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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 5, 2006 12:13:42 GMT -5
This is the SPOILER THREAD for Darren Aronofsky's brilliant film. Anyone who complains about secrets being given away herein, *ye have been warned*.
I wanted to kick off this discussion by pointing out how misrepresented this movie is, and especially how 80% of the masses who flock to it, walk away either completely befuddled, or else completely misappropriating the true intention behind the narrative.
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 5, 2006 12:15:00 GMT -5
Although the posters described it as some grand romance spanning from 1500 to 2500 (after all, modern audiences need to be "baited" into buying a ticket), this movie is by no means "science fiction" or even "historical fiction", not by any stretch of the imagination.
1. There can be no denying the "1500" section was, in fact, the Dr's wife's story. I.E, it was not 'historical fact' as intended to be portrayed by Aronofsky, but rather, the book The Fountain as imagined and penned by the wife.
2. She left the last chapter unfinished. The Doctor wrote that portion, based on her comments of observing the dying star in the night time sky. Therefore, that final portion taking place in "2500" was in fact the doctor's part of the story, which he imagined & penned.
3. Therefore, the only "real", or actually historical part of this movie occurred in realtime, 2006. The remaining two portions are alleghories of a sort reflecting the couple's belief systems struggling w/mortality; the wife was grounded in mortal acceptance, whereas the husband was off in hyperspace dreaming of immortality.
The book The Fountain as begun by the wife and finished by her husband the doctor is the treatise they collaborated on together to come to terms with mortality, and which brings the audience of this stunning film to the general realization that we are to live this mortal lifetime in the here & now and enjoy the company of our lovers, because that is all we have.
The implications of this beautiful love story are still sinking their tendrils into me, and that is why I personally consider The Fountain my favorite film of 2006, by a long shot.
Discuss.
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Dec 5, 2006 12:57:40 GMT -5
Ok, here's what I took from the whole movie: The first thing is that yes, the book "The Fountain" was about, in my opinion, the relationship between the two. She was okay with death and was trying to point out that she wasn't afraid to go the next level in her path of existence. Hugh however was not okay with it and instead of spending what precious few moments they had together, he squandered it trying to save her and ignoring his own fears of death. Now as far as the future thing, I totally believe that it is set in the future. I believe that the tree of immortality that he plants on her grave is for real and sustains him all the way to 2500. I believe that he did find that cure for the "disease of death" with the Monkey, even though it was too late to save his wife. If you look at the homemade tattoo tree rings that he makes on his body, when the tree finally dies, he knows he has to face up to dying and how it might not be so bad.
This movie is a profound statement on death being a positive thing (and not in some glorified suicide act either) and the problems that our society seems to have with treating natural things as a "disease".
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 5, 2006 13:15:20 GMT -5
Sweet outlook, skvor. Yeah, I loved the rings he tattooed on himself to mark the time. And I like the interp that he really did survive until the year 2500, as "The Last Man" (which was the original title of the film, until Aronofsky, for reasons he's kept to himself, decided to change to "The Fountain").
It really is the most thoughtful, intelligent, well -acted, beautifully rendered love story tackling "the big questions" that I've ever seen.
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 5, 2006 13:23:14 GMT -5
Serious Spoiler, Here:
Man, that scene where Thomas the Conquistador finally makes it up those stairs to the temple, where the Tree of Life is being guarded by that Mayan indian with the flaming sword -? I loved it when he gets through, and there is the freakin' Tree Of Life, and when he smears some of its sap onto his flesh wound, and begins greedily gobbling it up, right then is where my favorite scene in the history of film erupts - - talk about a "Swamp Thing" moment, eh? When suddenly a bouquet of leaves sprouts out of the wound, and he looks down in stunned bewilderment before the upthrust momentum of more leaves erupt out of his mouth, I was like "you're DONE, dude" and I just sat there soaking up the poetic justice. Most sublime moment I've enjoyed in a theater in many, many years!
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 5, 2006 13:25:35 GMT -5
This movie just takes that old "dream of immortality" harbored by many throughout time immemorial, and once & for all puts it smack into its proper perspective, BAM, like that.
The movie is a sheer triumph.
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Post by maarts on Dec 5, 2006 14:29:52 GMT -5
The soundtrack's pretty good too- Kronos Quartet and Mogwai! Dream combination.
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Dec 5, 2006 14:33:15 GMT -5
Dude, the music is just sooooo bad ass!
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 5, 2006 15:36:12 GMT -5
Hell yes it is. I was stunned during the end credits to see both Kronos Quartet and Mogwai mentioned, I had to rub my eyes out in disbelief at the Mogwai part.
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Dec 5, 2006 15:45:47 GMT -5
I think what really pissed people off about this movie is that they expected some Sci-Fi epic where the dude finds the tree of life, he saves the world from death, and he and his hot wife go fuck for an eternity and all of the flowers are blooming all the time.
What you get is a statement on how ridiculous an idea that is and what a fucking boring movie that would make.
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 5, 2006 16:28:20 GMT -5
Exactly. Indeed - they pulled a real neat double-take w/the promotional ads & posters for this one. DRaw every one into the theater expecting some dizzying epic science fiction mythological quest story, and instead you get the real deal. Except it backfired on em, looks like. NOw everyone's pissed off they didn't get "Indiana Jones And The Quest For Immortality". Fuck em all. The Fountain is what it is: an untouchable, and beautiful movie about the most mysterious concepts of all: reality and love.
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 6, 2006 15:31:24 GMT -5
Hey , did y'all know that originally, DAVID BOWIE was going to be commissioned by Aronofsky to play the end-credit song?
The Fountain was partially inspired by Major Tom in Space Oddity . . .
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Post by Thorngrub on Dec 6, 2006 15:34:18 GMT -5
... but I'm sure glad the original 90 MILLION dollar budget, as envisioned initially when this blockbuster was to star BRAD PITT and CATE BLANCHETT (just imagine her as Queen Isabella for a sec), was scrapped. Pitt lost interest because of a conflict in creative decisionmaking w/the director. (*screw you, Brad*)
I believe the results - - w/a budget one third of what was originally intended (35 Million) and the talents of Hugh Jackman and Aronofsky's wife - - have resulted in a far more interesting film.
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Dec 6, 2006 17:30:08 GMT -5
Brad Pitt would have been terrible in that film.
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Post by Thorngrub on Jan 10, 2007 12:41:16 GMT -5
Yeah he would. I now think of him as a total douche.
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