The last film I looked at was a “subversive” look at American history, and imperialism in general, as seen through the eyes of a European filmmaker. But that doesn’t mean that Americans couldn’t be “subversive” either; I suspect a lot of people “remember” Laugh-In as being “cute” and “vanilla,” but in reality during its peak seasons 2 through 4, the show was unapologetically “subversive” socially and politically in its liberal commentary at a time when the networks were still sensitive about the "feelings" of viewers in the South; its frequent dabbling in obvious sexual innuendo was of a kind that likely wouldn’t be "acceptable" in today’s feminist-sensitive network TV environment.
While a few American filmmakers tested the waters of subversiveness, in particular with the paranoid political thriller genre, once in a rare while something would arise that tested "acceptable" American mores. While a film we’ve already looked at, Harold and Maude, was a subversive “art” film in its way, it was obviously a comedy that wasn’t to be taken too seriously. On the other hand, the 1972 film Bone, directed by Larry Cohen (best known for the horror film It's Alive) took aim at a number of issues that lie underneath the seemingly tranquil surface of everyday life in bourgeois Americana, the hypocrisy of which is exposed by the intrusion of an “other.” In Bone, racial and sexual politics are just part of the rot within that leads to a conclusion that is both unexpected and expected at once.
The film opens with what appears to be a television commercial featuring a pitch by a used car salesman named Bill (Andrew Duggan) who in some desperation tells us "Pay nothing now! Pay nothing later! Never pay! I run a clean business. I sell clean cars...
…that is until we notice that all the cars he is selling appear to be wrecks from accidents, many of them still with deceased crash victims inside:
We can’t be certain what the “point” of this is, beyond the suspicion of why his cars are not selling well, but it does suggest to us that this is going to be as “black” a comedy as black can get—or at least we “hope” that is what we are seeing. However, the tone being set doesn’t suggest that there will be many “laughs” to be had. Next we see Bill cleaning the pool at his apparently upscale living accommodations in suburban America, far from the dirt and grime of the city:
His wife, Bernadette (Joyce Van Patten), is taking in some sun, apparently living the carefree life of a suburban housewife...
...with the help of a Hispanic maid who we see briefly when she leaves for day. Everything seems just "perfect" until they spot what looks like a rat near the pool drain...
...although perhaps Cohen is permitting the viewer of a sense of skepticism at the "problems" of the well-off, since it is not exactly clear that there is a rat there:
Bill calls for the pool cleaner...
...and is told that cleaning out a rat is "extra" and no one can be there until Monday. But then his wife spots a "visitor"...
...who is assumed to be the pool cleaner:
His calls himself Bone (Yaphet Kotto). He doesn't exactly look like a pool cleaner, but he plays along...
...and in fact we discover that there is a rat in the drain:
Bone points out that this is a Kangaroo Rat, because its hind legs are longer than its front legs:
Does he work as an exterminator? He implies that he is, but where is his truck? Bone ignores this, mentioning that these rats are usually smart, "But when you's sucked up, bein' smart don't mean nothin'." Bill tells him to toss the rat because his wife is "squeamish." Where should he put it, in house? of course not. Do they have any other odd jobs for him to do? No. Bone grabs Bill's hand and becomes more belligerent when he is told they have no money to give him. Bill tells him he will call for gardener, but Bone knows the "help" is gone for the day:
Bernadette goes for the phone to call the police, but Bone grabs it at tosses it into the pool...
...and forces them to take him up to the house:
Bone is impressed by the dimensions of the house...
