Mississippi Burning
To put it mildly, things are chaotic in the United States at the moment. And after a week of doomscrolling, I’ve decided to take action. I’m not a huge protester, but I can do my part to help others using my writing skills, particularly with respect to resumes. I’m not a huge Bible person, but the quote, “An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit” from Corinthians resonates with me. In my case, I’m trying to help others.
I thought of this when I observed Gene Hackman’s FBI agent in Mississippi Burning, which was based on a true story of a pair of FBI agents investigating the murder/disappearance of a trio of Civil Rights activists who’d come to Mississippi to help black people register to vote, and then were subsequently murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Part of the tension comes from the Odd Coupling of the agents; Willem Defoe’s by-the-boo, Ward, who wants to investigate in the traditional way of interviewing suspects and canvassing neighborhoods. Hackman’s character, Anderson, was a sheriff in a small Southern town prior to his FBI career, so he knows the local customs and can get inside the heads of the suspects. So he interviews the wife of Pell a suspect, a racist sheriff’s deputy, and he starts to fall for her.
In their conversation, he revealed he was married, but she got sick of getting “postcards from Des Moines,” started fooling around with other men, and eventually left him. He realized he’s meant to serve the greater good by catching bad guys. She married “the first guy who makes you laugh,” as is tradition in the South, and has wondered why ever since, especially since he’s also a domestic abuser. They develop chemistry, but when Pell is arrested, she decides to build a new life right there in her hometown. It’s where she grew up, it’s the world she knows, and she has a thriving hairdressing practice. He has more justice to serve. “Don’t send me any postcards from Des Moines,” is Mrs. Pell’s goodbye. So we know they won’t be in touch.
And it’s truer to life. A more conventional movie would have him settling in that Mississippi town, but much of the time, we can develop chemistry with someone, and that relationship might only be meant to last a moment. But it can change how we look at the world – I had something similar with a lady I met at a conference several years ago. We’re no longer in touch, but it set me on a nice course, which led me right to where I’m now.
Their characters know this. And, for that, I believe they both deserved their Oscar nominations.
I thought of this when I observed Gene Hackman’s FBI agent in Mississippi Burning, which was based on a true story of a pair of FBI agents investigating the murder/disappearance of a trio of Civil Rights activists who’d come to Mississippi to help black people register to vote, and then were subsequently murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Part of the tension comes from the Odd Coupling of the agents; Willem Defoe’s by-the-boo, Ward, who wants to investigate in the traditional way of interviewing suspects and canvassing neighborhoods. Hackman’s character, Anderson, was a sheriff in a small Southern town prior to his FBI career, so he knows the local customs and can get inside the heads of the suspects. So he interviews the wife of Pell a suspect, a racist sheriff’s deputy, and he starts to fall for her.
In their conversation, he revealed he was married, but she got sick of getting “postcards from Des Moines,” started fooling around with other men, and eventually left him. He realized he’s meant to serve the greater good by catching bad guys. She married “the first guy who makes you laugh,” as is tradition in the South, and has wondered why ever since, especially since he’s also a domestic abuser. They develop chemistry, but when Pell is arrested, she decides to build a new life right there in her hometown. It’s where she grew up, it’s the world she knows, and she has a thriving hairdressing practice. He has more justice to serve. “Don’t send me any postcards from Des Moines,” is Mrs. Pell’s goodbye. So we know they won’t be in touch.
And it’s truer to life. A more conventional movie would have him settling in that Mississippi town, but much of the time, we can develop chemistry with someone, and that relationship might only be meant to last a moment. But it can change how we look at the world – I had something similar with a lady I met at a conference several years ago. We’re no longer in touch, but it set me on a nice course, which led me right to where I’m now.
Their characters know this. And, for that, I believe they both deserved their Oscar nominations.
