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John Landis' 1983 film ‘Trading Places’ is a classic example of formulaic Hollywood entertainment; it plucked out two stars close to their zenith of popularity and shoved them into the roles that suit them best - in the case of Eddie Murphy the wise-cracking fish out of water, and in the case of Dan Aykroyd the placid but faintly obnoxious all-American. At the start of the film Murphy is Billy Ray Valentine, a con artist who trawls the streets feigning numerous afflictions supposedly gained in the Vietnam war, whereas Aykroyd plays Louis Winthorpe, the privileged CEO of Duke and Duke stockbrokers. Their fortunes are reversed, however, when the wealthy Duke brothers decide to conduct an experiment to prove conclusively whether environment is more important than breeding. Valentine in placed in Winthorpe's job and home, while Winthorpe is framed with numerous criminal charges and left homeless and penniless. Ultimately, the two uncover the plot they have fallen victim to and team up to take revenge, becoming millionaires in the process. Celebrity wins over capitalism, and everybody learns their lesson in time for the happy ending – and all this coincidentally takes place during the Christmas season.
The concept of the film hinges on the polar opposition of the two principal figures, and in particular the dichotomies between rich and poor and between black and white. As both Winthorpe and Valentine end up victorious it seems to support the argument put forward by the character of Randolph Duke, namely that all differences, including race, are simply a consequence of circumstance. Both protagonists come from extreme ends of the social spectrum, and after experiencing how the other lives they apparently undergo a transformation and achieve some kind of parity in their mutual wealth. Clearly, ‘Trading Places’ was intended as a comedy and not a serious sociological investigation, yet it is a film which depends heavily on stereotypes and caricatures as the narrative's primary catalyst. By manipulating these preconceptions, it inevitably has to comment on them, and it is revealing to consider the logic and assumptions which drive the story to its conclusion. The question remains, however, do the filmmakers really believe that boundaries of race can be transcended by money, or is it just a means to a happy end?
The crucial polarity between black and white, as principally embodied by Valentine and Winthorpe, is established during the title sequence, in the very first moments of the film. The refined sounds of Mozart are juxtaposed with a montage of images depicting everyday drudgery and poverty such as meat being hacked up, or people warming themselves over fires in dustbins. Winthorpe is also introduced in this sequence, as we see his butler Coleman preparing a lavish breakfast for him in his luxurious home. Thus, within the first two minutes the contrast between Winthorpe's world and that of the everyday working man is made clear. Winthorpe is shown as pompous and spoiled, depending on his butler to perform such trivial tasks as opening the car door. It is clear from the extravagance of his portrayal that the film is ridiculing him, and that its sympathies lie with his counterpart.
Valentine's character, however, is not introduced until considerably later, and little is ever revealed about his background or personal life. When he first appears outside Duke and Duke, he is feigning blindness and pretending to have lost his legs in Vietnam in order to beg. This is enough to inform the audience of his low moral standards and poor station, but little more. He and Winthorpe come into contact when they bump into each other accidentally, causing Winthorpe to drop his briefcase. Valentine picks it up to return it to him, but Winthorpe assumes he means to steal it and calls for the police. This is typical of the way that Landis plays with preconceptions about racial stereotypes, questioning them without wholly refuting them; though Winthorpe is wrong in supposing him to be a thief in that instance, Valentine is shown stealing from the Duke brothers repeatedly until his “transformation” has taken place.
Great care is taken to make the cross-over of the two protagonists as neat and parallel as possible. Both characters' names are altered to suit their new status, with Billy Ray becoming William and Louis becoming Louie. At one point, Winthorpe kneels on the pavement in despair, echoing the earlier scene with Valentine pretending to be crippled, and similarly, as Valentine enters Duke and Duke for the first-time previous shots from Winthorpe's entry are repeated. However, there are some fundamental differences between the two cases, and of these perhaps the most significant centres on the idea of responsibility. Winthorpe has arguably less control over his situation – he has no money and no home and is only prevented from dying in the street by the kindness of a friendly prostitute. Though it is true that he steals food from a Christmas party, it is debatable to what extent this compares to Valentine's erstwhile begging (the only vaguely illegal activity we ever witness him commit). Again, the lack of information provided concerning Valentine's previous existence makes a true comparison almost impossible, as we have no knowledge of the circumstances which led him to begging. Valentine's first reaction to his promoted station is to abuse his new wealth by throwing a party and generally flaunting his good fortune. Suddenly, however, he becomes protective of his belongings and his friends appear too crass for him. This is his first choice as a rich man – the decision to accept the responsibility of an important job, and to lead a more conservative lifestyle accordingly. In a parallel scene, Winthorpe returns to his club to ask his friends for help, but they reject him, and he is turned away in a similar manner to that used by Valentine in removing his party guest from his house. Effectively, Valentine consents to his new life whereas Winthorpe assimilates his role by his very attempts to fight it.
