Scorsese's Use of Props in Life Lessons

Dobie’s Character                   

Paint brushes, dirty bottles of whiskey, and a stained cassette player. What do all of these things have in common? They all come to the aid (or demise) of Lionel Dobie in the film Life Lessons, by Martin Scorsese. Scorsese portrays Dobie as a man who lives in a brutal cycle which contains his artistic behavior. The movie opens with “A Whiter Shade of Pale” which is an ode to unhealthy sexual relationships, and mentions colors in the title and chorus; during the opening scene, we see images of paintbrushes and whiskey. Obviously, this tells us that the story involves a painter. The choice to use props during important events helps to emphasize the interests of Lionel Dobie and ultimately works not only to shape the atmosphere of the film, but to shape Dobie’s decisions and consequences.

In the opening scene, Dobie also flattens a tube of paint that splatters all over the clean white wall. I don’t know if this was intentional, but Lionel dobie does have a tendency to stain things that were, at one time, pure. It’s his job as a painter. Dobie’s agent comes to visit, where they have a discussion that is comedic for the audience, yet intense for the characters and creates the illusion that Dobie is a victim suffering from artist’s block, his agent is an unfair authority. (This doesn’t completely change when Dobie’s agent says something along the lines of, “c’mon you do this every time Lionel!” but it does provide foreshadowing that Lionel dobie is living a circular lifestyle). Before this scene, Dobie flattens a tube of paint that splatters all over the clean white wall. I don’t know if this was intentional, but Lionel dobie does have a tendency to stain things that were, at one time, pure. It’s his job as a painter.

Throughout the beginning and middle of the film, Lionel enters Paulette’s room with the intention to sleep together. He asks to kiss her foot, says he loves her, and ultimately ends up driving her away from him. He leaves her room, slides a cartridge in the cassette player, paints, and then returns to her room. This sequence of events repeats over and over throughout the rising action and up to the climax. He wants Paulette, but ultimately ends up going back to his paint brushes and cassette tapes. His socializing with Paulette is the same throughout the movie, causing her to tire out and give up on trying to have a professional relationship. There is even a point where Paulette notices the volume of the music and grimaces. The use of diegetic sound through the cassette player helps not only to show us Lionel Dobie’s mood, but solidifies that both characters are living in the same situation with completely different miseries.

There is a general scene type that repeats where Paulette and Lionel are in public together, and a younger man is a potential threat to Lionel’s fantasy. Here we don’t see Paulette as another one of Dobie’s props only used to chisel his character. We see her as a person who struggles to conceal herself from the torments of Lionel while attempting to seize his knowledge. Being able to see her from this point of view supports the idea that she not only can but should make her own decisions. Once we realize this, the last thread of their relationship is exposed. Lionel doesn’t have many chances left, and he’s not willing to change. It’s at this point that another one of the props causes a powerful change. Lionel gets drunk at the bar and assaults one of Paulette’s ex-boyfriends. We see his true character come through because of one prop choice. Scorsese’s prop choices create rewards for an attentive viewer.
When Paulette leaves, Lionel is more emotional than ever before in the film, and makes a breakthrough in his painting. He is then celebrated at the art show, hence the paraphrase, “c’mon you do this every time Lionel!” It seems that Lionel is only using Paulette for an emotional stimulus so that he can paint better. His paint brushes make him happy, but the way that he is enslaved by them ultimately causes him to lose the thing only other that he cares about.

Finally, he meets a young girl and invites her to live at his studio and train under his teachings. He offers her “Life Lessons” and now we discover that Lionel Dobie is participating in a cycle that is far larger than previously thought. We automatically know that the next girl will experience Dobie’s sexual desires associated with painting, his drunk behavior, and his blasting music. His tendencies enslave him, affecting his ability to paint efficiently, and maintain a romantic partner. The message of this film could not have been completed without the props.