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David Jimerson
03-31-2004, 12:12 PM
Kandinsky wrote:


Jubal28, i don't think that two young lovers having plans for their future is all about misery. In the beggining everybody's plans are the kind of plans we all have at this state in our lives. Burstyn wants to get thinner because she's gowing old. She has a great circle of friends even though she feels alone (which is almost the case with every old people in north america right now). The young ones are planning to build a very promising future, full of hope. The only thing that leads to their "misery" as you say is addiction to whatever comes in handy to fill the common emptiness (or lack) of their existence. This is the only mistake they are all making that will eventually lead to misery. I don't mean to be harsh but the form of this film is so much more complex than what you seem to see in it, please watch it again.

Its a crescendo that is LEADING to a paroxysm of misery. Everything has to do with the idea of a "requiem". The whole structure of the film is based on that, with the names of the seasons dividing the story like vivaldi did in his four seasons. If you pay attention, you can even hear musicians getting ready to play in the first scene before everything starts.

Please don't reduce such a beautiful american piece of art with such a sad and simple point of view. With drugs theres no happy endings anyway.

Dude, pay attention to the words I use -- I chose them for a reason because they *mean* things. *I said that Requiem *depicts* misery from beginning to end, which it most certainly does . . . unless I missed the happy and beautiful side of drug addiction, crime against family, general crime, prostitution, electroshock therapy, gangrenous infection, amputation, incarceration, self-imposed suffering and descent into even deeper levels of misery . . .

I didn't say *anything* about the movie's *form*, as much as you're desperate to regale the world with your deep insights into art and film appreciation.

And besides, even if I did, we live on a continent blessed with a free society. *People have differing opinions. *Deal with it.
;D ;D ;D

Neil Rowe
03-31-2004, 01:36 PM
..yep, independent thought is a great thing.

J.R. Hudson
03-31-2004, 02:05 PM
I second that. People have differing opinions and attempting to talk people into seeing your point of view is annoying.

Kandinsky
03-31-2004, 03:57 PM
I was quite aware of the fact that we lived in a free world. But thank you mister Wallace. Of course you can think what you want, but i don't have to think the same way you do. Personally, I dont like to say yes all the time because its pleasing. When i'm not agreeing with somebody's point of view, i expose mine. I have no idea what would be the point in meeting people or having conversations with another human being if it wasn't about exchanging each others ideas, beliefs and values. Thats the only way we can progress, isn't that the point of friendship?


Dude, pay attention to the words I use -- I chose them for a reason because they *mean* things. *I said that Requiem *depicts* misery from beginning to end, which it most certainly does . . . unless I missed the happy and beautiful side of drug addiction, crime against family,[...]

I didn't know that words *meant* things *dude*. But now that you've informed me, i am still not o.k. with the fact that Requiem for a dream *depicts* misery from beggining to end. Especially with the "beggining" part. What about the happy and beautiful side of *life* depicted through the summer act? Of course its not perfection, but it's still a very pleasing kind of beauty in any sense. Visually you can notice the crescendo of the color temperatures through the whole film. The first part is very warm and comforting, they even used diffusion often in the first act to make us feel this pleasing atmosphere that is about to vanish.


I didn't say *anything* about the movie's *form*, as much as you're desperate to regale the world with your deep insights into art and film appreciation.

Thank you for your kind words. Following your ideas i'm almost a new born Adolf Hitler :D.

No you didn't say anything about form. You didn't say any argument except some popular evidence that is already approved by almost every human being in north america. It is surely unifying and charming, but it does not convince me of the fact that :

Ugh. [Requiem for a dream is]*Non-stop misery from beginning to end.

When people are almost insulting films that i love and respect, without any valuable arguments, i tend to get angry. It's certainly not one of my most beautiful quality i agree with that. I don't think we can possibly have a conversation over this anyway, you will probably answer trying to judge my attitude instead of arguing over my ideas about the film itself.

No hard feelings, but before i leave this discussion i wanted to say that i also liked Braveheart very much. Why? mostly because at least it wasn't only depicting misery from beggining to end! ;D

David Jimerson
03-31-2004, 05:04 PM
When people are almost insulting films that i love and respect, without any valuable arguments, i tend to get angry.

Yeah, I noticed. You need to calm down.

You also need to be careful about claiming the moral high ground after writing things like:


Please don't reduce such a beautiful american piece of art with such a sad and simple point of view.

Especially after a condescending lecture on something I didn't say a word about (artistic form).

That being the case, I'll "reduce" it thus: I couldn't possibly care less if the artistic form was the greatest work of genius ever produced (which, while I thought it was clever -- oh, yes, I did *get* everything -- genius it was not); watching those characters voluntarily add misery upon misery to their own lives in a continual downward spiral was like taking a potato peeler to my forearm. It's something I'll never put myself through again, because I detested it the first time. Something being GOOD in an artistic sense does NOT automatically make it ENJOYABLE.

Whoa -- I think I was channeling MadCow_Guy there . . .

:o :o :o

David Jimerson
03-31-2004, 05:16 PM
BTW, I'm sorry that I originally typed your name incorrectly up top. :-[