Evan Rosenfield notes:


> The interesting thing to me is not that the character is not somehow
> perceived as bad (or evil if we must use that loaded term). The interesting
> thing is that the evil is made pleasurable and therefore somewhat acceptable.
> Evil hero? I still don't know. But I do see your point. Such films arguably
> exist...

William Blake said that John Milton in PARADISE LOST was of the devil's
party without realizing it--in other words, that Satan was far more
interesting a character, with at least a certain amount of
justification on his side, than any of God's party.  This, of course,
was far from Milton's overt intent.

Look at A CLOCKWORK ORANGE as a film that actively engages the
question.  Alex's actions are detestable, yet many perceive him as a
sympathetic character--and not just because he suffers from an unjust
action.  Indeed, it's hard to locate anything like a normative "hero"
in any of Kubrick's films from LOLITA on.

I think that the issue is more complex than "pleasure" alone can
account for. Look at Peter Lorre's character in M or Hannibal Lecter
in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Many of the protagonists in Japanese New Wave
films qualify as antiheros, if not outright sociopaths (eg., Imamura's
VENGEANCE IS MINE).  I expect there to be a fair amount of discussion
over the new film adaptation of AMERICAN PSYCHO.

Literature and drama have not ignored the type, even though they have
bent in different ways according to generic and social demands.  It
should be no surprise to find examples in film as well.

Don Larsson



----------------------
Donald Larsson
Minnesota State U, Mankato
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