Movie Loner

In 1974 author Robert Cormier changed the face of teen literature with the publication of his controversial and groundbreaking novel The Chocolate War. Up until that point, books aimed at young adults were of the light, milquetoast variety complete with upbeat, optimistic endings. Cormier’s treatise on power run amok inside a Catholic boys high school still occupies a place on the American Library Association’s list of most banned books. In 1988, Writer/Director Keith Gordon chose to adapt Cormier’s novel for his directorial debut. If ever a book was perfect for treatment on film it’s The Chocolate War. Gordon’s vision stands as one of the greatest high school examinations ever produced.

Jerry Renault (Ilan Mitchell Smith) is starting his freshman year at Trinity Catholic School for Boys. Renault, quiet and circumspect, is just looking to fit in. A complex hierarchy exists at Trinity. At the top is Brother Leon (John Glover), a strict educator who rules with a wooden pointer. Below Brother Leon are the actual rulers of the school, a not so secret society called the Vigils. The Vigils are composed of select upperclassmen who maintain control and order through creative methods of intimidation. Acting as chief intimidator is Archie, a smooth Svengali responsible for doling out “assignments” to underclassmen. Defying the Vigils’ directives is forbidden. To do so would result in exile.

It’s that time of year again at Trinity. Time for the annual chocolate sale. Brother Leon, searching for a financial windfall, has increased the sales goal from 15,000 boxes to 20,000. Every boy must sell 50 boxes each. Guileful Archie decides to rock the boat and assigns Renault to not sell his chocolates for ten days. Renault accepts, but once the ten days are up, continues his refusal thus disobeying the Vigils. Renault fails to buckle under increased pressure, making him a pariah amongst the student body as well as a target for a Vigils-led smear campaign. His righteous decision also threatens the chocolate sale. A panicked Brother Leon is forced to turn to the Vigils to ensure the sale succeeds. Dealing with the Vigils is dealing with the devil. Renault soon discovers he must defeat the Vigils at their own game. However, to win means losing himself. To win means becoming one of them.

“Be true to yourself.” Brother Leon extols the virtues of self-reliance early in The Chocolate War by praising a student for not succumbing to the rule of authority. The irony of his words echo throughout the remainder of the film. Leon, like everyone else, is at the mercy of the system. A system, as Archie so profoundly explains, built on greed and cruelty. The individual has no place inside the system. He cannot function alone because he is beholden to its inner-workings. Those who buck the system are destined to be sucked inside. Leon, Renault and Archie all attempt to break free from the power structure and all three are punished for their malfeasance. No one part is ever bigger than the sum. It is a sad but true reality. Not just in The Chocolate War, but in life.

Keith Gordon has directed some excellent films (Waking the Dead, A Midnight Clear) but none on the level of The Chocolate War. He paints a surreal canvas with light and shadow. The stark contrast of blacks and whites utilized by he and Cinematographer Tom Richmond deftly illustrate the thematic battle between good and evil. Characters expose their false selves in light, while concealing their true nature in darkness. Gordon traps them in confined spaces, walling them inside classrooms, bedrooms and boxing rings. His frame disallows escape because escape is impossible. An excellent soundtrack featuring songs by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush complements the film’s mood perfectly.

Ilan Mitchell Smith supplies a naive bravado to Renault, a troubled youth still haunted by memories of his deceased mother. John Glover (52 Pick-Up) delivers another noteworthy performance playing Leon, a sad man desperate to maintain his place in the world. But the real star is Wallace Langham who portrays Archie, an unctuous bully too clever for his own good. In a story filled with victims, Archie may be the biggest victim of all. The Chocolate War is a thought-provoking masterpiece about adolescent alienation that shouldn’t be missed.

The trailer for The Chocolate War:

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