What is the movie Oleanna about?
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What is the movie Oleanna about?
Flustered college student Carol (Debra Eisenstadt) visits John (William H. Macy), one of her professors, and asks how she can pass his class. The narcissistic instructor barely seems to notice her presence, and goes off on tangents relating to his own personal philosophies and problems while failing to answer the pupil. Later, a more assured Carol returns and accuses John of sexual harassment. The professor is baffled, but Carol remains steadfast in her claim, and their feud escalates nastily.Oleanna / Film synopsis
Who is Carol in Oleanna?
The college student Carol (played by Rebecca Pidgeon) and the professor John (W. H. Macy) meet in his office. She is doing badly in his course and can’t understand the work. He, about to receive tenure and buy a new house, offers to tutor her.
Why is the play called Oleanna?
David Mamet uses several allusions in his play Oleanna, the biggest of which is the title. Oleanna makes reference to a utopian community founded in New Norway by a man named Ole Bull. However, the colony was located in a densely-forested part of Pennsylvania, void of arable land.
When was Oleanna written?
The play’s title, taken from a folk song, refers to a 19th-century escapist vision of utopia. Mamet adapted his play into a 1994 film of the same name….Oleanna (play)
| Oleanna | |
|---|---|
| Written by | David Mamet |
| Date premiered | May 1992 |
| Place premiered | American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
| Original language | English |
Who manipulates who in Oleanna?
Both John and Carol are guilty of hypocrisy and manipulation from the very start of the play—and as the action continues to unfold, their crimes against one another, rooted in their sins of duplicity, escalate to a terrifying crescendo.
What does Carol want in Oleanna?
Carol wants to teach John a lesson—and the meek, lost front she presented in the first act may have been a manipulative façade designed to provoke John into behavior that crossed a professional boundary.
Who manipulates whom in Oleanna?
Carol accuses John of trying to manipulate her, when really, she has perhaps been the one manipulating him into revealing certain things about himself and behaving a certain way so that she can gather more and more ammunition against him. Get the entire Oleanna LitChart as a printable PDF.