...and is fascinated by some perpetual water-drip sculpture:
They make their way into Bill's office, where they find a picture of their son. Bone is told that he is a Lieutenant in the Army, serving in Vietnam:
It is suggested by a quick shot that he may be somewhere else, like a prison cell in a foreign country, perhaps on drug charges:
"You know, lady, you spend money on a lot of crap." Finding no money in the desk, Bone checks to see if anything is hidden in the bookshelf:
Exasperated, Bone insists that since they live in a big house and they must have a lot of "bread," there has to be some money laying around here:
But all that is here is $30 in Bill's wallet. They've got the biggest house in the neighborhood and they have no money in the bank, so it has to be in house...either that, or they have BIG financial problems. But wait, what's this secret box here?:
There is no money, but there are some papers in it. A third mortgage. But that can't be true, because it has to have Bernadette's signature on it:
Bill's even borrowed on his life insurance, which his wife also knows nothing about. Bill protests that he had no choice, they were strapped for cash. Bone muses that since there is nothing here for him he should just split, since these people have enough problems already, although he could tie up Bill and rape his wife before he goes so at least he gets something out of this "visit." But then things "brighten" up for him and gets worse for Bill, as Bone finds an "old" bank account that Bill claims he "forgot" about:
While this causes some more domestic discord, this gives Bone an idea: he will keep Bernadette hostage and threaten to rape her for real unless Bill goes to the bank and cleans out that account and returns with the money within the hour:
While Bill's gone, Bone helps himself to a popsicle. He mentions that when he was a kid he collected 500 popsicle wrappers he hid in a secret drawer, for which was promised a "swell prize," but all he got was "roaches":
Spotting on a roach on the floor, Bone forces Bernadette to squish it with her hand:
Eventually she does, and cries "I did it! I did it!" and runs out of the room:
Meanwhile, Bill is at the bank, but almost forgot his bankbook, which someone "luckily" found for him:
Back at the ranch, Bone demands that Bernadette cook him something to eat. She doesn't know how to cook. Well, she can cook an egg, right? Well, then she'll learn how to do something useful today:
While waiting in line at the bank, Bill is noticed by The Girl (Jeannie Berlin, the daughter of Elaine May):
The Girl wants to know what kind of checks he has. What does she mean? She used to have tennis players on her checks, which is probably why they always bounced. Now she has surfers. Understanding what she is talking about, Bill admit he just has "plain" checks. She informs the teller she wants new checks with skin divers on them, and is told to go to the new accounts desk:
The bank teller suggests to Bill that he not close out his account and take out a loan instead, but he insists on taking all his money out...
...but then he remembers Bernadette's angry response about his financial shenanigans, and decides not to take any money out after all. Bill winds up in a bar, where he finds himself in a conversation with tipsy woman who is wondering what happened to the German Shepherd seen in his television ads. Bill admits the dog is dead and didn't like it anyways, since it once bit him on the hand and it reminded of others of its breed doing the same to Jews:
Bill tries to leave, but the woman won't let him alone. She complains about a dentist making people get multiple x-rays they don't need, even convincing him to examine x-rays she has with her out in the sunlight. The bartender comes outside to remind him to pay his bill, but Bill remembers that he left his wallet at home:
Next we see Bernadette presenting her experiment in cooking, which doesn't look to appetizing:
Bone is noncommittal about whether he likes the eggs or not, and Bernadette insists there must be something that she can do that he'll like. One wonders what this smile means:
Bill is seen walking down a street, obviously having no intention of returning home with or without the money; he is obviously afraid of being confronted by his wife about his financial doings, and is unmindful of what will happen to her when he doesn't return. He then hears someone calling after him, The Girl:
They walk down the street together while she mentions that she is closing her account from that bank and going to another, which she does every 30 days because banks offer free gifts for opening new accounts:
She doesn't seem to have a job, so how does she get by? We see her checking car doors until she encounters one open, and finds a roll of Green Stamps:
The Girl wants to know if he can carry something. They are now in a grocery store, eating bananas that they apparently haven't yet paid for. She places one of the banana peels on the floor:
Isn't she afraid of being caught stealing? No, she tells them she is alone and scared, like he is. Sure he is. She then slips some steaks underneath his sports jacket...
...while a stock boy slips on the banana peel and knocks over a hole row of product...
...and they make their escape:
So what can we ascertain at this point? Back at the house, roles seem to be reversing as Bernadette seemingly is willing to play the servant to Bone's master, and Bill finds himself vaguely curious about how the "other half" lives, and even taking part in a little crime, which he finds a bit "exciting" in comparison to his humdrum life as a minor TV "celebrity" living a drab, boring existence with a wife he probably doesn't love. If this film simply continued in this vein we might expect a "happy" ending for both of these "couples." But alas, Cohen has much darker intentions for Bill and Bernadette in mind.
