Someone mentioned how the character of Mark was static (sorry I don't remember who), but I think that is what makes his character so compelling in the show. Correct me if this is a bad interpretation (I am definitely no authority on the issue, only that for some completely wierd reason I see this same quality the character has in myself, go figure), but I think the fact that he does detach himself and seems to remain unchaged and wishing he'd be different is what makes him interesting to watch.
Mark seems to feel separated from the group while grasping very desparately to be a part of it; he's torn becuase somehow he doesn't fit in completely even though he wants to be and is trying--it's just not who he is. ("For someone who longs for a community of his own...") His subconscious detachment is key--(he means to try and be completely involved, but just isn't, it's not his way, perhaps because of his raising)--usually he ends up seeing life through the lense, instead of in person as he should be. There is a sort of wall/facade, in this case the camera lense, between the real, that he doesn't completely commit to though wants to, and what he actually experiences emotionally.
It's like this: you really want to be part of the community, be extroverted and hang out wth the whole gang, do everything with these friends, but you, for some completely independent reason you cannot control (the way you are, nature or nurture, etc) you just can't be totally devoted to the group of friends. It's almost like the idea of a loner, but not. Nobody would call him that given the chance, ever.
I'd see the character of Mark to be one who in hs wasn't a key member in any certain click and possibly even fit in to a whole bunch of them (because of friends of all levels in different clicks) and in this sense a sort of loner--someone with no true best friend but a bunch of moderately/ almost 'best' friends-- but not because he does kinda belong to a group of people that don't have a specific clicky click, but a more conglomerate type click of students (The group I hang out with most is overall an ecclectic mix and quite interesting when you realize how different we all are). (And I use click to mean groups of students that are similar, not like an exclusive group of girls/guys or something.) Maybe he even has trouble finding a bestbest friend (finally finding one in Roger, who only ends up trying to leave and then coming back).
Anthony, if you feel like getting into a character analysis discussion (or anyone else would...): How did you interpret the character of Mark? Were you aided in the interpretation of the character of Mark Cohen to a certain path?
...and how *did* he afford all that film and developing (it is soooo ridiculously expensive!)...and the camera, but it's no like he has the bestest 16 mm ever and there are flea markets and the like, heh...but I solve this conundrum by remembering he comes from a middle class Jewish family from Scarsdale and I would expect (even before hearing the line "some of our parents don't pay our bills" in the NYTW version in Cool/Fool 'You're a Fool' or whatever the title is) his parents would help pay for the development and the film (or someone bought it for him as a gift, but still, somone paid for it for him...)
That was a long post, so I'll say anything else in a separate one...heh...
*My posts are definitely long because of my full sentences.*
Updated On: 10/31/04 at 09:30 PM
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