Driving Miss Daisy: 1989

I finished up the 1980s with the classic Driving Miss Daisy, a film I swear I saw before but as I watching it last night had no memory of, which makes me think it's one of those movies I think I've seen because it's so famous but really I haven't. The film is really matter-of-fact about prejudice. Miss Daisy is an older Jewish woman who claims that she isn't racist, but some of her comments and the way she treats her employees suggest otherwise. It's a bit more complicated, though, in that it seems like she just doesn't want to need employees at all. She'd rather take care of herself, but her health doesn't allow her to do so. Miss Daisy (played by Jessica Tandy) doesn't want to think of herself as rich because that wasn't her life growing up, but her chauffeur Hoke (played by Morgan Freeman) reminds her that some people would say that she is rich. It's through his voice that the honesty in this film is most present. Hoke is a down-to-earth working man who tries his best to break through to Miss Daisy. The film is about their friendship.

While I had a basic understanding of the film prior to watching it, I didn't realize that Miss Daisy was Jewish, which becomes an important part of the story when her temple is bombed and when she experiences prejudice when on a trip in Alabama. It's these experiences that connect Miss Daisy to Hoke. Both of them have witnessed terrible events and been mistreated because of who they are. What's interesting, though, is Miss Daisy refuses to see how they can be compared. It's like she doesn't want to be part of that group that is mistreated, even though she clearly is. Because of her wealth, Miss Daisy can stay in her bubble and avoid most of the ugliness in the world. Or at least she can distance herself from it and tsk-tsk it all without actually experiencing it. In this clip, Hoke tells Miss Daisy about the temple bombing and shares the story of a lynching he witnessed when he was younger:

Miss Daisy's refusal to see how she and Hoke are similar because of these stories disappointed me. I wanted her to see the connection and realize how the world was and still is. Her acknowledging the similarity would have broken down her prejudice. Instead, she's just in denial.

While the film certainly brings up issues with race and religion, overall it doesn't seem to go far enough with either topic. I have to wonder if it's willingness to cover these issues was reason for the Best Picture. Looking at the other nominees (Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams, My Left Foot, and Born on the Fourth of July), I guess Driving Miss Daisy is the best, but I've only seen two of those films. It just seems like a surprising choice, but maybe it shouldn't since the year before Rain Man won and stories about relationships won in the early 1980s.

Well, that's it for the 1980s. I'll take a bit of time off before I begin the 90s. I have to say I'm excited about starting the 90s--the decade when I began watching the Oscars. I've already seen several Best Picture winners of the 90s, so some I'll be rewatching and some I'll be skipping. And I'll be sure to let you know why.