Related to this, the change in the personalities of the two characters develops in a similar way. Valentine is seen making a concerted effort in his business role, especially with language whereby he is often heard correcting himself or stopping himself from swearing. Winthorpe, on the other hand, only really changes aesthetically by being beaten up and left with bruises on his face or forced to wear the ludicrous clothes given to him at the police station. In finding Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis), he manages to replace his butler with what is essentially another care giver who fulfils similar duties, allowing him to focus his energies on getting his old life back. When this proves unsuccessful his refusal to adapt to a life of poverty takes him as far as attempting suicide.
When considered as an exchange of class, or rather financial status, the two characters' reactions seem fairly fitting, but what happens when it is analysed from the perspective of race? Valentine's prowess in the stock market shows that genetics have no influence over intelligence, and that the fact that he is black in no way affects his ability to achieve success in a high-powered job. However, on several occasions the Duke brothers make reference to the fact that they would never allow a Negro to head their company under other circumstances. The point the film is making then, is that black people are perfectly capable, but not afforded the same opportunities. Though it may be a fairly obvious point in itself, it proves that Valentine has been successful at being white. If we approach Winthorpe's transformation in the same terms, i.e., was he successful at being black, the question is much harder to answer, as there is nothing to distinguish his experiences as those of a black man. Though the film may jokingly imply that all white people have butlers and went to Harvard, political correctness will not tolerate African Americans being stereotyped as an underclass. Ophelia, the prostitute he befriends is white, and he faces no real discrimination because of his colour and in fact there is no indication that his life in any way resembles that of Valentine's.
Only after the truth about the Dukes' wager comes out do the protagonists finally work together and seem to attain some parity of position. They decide to avenge themselves by concocting an elaborate scheme to provide the brothers with false stock information, and as part of this they must steal a briefcase containing the real documents. As the man they are stealing from knows each of them by sight, Winthorpe, Valentine, Ophelia and Coleman (Denholm Elliot) each assume a different national stereotype to disguise themselves. Valentine assumes the guise of a Nigerian, whereas Winthorpe blacks up and pretends to be Jamaican. This appears to be significant, though it is not immediately obvious why. In today's culture, as it was in the 1980s when the film was made, blacking up is still considered taboo and to be generally offensive. However, in the context of being surrounded by three other equally caricatured and politically incorrect depictions of nationalities, it seems somewhat diluted. In terms of the trade between Valentine and Winthorpe it is interesting that this is the only real example we have of Winthorpe attempting to be black, and that it occurs after his crisis of identity has already been resolved. Either this is a very ham-fisted and frankly bizarre effort to demonstrate the equality between the two leads, or it in some way illustrates that a white man of privileged background such as Winthorpe associate himself with being black on a very superficial and awkward level.
At the end of the film not only are Winthorpe and Valentine seen frolicking in an evidently luxurious lifestyle in an unspecified tropic idyll, but so too are Ophelia and Coleman. Everyone has won the game of capitalism, and everyone is happy. They are all equal despite their starkly contrasting origins, and this has been made possible thanks to wealth. The film seems desperate to argue that money is the only real difference between us, but in so saying merely trades in one divide founded on prejudice for another. It is clear from the difference in the portrayal of the principal figures that irrespective of the supposedly over-reaching equality of our genes, that black people and white people cannot live the same lives. If the only solution to the problem is for everyone to become a millionaire, then the American dream appears to be completely and irremediably out of reach.
Country: USA
Budget: $28,000,000
Length: 118mins
Pub/2009
More like this:
He Got Game, 1998, directed by Spike Lee
American Beauty, 1999, directed by Sam Mendes
The Long Goodbye, 1973, directed by Robert Altman