{"id":3165,"date":"2014-02-18T18:11:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T23:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/?p=3165"},"modified":"2016-11-11T14:49:18","modified_gmt":"2016-11-11T19:49:18","slug":"hedwig-and-the-angry-inch-self-invention-on-a-glam-rock-frontier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/hedwig-and-the-angry-inch-self-invention-on-a-glam-rock-frontier\/","title":{"rendered":"Hedwig and the Angry Inch: Self-Invention on a Glam Rock Frontier"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Cameron Mitchell\u2019s Gender Bending Persona Dazzles with Insight<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Author |\u00a0Demitra \u2018Demi\u2019 Kampakis<\/p>\n

H<\/b>ow strange that in all its flamboyance, rock \u2018n\u2019 roll so rarely finds common ground with theater, drag or cinema.\u00a0 Fortunately, there are exceptions to any status quo because in 2001, John Cameron Mitchell provided film audiences with an impressive revival of the rock musical genre with the release of Hedwig and the Angry Inch<\/i>: a \u201cpost-punk neo-glam rock musical\u201d whose nostalgic and innovative interpretation of glam and drag bear a striking resemblance to fellow cult-classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show <\/i>(1975).\u00a0 From its 1994 inception as a drag show at the notorious New York City club \u201cSqueezebox\u201d, Hedwig and the Angry Inch <\/i>gradually evolved into a full-fledged Broadway production in 1997 (Neil Patrick Harris has just been signed on to play the title character beginning March 2014).\u00a0 A year later it became an off-Broadway hit: playing in cities worldwide to critical acclaim and a massive cult following.\u00a0 After spawning productions from Manila to Iceland, becoming a feature film was simply the next logical step.\u00a0 Co-written, directed by and starring Mitchell (who also wrote the original book and wrote\/directed\/starred in the theater productions), Hedwig <\/i>chronicles the travails of the title character: an East German-born, transsexual trailer park denizen and wannabe rocker who\u2014along with her band of Eastern Europe-bloc musicians named the Angry Inch\u2014tours the pit stops of America on virtually no budget.\u00a0 Strutting through the movie in a dazzling assortment of wigs and extravagant ensembles, Mitchell plays Hedwig with a defiance and exuberance that echo the gender-bending audacity of late-1970s David Bowie.<\/p>\n

It is through the highly stylized rock ballads performed throughout the film that we eventually learn of Hedwig\u2019s full story via flashback\u2014and how she ultimately came to find herself serenading glassy-eyed suburbanites in dive bars and tacky seafood restaurants across the American Midwest.\u00a0 Mitchell performs these musical sequences with a ferocity that complements the brazen energy of the film\u2019s original soundtrack\u2014his singing and stage presence are not only on point, but embody the impact and purity of rock.\u00a0 While laden with surreal pop embellishments, witty dialogue and hyper-stylized artistic elements (including animated re-enactments of songs and a lyrical sing-along), Hedwig<\/i> ultimately doesn\u2019t allow the flashiness to detract from the picture\u2019s overarching philosophy.\u00a0 Rather, the film and its performances draw on an emotional core of blunt honesty; adding a deeper dimension to neo-glam rock grandeur that manages to avoid any suffocating sentiment.\u00a0 An allegorical semi-drag show of sorts, Hedwig and the Angry Inch <\/i>is ultimately a superbly crafted tale that bears an empowering message about the fluidity of sexual roles, the transformative power of disguise, and self-invention in rock music.<\/p>\n

