Revisiting this years later: I can't offer any definitive insight regarding the original Roman history or Shakespeare's interpretation of it, but reflecting on this film's modern reimagining... if it were true to reality, a bigger portion of the rightful blame would fall on the politicians (and specially the industries and lobbying groups that own them) for manufacturing "wars" in the name of economic western interests, the propaganda ruthlessly fed to the demographics recruited to fight those so-called wars, and not bothering to clean up the messes and care for those soldiers that survived being chewed up and spit out. The soldiers themselves do definitely bear some responsibility: in the US, by the UCMJ a service member has a right and a duty to refuse orders that are unlawful, unconstitutional, or lead to criminal acts -- something that all still in should definitely remember and internalize, no matter who is CIC.
Still the best mid-roll break I've ever seen. Strategic, but not opportunistic, empathetic and tightly driven to the plot at hand. I would not have felt as much respect for learning of Jarman for the first time without such a powerful delivery of just why he created what he lived for. Had anyone tried to explain it to me in another way, I would have the same sympathies, but it wouldn't have hit as hard. I rewatch this at least once a month just for the etymology segment.
the watermelon is really there because one of the producers or studio heads was being a dick and demanding or some shit and they put in the watermelon melon so when they didn't hear about it from the Dickhead guy, they knew nobody was even actually watching their Dailies.
Waaaaay ahead of it's time and kinda accurate. A laser opens another dimension , like a black hole or doorway but aren't we trying to fold space in labs somewhere top secret ???
Excelent Review, however I disagree with one of your opening statements. I believe RAN in 1985 is Kurosawa's last JIDAIGEKI (Historical Drama) Masterpiece. But, he made DREAMS in 199O. That film is also a Masterpiece.
I'd love to see a similar breakdown and analysis of Garth Ennis' The Boys graphic novel! Though of course it's not cross-over of established characters so much as it's parody of popular superheroes, but even so! PS: I must have watched this video originally around when it came out, and I reckon it must have been during work-from-home and/or covid lockdown times. I recall really enjoying it, and I look forward to eventually rewatching it.
I agree with the other posters that what works about the film is that contrast between the quiet, meditative pieces and nature scenes in the beginning, and the sensory overload and Timelapse scenes at the end. The reason why it doesn’t quite resonate, is that you see the natural world and dilapidated city scapes set to a haunting, brooding score, and then you get to The Grid, and it just builds up speed and gets brighter and brighter, while Glass’s soundtrack build to a almost euphoric climax. Of course people in the modern, urban world would feel more positively than negatively about it when documented in such a manner.
Me and some others have actually figured out that perhaps the LoEG-verse is the darkest, most horrifying fictional universe ever; * Every Marvel & DC villain, Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu, Omega Shenron, Zamasu, Junko Enoshima, every Warhammer 40,000 faction, the Galactic Empire, the Makuta, the Decepticons, Unicron, the Robotnik Empire, the Daleks, the Cybermen, Dr. Weil, every Disney villain, Shadaloo, & too many more to list all exist in the same universe; possibly even having cooperated with one another. * Deconstructions are the case for the whole of fiction, deconstructed as far as possible to remove any fun whatsoever. Giant robots are not only extremely mentally traumatic to pilot like in Bokurano or Evangelion, but clunky, physically dangerous pieces of shit like in Battletech. Battle monsters are as damaging and unruly as they are in Shadow Star or SMT, & also edible like in Palworld. * Real-world problems still exist; and are even exacerbated.
i love Melonia and from time to time just rewatch it, talk about it, google it and whatnot. Now I got a youtube recommendation for this? Gold :) ( and yes I'm a swede. Our childhood was enriched by this )
I know, I'm two months late to the party, but this was (another) amazing deep dive into a work that I really didn't think I would understand. I didn't grow up with the Simpsons and still haven't watched it, so I figured "Mr. Burns" would be filled with Easter eggs and in-jokes that I, a hopeless plebeian, would never be able to appreciate. The fact that "Mr. Burns" is, in no small part, about that very gap between "I guess you had to be there" and "Let me explain it to you" is a total revelation. Thank you for making me feel a little more hopeful and a little less alone during these end times. Also 32:45, that's ME, I'm the Corinthian!
They say, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomdd to repeat it." I'm convinced we don't _want_ to learn. There are many, *MANY* reasons I don't like people...
As weird and flawed as this version was, Luhrmann's change to the ending is what seals it for me. In the original, Romeo enters the Capulet Tomb, kills Paris, says his famous goodbye, drinks the poison, says, "Thus with a kiss I die", and then dies before Juliette revives in the presence of Friar Lawrence, whereupon she sees the dead Romeo and Paris and stabs herself. Luhrmann switches it up: Romeo says his goodbye, but Juliette awakes just as he drinks the poison, which means that HE DIES IN HER ARMS WHILE SHE IS TOTALLY AWARE. Somehow I think it works better because this hurts more to watch.
This video essay has never truly left my mind over these 7 years since it was posted, but this past week it has become all too prominent in my consciousness. Was this all to be seen so clearly yet still ignored and driven towards? How do we stop it and change? Make different what seems inevitable? Thank you for making this, all these years ago. I hope you are not a Cassandra, I hope this has a second wind and reaches others.
Wait, so this is all based on your horrible misunderstanding of Fascism and socialist twisting of fascist works so that anything can fit into it's criteria? Also, stealing the funny Contrashit style lol.
I don’t follow. In the phrase “socialist twisting of fascist works so that anything can fit into it’s [sic] criteria” do you mean that I am a socialist who is twisting fascist works so that anything can fit into the criteria for fascism? If the works being twisted are already defined as fascist, why would they need to be twisted to fit the criteria of fascism? Also, Contrapoints has far superior cinematography to me, though I appreciate the comparison.
One thing I find funny about this movie is that it takes place in an abbey full of pedo priests, but that has nothing to do with the plot. As if saying that isn't a problem in the church it's a function.
