“Bubba
Ho-Tep” (2002), directed by Don Coscarelli, explores the concept of personal
identity through memories. The
protagonist is Elvis Presley, played by Bruce Campbell, who traded places with
Sebastian Haff, an Elvis impersonator, during the 70’s to escape his life of
fame and drugs and is currently residing in a nursing home and suffering simply
from old age. His friend in the nursing
home is Jack, played by Ossie Davis, a black man who insists that he is former
president John F. Kennedy and survived the assassination, but was dyed black
and abandoned after being patched up.
Looking through the philosophical lens,
this film offers an interesting discussion into whether these men are really
who they claim to be. How do we know who
they really are? How do they for that
matter? Descartes says
that one has to have the same mind over a period of time to be the same person,
and that a changing body has nothing to do with it (Falzon, 2007). This gives some substance to Jack’s claim of
being a former president. Despite being
completely the wrong colour, he
appears to have vivid memories of being JFK.
Locke (as referenced by Falzon) has a similar view and believes that
memory is the key to personal identity.
Falzon states that “Identity through memory can only be established by
remembering ‘from inside’. It is not
enough to have external physical reminders…” (p.82, 2007). By having memories of their experiences as the
President and the King of Rock is enough, according to this theory, for them to
be who they say they are, because memories are at the core of what makes a
person an individual. However, there are
problems associated with Locke’s view, the most prominent being that of
misremembering (Falzon, 2007).
Humanity cannot escape age and the
problems that come with it; physical and mental deterioration. Assuming the film takes place in the year it
was made, 2002, then Elvis would be 67 years old and JFK would be 85. What is the possibility that both or one of
them are suffering an age-related mental illness that affects the reliability
of memory? The audience is more inclined
to believe Elvis/Sebastian’s claim as the film focalizes through his thoughts
and memories. Interestingly, the
audience does not see many ‘visual’ memories of his experiences of Elvis
Presley before the switch, only as Haff after the switch. His job in earlier life was pretending to be
Elvis, so could this false persona, in a deteriorating mental state, have
overtaken the identity of Haff? Does
this, according to Locke, in fact make Haff Elvis? If the real Elvis was still alive, would
there be, in spirit, two Elvis Presleys?
Both could make claims in regards to physicality, personal knowledge,
and personality. The same reasoning
could be applied to Jack/JFK.
Ganeri suggests there is a difference
between remembering an event, and remembering experiencing an event (1999). If anything this casts serious doubts on the
identities of our heroes. I can remember
the assassination of JFK, not because I was there but because I have seen
camera footage and read about the incident.
I did not experience the event first hand, but I can still remember
facts and details of it. It’s like
seeing a picture of the Mona Lisa, but not ever seeing the painting first hand;
you still know what it looks like. Both
Haff and Jack claim the identities of two very famous and well documented
people, making it easier for them to assimilate knowledge and create false
memories. This is further suggested by
another resident of the nursing home who believes himself to be the Long
Ranger. Unlike Haff or Jack’s
identities, which are both very possible, the Lone Ranger is a purely fictional
character. This man, sadly, is suffering
from a deteriorating mind, allowing the possibility that the same is true of
Haff and Jack.
However, Ganeri also asks whether we
truly remember an event if we have forgotten the emotions and perceptions of
that event (1999). This puts a more
hopeful light on the real identities of Elvis and JFK. Throughout the film, they don’t just remember
and recount events and facts about their life.
They speak passionately about their views on their lives; Elvis becoming
upset and regretful about his late ex-wife, Pricilla, and his estranged
daughter; and the relief and happiness of his new life as Sebastian Haff back
in the 70s. As the two recall events
with emotion and understanding of the experience, it is more likely they are
drawing on actual experiences.
References
Falzon, C. (2007). Philosophy goes to the
movies (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge
Ganeri, J. (1999). Self-Intimation, memory and personal identity. Journal of Indian Philosophy 27(5),
469-483. Retreived from: http://www.springerlink.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/content/h44r402185146q87/fulltext.pdf
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