\"Hedwig<\/a><\/p>\n

John Cameron Mitchell\u2019s film tells the story of a boy named Hansel, who grows up to become an effeminate gay male in communist East Germany during the politically tumultuous years of the Berlin Wall.\u00a0 He falls in love with a US sergeant named Luther, and expresses his desire to marry Luther and leave for America with him.\u00a0 However, Luther explains that as Hansel, that would be impossible\u2014but if the young man undergoes a sex operation they will indeed be able to marry and secure passports easily.\u00a0 Thus, Hansel becomes Hedwig in a botched sex reassignment operation that leaves a little too much behind (hence the title), and it isn\u2019t long before Hedwig finds herself abandoned in a Kansas trailer park.\u00a0 Turning tricks at a nearby military base for income, Hedwig also becomes a babysitter for the General and meets his son Tommy\u2014an angsty teen brat and Jesus freak who yearns for a musician\u2019s glory.\u00a0 Having formed his first start-up band consisting of instrumental-savvy Korean American housewives, Hedwig soon becomes Tommy\u2019s mentor and lover.\u00a0 However, just as their relationship is to be consummated, Tommy discovers Hedwig\u2019s true anatomy and recoils\u2014abandoning her and taking with him all of her original music.\u00a0 As if being deserted and heartbroken weren\u2019t enough, Hedwig must also watch as her former prot\u00e9g\u00e9 builds a triumphant solo career based on songs she wrote and for which he takes credit.\u00a0 So what does Hedwig do?\u00a0 Pursue the most logical form of justice, of course: stalking Tommy and shadowing his arena tour around the country with performances at pathetic dives, as she and her manager scheme to expose Tommy\u2019s piracy to the media.<\/p>\n

\"Hedwig<\/a><\/p>\n

If the storyline sounds depressing and outlandish, then perhaps it is to some extent.\u00a0 But such tones are anything but unintended.\u00a0 Rather, Mitchell employs these plot devices with confidence and purpose; his film openly embraces the humor, pathos and eccentric zeal of a rock musical.\u00a0 I have to admit that if asked to name my least favorite film genre, \u201cmusicals\u201d would quickly come to mind (alongside romantic comedies).\u00a0 Save for a few exceptions, the song and dance numbers of such pictures tend to be drawn out and repetitive: an experience in which the audience is expected to transition to and from these choreographed-break-from-realities with passive observation and acceptance.\u00a0 But what if these performance scenes acquired a personality of their own\u2014serving as a platform for commentary on transformation and wholeness?\u00a0\u00a0 With Hedwig<\/i>, it\u2019s as though Mitchell directly addresses skeptics like myself, creating musical numbers that engage and engross through a myriad of experimental methods.\u00a0 Take for instance the scene that accompanies the track \u201cWig In a Box\u201d: facing Hedwig, the camera follows her as she tries on different wigs and adorns her face with blush and rouge.\u00a0 The lyrics then appear at the bottom of the screen, and a small wig graphic bounces from word to word karaoke-style: \u201c\u2026I put on some makeup.\u00a0 Turn on the 8-track.\u00a0 I\u2019m pulling the wig down from the shelf\u2026\u201d It\u2019s obvious that Mitchell isn\u2019t trying to undermine or apologize for the ostentatious nature of musicals or drag, but instead emphasizes and welcomes it as though it were another endearing member of a misfit cast.\u00a0 And what results is a film that\u2019s as sexy, outrageous, vulnerable, sharp, symbolic and charming as its protagonist.<\/p>\n

Having been betrayed by love more than once, Hedwig finds comfort through the transformative power in wigs, makeup, and costumes, and professes her empowerment in ballads like \u201cWig In a Box\u201d.\u00a0 However, the anatomical aftermath of her surgery has left her feeling empty and inadequate; and underneath the glitzy liberation and theatrical sight gags lies a lonely desperation and search for completeness.\u00a0 Mitchell is brilliant in the way he uses gender and the prosthetics of drag as tools that link the emotional and physical dissonance existing within Hedwig.\u00a0 Her botched operation merely sets off the chain of events in the film\u2014but it\u2019s heartbreak that serves as the real culprit. It\u2019s heartbreak that ultimately compels Hedwig to search for her \u201cother half\u201d, not yet realizing that this other half exists within her regardless of intimacy or genitalia.\u00a0 In fact, one of the most pinnacle moments\u2014and my favorite musical scene\u2014in the film is with the song \u201cThe Origin of Love\u201d.\u00a0 Co-written by Mitchell and inspired by Plato\u2019s \u201cSymposium\u201d, the lyrics incorporate Adam and Eve and Greek mythology to weave a witty screwball theory on the evolution of human sexuality from a generational and transsexual perspective.\u00a0 Not only does the song itself reflect Hedwig\u2019s struggle for wholeness, but accompanying it is a fantastic animated short film by Emily Hubley.\u00a0 Hubley\u2019s scaled down illustrations are a perfect fit for Hedwig\u2019s gaudy trailer park punk aesthetic.\u00a0 Her simplistic storybook imagery adds an artistic dazzle that highlights the scene\u2019s emotional substance without distracting from Hedwig\u2019s character and what this all means to her.\u00a0 After all, it\u2019s pretty interesting how the film presents Hedwig as someone whose sex change was not eagerly sought, but seemed to be a necessary byproduct of love; \u201cto be free one must be willing to give up a part of oneself\u201d.\u00a0 There is a split screen as the song climaxes with Hedwig singing directly into the camera, until the animation takes over the rest of the frame.\u00a0 The heft of Hedwig\u2019s emotional plea to the audience makes it easy to miss just how well the artwork\u2019s nostalgic style complements Mitchell\u2019s moving performance.<\/p>\n

