“I would prefer not to.” Those are the words of a man beset by anxiety, unassailable procrastination, mental fog, and introversion – the likes of which are incomprehensible to all those around him. Crispin Glover plays the eponymous Bartleby capturing the necessary air of ethereal aloofness required in bringing such a role to life.
Is ‘Bartleby’ a story about a young man with a confounding affliction, or is it a tale of how bureaucracy proliferates workplace alienation of the individual. Perhaps, Herman Melville intended it to be both. And yes, this film does a fairly admirable job of capturing the aesthetic and spirit of the short story that inspired it.
At the outset of the piece we are treated to the image of a harried business man (David Paymer) driving to work through heavy traffic, unbeknownst to him an odd man observes him from above – standing awkwardly on a fenced-in walkway.
This man is Bartleby.
Next we’re treated to a short scene detailing a city council meeting; a meeting that includes our nameless protagonist, the business man. It’s announced that the office of Public Records will now be responsible for administering City Records as well. Following that, a quick shot of a sprawling highway that leads up to the man’s destination. A narration by him (Paymer) informs us that he’s the lead-purveyor of Public Records and the entirely nondescript structure shown: the office building that houses Public Records. Forbidding in its square, sentinel-like presence, it sits atop an elevated plateau removed from the neighbourhoods and communities below almost monolithic in its appearance. We’re then treated to the interior of the Public Records office; our nameless executive (simply credited as “The Boss”) enters and begins his day, greeting the other workers in the process. There’s the vivacious secretary Vivian (Glenne Headly), Rocky (Joe Piscopo) an alpha male who’s ironically stuck in a white-collar job, and Ernest (Maury Chaykin), a neurotic complainer who grates on his co-worker’s nerves –especially those of Rocky’s. The plot quickly reveals its inciting incident, “The Boss” requests Vivian to put an ad out in the newspaper looking for a new employee/records clerk. Thus leading to the alacritous acquisition of Bartleby. The Kafka-esque nature of the story is accentuated by dry jokes about the workplace itself, for example: an irritating vibration in the building caused by the ventilation system has no easy solution since the contractor and building manager both point towards each other. Or how about the executive office that has no view of the outside besides a dumpster and a solid brick wall; a dreary plot-point taken directly from Melville’s short story. And finally, the general disposition of inanity that exists among the staff resulting in awkward and trivial conversation: showcasing the tepid existence of all who work there. After advising Vivian that the “for hire” ad should represent the positives of working in such a place the boss (Paymer) is incensed when she publishes a small advert in a newspaper that states the following:
“RECORDER. Public Records firm. Lo pay. No Bnfts, Dull Job. Vibrating workplace. Apply in person. Ste 001. Thorny Knoll Ofcs”
(According to her “it’s honest, economical, and fits quite snugly into borderlines.” Abbreviations are quoted as is.)
Only a moment after discussing the advertisement, like a magician’s trick, Bartleby knocks on the office door. Bartleby is off-putting in almost every way; he rarely makes eye contact, he’s sickly pallid, unresponsive and almost resolutely mute. And yet he’s sort of affable in his meekness, something that “The Boss” is intent on capitalizing on with his hiring of the man. During their brief, rather gauche meeting – it’s revealed that Bartleby’s previous employment was in a “dead letters” filing room; a job that required him to deal with letters of the deceased. This may have been too emotionally taxing for Batleby showing he possibly possesses some superior form of empathy, debilitating in its affect.
This facet of the character is a defining trait in all versions of this story – providing an insight into what might’ve driven him to such peculiar and posterity nullifying behaviour. Perhaps his past plays into his lack of respect for a future and anything larger than himself.
“Ah, Bartleby. Ah, humanity.”