Bernadette is getting drunk on some tropical alcoholic beverage, explaining its uses to a skeptical Bone:
She offers some to Bone, who wonders if she is trying to poison him, but she happily takes a taste test first. Then we see Bill enter The Girl's apartment, which is a mess. When he expresses the fear the place might be a fire hazard, The Girl wonders why he is so afraid. Why does everyone think he is afraid of something? Isn't everyone, she asks?:
Bill says he doesn't have time for anything but business and making a profit, but admits that life has become impersonal. Everyone has been doing it for thousands of years, and what can you do to make it meaningful? You have to put some personal perversion into it:
Back home, Bone is "concerned" that Bernadette is going to pass out drunk, and observing that the Bill is late, decides to do what he threatened to do:
But when Bone senses that she is getting excited over the prospect of having sex with him, he stops, telling her to go make herself one of those drinks to help her "cool off":
Bone is completely befuddled. Out of all the people he had to pick in the neighborhood, he had to pick these people--one can't find his way home, and the other is playing hostess:
Bone becomes even more confused by these crazy people when Bernadette demands to know why he didn't knock her out and rape her. She implies that he doesn't find her sexually desirable:
Meanwhile at The Girl's place, the conversation turns somewhat disturbing when she tells Bill he smells like an old guy who sexually molested her in a movie theater when she was 11:
Why didn't she report it? She was sitting in a prohibited area, and they would have kicked her out of the theater:
Bill tells her it isn't all that bad missing a movie if she reports the incident, but to her it was more important to be in the theater than going home. Why didn't she tell her mother what happened? She did, but her mother just ignored her, like she was damaged goods:
This is a girl with problems. She then accuses Bill of being the molester, which he denies since he claims he never goes to the movies because it is a waste of valuable business time:
The Girl pushes him on the bed and grabs his crotch...
...and undoes his pants in preparation for sex...
...which Bill likens to having a "sexual" experience with a Rolls Royce, which seems to underscore what the business of "pleasure" means for him:
Meanwhile, Bone and Bernadette are discussing why he didn't rape her. He explains that he only gets "excited" when the woman fights back. Well, she did kick him, didn't she? No, that turns him off, she needed to scratch him. She suggests the real problem might be that she is "white":
No that's not it, says Bone. He wouldn't have to be going through all this shit if her husband had showed up with the "bread." He goes on "This is demoralizing. What kind of rapist am I?":
He goes on about how when he was a kid, he would fantasize about white girls, but it was taboo and he would probably get lynched. The white girls, well they were all scared of colored boys. Stone terrified. But things have changed; on the movie screen there are mixed couples all over. There is no "mystery" in it anymore. Now they are treating "us" like "people":
Bone goes on to explain that he had it all "worked out": he'd do the "nigger" walk and talk and scare the hell out of white people. But that all changed now with civil rights and integration. Now white people--even women--are not scared as they once were. He was slipping, trying to hold on to the past, because change is scary. He had to "re-educate" himself, learn new trades. But what trades? Be a shoeshine?
Bernadette is apparently turned on by this talk, and she decides that she wants it herself, even if she has to now force him into it:
Afterwards, Bernadette calls the bank and lets Bone listen to the bank clerk say that Bill didn't withdraw the money after all:
Meanwhile, Bill has escaped from The Girl's apartment, apparently in a hurry since he is still half-dressed:
He tries to flag down a police car, but is unsuccessful; he then sees his car being towed away:
Things are not looking too good for him at the moment. Back home, Bone and Bernadette ponder what Bill plans on doing, with Bone ending up in jail and Bernadette dead. Bernadette imagines a new television ad, with Bill announcing how he found her spread eagle on the floor, killed by a black maniac. Show your sympathy by coming down to the lot and picking a car of your choice:
Bone wants his shirt that Bernadette is wearing so he can get away, but she promises he will get more than his shirt back. Rummaging through the papers in Bill's office, Bone finds what she is looking for, Bill's life insurance policy:
Bill is calling the police, but the officer on the other end thinks this is prank call:
Bone and Bernadette leave the house to find Bill. They act like a Bonnie and Clyde couple now, scheming to kill Bill and make it look like an "accident" because of the double indemnity clause in the insurance policy:
They stop by a hill, where Bernadette confesses that they lied about the son, who in fact is in jail in Spain on a drug smuggling charge, which actually makes Bone more impressed with him. She admits that they didn't do anything to help him, making up the Vietnam story. She now claims that this is all Bill's fault, and Bone comforts her:
Bill goes to the advertising agency, where the agent suspects Bill is having financial issues:
Bone and Bernadette are off looking for Bill again...
