Major Research Essay

Jayleen Jimenez
English 103
Professor Vasileou
May 2011
Gia and Its Depth of Realism

Films and their directors often make satisfactory attempts at portraying certain events in either the history of life or the history in someone’s life. They grasp onto partial events that surround their plot and make use of it. This depth in realism often defines the worth and authenticity of a movie based on how accurately it portrays the sequences. Specific examples that attempt to reanimate the realism in a times point are documentaries. Documentaries often make sufficient use of actual material and incorporate it into the film. Without portraying the sense of realism at a location’s time and historical setting, that would cease to further continue the movie’s production and profit. It would simply defeat the purpose. The film Gia (1998) meets some of the requirements on portraying the aspects of movie’s setting. It realistically portrayed the social life of New York City but almost, in a way, failed to portray the political. The economic portrayal in the movie seemed to teeter on a scale from one to ten with five being neutral; It managed to balance and come off as neutral. This gives a little example of each aspect in its own way, it’s just up to the viewers to pick and choose which are they exactly.


Throughout the course of the late 1970s, New York City was still in the midst of an overpowering economic stagnation that swept throughout the states. “It seemed as if the entire infrastructure was in decay. Political corruption, sloppy accounting, and the cost of the war were killing the city.” (Tannenbaum) Much of New York City was still in total chaos especially in the poorer congressional districts where most of the minorities resided. With the depression making its sadistic stand, there was crime spawning from each corner devoid of all hope as well as many other arising issues. The absolute plight of the city just continued to grow more and more. Pivotal events forced New York City to take a turn on things; the city population declined, the economy continued to fail, and crime along with mass housing had already been corrupted. The economy also was bisected to two wealth classifications, the impoverished and opulent citizens. Due to the alarming rates in crime statistics, it typically wasn’t safe to roam the streets at night and with that, in 1977 there was a blackout in the dreadful summer of July. As a result of there being hardly any money for people to spend, there was a mass amount of looting going on as soon as the blackout commenced. This brought down the economy even further. Up until the early 1980s, the city began to recover from its slump and things began to improve. There was the revival of Wall Street in the 80s. Wall Street claimed its role as the center for the worldwide financial industry but there was still high unemployment rates and crime. The city was still on its way towards making a complete recovery in the economic term which wouldn’t be achieved until the late 1980s.
Followed by the depression, multiple cops were laid off as well as other employees. When the arrival of the electoral race, many sought to confide in a figure of who revive the city. In the mayoral campaign, Mario Cuomo went against Ed Koch who happened to win over Cuomo. Due to the Postwar, many of the congressmen and President Ford completely ignored the desperate pleas for assistance. In a Daily News headline during the year of 1976 and he stated towards the New York City residents to “ drop dead” and refused to give help as well as even threatening to veto out on a bill pertaining to a federal bail-out for the city. Without the help of any political figure, New York City was suffering.
Despite the negative entity that hovered over the New York City skyline, the social aspect seemed to be making progress even with its cons but only after the late 70s. Before the early 80s, crime was rampant and present in almost every block and sidewalk in the city. This was all a result from the lack in police officers and precincts. There was gangs forming everywhere and roaming the streets anywhere. There was also a serial killer running amok during the nights who went by the name of “Son of Sam” or also known as “The .44 Caliber Killer”. Aside from the serial killer, as mentioned previously, there was a blackout in 1977. Those two proved to be the most vital events in ‘77 thus making it one very burdensome year. After those events took place, that’s where things became a bit more positive socially. Still within a decade, the help of the New York Yankees winning the World Series, that boosted the charisma and courage within the residents of the city. It brought hope to them. New York City also began on becoming culturally diverse (Hispanics, Latin Americans, Asians, etc) as well in genres and lifestyles. This was all vividly shown in a documentary called Downtown Calling (2009) along with other things that were in the social aspects of New York City. There was a show of openness in sexuality. It came to a point where sexuality was and still is fluid; “Sex was everywhere”. Scenes were created such as Greenwich Village, a center particularly for the homosexuals. They did suffer a consequence though. At the time a new disease was introduced which was first known as HIV until it mutated and became AIDS. It was popular amongst the homosexuals because it would be transmitted through anal intercourse. Around this time, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis was founded in order to help those affected men in need. Coagulating with a partner wasn’t the only way to contract the virus/disease. Others would acquire it from potential drug abuse. Along with sex, art and music also began to bloom into the society. People such as Andy Warhol, Ricky Powell, Andy Kessler, Madonna, CBGB’s, and others brought much of an influence towards what we see presently.
