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Patriotism was at its highest during the burgeoning years of the Reagan era when “The Mosquito Coast” hit theaters, and Ford inadvertently spoke of the difference between the two Americas that were emerging in the middle of the decade. 80. He told the HFPCA:
“If you have a newspaper available, I can teach you, from Ivan Boesky to the secret war in the White House and down the line, that it is our right and our responsibility to criticize America. But also, it is a matter of degree . It’s a character that’s operatic in tone and so his criticisms are extreme, extreme, but we’re all hoping for a more perfect America, which isn’t Ronald Reagan’s America.”
That’s about as political as Ford has ever been in the public square, before or since. Theroux’s own nephew, writer and actor Justin Theroux (seen above, right), currently stars in the modern version of “Mosquito Coast” on Apple TV+ that continues the story of a radical antihero for a new generation. The streaming series faces the same problem the original did in a way, forcing an America arguably more divided and distracted than ever to take a break from their screen lives to look at the uncertain world around them.
“There is a great freedom of spirit among the American people and some will see Allie Fox as a fool while others will see her as a sympathetic person,” Ford acknowledged in 1986. “I hope so, I don’t wish for anyone to be comfortable with Him. I don’t expect this character to be embraced as a prophet for the new America.” Ford’s words then still resonate today, perhaps more so. And perhaps now, we need Allie Fox’s maverick spirit more than ever.
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