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How wonderful for you!
Yes, the "haunting sound" of longing, beauty, sadness, all intermingling together, with lyrics that fit the music perfectly ...
Now there's a movie just begging to be made!
Yes, there is that. :)
Who knew Godzilla was so sporty!
They're certainly exploring many of the same themes!
I won't insist that it's The Right View, either. Just my own feeling about it, as I was a teenager when the film came out & I first saw it. So, being shaped by that time & its favored forms of storytelling, that's where my first thoughts naturally go. In fact, I don't see why every view expressed in this discussion can't be equally true. A thoughtful, artistic film can have multiple valid interpretations, after all.
Films from that period were more comfortable with allegorical/symbolic storytelling, as were audiences. I wouldn't say it's all in his mind so much as we're perceiving his state of mind reflected in what's actually happening to him.
It's about so much more than the visuals, though. It's more like a symphonic tone poem that's meant to be experienced more than analyzed—although it's certainly open to extensive analysis & always has been, of course.
Beautifully said. I'm reminded of the late R.D. Laing's premise that breakdown is sometimes breakthrough.
Well said!
All topical references eventually become "dated"—but the ideas that such references deal with don't necessarily become "dated" as well. The surface always changes, but the substance remains relevant. Andre's ideas & philosophy may well have become naive & simplistic to James Berardinelli over the years—and that's certainly fair. But ideas & philosophies often come into & then out & then back into fashion with regularity. And at the very least, Andre is still shying something of value. something to ponder ... especially in a world increasingly dominated by technology, the digital world, and AI. Where & how does basic humanity fit into such a world? Or does it? Andre's questions are even more urgent & pressing today, I would say. But that'd just me, of course.
Andre Gregory is still living.
Not showing it is so much more effective. Whatever the most horrifying thing is that you can imagine, that's what's happening. Brrr!
For me, it's depicting a nightmarish modern world where cultured, civilized people have little chance of survival, while brute force, sadism, and destruction are the reigning values. Mike Hammer is the best "hero" that such a world can offer, and there's very little to differentiate him from his enemies insofar as they regard the world & other human beings. The plot is a dizzying pursuit of a poisonous Grail that destroys rather than restoring & healing. And like a nightmare, it makes little logical, rational sense ... but emotionally, viscerally, it makes its killing point.
Agree completely! And it you watch one after the other, you'll see how many times Cameron has shot several scenes exactly as they were shot in <i>A Night to Remember</i> because there was simply no improving on the original.
No, it certainly touched on that metaphor, but it went far more deeply than that, which is what makes it such a powerful & relevant series to this day. Reducing people to numbers & metrics is just one of many examples of how human beings are controlled, programmed, imprisoned. The series isn't just about that one issue, but rather about the worldview, the mindset, that creates it in the first place.
Point well-made & taken. :)
Actually,. TV drama had begun to deal with spousal abuse in the early 1960s. Both <i>Naked City</i> and Route 66</i> featured quite serious stories about it. And even on a comedy show, you'll note that Rob & Laura are horrified when the truth about their neighbor emerges. Yes, Rob hastily locking the door after the neighbor leaves done to humorous effect, but the characters are clearly shown to be shocked, not amused.
Thanks for posting this, a delight to read.
I've always placed them with <i>The Swimmer</i> as a personal trilogy about the subject. Hope you'll enjoy them! Although "enjoy" may not quite be the word for <i>Second</i> in particular ... incredibly powerful, though.