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Just been moved.. again.. by a re-screening of the 1990 thriller, Jacob's Ladder -- directed by Adrian Lynne, starring Tim Robbins.
A film depicting levels of consciousness, hallucinations at the moment of death.. here's an interesting article about it entitled The Long Road Out of Hell: www.alterati.com/blog/
A film depicting levels of consciousness, hallucinations at the moment of death.. here's an interesting article about it entitled The Long Road Out of Hell: www.alterati.com/blog/
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Re: Jacob's Ladder..
Mon, December 29, 2008 - 6:33 PMOne of my favorite flms depicting the excursion into and exit out of Chapel Perilous (thanks mostly to Tim Robbin's phenomenal performance). Another film I recently saw with similar themes but portrayed with more subtlety and cinematic mastery is Bergman's "Hour of the Wolf" with the incomparable Max von Sydow and an astonishing Liv Ullman. -
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Re: Jacob's Ladder..
Mon, December 29, 2008 - 7:40 PMI just added "Hour of the Wolf" to my list.
I'm a lover of Bergman's films and especially enjoy the work he did with Von Sydow and Ullman... This will be a treat..
Another film, along these lines, is a hauntingly beautiful and obscure Spanish film entitled Vera (2003), written and directed by Francisco Athié. The film depicts an aging Mayan mine-worker on the Yucatan, who becomes trapped in a collapsed mine... He is then guided through an hallucinatory journey through the underworld as he is challenged and prepared for water passage.. The film depicts a pantheon of subtle imagery with rich narrative symbology without being very directive or imposing.. I found the film so haunting because the depth of the images become evident by the mere fact that they remain with you long after the film has ended.... -
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Re: Jacob's Ladder..
Mon, December 29, 2008 - 8:04 PMVera is amazing....one of a handful of films that I can say has a direct visceral effect on my visual cortex (and w/o all the CGI FX). Much like the feeling I get after a particularly engaging transformative ritual; only more subtle, of course. I watched Vera with a handful of folks who do ritual with me and we all agreed....this was a ritual film. I especially liked the footage of the boat drifting throughout the underground caverns of the Yucatan. -
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Re: Jacob's Ladder..
Tue, December 30, 2008 - 10:47 AMThat's very cool that you've seen Vera.. I thought it was one of those rare films that remains an unseen diamond-in-the-rough.. But then, look who I'm talking to! LOL
I was very impressed with the film's use of the CGI effects -- as it didn't seem too intrusive on the content and intention of the film. The film seemed so small and private, that when the CGI suggested that the film actually had a budget, it seemed to arouse a sense of excitement (incidentally, not so dissimilar from the protagonist's reaction to those same effects!).
I wonder if you could say a bit more about what makes Vera a "ritual film." Are you suggesting that it is designed to evoke a particular kind of experience? What makes it different from, say, a non-ritual film (which, I assume, would be, like anything out of Hollywood! LOL)
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I'm trying to think of other films that, if you enjoyed Vera, you'd also be likely to enjoy... And I can't think of a single film -- as it struck me as being so singular in its style and vision... -
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Re: Jacob's Ladder..
Tue, December 30, 2008 - 11:12 AMwhat i mean by a 'ritual film' is in the way it acts on my second attention. there's not a lot to "figure out" for the first attention and so it can relax (given that it knows how to), allowing the second attention to engage. the dialogue in Vera is very sparce and so, most of what is communicated comes through actions, reactions and the unfolding moments of real time capture. in this way, the film slowly builds an active power of presence, the chief attraction of second attention. in case you do not know the way i use these terms, "first and second attention" , i offer this link: www.paratheatrical.com/attention.html
Tarkovsky's "The Mirror" (which may be close to being my favorite film ever) is another excellent example. I also include as "ritual films": Lech Majewski's THE ROE'S ROOM, Tarkovsky's STALKER, Louis Malle's BLACK MOON, Chris Newby's ANCHORESS, and A MAN ESCAPED by Robert Bresson.
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