 |
| Jerome Bixby, the writer of the story and an awesome cigar smoker. |
Intellectually that is.
Imagine, a man who does not die.
From the murky prehistoric past to our increasingly complex present, living through everything.
What would this man look like, what would he know?
The film I just watched called "The Man From Earth" which does a pretty good job of answering that and goes into a interesting deconstruction of Christianity on the side.
In a quite somber goodbye party, John Oldman announces to his colleagues
(a biologist, an art history professor who is a devout Christian, an anthropologist,
a historian, a psychiatrist, an archaeologist and his student.) that he is in fact immortal and has lived through 14.000 years. He naturally has no proof.
Most of the members of the small group (a group of scholars as it would be)
have interesting perspectives and questions that add to the atmosphere.
Their diverse reactions to John's claim reveal much about types of people and humans as a whole.
have interesting perspectives and questions that add to the atmosphere.
Their diverse reactions to John's claim reveal much about types of people and humans as a whole.
Sure, in the technical sense of a movie it has it's flaws mostly because it's budget was less than what you need to buy a small London apartment.
Which is appropriate since the whole film takes place in one room.
[In my opinion the ending is slightly weak compared to the rest but I won't spoil anything.]
[In my opinion the ending is slightly weak compared to the rest but I won't spoil anything.]
None of these details really matter.
I'll just say this.
 |
| The Room is hanging on his words. Are they the fantastical truth or just cunning manipulation? |
That he is immortal and he's just trying to tell them the truth.
Or he is actually a charming manipulator just getting a kick out of playing with peoples feelings?
Before the end he converts most of the room and many moments gain a sinister edge with the second scenario in mind.
Once your drawn in, (and it's very easy with this film) by the story and the discussion you'll feel like a person in that room, occasionally cursing your inability to join in, ask your questions, debate but even so you might learn something if you keep your mind open.
So what I'm basically trying to say is that I recommend this movie. Go see it now!
Out of the many emotions evoked from me, in this hour and a half,
the most notable is envy.
the most notable is envy.
Primarily the envy of immortality, of being apart of time, the human race, etc.
I suppose a hunger for eternal life is understandable if not coveted by most.
But on the other (slightly more attainable) side I'm jealous of the quality of the discussion.
A few people with a few hours to spare, talking about exciting and complex stuff, willing to use their minds and their knowledge to decide, persuade, create.
Heck I could settle for basic stuff!
At this point as long as it's not about the weather or money it would do..
Ah well, I'll stop writing now and go look for someone in the house to chat with.
About some hard issues.
Did I mention that it's 4 AM and that I'm naked?
Fun times...
Charalampos Koundourakis.
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You killed me with your deep ending of this post XD
ReplyDeleteYeah, go and chat with someone about hard issues, just don't forget to put a bath-robe or at least underwear... ;P
Never Underwear...
DeleteI'm with you bro
DeleteI think both- timing and condition are perfect for creating this post! At least it's giving a nice 'clip' to the story :D
ReplyDeleteAnd I think discussing hard issues in the bath-robe is still cool ;)
We've done so in the past I recall.... Well I was in a bathrobe :D
DeleteI'll definitely have to check this out once I am out of Amsterdamned. 4AM naked in England (Correction - Scotland) sounds too cold to act, be or think hard though :p
ReplyDeleteThe opposite is true, my friend. The cool temperature keeps the brain from getting overcooked and you may think for hours with no interruption. :)
DeleteEven better if you are a Terry Pratchett Discworld troll (checkout one of the books with trolls and you'll see why ;) )
DeleteLook. This movie is really weak. Hunger for immortality, in the literal sense, is philosophical nonsense. You are a mediocre thinker. The sooner you give up the notion that you can achieve any real understanding with your mind, the better. There's just no breakthrough on the mental plane and your thoughts are worth approximately nothing in terms of contribution to the history of philosophy.
ReplyDeleteOh hi.
DeleteI am a mediocre thinker then, Mr Demo?
It is with no shame that I admit to that because thinking too much can be quuuiite bad.
For example, the mental plane that you have placed on the pedestal of approval is not really of interest to me as it's full of faff of people faffing about.
Hunger for immortality, my dear Commentier, goes much deeper than mere "thinking" (especially the philosophical kind which I would gladly do if provided with no worries and much free time).
It is after MY self I am concerned with.
It is ME who I want to be forever.
I do not care about the philosophical implications and in that spirit I do not care much about anyone else.
My Ego is what drives me.
The primary (and let's face it, most honest) drive we have.
The history of philosophy indeed.
What a thought.
What a funny thought.