ROB ROY (the famous novel by Sir Walter Scott)- movie featuring an E2 hero battling with evil E3 aristocrats

Subject:

Comments:
: ROB ROY - the famous novel by Sir Walter Scott: featuring an E2 hero battling with evil E3 aristocrats : The Scottish Highlands, 1713. E2 Clan leader Rob Roy MacGregor (played by Liam Neeson) asks the ambitious scheming E3 Marquis of Montrose (played by John Hurt) for a loan to save his clan from economic hardship caused by the famine. The aloof calculating Machiavellian hesitantly agrees, but Rob hasn't thought about the lairds opportunistic house-guest, the foppish E3 wastrel Cunningham (played by Tim Roth), who together with Montrose's hypocritical E1 factor Killearn, steals the money, killing Rob's E6 friend Alan McDonald (played by Brian Cox) in the process. The scene is set for deadly enmity between Rob and Montrose. The love of Rob for his E9 wife Mary (played by Jessica Lange) and the conflict with Cunningham give the movie real emotional punch. : The characters analyzed: : ROB ROY - E2 : He's the archetypical 'servant leader' in today's management literature; a kind of father figure: 'I am not their master, they are under my care'. He makes himself the savior of the clan in times of need; the helper, the Lion King leader: strong/dominant and social/emphatic; 'I am weary of seing children hungry and cold'. He's too proud ('honor') to give in to the demand of Montrose to lie to defame Montrose's rival the Duke of Argyle. He saves the lives of the poor cattle thiefs; but of course not of his contra-type the E1 Tam Sibbald: 'You have my word; no one else will die' : ALAN McDONALD - E6 FOBIC : Charmingly impulsive friend of Rob; loyal friend; obedient, quite a fan of 'authority' Rob; 'I am his friend!' : TAM SIBBALD - E1 : Angrily critical of Rob ('Who do you think you are?...acting the great chief…you are a bigger thief than any of us…') when he is accused (defensive) and self-righteously arrogant (which he has to pay for by his death.) : THE WIFE WITH THE CATTLE THIEFS - extreme E4 : Dramatic; intense feelings, 'different' (weirdo) : GUTHRY - E8 : Impulsive agressive character, wants to be the top dog, and uses 'justice' (the death of Tam) to legitimate his violent need of domination toward Roy. Very very mean 'Milosovich'-like; when he looses (Milosovich dream of Greater Serbia is in ruins) he wants to take revenge by stabbing Cunninghan in the back (genocide on the Albanians in Kosovo.) When Rob points out 'we have no quarrel' (which is a problem for many E8's; they can't show their core competence of crisis management when there is no crisis….) Guthry answers 'That can be remedied'. : DUKE OF ARGYLE - E1 : He's the sympathetic E1; who wants to make the RIGHT choices; a man of conscience. But also; stern, disciplined and not tolerant, verbally disciplining, critical of 'wrong' behavior and correcting his jealous E3 competitor Montrose as wel as show off-Cunningham: 'So, Mr. Cunningham, which are these principal SINS that distress your mother, dice? Drink? Bagering of boys?…' The truth is important. : ARCHIBALD CUNNINGHAM - E3: from rags to aristocratic importance : Shameless opportunistic schemer; competitive, quick, must have done lots of physical training to become an excellent sword fighter, showman, very good with defaming other competitors for fame and public attention: aristocratic innuendo's (his boss Montrose is also good at these.) Shameless: he rapes Mary because it works for finding Rob, disdain for Scottisch fighting methods and swords (not fashionable I guess in aristocratic English society), impatient, big spender (succesful image!!); especially on flashy clothes (he must have been the Elvis Presley of his time; so showy.) Archie is the most interesting character in this movie. He is plagued by a latent distortion to his selfmade 'high' image; his mother was a whore and there are 3 persons who can be his father. This chameleontic person is quite good at emulating the emotion that fits the situation; he tries to outsmart others by this as well as by his calculated dirty tricks. Als very typical for E3; he loses his life because of his over-confidence in his own competence. E3's are often risk takers because of this. They think other people are stupid or without values when they don't contribute to their goals. : : THE MARQUIS OF MONTROSE - E3 : Politically ambitious schemer against the ruling Duke of Argyle, goal focussed duplicity, image sensitive: imitation of king, quite good at defaming other important public figures; 'I have seem healthier graveyards than that womans womb' (the queen); his anger is related not to moralism but to things Cunningham, Rob and the Duke do that in his perception diminish his image of being important. : : MARY (Rob's wife) - E9 : Somehow movie makers see E9 as the most suitable role for women? She's the peaceful family woman, dreamy, nice, emphatic, merging, but becomes stubborn and agressive when there are things in the air that can distub her peace of mind (need for internal harmony); she's critical of Rob's 'business' initiative to save the clan. E9's don't like fast changes (status quo lovers.) Also typical for E9 is the frantic routine work movements she does when at extreme stress; Rob is fighting with Cunningham and will probably die and mary is frantically washing clothes… Compare this with E9 Sandra Bullock in the movie Practial Magic when her man dies; she manically starts killing insects. Perhaps this frantic activity is a way to help narcotizing the sensitive brain; to save it from emotional overload? : SERVANT DAVY ANDERSON - E9-ish : BETTY - E6 FOBIC : 'Take me with you Archie!' (dependent personality.) She so very much wants to believe that Cunningham is her true love…and of course this naivity leads to disillusionment when she gets pregnant and Archie shows his real opportunistic character. Typical for E6 she feels guilty, thinks she needs punishment and eventually kills herself to evade the fear of being alone. Her girlishness makes us compassionate with her fate. : ALISDAIR ROY - COUNTERFOBIC E6 : With E6's the energy power switch is on or off; he sleeps when Cunningham rapes Mary and then gets into the counterfobic overdrive; this over-loyal kamikaze gets killed by his daredevil acts to prove his loyalty to 'authority 'Rob and the clan (group thinking.) Also his impulsive thoughts about going to America can be seen as a counterfobic act when the famine-enemy struck Scotland at that time. He's very paranoid: thinks Alan took Rob's money with him to go to America: a good case of 'projection'! 'I've never trusted that man…', 'We should attack Montrose!' : CALL - E9 : He calms down Alisdair. He also shows the self-sacrifice E9's can show because of emphatic merging with the people in their vicinity they find sympathetic. : : That's all for now. : Goodbye and take care. : Jan

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL: