“Dad – A son’s first hero, A daughter’s first love.”
You find yourself in a tough predicament when you realise Father’s day is just around
the corner. You may ask yourself many questions like ‘Should I wish my dad? Should I
buy him a gift? Do any of my friends do that? What would I say to him? Most
importantly, how would he react?’ While we go over the top with our love for motherhood on social media on Mother’s day that would make Karan Johar jealous, we still have our hesitations when it comes to Father’s day.
The role of a father in a patriarchal society like ours is very complicated and all
encompassing. In most instances, he is supposed to be the breadwinner, care taker,
mentor, disciplinarian and guide all rolled into one.
Over the years many Hollywood films have explored the theme of a father-son
relationship and in rare instances father-daughter relationship. There have been
some great dads teaching valuable life lessons for all of usby being an icon of
fatherhood.
In this post I have listed 10 great on-screen fathers everyone would love to have,
based on my movie watching experience. Needless to say any Top 10 list is highly
subjective and we would like to know your thoughts and suggestions on comment
section.
10. Bryan Mills – Taken (2008)
“I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long
career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. I will look for you, I will
find you, and I will kill you.” Says Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent whose seventeen-year old daughter has been kidnapped by a prostitution racket in Paris. He is a real bad-ass who will stop at nothing until he finds his daughter and gets her to safety. He battles
Albaniangangsters, the French police andeven shoots his friend’s wife in the arm to
get information. Eventually he finds his daughter in the climax after a thrilling chase.
Though an action thriller, the basic premise of this movie is the idea of father as a
protector of his children from harm, no matter how difficult the odds are.
9. Mufasa– The Lion King (1994)
At young age, every boy aspires to be like his father when he grows up. Especially if
he is a prince cub and his father is the lion king of an African jungle.
In this Disney animated musical loosely based on Hamlet, Simba a young lion cub
who is to succeed his father one day as king is deceived and betrayed by his uncle
Scar. Simba must grow up as an outcast, face his demons, find his true identity and
become the king he is destined to be. Mufasa has been guiding Simba ever since his birth, offering words of wisdom and saving Simba twice from danger and sacrificing his life doing so. Even after his death Mufasa’s voice is heard by Simba. “Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king.”
8. Marlin – Finding Nemo (2003)
A son is abducted from his father and the father must embark on an adventure and
overcome insurmountable odds to find his son. Only this time the father and son are
clown fishes named Marlin and Nemo respectively.
In this successful Pixar animation, Marlin becomes frightened of the open sea and
over protective of Nemo after losing his wife and all her eggs on a barracuda attack. Once Nemo is taken by a boat and sent to a dentist’s office in Sydney, Marlin
ventures into the vast ocean travelling great distance,meeting diverse characters like
a blue fang named Dori, a jelly fish, sea turtles, a shark, pelican birds and finally
rescues Nemo. This movie argues that good parenting is not only about being protective of your children but also learning to let go so that they learn to face challenges and grow up courageously.
7. Dr. Henry Jones –Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Steven Spielberg has always been fascinated by the dynamics of a father son
relationship. He has explored the theme in almost all of his films it has become the
filmmaker’s trademark.
In this third instalment of Indiana Jones series the famous archaeologist must find
his father Professor Henry Jones, who has gone missing while searching for the Holy
Grail.Indiana doesn’t have a good relationship with his dad as they have spoken
when he grew up.
As the duo of father and son team up on a race to find the Holy Grail before the Nazis
do– amidst a death defying adventure – they realize they are more alike and Jones
has inherited his curiosity, knowledge and penchant for historical artefacts from his
father.
6. Guido – Life is Beautiful (1997)
Technically not a Hollywood film, yet it didn’t prevent actor-director Roberto Benigni
from winning an Oscar for Best Actor and the film being nominated for Best Picture
as itstruck a chord with audience all over the world.
A Nazi concentration camp is not the place you would rather be, goofingaround with
your son. But that’s exactly what Guido – a Jewish book keeperarrested by the Nazis
along his family – does. He knows it’s a horrible place to be and their lives are in
danger but he doesn’t want his son to go through it. So he uses his will, humour and
imagination to convince his son that it’s all part of a game and the grand prize for
winning is a tank.
He even out smart’s the officers to protect his son and willingly gives up his life, so
that his son will come through all this atrocities unscathed physically and
psychologically.
5. Mr. O’Brien – The Tree of Life (2011)
The closest you get to see someone like your own father portrayed onscreen would
be Mr. O’Brien. In a rare instance ofcharacterization in movies, he is neither sugar- coated as a good father nor given dark shades to make him a bad father. He is, well
just a father.
This is an ambitious film with spectacular visuals suggesting the birth and expansion
of the universe and the evolution of species. On the centre of this is a story of a
humble family from Texas in 1950’s. Mr. O’Brien repeatedly asks “Do you love your father, son?” He teaches them music.
He argues fiercely with his wife. He commands his son to mow their lawn properly. He discusses stainless steel with the family. A misbehaving son gets beaten up at
dinner.He punishes his son for loudly closing the door by making him close the door
silently for 50 times. He flirts with a waitress in front of his son. He takes them to
church. He plays on swing with them. He also casually observers to his son, “I was a
little hard on you sometimes.”He is so…real.
4. Cooper – Interstellar (2014)
“Murph, I love you forever and I’m coming back.”
Another awe-inspiring, visually stunning movie which deals with space time and
human conditions on Earth. It’s a sci-fi drama with love between a father and
daughter at its core.
Humanity is facing extinction and a discovery of a wormhole leads to a group of
astronauts led by Cooper are launched on Interstellar voyage to find a new home for
our species. Which means Cooper wouldn’t be able to see his family for a really long
time.There is an emotionally charged scene after a failed stint in another galaxy, when Cooper receives 23 years of recorded video from earth and breaks down as he
sees his 17 year old son has now become a beaten 40 year old man who has lost two
sons of his own. Finally as Cooper discovers Murph has been the one chosen to save humanity, he finds a way to communicate with her via Morse code by descending into a black hole. Hence the love and sacrifice of a father aids in saving humanity or as a character says, “Love is the only thing that can transcend space time.”
3. Chris Gardner– The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)
“You gotta dream, You gotta protect it. If you want something’ go get it. Period”
A heart-warming struggle for survival movie based on a true story also, wonderfully
acted by real life father and son. Chris Gardner is a salesman who couldn’t sell the
devices (Bone density scanners) he invented on which he spent all his savings. He
loses everything and forced to live out in the streets with his young son. But he
hasn’t given up hope as he continues to figure out a way to sell his devices and
opting for a six-month unpaid stock broker internship at a financial firm to get a job
there.
In the end it all works up well for both of them, but you can’t hold your tears as you
see Chris and his son taking shelter in a public restroom on a cold night, Chris
blocking the door with his leg preventing anyone from entering lest his son’s sleep
gets disturbed.
2. Don Vito Corleone – The Godfather (1972)
“A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”
Don Vito Corleone, a patriarch of one the most powerful crime family in New
Yorksays so to his godson. He knows the value of family as he came to the US from
Sicily as a 10 year old orphan boy and rose to power by determination and violence. However the rest of his family doesn’t share his wisdom and over the course of
unforeseen events a gang war ensues, Don Corleone’s eldest son is assassinated and
his youngest son Michael flees the country as his life is in danger. Rather than
revenge, Don makes peace with the enemy so that Michael can return home safely
to succeed him.
In a seminal scene near the end, Don and Michael has a private moment where Don
reveals he never really intended a life of crime for his youngest son, hoping Michael
would hold legitimate power as a senator or governor. When Michael ensures he’ll
get there someday, Don says “There just wasn’t enough time Michael, wasn’t enough
time.” Classic.
Before we move on to 1st position of our list I would like add a few honourable
mentions.
Honourable Mentions:
George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life), Lamberto (Bicycle Thieves), Jor-El (Superman), Darth Vader (The Empire Strikes Back), Matt King (The Descendants), Mason Sr (Boyhood).
1. Atticus finch– To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
“Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a
mockingbird.”
Atticus finch is an iconic character who inspired scores of young Americans to
pursue law as a career to defend civil rights. He is also the touchstone of being a
good father in pop culture. Let me explain why.
Small-town Alabama, 1932. Atticus Finch is a lawyer and widower living with his two
young children Jem and Scout. He is a polite gentleman, respected by everyone. All
hell breaks loose when he decides to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a
white woman in a predominantly white and racist town. Everyone turns against him
and his children are threatened. When his daughter Scout asks why is he doing this
he replies, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s
conscience.” He couldn’t live with himself or face his children if he didn’t do the right
thing. Mockingbird symbolises innocence and Atticus Finch is trying to protect an innocent man and the innocence of his children. He teaches by setting example. He imparts empathy in Scout by teaching her, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Well..! i would have definitely missed out your favourite, so let me know about your favourite dad character in the comment section below!!
– Mohamed Chandulal / @chandulal_m
Seeder 2 Writer 