It was in 2015, during a cold spring evening when I started to watch a movie by Francis Ford Coppola called “Apocalypse Now”. I don’t know what made me watch this film, I don’t remember the reason and I don’t regret forgetting it. The movie take me on a long journey to the times of the Vietnam War, where everyone was paralyzed, mortally wounded, or dead. Something in my mind kept whispering that it is my journey through the dark and gloomy forests, which tried to hide the sorrow and the death in the tranquility of the trembling and bleak leaves of the trees. It is my “journey to the end of the night”, to the end of all possible living creatures, which led to a new heavenly creation of the first men. These people were dancing in the softness of divine and undefiled temples, celebrating myths of Gods and men, sacrificing flesh on the altar of justice and waiting for peace, which shall come down as if a grace from the heaven. Journey which told about the mirth of people who celebrated the peace and the wretched bodies and minds of those who were endlessly in …show more content…
My eyes were open wide during every second of that 3 hour long “journey”, a “journey” after which nothing appeared the same to my soul and my mind. I felt like something mysterious stood between the screen and me while I sat watching the movie. I am not sure, but it may be the presence of death, which always lingers in the anthropomorphic world of war and temporary peace. My room became a battlefield where I started to fight against my past self for which wars were just games. My new consciousness became dominant as the movie faded in and out under the haunting melodies and songs of The Doors. The point of “apocalypse” emerged for me, a point where nothing has meaning and everything is covered with vague certainty, a point which would still be meaningless if not explained by
We believed in God, trusted in man, and lived with the illusion that every one of us has been entrusted with a sacred spark from the Shekhinah's flame; that every one of us carries in his eyes and in his soul a reflection of God's image. That was the source if not the cause of all our ordeals.” (Night, pages
In this case, the shamans of the spirit dance instruct, guide, and tutor the dream visions of the dancers, who undergo, prior to the dance, “an ordeal of fasting, thirsting, and self-torture”
The once starry night now resembled a cluster of tiny white smudges engulfed by a grim lifeless mass. Just as my eyes were fully shut, I heard a distant yell, followed by a woman 's piercing shriek. My last thought, “What is happening to me.” “We need to evacuate the building.” “Wake the girl, we have to move, NOW.”
Watkins’ chooses the literary device of foreshadowing at the start of this selection to emphasize his dissatisfaction on the trip and to provoke an emotional response from readers. To foreshadow is to warn or indicate an event. In this case, Watkins’ uses this tool to indicate the trip as melancholy. At the start of the trip where they set out from Culver City southwest of Los Angeles, where they were covering the 1970 auction of MGM’s, Watkins recalls that “(a genuine wake in the land of celluloid dreams; perhaps it should have told [him] something)” (Watkins 28).
Oftentimes, people read their favorite books or watch popular movies and they are completely oblivious to the origin of the theme(s). In fact, a collection of recent movies, books and paintings include themes dating back to mid-19th century. Indeed, the 19th century transcendentalists inspired many of today’s influential artists. For instance, mainstream movies like the “Star Wars” saga, best selling books such as the Hunger Games series, and distinguished artwork like Dispersion all suggest transcendentalist themes. Even though humanity moved farther away from simple lifestyle, some ideas from transcendentalists remain prominent in modern movies, books, and paintings.
Depictions of the apocalypse are guaranteed to be a hit movie, as the stories force us to become heroic and imagine ourselves in that situation.6 The real-life apocalyptic imagery seen in this film: earthquakes, city in rubble, and intense weather conditions were overwhelming, but films such as this one help us cope with it. The core of the film is inspired from the biblical Book of Revelation, where Jesus Christ foretold signs of the end times. This film shatters the barriers between reality and fiction, when Jay is seen quoting from the Bible, as the group is being convinced it’s Biblical “Judgement Day” and not a “zombie
While exploring this topic, I intend to consult Edward Said’s Orientalism, debates about “otherness,” scholarly interpretations of Apocalypse Now, historical evidence about Americans’ attitudes toward the Vietnam War, and biographical information about Francis Ford Coppola.
This is effectively communicated in Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ through its use of imagery and dark sensory associations, portraying a pessimistic life of an individual. The catalyst of the reflective lake extrapolates that discovery does not need to be momentous, but merely reflective, allowing him to renew and re-engage with his own sense of reality. Furthermore this is efficaciously demonstrated in James McTeigue’s ‘V for Vendetta’ through high camera shots and low lighting to convey vulnerability and isolation. The hellish torture and the brutality of the government Evey endured behaved as a platform upon which she discovered and renewed her perception of herself and the world around her. Thus both texts are effectual in communicating that discovery and a change of perspective is made possible when we remove ourselves to a place of solace and reflection.
When you visualize an apocalypse, do you look at the fall of a just world or the beauty of a new beginning? The novella I Am Legend, and the movie, The Girl with All the Gifts are two-post apocalyptic stories that scrutinize the struggles of individuals trying to survive in a world ravaged by an infectious disease. I Am Legend is a bleak and introspective story that analyzes what it means to be the only human in a world where humanity has perished. On the other hand, The Girl with All the Gifts is more hopeful and shows the journey of a group with a desire to rebuild civilization. Both I Am Legend and The Girl with All the Gifts tell a post-apocalyptic story with a hopeful ending, but their main characters, settings, and tones differentiate
Ultimately, the book and movie’s ending scene give a message that display new knowledge arising, but the book leaves the reader’s mind turning with questions and contemplating the
When the film The Sixth Sense, directed by Night Shyamalan debuted in 1999, it mesmerized audiences near and far with its appealing paranormal plot, its deceptive nature and its top-shelf talent from its actors. The film was immensely prosperous and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. However, most casual moviegoers overlooked its underlying philosophical significance. The Sixth Sense is driven by the big questions of life from almost every aspect of philosophy specifically metaphysics and epistemology. In this specific scene Shyamalan relies on subtlety to create a creepy atmosphere of something beyond our ordinary beliefs and understanding.
I had a very positive experience at the Chapel, but I did not attend the candle lighting before. I find it important to explore and enter other environments to increase one’s own awareness. This event did just that for me, if it wasn’t for this assignment I wouldn’t have ever took part in this celebration. One
I have always viewed movies as mood boosters. Whenever I watch a movie, I judge how good it is according to how well I understand the story. This is why I never truly understand how critics rate movies. However, upon reading John Berger’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”, I start to understand how paying attention to the different components of a film helps in understanding the essence of a story. As Berger once said, “There is no film that does not partake of dream.
I couldn’t comprehend anything that I was witnessing with my eye’s. My heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird flapping its wings. My mind was chasing, like a cheetah racing for its prey. What once was a house, now soon to be ash. A small lone apartment building was deeply engulfed in flames.
I had never ending waves filling my eyes. I was as forlorn as a new widow and and felt bruised and sorrowful as the black stone under the blue sea. Nothing made sense. My life was over. Sometimes I wondered if she had 'gone on ' to some place and just did not want to come back.