Storytelling Challenges in Literature and Movies -- Cerebral vs. Celebrities? (134 hits)
Storytelling Challenges in Literature and Movies
Cerebral vs. Celebrities?
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, 1797-1851 is supposed to have come up with Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus while on holiday in the summer of 1816 in Cologny, Switzerland, when she, her husband Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and other mutual friends were kept inside by bad weather. To amuse themselves they told each other ghost stories. They issued each other a challenge to concoct a story in that genre and Frankenstein is what we know and love today.
No TV in the 18th or 19th centuries, so people actually had to amuse themselves with cards, parlor games, sewing, reading and of course my favorite, Storytelling. And what wonderful stories the Romanticists' told. Shelley, Byron, Keats, Wordsworth, Coleridge. Who and what were their influences? Like us their own lives, the raging issues of the day, such as evolution or rather Darwin's theory of Evolution. The impact of Darwin's findings on religion, God, life, mixed together with their classical educations. Think Milton and Greek mythology. If only K-12 education today included courses on Critical Thinking, Debate, and reading from intellectual writings from all races and cultures. Alas it does not so we find ourselves given over to sound bites, ill conceived theories and ideas that now can populate and reproduce themselves at a faster rate thanks to the "idiot box" television and the Internet. Reason, analysis, evaluation, and logic seem to have gone by the wayside. Maybe that is why we get so many formula based books, movies, TV shows, etc... That appeal to the brainwashed masses.
Anyone who thinks, speaks or writes differently is considered an outsider because modern society has no box to put you in. You are an eccentric or one who does not subscribe to the herd mentality. Shallowness and superficiality rule the day. Accountability and a commitment to excellence and truth seem to have gone by the wayside. We've through aside the tried and true traditions of our grandparents just so we can all fit in. We've made ourselves into Stepford Americans/Europeans/Asians who think their trying to be different. Okay so much for my soapbox rants. Now on to the 20th Century because as you all know I do love to watch movies.
The Usual Suspects (Caution: Spoiler Alert!!) Hats off and Thumbs Up to Chazz Palmentari, Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Baldwin and obviously to Kevin Spacey who really carried this movie and brought a fictionally story to life.
The Highlight of this movie is the interrogation scenes featuring detective Chazz Palmanteri questioning Kevin Spacey regarding an explosion at the waterfront. Drugs, mafia, etc.... I find it fascinating how Verbal Klimt the character portrayed by Spacey concocts a fascinating tale, not a lie or just a mere fabrication but an actual involved convoluted tale which unknown to the Det. is actually a lie with himself as the main actor. This theatrical tale of Turkish underworld kingpin Keyser Soze/Verbal Klimpt/Kevin Spacey is so convincingly and dramatically told that the poor police Det. has no idea he has been interrogating Keyser Soze all along. Keyser Soze/Verbal Klempt is the master of taking disparate items/words featuring on papers, flyers, posters and even the coffee mug in the Detective's office and weaving a tale of mystery and intrigue so captivating that the Det. is fooled, lets Verbal/Soze go, realizing his mistake too late.
More Cerebral Reading Father Seraphim Rose His Life and Works By Hieromonk Damascene This book is not light reading. The book is over 1000 pages. I’ll probably wind up returning it to the owner before I can possibly finish. It's about an American atheist/elitist Eugene Rose who comes to faith via Russian Orthodox Christianity. In one sentence Eugene Rose goes from apostasy to be an Apostle of Christ. It gives you an understanding of philosophy as envisioned by one man that is personally bringing me to higher heights and deeper depths within my own personal spiritual journey. Reading about Father Seraphim Rose forces me to engage with Christ and view this shallow, superficial, hedonistic society for what it is. Temporary. Not necessarily doomed but to my understanding none of the Abrahamic religions have succeeded in taming man's wild nature but only when you bring all sin to the surface can it truly be dealt with. Then you experience a true shift in values and morals. It is rather complex and labored but I can understand his disillusionment with the 1950s American brand of Christianity and the circumstances surrounding him that inspired and thrust him towards Orthodoxy. From the title, yes he does become a monk. Sadly Father Rose only lived to the age of 48. However my feeling as I continue to read this rather intense cerebral biography is that Eugene Rose seems to have exchanged one form of extremism for another. Yes I believe that Father Rose truly heard Gods call on his life but perhaps this is some of Mr. Damascene’s bias’ in favor of Russian Orthodoxy, however in my understanding of God’s word, we as Christian’s are called to be in the world just not of the world. Also I disagree with Father Rose’s take on modern technology or modernism in general. If had lived today given his nature he would have been appalled by the Computers, the Internet, World Wide Web, cell phones, television, CDs and DVDs, however technology does have its place in society and does offer unique opportunities to not only spread the gospel but ideally it should promote critical thinking. Of course as we all know and see from books, movies, magazines, TV, and the Internet users of these technologies have found new ways to spread idiocies and stupidities. However we cannot all just give up our jobs, families, educations and lives to live apart from the world or go meditate upon a mountain. The intellectuals have to be out there, up front to fight the “herd mentality” that Father Seraphim Rose found objectionable.