The movie Gia was released on January 31st in the year of 1998 as an HBO film. The film production companies were HBO Pictures, Marvin Worth Productions, and Citadel Entertainment. The leading actress that portrayed the title character was Angelina Jolie. This biography presented viewers of a following on Super model Gia Marie Carangi’s brief life from 1977 - 1986. The film takes you through the events of when she was a teenager up until her last moments. It begins on showing her life in Philadelphia where she is discovered to be model potential. Followed by her moving to New York City to pursue her career where she’s swept instantly in the stardom. But it all begins to disintegrate because she could never really cope with life due to her childhood with her mother so she falls into the world of drugs and addiction. Oblivious to the actual world around her, she continues to abuse drugs despite its consequence. Times were shown where she tried to make a recovery to strengthen her relationship (same-sex) but she fails and ultimately relapses. It is through drugs where she acquires AIDS. Everything around her fails and just as that, her body fails to keep up with the disease bringing her to a young passing. The film won 2 Golden Globes awards, seven wins, and 12 nominations.
Life in the film of Gia was primarily focused on the life of the supermodel Gia and so because of that, outside life wasn’t shown much. The life that was presented in the film was only the one that revolved around her and with her. In the sense, it was realistic because there was no shunning when it addressed the main points of Gia’s drug addiction. It didn’t sugarcoat her addiction. In multiple shots in the film, it showed her abusing drugs starting from cocaine to smoking heroin and to shooting heroin. Track marks and festering scabs were shown from her addiction and also from the AIDS. The film also showed a realistic view of the fashion society and what goes on in it especially at the time. With just the simplest detail of things such as the fashion magazines and clothing, it gave you almost an inside view of the fashion world then. In ways, it is still the same, the only difference being the latest trends although fashion does repeat itself.
In terms of the actual financial aspect of the city during the decade, the film didn’t portray it as much with the other groups but it did with the wealthy upscaling fashion industry. At one point in the movie, an Editor-in-Chief for a well known magazine makes reference towards the finance in the city. “Fashion is advertising and advertising is money. For every dollar you earn, someone has to pay.” Even during the times of the depression, the fashion industry still aimed to make money which shows they weren’t affect much by the crisis. It portrayed the realism within the fashion industry. Most were of the figures in the film were shown wearing expensive pieces of clothing which at time is what they would wear. They would be up to date with the latest trend no matter how much it costs or how bad the economy is. Fashion was a priority. It showed the figures wearing, driving, and living in what they could afford. The lower classes were shown in the same manner such as the “junkies”. They were shown living in alleyways covered in filth with dirty and grungy clothing because it was all they could get.
Almost correlating with the paragraph above, the movie did accurately portray the realism in social aspect. Much of the diversity in lifestyles,genres,and etc were shown throughout the movie after the late 70s. In actual reality, there was nightclubs, sex, and drugs. In most nightclubs, there would always be drugs involved which usually led to having sex. Gia, who was apart of that scene, is where she first was introduced to cocaine while attending a nightclub. Most would agree that clubs with recognition were filled with people anticipating to go in and in the film that was portrayed. During scenes of Gia’s photo shoots, there would usually be a strong diverse team there each assigned to their own tasks. They would range from being gay to being a minority. Typically in the fashion industry, almost every one is diverse ranging from all countries over the world. Another thing that addressed towards the realism of the social constructs were the drug addictions. Realistically, drug addictions had proved to be a problem because not only was it bringing up the crime rates but due to the fact that many were contracting HIV/AIDS through sharing needles. This in particular is shown and referenced in the film at least twice.
Politically, the film did not portray its realism well due to the lack of politics being shown in it. Throughout the movie, politics was only mentioned once. The scene took place in the late 70s just as Gia was beginning and mentioned President Ford’s negligence towards the city, inflation, and a rally that were reacting towards the President’s speech. Other than that, no other references were made. The film failed to accurately show the realism of the politics at the time.
Within the world of Gia and the realism of everything surrounding that time, it almost manages to accurately portray a New York City then. Only focusing on the social and economic aspects at the time, this film was completely devoid of all things politics. Gia and its depth of realism is a mere reality of what New York City was really like without the full financial and political aspects.


Works Cited Page

Van Raper, Frank. “Ford to New York: Drop Dead.”
NY Daily News 30 Oct. 1975, Print.

JP. "DIRTY, DANGEROUS & DESTITUTE | NEW YORK IN THE
70s – ALLAN TANNENBAUM." The Selvedge Yard.
Wordpress, 15 Apr. 2010. Web. 23 May 2011.

Nicholson, Shan, Prod. Downtown Calling. Dir. Shan Nicholson."
2009, Film