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Friday, May 23, 2008

Intention, Intention, Who’s Got the Intention?

Posted by Bill Benzon on 05/23/08 at 09:40 AM

I’ve just been watching the commentary to episode 9, “Whoever Did This,” of season 4, The Sopranos. It raises an interesting issue about intentionality that arises directly out of the collective nature of TV production. David Chase may be the top name on the bill, and the auteur, in one view of these matters, but he’s not the only one with a major voice in what gets on screen.

At the climax of this episode Tony bludgeons Ralph Cifaretto to death for . . . whatever. It’s not Tony’s intention that’s at issue. Midway through the episode there’s a fire that kills a horse, Pie-O-My, that had been owned jointly by Tony and Ralph. Tony delivers the news to Ralph, who’s already grieving over a debilitating injury to his son. They get into a conversation about the horse and how it died. During this conversation Tony concludes that Ralph is responsible for the fire and that’s when he loses his temper – that old impulse control – and kills Ralph.

The question: Did Ralph kill the horse? We don’t see how the fire started nor do we even get any circumstantial hints. We’ve got no reason to suspect foul play – except, of course, that this show is rife with foul play.

Now the commentary, by writers Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess. Burgess tells us that Joe Pantoliano decided to play it as though the fire had been an accident. Green says that she’s pretty sure that Cifaretto set the fire. Burgess waffles, saying that initially he thought Cifaretto didn’t do it. But, “over time I’ll agree with you on this one.” So, who do you believe, the actor who played the role, the writers who wrote the script, the on-screen visual evidence?

Where’s the intention? What is it? Does it matter?

Comments

Interesting post, but I don’t think this is unique to TV or any other “collective” medium.

It certainly seems possible for a single author to not have their own mind made up regarding plot points and character motivations, which is roughly comparable to two writers not being in agreement over plot points, character motivations, etc.

Remember when JK Rowling attempted to assert that Dumbledore is gay? I think that raised many of the same issues regarding authorial intent and the way in which author(s)interact with their own works of art and where there authority begins and ends.

I’m not sure I agree wit him, but I love David Lynch on what he thinks of director’s commentaries (or discussing his films at all, actually): “It putrifies the experience.”

There’s a great interview with him on TOTN where he listens to a caller give a synopsis of one of his films, I think Mulholland Drive or maybe Lost Highway, and then Lynch replies: “Well, (caller’s name), I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about, but I love it.”

By on 05/23/08 at 11:16 AM | Permanent link to this comment

I’ve only seen the episode once, but when I watched it I thought Cifaretto was acting very guilty, so it’s interesting to find out that wasn’t even the actor’s intent. That is why I often dismiss issues of intent: talking about what the actor, screenwriters, director, whatever, “intended” virtually leaves out the response of the viewer/reader.

I love when Cifarretto says to Tony something like “So what? Are you a vegetarian?”

By Pacifist Viking on 05/23/08 at 02:52 PM | Permanent link to this comment

Bill, I’m reasonably sure that one of the other characters, perhaps in a later episode, notes that the m.o. reveals Ralph’s signature, Ralph apparently being a veteran arsonist.

By Jonathan Goodwin on 05/23/08 at 06:07 PM | Permanent link to this comment

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Intention, Intention, Who’s Got the Intention?

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