DVD Review of Hounddog
Southern Gothic Tale of Sexual Repression, Starring Dakota Fanning
© Cody Roy
Feb 28, 2009
When attempting to rent Hounddog, one might not find it on the shelves; in fact, one may be forced to ask the clerk for a copy. And as though one had just requested an adult magazine or The Satanic Bible, the clerk will hand you a copy from behind the counter and give you a judgmental look. This is the “Dakota Fanning Rape Movie,” after all. Well, it would be nice to tell viewers that this little film is so much more, that the rape scene is incidental due to the movie’s overall grandeur . . . but it’s not.
Dakota Fanning and Elvis Presley
Written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier, Hounddog takes place in the 1950s in Alabama (though it was filmed in North Carolina). It’s the story of Lewellen (Dakota Fanning), a precocious twelve-year-old nymphet, who has a drunk, abusive father (David Morse), a Bible-crazed grandmother (Piper Laurie), and a possible mother (Robin Wright Penn) lurking in the tall grass. Lewellen spends most of her time either down by the creek exchanging kisses for a view of her best friend Buddy’s (Cody Hanford) penis or doing poor impersonations of her idol, Elvis Presley.
The Plight of Dakota Fanning
Things go from bad to worse for Lewellen, quickly. Her maybe-momma abandons her. Her daddy is struck by lightning, rendering him a man-child who just wants to play with fireflies (sometimes in the nude). She innocently places herself in a situation to procure tickets to an Elvis gig, only to get raped by the acne-ridden milk-boy. Then, Buddy befriends a rich girl and attends the Elvis concert with her, leaving poor Lewellen to listen from outside the venue. After all of these misfortunes—or better yet, because of them—she falls into a state of quasi-catatonia. Can anything or anyone resurrect her?
The Rape Scene
Sadly, headlines regarding the rape scene quickly surfaced on July 21, 2006, the very day Hounddog wrapped filming, and due to the backlash, the independent movie could not secure a distributor as late as January of 2008. The film was finally released, but only after that particular scene had been seriously edited. What’s left can only be described as an allusion to rape in that the viewer only sees Lewellen’s muddy, tear-streaked face. And the aftermath is shockingly subtle, too. It’s almost as though she’s equally distraught about not getting the Elvis ticket in the bargain.
The South Shall Rise Again . . . and Again . . . and Again
Kampmeier’s South consists almost solely of caricatures and clichés. One will, for instance, find a dilapidated shack surrounded by a neglected yard riddled with old, rusty vehicles. Hints of incest abound. Barefoot children scamper about. The Bible is always firmly in hand. A nice “Negro” soothsayer (Afemo Omilami) sings the blues. And snakes can be found everywhere—Samuel L. Jackson has never seen so many. The stereotypes bleed into the acting as well. Morse gives an almost laughable performance (badly channeling Lenny from Of Mice and Men) as the token retarded relative, and the Southern Gothic staple of religious zealot is alive and well in Laurie, who basically recycles her character from Carrie. In fact, the only solid acting comes from Fanning and Penn.
It’s fortuitous that Hounddog’s release date nearly coincides with Fanning’s other recent works (The Secret Life of Bees and Coraline), which are far better, because this little ditty ain’t no friend of hers.
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