power struggle taking place as well. As there is a weakening internal power position at home, which is his ruling class, he becomes disaffected with it.

 Lasswell further notes that “no one is entirely out of this world.” (40) No matter how hard you try, you are still connected to the world. Will could still hear what the films were saying as he doodled outside of the classroom door. He could still see how other students quoted films, and as much as his religious community attempted to shield him from media’s messages, it was impossible. Perhaps, as Charters notes, the focus should instead be on showing correct information and realize the helpful and harmful aspects both. It is impossible to teach kids to discriminate between good and bad films if they have nothing to compare it to.

 As Laswell discusses, it is imperative for those analyzing the role and effect of media to understand the flow of communication. Though there be power players in every single case, the community certainly affects a child’s view of the world and the construction of their identity. As they can’t be out of the world truly, no matter the amount of censorship placed upon them, they have to learn to distinguish between reality and symbolic environments, between repeated messages and truth.