...Bill tells the agent not to tell Bernadette that he's been there if she shows up looking for him:
Unfortunately, they are already waiting for him:
They chase him around the parking garage for awhile:
Although the car tires run over some spikes, Bone and Bernadette manage to catch up with Bill on a bus:
They tell Bill that he is going to get knocked on the head and he just should accept that. Bill and Bernadette argue about whose fault it is that their son is in jail, while Bone is amused and confesses that his has no interest in Bernadette, other than the money:
They have to get off the bus. Bill offers a deal for the money, but Bernadette warns that the one thing he is "good" at is "selling":
Bill is being led out onto a deserted beach, where he does his used car lot sales pitch:
...but she has become crazed, saying this is a "family affair," shoving Bill face into the sand until he suffocates to death:
Bernadette wants to move him somewhere else and set it up to look like an accident:
But she can't handle him by herself, she laughs. Where are you Bone?
He's nowhere to be found...
...and in her crazed state she begins formulating a story to explain the dead Bill, and how a black man killed him:
There is a shot of their son in his own crazed state, breaking the light bulb in his dank, empty cell...
...and as Bernadette insists that she should remember things that happened in the past as in the present, allowing the viewer to question her sanity, the television is being switched off in a final ad from Bill, perhaps signifying the extinguishing of this once seemingly "normal" family:
What have we seen here? We see Bill selling used cars that may or may not have a "history" behind them, or a future. What is "certain" by Bill's tone is that perhaps business is not all that good. Still, Bill and his wife live a seemingly well-off life in white suburbia with problems no more important than a rat stuck in the pool drain. This seemingly dull life is interrupted by the appearance of Bone, a black man whose only apparent object in life is to terrorize white people like them.
However, we learn that Bone isn't really a "bad" guy, in fact quite intelligent and more insightful than most, but he was raised on the notion that white people only paid attention to him when they felt fear of him. Part of the reason why Bone regrets his "choice" of whose home he decided to invade (it was the "biggest" one in the neighborhood) is because Bill and Bernadette are not really racist, in fact initially welcome his presence when they believe he there to "fix" their problem. Bone has a difficult time--especially with Bernadette--summoning up anger within himself to attack them when they seem too willing to cooperate with him.
Once Bill leaves the house, we see him a bit of a fish out of water; he seems to know very little of people and the world outside his single-minded devotion to business--which apparently explains why he allows himself to be sucked into the problems of a drunk woman and her dental charts, and then The Girl who seems to have mental health issues. Eventually the only environments he feels safe to escape to are those that have to do with business, like the ad agency.
But back home, Bernadette not only doesn't find Bone an object of fear--which frustrates him--but finds in him an ally against her husband who apparently has been hoarding money behind her back. After she forces herself on Bone for the sexual encounter he no longer feels motivated to do, a phone call reveals that Bill had double-crossed them, and that leads to a conclusion where Bone wipes his hands of these "crazy" white people, but again for the reason that his self-image as a "scary black man" was damaged when Bernadette decided she was going to "finish" Bill on her own.
How to interpret the film's conclusion? A life built on a sales pitch of lies and fantasies is extinguished; we the viewer knows what has happened, but what would another character in the film see? Just a woman gone mad who has killed her husband and making up a story blaming a black man that people won't necessarily believe out of habit any more, because even as Bone has learned to his chagrine, the world has changed.
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