Bob Rafelson’s non-traditional film Five Easy Pieces created a great reaction in 1970, and still continues to influence cinema today. The non-traditionally formatted slice-of-life film was unlike anything else, and Jack Nicholson’s performance as Bobby helped make him a star. While the plot, or lack there of, of the film is the main thing most people tend to focus on whether they love or hate it, the use of contrast is another element that contributes to the success of the film overall. From environment, to characters, and even music the stark contrasts that Rafelson employs create interest and reveal even more about Bobby.
Bobby’s environment is one aspect of the film that changes drastically halfway through. When we are first introduced to Bobby we see him working out in the desolate oil fields, presumably of Texas. The wide shots of the hot, dusty land elevate the warm, free feeling of the land. When Bobby goes home to visit his family in Puget Sound, the environment is cool and rainy with mostly blue and gray tones. Bobby’s family home is also shot with much tighter angles and physically Bobby is more enclosed, as the house is located on an island accessible only by boat. Physically Bobby’s environment is very different in the Pacific Northwest as compared to Texas as well. At home with Rayette, the flow of the house is open and Bobby travels throughout it with command. Even when Rayette is upset with Bobby, her door is wide open to him. When Bobby goes home to visit though, we see a very cold and formal house where doors are always closed: often closing on Bobby himself. The contrast between these two places also help reiterate the theme of Bobby not being happy anywhere as both of these extremes do not seem to be right for him.
The people who surround Bobby in his life are also elements of great contrast. The women Bobby is sexually attracted to could not be any different in the film. Originally, we see Bobby with Rayette, a southern, country girl working as a waitress at a diner. Although Rayette often speaks her mind without thinking, she continually takes Bobby back despite his awful behavior. She is constantly being affectionate towards Bobby despite his protests and even though he cannot even say he loves her, she appears to think they will be together forever. Once Bobby goes home he meets and is soon infatuated with his brother’s fiancé, Catherine. A clearly well educated woman, Catherine is also a classically trained pianist and spends her free time riding horses. At first, she is put off by Bobby but once she finally does accept him and they have slept together, she is very casual about it and asks him to leave her room soon after. Their relationship continues in this style until Catherine ultimately rejects him, saying Bobby does not have love for anything in his life and therefore cannot ask for her love in return. Even the types of music the women enjoy highlight their differences. While Rayette listens to the same Tammy Wynette record constantly, Catherine is moved to tears after haring Chopin. The fact that Bobby is followed by a woman he does not want and obsessed with a woman he cannot have further creates contrast in the film and shows his inability to be happy.
The women in his life are not the only characters of great contrast Bobby encounters. Back at the oil fields Bobby’s best friend is Elton, a simple man with an uncontrollable laugh. Elton married his girlfriend, Stoney, after getting her pregnant but clearly has come to enjoy the family life in his trailer in the rural country. The last we see of Elton he is being carried off by the police for skipping out on bail after robbing a store. While Elton appears to be a type of brother to Bobby down south, back home in Puget Sound Bobby’s actual brother is incredibly different from Elton. Carl is another classically trained pianist, now teaching and engaged to Catherine. He is a very formal and stiff character who barely interacts at all with Bobby and certainly does not appear to have a close brotherly relationship with him. Bobby pokes fun at Carl, mimicking his walk, but it is done in a more malicious than joking manner in an attempt to undermine Carl. While Elton and Carl are characters from opposite ends of the spectrum, Bobby manages to insult the intelligence of both men in different ways, again reiterating Bobby’s inability to be content with anything in his life.
These two contrasting worlds that Bobby seems to exist in do come into contact at times in the film. The first time it is clear Bobby is not what he seems is during the traffic jam on the highway after he and Elton are turned away from work. After his frustration boils over in traffic, Bobby hops aboard the back of an open truck and begins playing classical music on the piano. The contrast especially clear and present for the audience to see, as it exists in a single frame: a southern oil field worker, still in his hardhat, playing incredible music on the piano. This scene also serves as a bridge between the two contrasting worlds to which Bobby is the only link. Another time the two worlds collide is when Rayette shows up at Bobby’s house. The dinner scene with her and Bobby’s family is one of palpable awkwardness as she loudly rattles on about various things. It is even more obvious after the scholarly mystic who has visited the house begins to insult Rayette in front of everyone. The contrast in this scene is more important in terms of Bobby as he finally comes to the defense of Rayette; however, it can be said that he is defending himself and his choice to associate with Rayette more than anything.
The use of contrast is just one of many elements Rafelson employs to further the success of his film Five Easy Pieces. Not only does contrast create interest in the story but also serves as a way to reveal more about the main character in a creative way. By showing Bobby existing in two vastly different worlds, and his inability to find happiness in either, tells the audience that this is a character who probably will not be happy anywhere, without actually telling them that.
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