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| Splash movie poster |
Written by Amanda Rodriguez
I was completely in LOVE with Ron Howard’s 1984 film Splash when I was little. I was then and continue now to be obsessed with mermaids. My child brain even thought that in the way hair color changes as you get older, I could become a mermaid as naturally as all that. It’s probably even why I like swimming so much. For a brief moment while doing the butterfly, I can pretend I’m Madison diving into the ocean. Too bad my dolphin kick is for shit.
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| Jeepers, mermaids are cool. |
When I thought about reviewing Splash, I latched onto some of its more surprising, potentially feminist qualities, but upon rewatching it, I found it was a more deeply layered film than I’d realized. One feminist aspect of the movie is that Daryl Hannah’s mermaid Madison overcomes her inability to speak (as dictated by Hans Christian Anderson’s original The Little Mermaid story) through her remarkable intelligence and adaptability.
We watch Madison fall in love with the human world, and her innocent joy humanizes a potentially exotic character while making the audience take another look at many of the things we take for granted: speaking, dancing, ice skating, the gritty beauty of urban landscapes,
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| “What’s that? Pretty.” – Madison |
the satisfaction of a fine meal,
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| “That’s how we eat lobster where I come from.” – Madison |
and the luxury of a hot bath.
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| For fins: Add water, table salt, and land-legged mermaid. |
Most interestingly, though, Madison shows us how influential media is in our perception of who we are and how we fit into our culture. Her first word is “Bloomingdale’s.” A saleswoman (Madison’s first interaction with another woman) even says of an outfit Madison touches, “I couldn’t get one leg in there. My daughter, on the other hand, is lucky; she’s anorexic.” Madison’s first internalization is of society’s definition of femininity, and that internalization goes hand-in-hand with commerce and capitalism. She proceeds to spend the entire day at the mall, buying things, learning English, and aerobicizing with Richard Simmons, using the televisions at an electronics studio. Madison’s first day as a human woman shows us that media dispenses our culture’s expectations, and we must buy into them literally.
Another feminist aspect of Splash is that she doesn’t give up her world to be with a man, though she nearly does (because Tom Hanks’ Allen Bauer character refuses to let her go gracefully, he instead yells at her and derides her). Instead, Allen joins her underwater paradise, and Madison gets to be herself, fishtail and all, which I find intriguing because they make much of her sexual appetite and of how frequently she and Allen have sex…don’t see that happening anymore in the usual way.
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| Underwater makeout scene. |
Most importantly on the feminist front, Madison repeatedly rescues Allen. He is generally the damsel in distress, a complete novice in her world where he faces drowning without her. She rescues him twice from drowning and once from his sickhearted loneliness coupled with the complicatedness of a human world where he never really belonged. From Allen’s youth, he’s shown as a romantic, a dreamer. His adult life and the obligations of being a small business owner have distracted him from the simplicity of love and his soulmate, Madison. Even the way he talks about marriage is all about sidestepping immigration regulations and blood tests; the institution itself is just another symbol of the bureaucracy regulating his life. In the end, Madison frees him from that when she gives him an underwater kiss that allows him to breathe and be “safe.” Yes, it’s problematic to have a woman symbolize a lifestyle or quality of life toward which a man gravitates at the end of the film.
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| Madison and Allen look on at her underwater civilization. |
Do I think the film was intentionally critiquing consumerism and the capitalist, American ideal of femininity? Probably not. Ultimately, the film showed us the wonders of our world through fresh eyes, while drawing attention to its glaring faults (for example, the military force that studies Madison against her will and plans to dissect her). Madison’s goal throughout the film may have been love and a man, but it’s important to note that she began her journey to land only planning to spend a single week with him, valuing her life and home under the sea more than love. Even in love, she was always the strong one, never angry, hurtful, or vindictive as Allen was. Madison is a heroine. She saves people. She’s kind, sensitive, intelligent, motivated, and strong enough to rescue a man or fend off military attackers in scuba gear. She is most definitely not the perfect female heroine, but our heroines should be flawed and can be vulnerable. Regardless, Madison is hands-down the best mermaid EVER depicted on-screen, and that makes her my hero.
Loved this. <3 I have always adored this film, but I'd never thought of its feminist aspects before. Yet more proof that it's entirely possible to have a progressive romantic comedy/fantasy.
Did you know, Amanda, that in the DVD audio commentary, director Ron Howard mentioned that in the first draft of “Splash,” the ending had Allen NOT go with Madison; however, Ron’s wife, producer Brian Grazer’s wife, and the wives of screenwriters Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz ALL read the script and told their respective husbands that they were “crazy” in not having Allen go with Madison, therefore the ending was changed to ALLEN GOING WITH HER?
Jokingly, Babaloo’s wife said to her husband that if Allen doesn’t go with Madison, then (and these are her words!) “you go.”
Just found this site, and I’m totally in love!
I found you via this Splash post, as I was looking for photos of her outfits/hair for an inspiration post on my own blog. (How feminist is that, har har) I wasn’t even going to touch on the feminist issues I encountered while re-watching this movie last week because it’s not my blog topic. But boy did I have some thoughts while re-watching it for the first time in 20 years. As a kid, it was one of my faves. (I grew up in Florida in the 80’s, YES!) Most of what I remembered was very visual, but what really struck me was the following:
I think if this movie was made today, the Tom Hanks character would have been expected to first consider that Madison may be mentally ill or cognitively impaired and that immediately screwing her in the elevator and then expecting her to just sit, not speaking or communicating, in his apartment like a waiting sex doll just might have some not so feminist-friendly implications. Might I say this all felt a bit rape-y, despite the fact that she seemed very excited about it. Or does my expecting the character to immediately consider her as a “victim” make me the one with the issues? I was really bothered by all this, because obviously, I didn’t remember having any of these thoughts when I was 7.
My delicate sensibilities were somewhat comforted once she learned to speak (at which point Tom Hanks starts questioning the relationship, LOL) and then eventually by the fact that Tom Hanks gives up everything to go with her into her world. It was like watching Coach Taylor give up his career for Tammy to have her turn all over again.
Plus, damn it these are some of the greatest hair, makeup, and outfit moments of my childhood.
That is all. So so happy I found your fantastic website! Cheers!