Six Degrees of Stockard Channing
Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 7:00PM By Spencer Coile
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John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation is a finely tuned satire of the rich and elite, inviting its audience into the lives of Flan and Ouisa Kittredge, an art dealer and his wife. Through a mixture of broad comedy, close examination of "how the other half lives," and an honest depiction of race relations in the 20th century, his work was not only a Best Play nominee at the 1990 Tony Awards, but was a candidate for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is no surprise that his creation would soon find its home on the screen as well, being adapted into a 1993 film of the same name, directed by Fred Schepisi and written for the screen by Guare.
Indeed, much can be said about both its stage and screen representation (Nathaniel even wrote about the play's current revival here), from its kooky premise to the performances. Considering the revival's Tony success (nominations for Best Revival of a Play and Best Leading Actor in a Play), not to mention many of its timeless qualities, let's dive into Guare's work and find out what connects us all.
When Paul (Will Smith) barges into the door of Flan and Ouisa's (Donald Sutherland and Stockard Channing) penthouse door, what ensues is, at its very nature, a comedy of errors. Paul fabricates a life that is not his, it isn't really anyone's. What he does, though, is charm the lives of every person he encounters. He is at points threatening, at others, entirely beguiling. As the wealthy people he dupes begin to realize that they had been tricked by his smooth talking, they begin telling their story to others. "Listen to how this con man entered our lives." It all becomes another anecdote to share later on.
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Tinged with elements of race, sexuality, and status, Schepisi's film comes alive because it is unafraid to veer from its stage roots. At times its manic editing is used to the film's advantage, to demonstrate the sheer chaos that envelopes Flan and Ouisa, as they attempt to figure out who Paul is. Is he really the son of Sidney Poitier? Will they really be in a film production of Cats? These questions guide their journey, often matched with Channing's reading of the lines:
Chaos, control, chaos, control.
What is real and what isn't soon begin to blur, and as Ouisa and Flan share their story with others, Ouisa begins to see the cracks in her own identity. While hilarious throughout, what makes the film work so well is its attention to the minor details that lurk beneath the surface. Sure, the stories we tell others are amusing. But what happens when the punchline is over. What are we left with?
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Fortunately, the film does not attempt to spoon-feed us answers. It has lessons to impart, but perhaps they are best figured out on our own. For instance, Ouisa's speech to her daughter about being connected to six other people, she notes, is both a comfort and a torture. We can seek solace in knowing that our lives are always in flux and in a constant cycle of connecting with one another, but it's finding the right six people where our lives become difficult, grueling even. The thought is equally treacherous and moving.
That is not to say the film is without its flaws. The less we say about teen actors the better. Maybe the goal was to make each of the leading characters' children insufferable, but their purpose does not feel fully fleshed out yet, and so they are left to look like caricatures. Additionally, Ouisa experiences Paul's presence in reflections and her in dreams, very much like a ghost. These moments do not entirely work either. While it offers insight into Ouisa's internal struggle to hang on to the experience, it might have been just as compelling to let Channing do the heavy lifting in those moments.
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Amidst all of this drama, though, one quality remains consistently fantastic: Stockard Channing's performance. Imbuing Ouisa with extravagant style, elegance, yet with a maternal warmth, Channing is absolutely electric here. It would be so easy to watch her character be sidelined to the background for the first two thirds of the film, but every glance, every minor line reading helps to create the portrait of a woman who is starting to witness her own affluent lifestyle crumble. Her final phone call with Paul crackles with the light and energy of Guare's dialogue, but it is Channing who brings it to life so effortlessly. This all culiminates into a final scene that forces Ouisa to come to terms with her privilege, with her marriage to Flan, with her role in society. Her monologue, about wanting to remember the experience, is nothing short of revelatory. Countless articles could be written about that one scene and it still wouldn't be enough.
The film ends with Ouisa stepping out into the bustle of New York City, ready to slap the hand of God once more. And we watch as she saunters down the street, feeling lighter and nervous. She is trying to hold on to one experience after the other, but just like any good story, we have to ask oursevles, "What comes next?" It's a question that haunts her, as I am sure it haunts each of us, but perhaps that is what makes finding each new connecion worthwhile.
Reader Comments (7)
This is why I love this site.
So glad Stockard got her one and only Oscar nom for this.
It's a disgrace that Sutherland has never been nominated for an Oscar.
I totally agree with you, Craver. Sutherland is amazing in every role he plays.
One of my all-time favorite performances. I saw Channing interviewed at a film festival (she was promoting The Business of Strangers). The interviewer praised her performance in Six Degrees and asked her if she was still on the lookout for a role that would win her an Oscar.
She laughed. "My God, what more do you people want from me?"
Indeed.
Thank you.
"We're a terrible match you and I" love her reading of that line to Sutherland who has indeed been unfairly snubbed but he is not part of that community he once said,she's thought it for years but now she's really saying it.
I just love Stockard Channing. I saw her on Broadway in They're Playing Our Song. What a delight! I believe she should have been Oscar nominated for The Fortune (1975) and for Grease (1978). She's been nominated for 13 Emmys and has won 2... in the same year! She pulled this double whammy in 2002: Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series for "The West Wing" and Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for "The Matthew Shepard Story". She's also got a Tony for "Joe Egg" and 4 additional nominations.
Broadway PD: I wonder what she did with the role of Regina in The Little Foxes back in 1997. Frances Conroy played Birdie. Variety gave it a very good review.
My degrees of separation with Stockard Channing...
I worked as an extra in "Generador Adolescente" by Pedro Temboury, which costarred Fernando García Rimada.
Fernando G. Rimada played King Fernando in Ridley Scott's "1492: Conquest of Paradise" along Sigourney Weaver.
Sigourney Weaver *spoiler* worked in Cabin in the Woods in whih Bradley Whitford also costarred.
Both Bradley Whitford and Stockard Channing worked in "The West Wing".
I guess mine, are 5 degrees of separation?