Thanks for another thought-provoking post Carlos. My own take on film's anti-utopianness is that our stories and myths have always been anti-utopian. There's a bit in The Hobbit where Tolkien addresses the reader directly and essentially says 'And then they had a great time feasting for a while, but that's boring to read about, so let's skip ahead to them taking up their dangerous quest again'. Narrative demands sin, imperfection, pain and drama, I think partly because that's what we know - it's the stuff of our mortal life - but also because peace just can't be talked about. It's so ineffable, but also so...static. It isn't about going anywhere, doing anything or being anyone, so by definition you can't tell stories about it. It's not the road you walk along, it's the end of the road where you finally get some rest.
Music seems to have an easier time representing beauty despite the fact that it's constantly moving - maybe because no words are involved. But even there, the ear generally demands some tension and release, some intriguing dissonance. It'd be hard to sit through a static major-chord drone for an hour, technically beautiful though it might be.
Hmm, very true, but films can be very beautiful aesthetically, even away from the narrative. I saw a very striking one once called Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania. Utterly plotless and yet, it worked.
As to a plot that is just strict beauty like music, I haven't read it, but isn't the Paradiso section of The Divine Comedy basically that? I guess I'm going out on a limb, but how else could it be?
Peace isn't the only blissful state, why can't we have a story were things just keep getting better and better? That wouldn't be stasis, there would be change. You would think videogames would need the drama and conflict more, but The Witness shows it's possible to make a game that just skips all that. So it should be possible for a movie also.
The most joyful dream I ever had could be adapted into a movie. I was basically running around the ruins of my city with a bunch of strangers. They told me that it's gonna get worse before it gets better. And I was basically in a rapture for all of it. The joy got so intense it woke me up. Hell, if AI gets good enough, I'm adapting it into a short. I also want to make an adaptation of Crime and Punishment and a TV series of The Second Apocalypse series.
I wish I'd had that dream! Trying to imagine a plot that progresses from A to B but features no conflict or pain is certainly an interesting thought experiment. Say a road movie that only features pleasant encounters and fun adventures - basically Easy Rider without the upsetting bits. If handled very skilfully, maybe something like that could be watchable for two hours. But I'd be skeptical it could reach the heights of a Raging Bull or Shawshank Redemption. Even the Paradiso (which I haven't read either) makes frequent references to painful topics, is politically critical, etc. As long as we live in a world of light and dark, I think stories that combine the two are always going to be the best at holding our attention.
Thanks for another thought-provoking post Carlos. My own take on film's anti-utopianness is that our stories and myths have always been anti-utopian. There's a bit in The Hobbit where Tolkien addresses the reader directly and essentially says 'And then they had a great time feasting for a while, but that's boring to read about, so let's skip ahead to them taking up their dangerous quest again'. Narrative demands sin, imperfection, pain and drama, I think partly because that's what we know - it's the stuff of our mortal life - but also because peace just can't be talked about. It's so ineffable, but also so...static. It isn't about going anywhere, doing anything or being anyone, so by definition you can't tell stories about it. It's not the road you walk along, it's the end of the road where you finally get some rest.
Music seems to have an easier time representing beauty despite the fact that it's constantly moving - maybe because no words are involved. But even there, the ear generally demands some tension and release, some intriguing dissonance. It'd be hard to sit through a static major-chord drone for an hour, technically beautiful though it might be.
Hmm, very true, but films can be very beautiful aesthetically, even away from the narrative. I saw a very striking one once called Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania. Utterly plotless and yet, it worked.
As to a plot that is just strict beauty like music, I haven't read it, but isn't the Paradiso section of The Divine Comedy basically that? I guess I'm going out on a limb, but how else could it be?
Peace isn't the only blissful state, why can't we have a story were things just keep getting better and better? That wouldn't be stasis, there would be change. You would think videogames would need the drama and conflict more, but The Witness shows it's possible to make a game that just skips all that. So it should be possible for a movie also.
The most joyful dream I ever had could be adapted into a movie. I was basically running around the ruins of my city with a bunch of strangers. They told me that it's gonna get worse before it gets better. And I was basically in a rapture for all of it. The joy got so intense it woke me up. Hell, if AI gets good enough, I'm adapting it into a short. I also want to make an adaptation of Crime and Punishment and a TV series of The Second Apocalypse series.
I wish I'd had that dream! Trying to imagine a plot that progresses from A to B but features no conflict or pain is certainly an interesting thought experiment. Say a road movie that only features pleasant encounters and fun adventures - basically Easy Rider without the upsetting bits. If handled very skilfully, maybe something like that could be watchable for two hours. But I'd be skeptical it could reach the heights of a Raging Bull or Shawshank Redemption. Even the Paradiso (which I haven't read either) makes frequent references to painful topics, is politically critical, etc. As long as we live in a world of light and dark, I think stories that combine the two are always going to be the best at holding our attention.
Awesome post 👍
Where did you get that second Terry Davis graphic from, the word cloud??
4chan's /lit/. It's where I learned of Guenon also. Haven't been there in a while though.