This sounds like it won't end well. Such stories and generally tragic. I'm sure I won't see this film. I prefer comedies, or at least real life dramas, because in real life there is also laughter and comedy. Filmmakers often forget this, and in their intent to tell a tragic story, they usually emphasize hard and tragic elements, while all together leaving lighter and funnier ones. That is not the way of real life.
Ah, :)) our old subject of discussion :) You tend to dislike dramas and I tend to love them hi hi ...
I really don't think that all movies should have light or humorous side. There are difficult stories that should be told in a very serious manner so that the educational message could be transmitted in a proper way.
SUITE FRANCAISE is a heartbreaking story. Some stories just have to have tragical endings so that the catharsis they carry in their plot could be properly emphasized. You have to put sadness and bitter finishes in a story set in a war because you just have to teach the younger and older audience what kind of horrible things happen when people play with guns and death.
I actually adore and profoundly respect such movies because after watching them I always learn something, I always feel wiser or enlightened. And such lessons are the most magnificent gifts you can ever get. After all you laugh everyday but you cry only in serious situations.
That's why I've enjoyed READER with Kate Winslet for example, although it was a disturbingly sad and nerve wrecking story. When you talk about holocaust, killings and human tragedies, you really need to cry and not laugh. You need tears to make everything crystal clear, to wash away the negativity, not smiles and laughter which are nothing but masks and cover ups in such situations. It's about taking the responsibility and feeling it deeply within, and not running away from it through smiles and illusions.
People need to be hit and crashed by the sadness after watching films about tough stories so that such stories would never happen again in real life.
That's why I can't wait to see this film when it's done.
This was beautiful and driven response/explanation to my statement Dezz. I agree that some stories are profoundly tragic, and that there is no room for laughter in them. BUT ONLY SOME STORIES. Others should be told as they were in real life, a mix of lighter and darker elements. Not an even mix, but still a mix. Only then you can see the complete truth in them. Trying to emphasize something will only get you so far. In the end, complete truth is the only thing that can liberate minds and souls.
I don't believe that history could be such a powerful teacher. If that were so, we wouldn't have repeated all the same mistakes over and over again. Human beings tend to forget/ignore lessons from the past in a wake of their present/immediate problems and situations. Rational mind can ignore logic and memories, or worse yet, choose to disregard them.
There is only one thing imo, that can help humanity in that regard. And that thing is empathy. We must nurture and teach it like nothing else, save of course for rational and logical thinking. If every human being had a right level of empathy there would be no wars, hate, or even evil.
Tragic film and stories could help develop empathy, but only if they are done right. Forced and modified/altered stories can't have a same effect on person as can true/unmodified stories. They may incite an emotional reaction faster or stronger than true/balanced stories, but somewhere along the way human mind will feel cheated and forced. Consciously or subconsciously.
I myself can easily recognise when someone is trying to elicit a forced emotional response from me. My rational mind can (in most cases) overcome my emotional reasoning. And then I feel cheated. My emotions are not something to be bargained with. I could excuse pure (forced) comedies, as they don't try to sell you the real life. But I cannot excuse forced tragedies/dramas for the same reason. If you act from a point of telling a real life story (or real life-like), then you must tell it as it is. No forced emotional responses, and no grand emphasizing of the things you need/prefer in your vision of that story. That feels too much like lying to me.
Oh, well, thank you, sir, I'm touched :) It is a serious topic, so it's only natural that we've taken it seriously.
I get your point, but I guess I'd like you to give me a few examples, a few movies that could describe your opinion.
SUITE FRANCAISE, READER, SOPHIE'S CHOICE ... definitely aren't such movies. They are supporting what I've said. Movies with deep social awareness and responsibility.
