Ocean vs. Ocean: The Tide of Time

Elaborated Data

Thesis:

The original Ocean’s 11 is a crime caper through and through. It’s absolutely filled to the brim with that “classic way of doing things” your racist grandpa keeps going on about. In contrast, the Ocean’s 11 from 2001 is a sleek and modern heist film filled with action and intrigue. Both are idyllic fantasies about how white men wish they could be; the difference lies in the type of fantasy that society at the time allows.

Adaptation:

At first glance, the 1960s Ocean’s 11 appears to be a movie about a robbery, but the robbery is merely a catalyst for the characters (a retired squad of paratroopers) to get back together for one last mission. Each one is disheartened by the life they’ve lived since the war, and their apparent lack of value during peacetime. It’s not only a chance to reclaim their past value, but their quickly retreating youth as each character teeters on the edge of middle aged, trying not to stare into the deep pit of despair that is… old.

The 2001 version of Ocean’s 11 features a similar theme, with the main character of Danny Ocean just being released from prison after a few years have passed since a job gone wrong. Ocean and most everyone else are experienced criminals who all have a mysterious and tenuous connection to one another in specific contrast to the previous version where everyone is very familiar with one another from the start. This apparent lack of history gives the characters a bit more room to get to know each other, but the movie hardly explores this avenue. It brushes past the potential for character development of the ensemble cast to instead focus on only a select few, namely, Danny Ocean and his white pals. Like the previous version, the robbery is not just a robbery, but a catalyst for Ocean himself to get back together with his ex-wife, and take revenge on the man who he perceives stole her from him.

In the 1960s movie, Danny Ocean has a wife who is not really “his” (if a woman can be said to belong to a man, which I don’t think is right, but let’s get on with the analysis) because she left him because she already knew that he wouldn’t change. She says he loves danger more than her (which so far as the audience can see, is absolutely true) but Ocean insists that he can have both. She as much as says that if he were to change, she would have him back in a heartbeat. She leaves him, and her role in the story is pretty much as good as over, with little to no conclusion. She rejects another woman’s attempt to spurn her away from Ocean, which is supposed to show the audience that she loves him, but they don’t ever physically meet again in the story or even talk over the phone. For all the audience knows, they never speak again. Similarly, the money taken in the robbery is all burned away in the end, and the members of the crew have to walk away defeated, but scott free.

In the 2001 movie, Danny Ocean’s wife is trapped in a relationship with another egotistical self-centered man who doesn’t really care about her, however instead of being a footnote, this is the main cause for all of Ocean’s actions in the movie. In the end, Danny Ocean proves to her just how rotten the man she is currently with is. The audience is made to believe that she will come running back to Ocean, but he doesn’t have time to bask in the glory of his conquest because he is getting arrested once again. Some amount of time later, and he’s being released again, and there Tess is (her name is Tess by the way. Is that important? Probably not.) waiting for her knight in shining armor to come home again. There is no bitter sweet flavor to this ending, but instead only pure unadulterated triumph.

Genre:

Both versions are similar in that they are quests to gain back what was once had and lost, but difference lies in the scale of that object. These movies shaped the heist film genre, into what it is today, and that is no accident. The original’s simplicity is balanced by its emphasis in other areas, and the remake’s elaborate schemes are balanced by quick, direct moments of character development and exploration. The original’s objects of desire were a return to youth, a regained familial bond, and a sense of control over one’s destiny. The remake’s objects of desire were the woman he used to have, revenge against the man who took her, and a lot of money.

This comparison may seem cut and dry in favor of the original as the more intellectually stimulating piece, however the main character of Danny Ocean doesn’t seem to lack any of what he desires. He is already a suave and dangerous man with control over himself and his destiny, he easily slides into familiarity with everyone he comes into contact with, and he spends his nights living as any young man at the time would dream of spending them himself. The only two things he lacks are his wife, and some money (just like the remake). His wife is ready to be his once more if only he would compromise just a little, and the only reason he needs the money is to maintain his frivolous lifestyle. This isn’t so much of a character need, but more of a childish want.

The original is all about maintaining the status quo, but without any of the annoyances of real life. The remake on the other hand is all about forward progression, as everything Ocean does is in service of his main goal of getting his wife back. Where the original meanders around searching for a goal, the remake follows a clearly set path (even if it is kept from the audience for a time to maintain the allure of mystery).

