Modernism: "Check and Double Check"

Last week in class we mentioned the influence that modernism may have had on specific films in the genre of Jazz, and I begin to think about modernism from a literary and philosophical perspective. Therefore, when I watched the movie for this week, “Check and Double Check” I was intrigued to find a lot of modernist themes throughout the movie. Therefore, for my blog this week I thought that I would mention some of the reoccurring themes that are relevant to modernism and then point out instances in the movie where modernist motifs are present.

The entire concept of modernism or what constitutes modernism is debatable. And I have discovered that often when individuals begin to define modernism rigidly it becomes prescriptive instead of descriptive. However, there are some big or frequent themes in modernism that can be helpful in analyzing the movie. For example, one problem that modernist dealt with is the isolation and fragmentation of the self in the modern city and the ache of the nostalgic. Or metropolitan values in conflict with rural values or ideologies. It is in the city where individualism becomes erased through isolation and the fragmentation of the self because consumerism, industrialism, and big business rules supreme.

The application of that modernist motif to the movie opens up a nice dialogue about the influence of the city on the characters in the movie. The first scene of the movie opens to the modern day city. There are shots of sky scrapers, cars, and most importantly people. Tons of people. The shot zooms in on the ideal middle class couple, with a man dressed for corporate America, complaining about the traffic jam. The traffic Jam, as the audience later discovers is caused by Amos and Andy. Because their Taxi, of a cheaper quality than the other cars present, has broken down in the middle of a busy intersection. Amos and Andy are surrounded by people, dressed in business suits and other nice attire, while they are dressed in overalls. This scene is screaming modernist imagery. Amos and Andy are obvious representations of the simple rural life of the south. Their speech, clothes, and interactions with others all represent a time long gone. They represent the nostalgia that many modernist authors longed for during the 1900’s.

But Amos and Andy clearly do not fit in the city; they are ostracized not only by the people who laugh at them as they try to move their car, but by the city itself. Because a city is something that is always moving always busy, it is through the traffic jam that it rejects Amos and Andy. (the City as it acts as a space, not just a place where people live, but a place where the people live for the city, they are consumed by the city.) . Because Amos and Andy do not fit in the metropolitan city they cause the traffic jam. And literally stop the progression of the city itself as well as the people who stop to laugh at them. The city cannot consume Amos and Andy, because they do not fit or belong there. It is through this interaction with Amos and Andy, the city, and the modern people where the tension of the rural juxtaposed to the modern industrial city is revealed.

In conclusion, as many can see I am slightly consumed by modernism, mostly because it has influenced postmodernism. I just hope that I was able to clearly articulate some of the modernist influences revealed in the film. Of course there are many more examples of modernism in the film, but that would make my blog entirely too long. Perhaps tomorrow in class we can continue the discussion.