I, for example, don't like Tarantino's idea to make a comedy set in a WW2. My own conscience would never let me do such thing. It was a historical mayhem in which tens of millions of people lost their lives, loves, children, whole families, parents, their own future and past, in some cases (like in our own) a whole 10th of their nation .... It is not a topic for laughter, it is not a period in which you can set a comedy in, event though in everyday life people laughed even then. And although I myself like watching ALO, ALO and BLACK ADDER I personally would never deal with WW eras in a humorous way. It's just a question of your ethical priorities and your human responsibilities.
And off course, I do agree that many people just can't be educated, but those are exactly the kind of people who would watch Tarantino's KILL BILL and would laugh to the scenes of blood and limbs splashing all around, to the scenes of senseless beatings, and then when they see such things in the real news, when soldiers are doing similar things to each other in some desert millions of miles away from their own country they would watch it pretty much impassively, because to them it no longer has the tragical depth it really should have, they've seen it all in Tarantino's movie and it was to die for, it was hilarious and sooo cool. And that's how they miss the meaning of catharses. Some things should never be made superficial and light through humour.
I can't recall any specific example of forced tragedy/drama. I tend to pass them by, and forget them. I didn't see Reader or Sophie's Choice. I don't watch those movies at all. Well maybe one of these once every few years. It's the combination of my lack of interest plus my disappointment in so called "real-life movies" that keeps me away from seeing any kind of tragedy-dramas.
And about Tarantino, and his choice of themes. Am I right to assume that you Dez are not surprised by his latest movie? I know I'm not at least surprised. Tarantino is like that. I don't plan on seeing his Bastards, for pretty much the same reasons you stated. I did see most of his work though. Not my most favorite movies, by I found some interesting stuff in them. I liked Kill Bill because of its cast, its martial-arts action, and some other thing. I didn't like the violence.
You need not assume anything :)) it's been stated loud and clear many many times before in these three years of movieblogin' that I'am that inglorious bast....'s archenemy :)))
GIVE SOME LOVE TO YOUR DEZZY :) DON'T FORGET THAT BLOGGER'S NEW COMMENT BOX OFTEN REQUIRES FOR YOU TO DISABLE PROTECTION ON YOUR BROWSER IN ORDER TO COMMENT.
This sounds like it won't end well. Such stories and generally tragic.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I won't see this film. I prefer comedies, or at least real life dramas, because in real life there is also laughter and comedy. Filmmakers often forget this, and in their intent to tell a tragic story, they usually emphasize hard and tragic elements, while all together leaving lighter and funnier ones.
That is not the way of real life.
Ah, :)) our old subject of discussion :)
ReplyDeleteYou tend to dislike dramas and I tend to love them hi hi ...
I really don't think that all movies should have light or humorous side. There are difficult stories that should be told in a very serious manner so that the educational message could be transmitted in a proper way.
SUITE FRANCAISE is a heartbreaking story. Some stories just have to have tragical endings so that the catharsis they carry in their plot could be properly emphasized. You have to put sadness and bitter finishes in a story set in a war because you just have to teach the younger and older audience what kind of horrible things happen when people play with guns and death.
I actually adore and profoundly respect such movies because after watching them I always learn something, I always feel wiser or enlightened. And such lessons are the most magnificent gifts you can ever get. After all you laugh everyday but you cry only in serious situations.
That's why I've enjoyed READER with Kate Winslet for example, although it was a disturbingly sad and nerve wrecking story. When you talk about holocaust, killings and human tragedies, you really need to cry and not laugh. You need tears to make everything crystal clear, to wash away the negativity, not smiles and laughter which are nothing but masks and cover ups in such situations. It's about taking the responsibility and feeling it deeply within, and not running away from it through smiles and illusions.
People need to be hit and crashed by the sadness after watching films about tough stories so that such stories would never happen again in real life.
That's why I can't wait to see this film when it's done.
