Clint Eastwood has been in the Hollywood industry for as long as many can remember. His range in acting had always been eye-catching but things grew even more for him after he stepped into the world of moviemaking as a director. From an actor to a director, there is nothing he hasn’t achieved that brought happiness to him more than filmmaking.
There are some movies that he has done that are absolute masterpieces while others that sit on a controversial stance with the audience. Either way, he is respected throughout the world for his endless talent and limitless contribution to the industry as a whole. Through this, he has managed to gain a lot. However, one film put him in a concerning position with his mind.
Clint Eastwood Thought Million Dollar Baby was a Demanding Movie to Make
When it came to making Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood sought various methods that could perfectly represent a movie that had themes both complicated and sometimes even conflicting to come to terms with, especially with the audience. For the ending, he challenged themes that met with the public in matters different from others. As per Film Comment, Eastwood talked about how it is the mysterious factors that keep the movie-going.
“When the tragedy happens, it becomes the toughest fight he’ll ever go through, that anyone could go through. And where it leads—there’s no answer to it. Nobody knows what they’d do in that situation. There’s no way to predispose that. You could say, does that mean you believe in euthanasia. Not necessarily. But who knows? It’s a supposition unless you’ve been put in that position. It was a demanding picture to make—these people living on the periphery of society, at least as we know it and as the most of the people who are going to view the movie know it. There it is—that’s all I know about it.”
Sandra Bullock always wanted to be a part of the film and work with Paul Haggis, an opportunity she later got with Crash. However, Eastwood brought an essence to the film that saw a theme that could have been there and could not have at the same time.
Clint Eastwood Saw Experience in the End
The theme of euthanasia suggests doing something that would otherwise be deemed wrong but for the betterment of the people around them. In medical terms, it is seen as a way to end the patient’s life to release them of their pain. In literary and cinematic terms, it means to kill someone as a form of mercy. It was first introduced by Samuel D. Williams in 1870 and has since been used in forms of media across the world. Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby also has the essence of it.
“There’s something about her struggle to be something, to get to the top, which is very much like Hilary Swank herself. She came out of very poor beginnings and wanted to be an actress, so she understood this girl completely. It’s the least obvious thing—to want to be a female boxer to gain some place in the world. Morgan’s character of Scrap had that dream before. It didn’t happen for Scrap, but he reaches down to people, even the young retarded boy who obviously doesn’t have any talent in the boxing area. So there’s Scrap’s sympathy for people and there’s Frankie’s disappointment about his daughter and family and consequently not wanting to make lasting relationships with anyone, but finding rejuvenation with this girl.”
According to Eastwood, via Film Comment, euthanasia in the film exists only for those who have experienced something similar. He further gave the example of Hilary Swank, whose life has not been an easy one either.
Source: Film Comment
