Image: Cape Fear Movie Poster (1991)
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
"ándale, ándale" (134): Spanish, a command that translates to "C'mon" or "Let's get going." Click Here for Pronunciation
"Cape Fear" (127): There are two films titled Cape Fear, the original from 1967, which was based on the novel The Executioners, and the 1991 remake of the original film. The film tells the story of a convicted rapist who, mostly by using his newfound knowledge of the law and its numerous loopholes, seeks vengeance against a former public defender, whom he blames for his 14-year imprisonment because of the purposefully faulty defense tactics used during his trial. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "Chorus of the Shades of Springfield" (195): Refers to the Ancient Greek mythology of shades, or the spirits of dead humans which reside in the underworld. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "De Niro" (127): Refers to American actor Robert De Niro (1943-present) who stars in the 1991 remake of Cape Fear. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "Die Bart Die" (130): Sideshow Bob explains that his tattoo does not say "Die Bart Die" in English, but "Die Bart Die" (pronounced dee-bart-dee) in German. The German-to-English translation is "The Bart The." "Do the Right Thing" (130): A 1989 comedy drama film written and directed by Spike Lee that explores a Brooklyn neighborhood's simmering racial tension, which culminates in tragedy and violence on a hot summer day. The film plays on the 1955 film The Night of the Hunter by mimicking Robert Mitchum's LOVE/HATE monologue. Click Here for Do the Right Thing's LOVE/HATE Speech "Gilbert & Sullivan" (155): WS Gilbert (dramatist) and Arthur Sullivan (composer) wrote 14 comic operas between 1871-1896. They introduced innovations in content and form that directly influenced the development of musical theatre in the 20th century. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "HMS Pinafore" (155): One of Gilbert & Sullivan's most famous comic operas, written in 1878. Hugely popular in Britain and America. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "Heath Ledger's Joker" (206): Refers to the iconic makeup worn by actor Heath Ledger (1979-2008) in his role as "The Joker" in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. The subtlety here lies in the popular belief that the psychological trauma of portraying this character led to Heath Ledger's death by overdose. "Kelsey Grammer" (128): Refers to American actor Kelsey Grammer (1955-present) who is most famous for playing the character "Dr. Frasier Crane" in the sitcom Cheers (1982-1993) and its spin-off Frasier (1993-2004). He has earned 5 Primetime Emmys, 1 Daytime Emmy, 3 Golden Globes, and 1 Tony Award. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "Lot's wife" (199): A Biblical reference to a disobedient woman who was turned to a pillar of salt for looking back to see the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as she and her family were fleeing. Her story is seen as an example of what happens to those who choose a worldly life over salvation. Click Here for Britannica Page "Maria: It was my batch. I'm gonna own up. It was terrible" (178): Refers to a batch of moonshine, or high-proof liquor, that is made without government authorization. Methanol is toxic, as seen in the image to the right. Click Here for CDC Page "Maria: Wait, I don't know where--I just know the movie title that's--" (145): Refers to the romantic comedy film Mystic Pizza from 1988 starring Julia Roberts, which takes place in the coastal Connecticut town. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "Millstone Plant, Waterford near Mystic" (145): Refers to Millstone Nuclear Power Station in the town of Waterford, CT on the southeastern coast of the state. It is near the coastal town of Mystic, CT, a popular tourist destination. "Night of the Hunter" (130): Refers to the 1955 highly-acclaimed film The Night of the Hunter starring Robert Mitchum (who would later star in the original 1967 Cape Fear film). The plot focuses on a corrupt minister-turned-serial killer who attempts to charm an unsuspecting widow and steal $10,000 hidden by her executed husband. Mitchum's LOVE/HATE speech from this film was the inspiration for Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing speech and the LOVE/HATE tattoos on Sideshow Bob and Robert De Niro. Click Here for The Night of the Hunter LOVE/HATE Speech "OJ Simpson" (163): This is a mis-remembering of The Simpsons "Cape Feare" episode. Homer requests that his identity be changed to John Elway, a famous American football quarterback who played his entire career with the Denver Broncos. OJ Simpson was also a famous American football player, but it now infamous for being tried for the brutal murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Robert Goldman. The "Cape Feare" episode aired in October 1993, while the murders took place in June 1994. Washburn has intentionally replaced "Elway" with "Simpson" to reinforce her narrative of the evolution of memory. "Pooh-Bah in The Mikado" (156): Refers to a Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera written in 1885. The piece is meant to satirize British politics and institutions by setting the opera in Japan, but it now draws criticism for its stereotypical portrayal of Japanese culture and frequent use of yellowface. "Pooh-Bah" is a comedic baritone role in the opera. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "Pret a Manger" (169): Refers to an international sandwich shop franchise chain based in the United Kingdom, founded in 1983. Popularly known as simply "Pret," it currently has over 450 locations in 9 countries. The name is French for "ready to eat." Click Here for Wikipedia Page Click Here for Pronunciation "quorum" (175): The minimum number of members from an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid. "Robert Mitchum" (130): Refers to American actor Robert Mitchum (1917-1997) who is ranked as one of the AFI's Greatest Male Stars of Classic American Cinema. He played the starring role in the 1967 film Cape Fear and the smaller role of a police lieutenant in the 1991 remake. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "smash cut" (127): Refers to a technique in film where one scene abruptly cuts to another for aesthetic, narrative, or emotional purpose. To this end, the smash cut usually occurs at a crucial moment in a scene where a cut would not be expected. To heighten the impact of the cut, a disparity in the type of scene on either side of the cut is often present, for example, going from a fast-paced frenzied scene to a tranquil one. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "Springfield Nucyalur Power Plant" (197): The phonetic spelling "nucyalur" highlights a pronunciation debate that surrounds the word "nuclear." While the alternate pronunciation of "nucyalur" has widespread use among people of varied education levels, it is generally dismissed and criticized as incorrect. Click Here for Wikipedia Page "umlaut" (130): Refers to the double-dot mark above a vowel, for example in German, which indicates a different vowel quality. Click Here for Pronunciation |