by Nathaniel R
Romancing the Stone's most famous sight gag. © 20th Century Fox
At the risk of accidental humiliation, like having a stranger end up face down in your lap due to a freak mudslide, I would like to propose a theory that Romancing the Stone (1984) is straight camp. Since no one can agree on a definition of "camp", let alone a heternormative variation on such a traditionally gay style / point of view, it's a risk. But looking back at Robert Zemeckis' classic adventure rom-com, the word 'camp' if not 'campy' kept coming to mind.
Right from its defining cheesy prologue, a heightened visualization of the last pages of a romance novel's already purple prose, it's an artificial wonder...
Take the heroine, seen almost entirely in parodic male gaze with the camera focused only on sexualized parts of her: barely concealed sweaty breasts, flowing blonde hair, and naked thighs. This hypersexual depiction of the fictional "Angelina" gives way to a perfect dowdy character introduction in the form of her creator, the very successful lonely novelist "Joan Wilder" (the great Kathleen Turner). Joan is disheveled and dressed in only comfort clothing as if she hasn't left the house in days. She's crying over her own questionable talent with 'damn I'm good' delight. She's such a ridiculous (but fun) stereotype of the pathetic lonely single that her cat is even named "Romeo".
From its very first scenes Romancing the Stone is the kind of crowd-pleasing low art, that is just self-aware and skilled enough in its construction and visual language to arguably be a sophisticated piece of high-art, celebrating and lampooning and even subverting traditional romantic adventure tropes. (Not for nothing Joan actually saves herself in the final climactic battle and the film makes no big fuss about this at all as Jack has arrived too late to help her)
Fictional faceless hero "Jesse"
"real" faceless hero "Jack"... this is where Michael Douglas comes in
You could call its easy visual parallels between the fictional perfect savior Jesse to the "real" imperfect reluctant hero Jack (Michael Douglas) an easy choice, but it's smart and it absolutely works. More subtle and inspired, since there's a bridge as rickety and wide as a the one Joan has to cross in one jungle escape, are the parallels between the wholly erotic Angelina and the dowdy living-in-her-head Joan.
But the film gets there. Which is why I'm arguing for this simple lovely shot of ascending Kathleen Turner as the film's best.
Best Shot
This moment is the bridge that unites hopeless romantic / successful loser "Joan Wilder" to the hopeful romantic / successful winner Joan Wilder. You can see it in several shot choices here (and later). The camera begins to look at her more affectionately and lustfully (but not leering the way it did with Angelina) while her clothing becomes more like Angelina's -- less fussy, more flowing, with cleavage and slits up to there. In one of the silliest (and most pleasurable) movie-movie gambits her hair and makeup goes right from frizzy sweaty pony tailed nothingness, to voluptuous toussled sheer beauty in the blink of an eye with no narrative break to speak of between. The escape car has finally stopped and she has time to pick flowers and plot her next move. Was there an entire hair & makeup department in the car with her? In addition to the romance novel tropes, Romancing the Stone is also slyly tossing in the dependably campy satisfaction of a makeover montage... without the actual montage!
By the end of the movie Joan has essentially fused with Angelina, to become a braver, more sexual, and whole woman but she's also still herself, dressed modestly and an accomplished woman who isn't wallowing in dreams but living them. Her new novel, inspired by this adventure we've just witnessed, is her greatest yet. We don't see her crying over it. She leaves the blubbery girlish mess duties to her publisher (Holland Taylor) this time. She strolls down the street with a content smile, carrying another batch of flowers. Her face is positively glowing even before we reach the mandatory heteronormative happy ending in which she can sail off with the man of her dreams.
P.S. We'll share other shot choices late this evening so get yours in.
P.P.S. The film received just one Oscar nomination (Film Editing) though the Golden Globes nominated Kathleen Turner and she also got loving notices from critics including an LAFCA win. So, yes, Kathleen Turner does run circles around practically all of the Best Actress nominees from 1984. And she's got a trickier part, too. Her Joan Wilder should have landed her her second nomination and even second win (post Body Heat) if you're feeling generous. But she'd have to wait a few more films for Oscar's brief one-time-only attention. Here she's not playing just earnest drama or verbal comedy. Instead she's selling overripe hokey romance and dialogue with utter conviction and commentary -- this is a novelist uttering these lines -- especially that high corn last line about dying in Jack's arms. While she's scaling those heights she's also giving you expert physical comedy, gorgeous romantic awakening, and believable woman-in-peril suspense. She stirs all four ingredients together as effortlessly as Joan blossoms before our eyes on that hillside. There are multiple reasons this film became one of the top ten highest grossers in its year. Many of them were the genius and beauty of Kathleen Turner.