Harvey
Harvey was one of the most personally significant roles for actor James Stewart when it was released back in 1950 and it is released on Blu-Ray for the first time this week.
And to celebrate the release we take a look at some of the best imaginary friends on film.
- Harvey
(James Stewart) Elwood P. Dowd is a mild-mannered, pleasant man, who just happens (he says) to have an invisible friend resembling a 6-foot rabbit.
Elwood’s sister Veta (Josephine Hull) takes her brother to a sanatorium believing he has mental problems. Yet Elwood and his imaginary rabbit friend Harvey slip out of the sanatorium and Veta is locked up as the Dr believes she is mad.
Elwood and Harvey’s relationship is a reflection of the freedom and choice of an adult and the pair take on the comic roles of ‘boozing buddies’. The character of Elwood is universal, as he portrays his inner child through his own playful world.
- True Romance
Elvis (played by Val Kilmer) is an ‘inner voice’ to the main character Clarence (Christian Slater), whose ‘bad boy’ life gets him in trouble. Elvis is a strong advocate for vigilante retribution.
When Clarence accidentally gets involved in the wrong crowds after deciding to marry Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette), a prostitute , he realises the danger of his heroic act of love for Alabama.
Drexl Spivey (Gary Oldman) is a drug dealer and pimp of Alabama and to escape this man, Elvis tells him to kill the ‘bad guy’.
It seems as if Elvis is Clarence’s guardian angel as his outrageous suggestions of murder appear to herald an act of ‘greater good’. Clarence and Alabama fight their way through the bad continuously until the point of just escaping death themselves.
When they ultimately reach the light at the end of the tunnel, they have a child and name him Elvis.
- Donnie Darko
In Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a whacked out teen sleepwalker is tipped off that the world will end in 28 days by a giant rabbit, Frank (James Duval), who convinces him to commit a serious of increasingly violent acts.
For 28 days Frank creates a chaotic series of events in Donnie’s life, as well as importantly revealing to him the capabilities of time travel.
When Frank’s theory of the end of the world reaches the 28th day, Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone) a girl Donnie has fallen for and believes is his world, dies.
With Donnie’s discovery of time travel through Frank, he rewinds 28 days to save her, allowing himself to die.
- Drop Dead Fred
A young woman finds her already unstable life rocked by the presence of a rambunctious imaginary friend from childhood.
Nobody can see Fred (Rik Mayall) except Elizabeth (Phoebe Cates). When Elizabeth grows up and has an emotional crisis, Fred returns to "cheer her up" in his own unique way, causing more chaos than ever before.
Fred witnesses Lizzie’s rough succession of bad luck: divorce, being mugged and a bullying mother. It is Fred who makes her happy again through is entertaining and clumsy character, as he tries to help her find her way and get back on track.
She finds love with a close friend, confronts her mother and knows that wherever she is and whatever she is doing, Fred will always stick around somehow.
- Fight Club
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is ‘Jack’s’ (Edward Norton) imaginary cool-guy friend, whom no one but Jack can see. He is the antagonist of the film.
Tyler came into existence when the narrator felt he had to change his life, but felt that he couldn't do it by himself. His troubled mind then produced Tyler as his alter ego. Through a combination of Jack’s insomnia and lack of confidence, Tyler and Jack form a fight club, which quickly turns into a widespread scheme they name ‘Project Mayhem’.
Yet the two share the same body but have a different personality, which rapidly becomes problematic as Tyler’s ‘bad boy’ behaviour manipulates Jack and the people around them. Yet when everything becomes too much for Jack after someone dies from the fight club, Tyler disappears leaving Jack to deal with everything.
Once Jack tracks Tyler down, he believes the only way out is to kill Tyler and attempt to stay alive himself.
Harvey is released on Blu-Ray 10th September
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