\"Hedwig<\/a><\/p>\n

When asked in an interview to describe the creative process that ultimately led to the making of this franchise, Mitchell focused his response on the evolution of his complex title character, claiming that while Hedwig is not autobiographical, what she goes through is clearly a big metaphor.\u00a0 \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want to be what she is, but she comes to an understanding that what happened to her actually made her whole\u201d (Indiewire).\u00a0 Coated in the subversive spirit and electrifying energy of rock and roll, Hedwig and the Angry Inch presents a bizarre yet poetic account of personal expression, sexual liberation and self-acceptance as told through the lens of glam culture.\u00a0 Through monologues, onscreen exchanges and a soundtrack that spans the musical spectrum, Mitchell\u2019s writing boldly reflects Hedwig\u2019s sordid tale of existence.\u00a0 He masters the art of double entendres; and through his thoughtful, precise and relevant commentary the audience is able to ride shotgun into Hedwig\u2019s head.\u00a0 Take the scene following \u201cOrigin of Love\u201d, while Hedwig lies in bed next to her current husband Yitzhak (who himself has a closeted love for drag).\u00a0 As the camera slowly pans over her body and over to Yitzhak, Hedwig\u2019s voice delivers a monologue off screen that beautifully dissects the concept of wholeness:<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that I must find my other half.\u00a0 But is it a he, or a she?\u00a0 What does this person look like; identical to me, or somehow- complimentary?\u00a0 Does my other half have what I don\u2019t?\u00a0 Did he get the looks, the luck, the love?\u00a0 Were we really separated forcibly or did he just run off with the good stuff?\u00a0 Or did I? \u2026What about sex?\u00a0 Is that how we put ourselves back together again, or can two people actually become one?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

With a flair that is reminiscent of Coyote Ugly, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, This is Spinal Tap, Almost Famous, Rent and Transamerica, Hedwig wisely avoids any satire of the glam rock scene.\u00a0 Instead, there is a pulse of sincerity beating below the glittery, lollipop surface of the film\u2014with John Cameron Mitchell presenting a sensational, irreverent and authentic account of the queer side of neo-glam rock culture.\u00a0 Our heroine represents society\u2019s disenfranchised, and her brazen story is both a thrilling discovery and important cultural touchstone for the LGBTQ community.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John Cameron Mitchell\u2019s Gender Bending Persona Dazzles with Insight Author |\u00a0Demitra \u2018Demi\u2019 Kampakis How strange that in all its flamboyance, rock \u2018n\u2019 roll so rarely finds common ground with theater, drag or cinema.\u00a0 Fortunately, there are exceptions to any status quo because in 2001, John Cameron Mitchell provided film audiences with an impressive revival of\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2065],"tags":[487,54,486,488,492,81,490,489,189,134,491,352],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-3165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-demi-kampakis","tag-drag-2","tag-film-review","tag-hedwig-and-the-angry-inch","tag-john-cameron-mitchell","tag-lgbtq","tag-musical","tag-post-punk-neo-glam","tag-posture-mag","tag-posture-magazine","tag-rock","tag-transgender"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/hedwig.jpg?fit=1569%2C1193","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6QBV8-P3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3165"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7752,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3165\/revisions\/7752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3165"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=3165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}