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A Single Man

 A Single Man
type
TVTItem
 A Single Man
label
A Single Man
 A Single Man
page
ASingleMan
 A Single Man
comment
A Single Man is a 1964 novel written by Christopher Isherwood, who also wrote Goodbye to Berlin, the source material of Cabaret. In 2009, Tom Ford directed and co-wrote the film version, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.The eponymous single man is George Falconer, a middle-aged British college professor who lives in Los Angeles. His closest friend is Charlotte, and his secret lover is Jim.Then, sometime in early 1962, Jim dies unexpectedly in a car crash. After that, George must re-evaluate his purpose in life as he tries to get through a single day.
 A Single Man
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2024-04-12T06:46:26Z
 A Single Man
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2024-04-12T06:46:26Z
 A Single Man
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DBTropes
 A Single Man / int_14ec1fb
type
Symbolic Glass House
 A Single Man / int_14ec1fb
comment
Symbolic Glass House: George lives in a midcentury modernist house with large windows (although the house itself is not depicted as being as large as some of the others), where he tries repeatedly to reach out to people and is nearly Driven to Suicide by the grief for his longterm partner.
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A Single Man / int_14ec1fb
 A Single Man / int_1b65dfad
type
The Cameo
 A Single Man / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: Jon Hamm, of Mad Men fame, is the man who makes the phone call regarding Jim's death. A very fitting cameo given the similarities in production values and setting of the two works. (Dan Bishop is behind both as production designer).
 A Single Man / int_1b65dfad
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A Single Man / int_1b65dfad
 A Single Man / int_1c77ec26
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The Voice
 A Single Man / int_1c77ec26
comment
The Voice: Jim's relative, voiced by Jon Hamm, who calls George to tell him about the accident.
 A Single Man / int_1c77ec26
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A Single Man / int_1c77ec26
 A Single Man / int_1decf141
type
HotForTeacher
 A Single Man / int_1decf141
comment
Hot for Teacher: Implied with Kenny.
 A Single Man / int_1decf141
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A Single Man / int_1decf141
 A Single Man / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 A Single Man / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: Charley asks George if he's OK after that heart attack thing he had. Which, it transpires, he isn't. Did anyone else think the second missing dog was also a Chekhov's Gun? Was the dog George meets later on supposed to be the missing dog? Nope, not in the book; that was probably just meant to be a sweet/sad moment of loss and remembering.
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A Single Man / int_22cf536c
 A Single Man / int_234fa9ba
type
May–December Romance
 A Single Man / int_234fa9ba
comment
May–December Romance: Played with but never explicitly stated between George and Kenny.
 A Single Man / int_234fa9ba
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A Single Man / int_234fa9ba
 A Single Man / int_272abb98
type
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
 A Single Man / int_272abb98
comment
Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Jim dies before the start of the movie, George spends the entire movie being deeply depressed over it, and then dies of a heart attack.
 A Single Man / int_272abb98
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A Single Man / int_272abb98
 A Single Man / int_2a8a7ea6
type
Bury Your Gays
 A Single Man / int_2a8a7ea6
comment
Bury Your Gays: Jim died in a car crash before the events of the film and George dies of a heart attack at the end.
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A Single Man / int_2a8a7ea6
 A Single Man / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 A Single Man / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: George dies of a likely heart attack right after having an epiphany and deciding not to commit suicide, as he was so busy preparing to commit suicide that day that he forgot to take his heart medicine.
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A Single Man / int_4e3d253b
 A Single Man / int_53224e46
type
Bookends
 A Single Man / int_53224e46
comment
Bookends: The film begins with a shot of Jim's dead body lying in the snow, being approached by an out of place George dressed in a crisp black suit. George lies down and gives Jim a kiss and then moves away. The film ends with Jim in the same sort of black suit, walking into the room where George lies, dying, and giving him a kiss, before leaving. It is impossible for either man to see the others death as George is across the country when Jim dies, and Jim has been dead for months by the time George dies., which is what makes this example of Book Ends memorable, heartwarming and depressing all in one
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A Single Man / int_53224e46
 A Single Man / int_55180ce
type
Snow Means Death
 A Single Man / int_55180ce
comment
Snow Means Death: Jim dies on a snowy road.
 A Single Man / int_55180ce
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A Single Man / int_55180ce
 A Single Man / int_5679208c
type
No Bisexuals
 A Single Man / int_5679208c
comment
