What films express a philosophical point of view?

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Angelshare1

Well-known member
I'm watching Lost in Translation and I understand that it has a following among the existentialism crowd. Are there other movies that highlight ideas from different schools of thought?

I thought it interesting that existentialism highlights an individuals place in the universe and all the camera shots seem to highlight the two characters in Lost in Translation in their environment. (That's why we get so many shots of Scarlette pirched on the window ledge with Tokyo in the background.

I think picking a school of thought and then trying to build a screenplay around it would be a cool idea so I'm trying to find others that may have tried that.

Any others?
 
Waking Life, though disjointed, is highly regarded as one of the most philosophical film there is.
The Fountainhead focuses on Ayn Rand's objectivism specifically.
Being John Malkovich is an existential piece focusing on personal identity. Hell, most philosophical films are going to focus on personal identity. From Blade Runner to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Gattaca explores free will versus engineering; nature versus nurture. Groundhog Day explores free will versus fate.
You know, most films are philosophical by nature because they all explore a theme or moral premise and come to a conclusion on it. It's just all usually part of the subtext of everything that happens in the film.
 
It's not a philosophical point of view as much as a cinematic one, although the two intertwine- its called realism (I mean realism as a film theory term).

if you tell an open-ended episodic story, let the camera roam about and showcase the environment, and use naturalistic light, youll be, in effect, saying, that "life is complex and mysterious, and sometimes goes nowhere, but that is what makes it beautiful (or interesting at least)". Read "theory of film" by kracauer.

Im not saying you cant call it existentialist (it is), but vcassel has better examples of movies that are more blatantly philosophical.

and like he says every movie is philosophical cause stories have morals (if they don't the audience makes up one)

I just learned:

Don't sacrifice compassion for professional gain, because that gypsy will curse your ass ( or what goes around comes around).
 
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I just watched My Night at Maud's, and it seemed like half of the movie was a discussion about Pascal.
 
hmmm...my two favourite things, philosophy and film making! An interesting topic.

I pretty much find a philosophical point in just about every single film I see but of course that's mostly just my interpretation whether it was intended or not. Since film-making is a modern form of "mythology" one can hardly separate it from philosophy. A seemingly simple action film such as Wanted contains elements of existentialism, the psychology of becoming a man and finding one's place in the world (read the book "Iron John" by Robert Bly) and of course centers around the notion of fate. Most people just see a good old action movie.

The Matrix Trilogy while mostly action oriented conveyed many philosophical undertones from solipsism to philosophical Idealism and a bunch of Eastern ideas. Although it's technically not a feature film, the second season of True Blood discussed the notion that philosophers have called the "Appolonian vs Dionysian dichotomy", a most interesting topic about order vs chaos, "light" vs "dark" etc. I think every story has an element of that since it's the human predicament to undertake a struggle vs our "darkness" (whatever that may be), whether internal or projected onto some "baddie".

So I think a lot of films don't directly or intentionally express a philosophical viewpoint but it's simply there anyway because film-making is about human nature. Just about any film would hence have some existentialist or "continental" implication.
 
The upcoming Matt Damon/Emily Blunt movie, "The Adjustment Bureau," is currently being sold pretty much as a philosophical experience. With lines like "If you believe in free will..." the film is certain to draw some and bore others. The movie looks like a slight rip-off of Dark City, but I might be game when the time comes around to decide.
 
Valhalla Rising (2009) has many philosophical layers, mostly about religion. The trailer looks like ant sword&action film, but Valhalla Rising is very slow movie.

 
Well, if you believe (as I do) that the monolith in 2001 represented the cinema screen (the aspect ratio when it finally turns horizontal - the only time we see it horizontal we "fly into it" and it's basically the same size of the screen and "becomes" the screen... and then we go on the "trip") you could spend all day guessing about that...

Though perhaps that's more an element of "subtext" than theme; Kubrick suggesting that our current & ultimate evolution has something to do with our fantasies & myths, or that our art is what truly pushes our mental evolution. I find it hard to believe that all Kubrick was trying to express had to do with man's reliance on technology or the dangers of evolving tech (expressed by HAL). Still, 2001 is, plot-wise, the most obscure of Kubrick's work, making me believe that he was setting us up for a completely symbolic statement that had little to do with plot.

That really fascinates me - who puts that kind of thought into framing and shots these days? Actually speaking to the viewer's subconscious? It's really something to think about, how deep can the meaning of props, staging, colors go towards the overt theme (or hidden themes) in your work?
 
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