Social History:

In the 1960s, there were certain ideas that were commonplace, that by today’s standards, are frankly horrifying. This can be seen in stark detail when Dean Martin’s character Sam Harmon mentions that he wants to return to a time when black people were slaves and women couldn’t vote in front of Sammy Davis Jr.’s character of Josh Howard, who keeps smiling through it all. In comparison, the objectification of Ocean’s wife Tess in the remake seems a minor infraction. Where the 1960s version was overt in its racism and objectification of women, the 2001 version is rather covert which makes discerning the intentions of the creators rather difficult. In the years between the two movies, society’s opinions on overt racism had changed from “Ahh, they’re just having a bit of fun” to “that should probably be kept under wraps.” The latter view still persists today, somehow in popular culture.

It would have been nice if the remake had initially done what Ocean’s 8 had to correct in the series years later (but let’s leave that discussion to another day). The filmmakers for the remake didn’t like the ambiguity of the original in regards to Danny Ocean’s relationship with his wife, and so expounded heavily on that for the remake, however if they had subverted the typical male view that the male protagonist should “get the girl” or otherwise “win the prize” because he has done so much work for the woman, and she owes it to him, they could have not only made a great film, but also one with a deeper message than what was common. It would have been far more interesting of a movie if Danny Ocean didn’t “win” his wife Tess in the end, but rather she is shown to have the power to refuse his advances. This however would have complicated the “happy ending” the film was striving for, and the immense sense of accomplishment as is shown at its highest in the fountain scene, that elicits, arguably, the largest swell of emotion for the viewer in the entire movie.

Both movies are deeply flawed, but the remake does fix some of the more egregious errors of the original. The 2001 version, which has arguably become the more iconic of the two (at the very least more popular), is a male fantasy, whose racial insensitivity and feminine objectivity, secretly comfort the passive white male viewers into an enjoyable ride for not only their conscious mind with the suave action set pieces, but also their unconscious mind with covert racism and the like to fulfill the base desires of some people to exercise control or superiority over others in order to feel good and powerful. The only way to combat this hidden leaning towards less than ideal ideals in popular movies, is to become more active viewers who aren’t afraid to analyze their media, for fear of ruining the experience.

Outline

  I. Intro

A.  Ocean’s 11 1960 = Racist Grandpa’s wet dream.

      Ocean’s 11 2001 = Kinda Sexist Dad’s wet dream.

      Heist films are male fantasies, and these are the best.

 II.        Adaptation

B. 1960s O11 = old military guys’ last mission

C. 2001 O11 = criminals + O wants wife.

D. 1960s O11 = wife = unimportant to O and movie.

E. 2001s O11 = wife = important to Ocean but not movie.

 III.        Genre

F.   1960s O11 = simple plot + want youth + want control like O.

     2001 O11 = complex plot + want wife + money.

G. 1960s O11 = wants not needs.

H. 2001 O11 = needs inform actions = direction.

   IIII.        Social History

I. 1960s O11 = overt racism + sexism

     2001 O11 = covert racism + sexism

J.  2001 O11 should have Wife = not prize = more depth

 V.        Conclusion

K.   O = white male fantasy for conscious and unconscious

      Solution = become active viewers

Organizer Slide

 

Works cited:

Brown, Harry, and Charles Lederer. Ocean's Eleven. Dorchester Productions, 1960.

Croft, Karen. “In Defense of the Original ‘Ocean's 11″.” Salon, Salon.com, 25 Sept. 2011, www.salon.com/2001/12/11/oceans_rant/

Ebony, vol. 15, no. 10, Aug. 1960, p. 59. EBSCOhost, bulldogs.tlu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=48213350&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Griffin, Ted. Ocean's Eleven. Warner Bros., 2001.

Lee, Daryl. The Heist Film: Stealing with Style. Wallflower, 2014.
https://books.google.com/books?id=K1EZBQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

“Ocean's Eleven.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean%27s_Eleven

"Ocean's (Film Series)." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean%27s_(film_series)

“Ocean’s 11.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean%27s_11

Slotek, Jim. “Ocean’s Eleven. All Star Cast Takes on Rat Pack Classic.” Tribute, vol. 18, no. 8, Nov. 2001, p. 30. EBSCOhost, bulldogs.tlu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=7555714&site=eds-live&scope=site.