Love this movie. This final scene sums up the movie beautifully. Orlando reclines under a tree reflecting on his/her 400 or so years of life (from beginning of movie to now). In a moment of unity Orlando knows he is neither woman nor man, that her/his journey is the face of humanity wears through each generation's struggle with gender. Orlando dealt with each generation's assumption of what is to be a man or a woman. The cupid/angel (singer Jimmy Somerville) is an externalization of Orlando's realization. The lyrics of the song voices "her" realization. When Orlando looks at us the viewer "he" is saying "she" is us and we are "her". The image of Buddha under the Bodhi tree comes to mind.
I was stoned when i first saw this movie. The ending completely blew me away. It sounds trite now, to talk about women returning the gaze, although it still seems to hold it's message. The image of a young girl running around with the camera and filming her mother/father was so powerful to me...and i'm a man!
I remember when it came out in 93 and the local film reviewer gave it 2 out of 5 stars. I wanted to see it because I like period movies and it's probably in my top five of the greatest movies I've ever seen.
I love this song so much that I don’t dare to download it. I would play it too often and ruin it. It’s one of those that you remember when you need to hear it and it lifts you up. Wow.
this movie is just incredible... such an interesting person this orlando character is... and the jimmy somerville song at the end is just divine and blissfully surreal. what a treat for the soul this whole movie is but the end is just lovely❤
Hermosa película, estética, arte, emotiva, social, controversial, política y esencialmente humana. Amo ésta película desde la primera vez que la ví.🙏💞🌷
I wasn't aware this movie existed until recently. I wish I could see it on big screen. I'll try to coax one of the local repertoire movie houses to show it for it's 40th anniversary. ( If I'm still here. )
@@lucbriere Replying a year late, but you could always try this year or next year for its 30th anniversary depending where you live! The theatrical releases were 1992 for Italy, and 1993 for the US/UK
@@orichalcum_plus That makes a lot of sense. I don't remember why I thought of 40th and not 30th. I doubt that any cinema will be interested though. I might just try to get a copy and stream it with some online friends on a discord server.
Wow, only now I noticed that they shoot some scenes in Russia and in Uzbekistan with assistance of local production crews. That's really cool ❤️🔥 Russia in the 90s was a very special place.
allowing awe for another individual in its more sincere way, has nothing to do with the physical "vehicle" they are in. The connection is beyond physicality.
laasat night orlando played on he sundance channell.. I had not seen in it ages, so watched it, waiting for the the great closing track with the credits.. ( I remember that distinctly as being very unique).. friggin Sundance runs an in housepromos over "speedy" credits.. I was pisssed... Thank you YOU Tube for coming through
This story, as it is told in this film, is a play in reversal on the myth of Demeter and her search for her 'Kore". The fields of wheat at the end is an obvious clue. The angel she looks up and sees is most likely a take on Helios, who sees all.
Please explain. I'm up with some Greek mythology, but your premise escapes me. I'm serious by, the way, I'd really like to know how you arrived at this conclusion.
I wonder ¿What Orlando has to do with gender issues or social expectations? Perhaps this movie is only about the journey of a soul trapped in a conceptual existence that wants to reunite with its origins again. The soul seeks the supreme peace and achieves it and them realizes that kind of peace has nothing to do with ideas of gender or Externalities. Everything is an illusion and Orlando destroys it with a smile. And of course, Jimmy is an angel of hope for each end. Amazing!
I heard somewhere that in the relevant mythologies, angels had no sex organs. They often appear to be depicted as boys in Christian paintings. So maybe they have no sex but have male gender.
Of course in paintings the subjects painted are always an interpretation of the Artist imagination and have little bearing on reality- so paintings are of no value in deciding what is truth, in both the Old and New Testament angels are very masculine, even warriors, - BUT they do not engage in sexual behavior, they are celibate and represent God's holiness among other things -