Crispin Glover seems very much like he was born to play the role of Bartleby the Scrivener. Not only does he wholly embody the taciturn, nay completely laconic, Bartleby, his strangely distant mannerisms are less of a choice and more of a byproduct of the actor’s personae – a mask it seems he rarely took off. Glover was well-known for his unorthodox style of acting, and aloof demeanor, originally used to great effect in the role of Marty McFly’s father, in ‘Back to the Future’. Regretfully he was not re-cast for the role in the sequel. There’s actually a whole rabbit hole of Hollywood drama on the subject – as a swath of writers/documentarians have detailed how that that decision negatively affected Glover’s career. Eventually culminating in his status as a sort of pariah in the LA scene in part due to his suing Back 2 the Future’s production for infringing on his personal likeness. He was fervently vocal in denouncing the producers & director’s use of a plaster mould of his face (life-cast) to slap on an extra just so that they could incorporate a homunculus of him in ‘Back to the Future II’. See below:
“Back to the Future Part II also brought back George McFly, the father of the protagonist traveling to Oct. 21, 2015, which as everybody knows, is this date in history.
“Except George McFly wasn’t played by the same actor, Crispin Glover, who appeared in the first film. Glover didn’t like the sequel’s script, and so he threw out a $1 million demand to reprise the role. The filmmakers refused, and so they took a face mold of Glover that was created during the first film to help out the makeup artists, hired a different actor, Jeffrey Weissman, and through the use of prosthetics, made it appear as though the same thespian was performing the part.” -The Hollywood Reporter, by Eriq Gardner Oct 21st 2015 [1]
Later Glover did manage to snag some bigger roles (Charlie’s Angels, Willard) but never quite gained the fame that one might expect, notoriety maybe, but overall star-power, no.
David Paymer also provides a pivotal role as the ever-fretting boss, bound by the sanctity of workplace efficiency and perpetually perturbed by Bartleby’s refusal to adhere to the minimums required. His employer is ultimately perplexed more than anything else. For the first few weeks he performs as admirably as expected, even exceeding expectations by managing to swiftly traverse the slough of forms that need filling and filing. But any request of Bartleby outside of his regular responsibilities is met with a polite but firm refusal in the form of a few simple words: “I would prefer not to.”
This callow response from the titular character is really the crux of the picture, and the short story it was adapted from. It is at once, a rumination on disorders like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), and at the same time a way for the viewer or reader to examine the ideas of societal pressures in relation to under-achievers, social outcasts, and even passive resistance. A theremin is put to great use in scoring the film the discordant notes highlighting the surreal nature of Bartleby’s life. The cinematography and direction in ‘Bartleby’ is truly mesmerizing, evoking the feelings of bureaucratic monotony essential to a tale of white-collar work as a source of alienation from your fellow man. The colour scheme seems coordinated to make the viewer feel ill at ease, overpowering pea soup green is overly-incorporated in the office surroundings and its furnishings, any exterior shots feature overcast skies and plangent grays, and the only character that wears any vibrant colours for most of the runtime is Vivian (Glenne Headly). She fits the bill of a vamp making this perhaps a conscious directorial decision so that Vivian stands out during her Id driven pursuits of her male counterparts. Glenne Headly portrays her expertly, unbelievably funny comic relief; startlingly sexy and with the perfect amount of “camp”. Ego runs rampant in this film – with little back-and-forths between characters – that highlight their respective differences in personality. One such exchange between Rocky (Piscopo) and Ernest (Chaykin) gets repeated several times – becoming a running joke and a nifty cinematic throughline in the process. Rocky keeps greeting Ernest in the morning as per norm, and his co-worker refuses to answer back with the stereotypical response of “good” or “okay” and maybe “thanks for asking”. Instead Ernest takes it as an open-invitation to unload a diatribe on his poor mate about his poor home life and any personal troubles. Alternatively, Rocky comes off as a self-absorbed, overly muscled macho man who couldn’t give two shits about what someone else may think of him. Although he does make some valid and semi-intellectual points about his way being the right way, at one point he puts forth that Social Darwinism is the philosophy he ascribes to. Like I said, this film really captures the spirit of Herman Melville’s prose; delving into some weighty and sociological themes.
Bartleby:
a smaller, rather obscure picture that hasn’t really received the recognition it deserves. In my opinion.
(Plus, if you’re looking for a great short story to really exercise your knowledge of words & supercharge your vernacular — Bartleby the Scrivener is it.)
‘Tis truly classic literature.
And this movie does it justice.
Rating 9/10
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Sources:
[1] Back to the Future II” From a Legal Perspective: Unintentionally Visionary
BY ERIQ GARDNER
OCTOBER 21, 2015 3:51PM
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/back-future-ii-a-legal-833705
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