No Bisexuals: Averted. After George admits he's slept with Charlotte in the past, Jim asks him why he's with him if he sleeps with women. George doesn't say that it was experimentation or a mistake, he just says that even though he sleeps with women he only falls in love with men, implying he may actually be attracted to women. His fixation on his secretary's beauty, with all the close-ups of her eyes and hair, may have been a small nod to this. Likewise, assuming Kenny has a romantic/sexual interest in George, he says he and his female friend, Lois, slept together in the past but are just friends. He doesn't expand on why they stopped having sex or even if there was a romantic relationship between them when they were.
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A Single Man / int_5679208c
 A Single Man / int_5a365ed2
type
Incompatible Orientation
 A Single Man / int_5a365ed2
comment
Incompatible Orientation: Charlotte and George.
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A Single Man / int_5a365ed2
 A Single Man / int_6d332aea
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Driven to Suicide
 A Single Man / int_6d332aea
comment
Driven to Suicide
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A Single Man / int_6d332aea
 A Single Man / int_79729e6d
type
Uptight Loves Wild
 A Single Man / int_79729e6d
comment
Uptight Loves Wild: All of George's important relationships fit this. Jim wasn't wild, but he was more emotionally open and comfortable in his own skin. If not for Incompatible Orientation, George and Charley likely would have stayed together. Kenny had characteristics of both Jim and Charley and was the catalyst for helping George reconnect to life. Even Carlos, the male prostitute who George talked to, could be argued to fit the trope.
 A Single Man / int_79729e6d
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A Single Man / int_79729e6d
 A Single Man / int_8411ab92
type
Red Oni, Blue Oni
 A Single Man / int_8411ab92
comment
Red Oni, Blue Oni: George is blue, and Kenny is red. They even somewhat acknowledge/discuss this trope when Kenny buys a red pencil sharpener for himself and a yellow one George picked out for George. Kenny shows surprise George didn't pick blue. All of George's relationships fit this mould, actually, and there's some hints Kenny's best friend is also a blue to his red.
 A Single Man / int_8411ab92
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A Single Man / int_8411ab92
 A Single Man / int_8b68d9a7
type
Stalker with a Crush
 A Single Man / int_8b68d9a7
comment
Stalker with a Crush: Whether the crush applies or not is ambiguous, but Kenny finding out George's address from the school secretary, wandering around George's neighbourhood in an attempt to run into him, and implying he's been watching George out-of-class while George was unaware of his presence covers the stalker aspect.
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 A Single Man / int_aabe2fb
type
Deliberate Values Dissonance
 A Single Man / int_aabe2fb
comment
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Many examples, but the biggest is probably George carrying a gun in his briefcase at both an educational facility and inside a bank. A person doing this in the present would be in very hot water if discovered, even if they had no plans of robbing or hurting anyone.
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 A Single Man / int_acedb8f5
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Oscar Bait
 A Single Man / int_acedb8f5
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Oscar Bait
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A Single Man / int_acedb8f5
 A Single Man / int_adf84dea
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What Beautiful Eyes!
 A Single Man / int_adf84dea
comment
What Beautiful Eyes!: A lot of the camera work focuses on eyes.
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 A Single Man / int_b4c406a6
type
Death by Despair
 A Single Man / int_b4c406a6
comment
Death by Despair: Possibly. Rather than a Diabolus ex Machina, it seems likely that the heart condition that kills George was aggravated - if not outright caused - by his grief over Jim's death. It happens.
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A Single Man / int_b4c406a6
 A Single Man / int_d7c3ba61
type
Race Lift
 A Single Man / int_d7c3ba61
comment
Race Lift: Lois was Japanese-American in the book. The script deliberately called for a white, blonde actress to play the part.
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A Single Man / int_d7c3ba61
 A Single Man / int_e0aed924
type
No Antagonist
 A Single Man / int_e0aed924
comment
No Antagonist: While it can be argued George might not have gotten to such a bad place if he lived in a less oppressive society where he could freely express the extent of his heartbreak, there are no truly antagonistic characters. Grief and depression are what George struggles with rather than overt discrimination or targeted unkindness. In fact, aside from one thoughtlessly hurtful comment from Charley, everyone who knows that George is gay is kind and wants to help him.
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 A Single Man / int_e34400ab
type
Ambiguously Gay
 A Single Man / int_e34400ab
comment
Ambiguously Gay: Kenny.
 A Single Man / int_e34400ab
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A Single Man / int_e34400ab
 A Single Man / int_e7e558
type
The Oner
 A Single Man / int_e7e558
comment
The Oner: the phone-call scene.
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 A Single Man / int_fa779d17
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Ascetic Aesthetic
 A Single Man / int_fa779d17
comment
Ascetic Aesthetic: George's house and clothing.
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A Single Man

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

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Life Will Kill You / int_bce4a5e
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The '60s / int_bce4a5e
 A Single Man
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Voice-Only Cameo / int_bce4a5e