"Image is everything!" This was the slogan for Sprite for a while. In society it seems that this principle has become reality. It seems that all we care for is if something appears to be good. As long as you give a good image, the media and society will accept you as a whole. It seems that true reality is kept from the public eye. Every time you see someone on TV, they"re either smiling or always having something positive to say. It seems that the true harsh reality is hidden from the common man. This image principle has flowed over into music and even Hollywood. In rap music, the music I generally listen to, everybody seems to be talking about the beautiful things in life. These things include nice cars, nice houses, plenty of money, beautiful women, and pretty much the ideal life. In Hollywood, it seems as if producers have a certain image that must be shown in order for a movie to be successful and deemed remarkable in the media eye. This is displayed in the movie, Primal Fear and its difference from the novel. The movie seemed to protect its intended audience from what the producers saw as "flaws" in the novel, to dodge possible controversy. This is highlighted through the characters Marty Vail, Jane Venable, and Naomi.
Marty Vail was a tale of two stories when it came to the book and movie. Richard Gere is shown as a powerful and all-knowing lawyer who single handedly solves and wins the case. Richard Gere brought to the table a well-known face that brought home a fan base. I believe that Hollywood thought that the novel's Vail was not aggressive enough for the magnitude of the case. When someone is aggressive, he is more attractive, demands more attention, and is flashier than a laid back white guy. Gere represents the dominant, white, male figure that we see of a lot in society. Gere has his ways with his clients, associates, and opponents. Vail, in the book, was cooperative.
