The Chicago Reader Film Blog has a cool post about the use of the supernatural and cosmic in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean. The post asserts that while some of the imagery is borrowed from the french director Eric Rohmer, especially the green flash symbolizing the transference of a person from this world to the other, the film ultimately fails to plumb the depths of the supernatural to which it sets out. I agree. On a purely symbolic level (we won’t even discuss the quality of the film), many images are introduced, but, like many of my high school students’ essay, the movie fails to seal the deal. The introduction is given, a lot of irrelevant details are used (presumably) as supporting evidence, and the conclusion predictably is a happy one although divorced from the deep, spiritual elements. One feels as though one has been shot by Dick Cheney’s shotgun, left with nothing else to do but apologize for being there in the first place.
Which brings me to the movie I really wanted to talk about today: The Fountain, directed by Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream). If you want to get really fucked up tonight, go out and rent this gem. Aronofsky, unlike Verbinski, seems to recognize that what matters more in the fantasy genre is drawing the audience in with the question of the supernatural, not the assumed, unexplored premise of the supernatural. “We’ve seen it all. It’s not really interesting to audiences anymore. The interesting things are the ideas; the search for God, the search for meaning.” This is where Pirates fails, not so much because it lacked the “ideas”, but because it seemed to be unaware (inasmuch as a movie can be unaware or aware) that it even had the ideas…. maybe that’s a little harsh.
The Fountain, on the other hand, is bursting with the ideas and the questions. The imagery is overflowing, yet understated. Rather than throwing many different images on the screen, they return to the same imagery throughout the film, exploring new aspects, letting the chaos settle as the story nears its conclusion. I really appreciated the way the question of the supernatural didn’t fight death, but embraced it, unlike Pirates where in the end the main character managed to evade death for the moment. Whereas Pirates of the Caribbean advocates an uneasy truce with death, the Fountain’s main character takes a 1000 year voyage to finally be at peace with his and his wife’s death, the end of the book.
I’m watching The Fountain with an 11th grade AP English class tomorrow morning. I’m afraid it may be a bit heavy for them, but they’ll at least get exposure to religious imagery in film. So, I’ll let you all know how it goes.
Dostoevsky: Language, Faith + Fiction by Rowan Williams
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I hope it goes well with your class. I’d be interested to hear what they think about the Fountain. It certainly is rich in imagery.
What’s the year this film was made? (The Fountain)
I love your recommendation of what happens if we rent this…
Well, we finished watching this morning, and I was disappointed. I guess I shouldn’t have been, though, as the behavior issues are nothing new: most of the students spent the time talking amongst eachother, many loud enough that most of the dialogue, quiet as it is, was obscured, thus leading to confusion for even those trying to watch.
Janet, the film was released on Nov 22, 2006.. my birthday, incidentally.
Upon watching again, as fragmented as my attention was, I really got into the soundtrack, much by Mogwai, the Scottish (oft instrumental) band. Some really beautiful, minimalist soundscape pieces.
Sorry I am a bit late. This is my first post! I’m just glad that someone in this world actually enjoyed this movie and took time to reflect and write about it.
Why can I say? This movie is trippy as hell. I cannot say I was entertained in the modern sense of the word, rather my entire being(soul-body-spirit) was moved in some way. The sensuous imagery dancing on the screen like a ballet, and the minimal yet meaningful music and dialogue blend in order to evoke and engage deep thoughts and emotions about the nature of human life and death, immortality, spirituality, etc. The nice thing about this movie is that it enlarged me like any good work of art can and must do. There is no accounting for taste, but I wonder at some of the negative reviews I’ve seen about this movie(and others like it). Is life boring? Are we becoming so alienated that we dont realize that life is not boring. Are we becoming complex to the point of not being capable of seeing and enjoying the simple.
On a more Christian note I enjoyed the theme of past-present-future. The present proceeds from the past, and the future proceeds from primarily from the past and secondarily from the future (Remind you of anything?) And so all of history has the same beginning and is traveling toward the same end. And the people who make history by acting out their lives are all in pursuit of the same things. Hence Tomas is searching for the same answers in the 16th century, 21st century, and 26th century, only the circumstances are different. Also it seems that as Tomas(a symbol of everyman?)moves through time he becomes deeper, more refined, more insightful, until he finally arrives at his self realization.
Similarly the Church as she moves through Time to her supreme moment where she will be Crucified on a global scale during the reign of Antichrist becomes holier, more insightful, more full of grace just as Christ in his human nature (Luke 2:52). And so at that later time, some of the greatest Saints of salvation history will rise up, renewing the life of Christ in wondrous ways.
Other movie recommendations:
The New World
In the Mood for Love
2046
Solaris
Well thank you for your indulgence. I like the blog and hope to post some more.
Nicholas
I should of proofread this post. . .