This was beautiful and driven response/explanation to my statement Dezz. I agree that some stories are profoundly tragic, and that there is no room for laughter in them. BUT ONLY SOME STORIES. Others should be told as they were in real life, a mix of lighter and darker elements. Not an even mix, but still a mix. Only then you can see the complete truth in them. Trying to emphasize something will only get you so far. In the end, complete truth is the only thing that can liberate minds and souls.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that history could be such a powerful teacher. If that were so, we wouldn't have repeated all the same mistakes over and over again. Human beings tend to forget/ignore lessons from the past in a wake of their present/immediate problems and situations. Rational mind can ignore logic and memories, or worse yet, choose to disregard them.
There is only one thing imo, that can help humanity in that regard. And that thing is empathy. We must nurture and teach it like nothing else, save of course for rational and logical thinking. If every human being had a right level of empathy there would be no wars, hate, or even evil.
Tragic film and stories could help develop empathy, but only if they are done right. Forced and modified/altered stories can't have a same effect on person as can true/unmodified stories. They may incite an emotional reaction faster or stronger than true/balanced stories, but somewhere along the way human mind will feel cheated and forced. Consciously or subconsciously.
I myself can easily recognise when someone is trying to elicit a forced emotional response from me. My rational mind can (in most cases) overcome my emotional reasoning. And then I feel cheated. My emotions are not something to be bargained with. I could excuse pure (forced) comedies, as they don't try to sell you the real life. But I cannot excuse forced tragedies/dramas for the same reason. If you act from a point of telling a real life story (or real life-like), then you must tell it as it is. No forced emotional responses, and no grand emphasizing of the things you need/prefer in your vision of that story. That feels too much like lying to me.
Oh, well, thank you, sir, I'm touched :) It is a serious topic, so it's only natural that we've taken it seriously.
ReplyDeleteI get your point, but I guess I'd like you to give me a few examples, a few movies that could describe your opinion.
SUITE FRANCAISE, READER, SOPHIE'S CHOICE ... definitely aren't such movies. They are supporting what I've said. Movies with deep social awareness and responsibility.
I, for example, don't like Tarantino's idea to make a comedy set in a WW2. My own conscience would never let me do such thing. It was a historical mayhem in which tens of millions of people lost their lives, loves, children, whole families, parents, their own future and past, in some cases (like in our own) a whole 10th of their nation .... It is not a topic for laughter, it is not a period in which you can set a comedy in, event though in everyday life people laughed even then. And although I myself like watching ALO, ALO and BLACK ADDER I personally would never deal with WW eras in a humorous way. It's just a question of your ethical priorities and your human responsibilities.
And off course, I do agree that many people just can't be educated, but those are exactly the kind of people who would watch Tarantino's KILL BILL and would laugh to the scenes of blood and limbs splashing all around, to the scenes of senseless beatings, and then when they see such things in the real news, when soldiers are doing similar things to each other in some desert millions of miles away from their own country they would watch it pretty much impassively, because to them it no longer has the tragical depth it really should have, they've seen it all in Tarantino's movie and it was to die for, it was hilarious and sooo cool. And that's how they miss the meaning of catharses.
Some things should never be made superficial and light through humour.
I can't recall any specific example of forced tragedy/drama. I tend to pass them by, and forget them.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see Reader or Sophie's Choice. I don't watch those movies at all. Well maybe one of these once every few years. It's the combination of my lack of interest plus my disappointment in so called "real-life movies" that keeps me away from seeing any kind of tragedy-dramas.
And about Tarantino, and his choice of themes. Am I right to assume that you Dez are not surprised by his latest movie? I know I'm not at least surprised. Tarantino is like that. I don't plan on seeing his Bastards, for pretty much the same reasons you stated.
I did see most of his work though. Not my most favorite movies, by I found some interesting stuff in them. I liked Kill Bill because of its cast, its martial-arts action, and some other thing. I didn't like the violence.
You need not assume anything :)) it's been stated loud and clear many many times before in these three years of movieblogin' that I'am that inglorious bast....'s archenemy :)))
ReplyDelete