The Basics

In the early 20th century there were three mayor flanks to cinema; those were the works of D.W. Griffith in United Status, the German Expressionism, and the Soviet Realism. These three sides were highly political in their content and the developments of the techniques during this period are the basis for today cinema.
D.W. Griffith gift to cinema was to break the “theatrical scene into the cinematic unit of the shot”; by this Griffith developed a new narrative. With techniques such as the cross-cut, the American director managed to bring very distant spaces together in the mind of the spectator. “Griffith discovered that the narrative content of the scene, not the location of the scene, determined the correct placement of the camera and the correct moment to cut from one perspective or setup to another. This discovery is frequently called “grammar and rhetoric” of the film” (A Short History of the Film, 2006, 72). This same type of logic in the grammar and rhetoric of the film is still used by filmmakers, even tough there are variations this is the basis. In addition, it is important to note that Griffith’s works had a political touch, generally concerning the theme of racial segregation, such as “The Birth of a Nation” which was propaganda in favor of the Ku Klux Klan.
In the same way, but on the other side of the world, a movement called the Socialist Realism raised in the Soviet Union. The Socialist Realism was a really powerful propaganda that defended the Communist doctrine, as a form of art this was aloud because, “while the flickering images held their audiences captive, the events on the screen emphasized the virtues of the new government and encouraged the people to develop those traits that would best further it. Whereas the American film began as an amusing novelty, the Soviet film was created explicitly as a teacher, not as a clown” (A Short History of the Film, 2006, 198). Nevertheless, this Soviet Realism developed the foundations of film editing, because they concentrated on the effects of joining the shots together; this is know as the Soviet Montage. The Soviet Montage is the contribution of this movement to the film industry. “Sergei Eisenstein regarded montage as a dialectical means of creating meaning. By contrasting unrelated shots he tried to provoke associations in the viewer, which were induced by shocks. Eisenstein was a theorist in addition to being a filmmaker. He established five "methods of montage": 1) Metric: based solely on the length of a shot, 2) Rhythmic: based on the length of a shot, plus the visual composition of the image, 3) Tonal: based on the dominant visual style of an image, 4) Overtonal: based on the interaction of dominant visual styles and 5) Intellectual: based on the symbolic content generated by two (or more) juxtaposed images; a film metaphor” (www.wikipedia.org).
On the other hand, the German Expressionism’s gift to the film industry is in terms of the image and the shot. This is so clear that the term Expressionism refers to the understanding that “the look or style of the visible, the external universe can take its shape, color, and texture from the artist’s intuition of its essential inner being of from internal human sensations.” (A Short History of the Film, 2006, 175). German Expressionism gave the film industry a critical eye to be smart enough to know the importance of mise-en-scéne elements, symbolism and the psychological perceptive that the camera could work as a “window to the mind; that is that the camera could itself mirror the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings of a character experiencing an event.” (A Short History of the Film, 2006, 174,175). One of the two types in which the German films of this era consisted was on the intellectual paradigms of Freud and Weber, which were very political more because of Weber than Freud. On the one hand we have Freud that was born in a Jew family and went to study in Vienna under an intense anti-Semitism, on the other hand is Max Weber which was a German, and his most important works concerned the rationalization of sociology of religion and government. Even tough the movement of cinema were very politically charged and sometimes used as propaganda, today films are not that much because of the invention of TV, but more important than the content is that during these years, the techniques concerning camera movement, subject matter, and even more editing, narrative and rhetoric developed were polished so much that they became what we know today as the basis of filmmaking.

An Expression of Art

Hollywood’s today power and global monopoly of the film industry and the screens is due to the perspective in which this new art was seen by its pivotal developers, unfortunate events and the love of humans to look and be amused by new ways.
Mostly, films were about capturing reality itself and showing it to the delighted masses that dashed a train in a movie theater. Movies by this time lasted around 10 to 15 minutes, just one-reel, because of the attention span of the audience; in time, the films were longer and longer.
Eventually, in the beginning of films, this new art or way to express reality was rapidly absorbed by people, because it affirmed ideas that where conventional and already held by society. People just loved to see the portrayal of their most deep feelings and to be excited about stories that seemed real, such as: Georges Méliès’ “A trip to the Moon” or Edwin Porter’s “Life of an American Fireman”; nevertheless, there were technical limitations, these were more sophisticated films, still, the acting was very theatrical and the camera did not had a lot of movement because the focus was more on the set than in the shot. But films were becoming more and more popular each day, with France and Italy as the most globally popular and powerful.
Europe was at the top of the scale until World War I stroke the continent, causing a devastating interruption in the European Film Industries, which as an unintended consequence, putted the American Film Industry A.K.A. Hollywood in the position it has held ever since. Even though in the silent era of film, movements such as the German Expressionism or The Soviet Realism were struggling to get up, it was no match for the monstrous film industry of America, which jumped even higher after World War II.
The other important fact that launched Hollywood to its present stand was the perspective in which film was seen by its pivotal developers, the difference is really simple and is easy to see even today. In The American Film Industry, Thomas Edison, who was a businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century and one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production; led to the creation of the motion Pictures Patent Company. On the other hand, in Europe was Pathé Frères. The main difference resides in the history of each country and how this shaped the way of thinking; on the one side we have United States, a country with practically no artistic history, a country of immigrants and highly interested in its growth as a nation; on the other side we have Europe, a country full of artistic history and with a deep devotion to the high arts. These particular backgrounds made that Edison on the one hand thought of film in terms of paid entertainment, in capital terms, he was a businessman, so his interest was to make money. And in Europe films were and are still seen as an art, and expression of the feelings.
Since the very beginnings of the film industry, the road on which films were to walk, were delineated by the perspective of its precursors and developers, by people love to look and watch and by events that were uncontrollable by the industries it selves, all these things joined to such a point that it almost seemed as it had to be by destiny that Hollywood monopolized the film industry with its entertaining films, and Europe and other industries such as Latin American or Asian cinema were left in the shadow, with their films that represent a message and an expression of art.

Comedy's First Steps

While Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton devoted their lives to the construction of an insightful and intelligent critic to the society through comedy, the Marx Brothers were faithful to the comedy as an entertainment through their cartoon like ways.
The Marx Brothers comedy even tough it was performed for film; it had the mark of their earlier work in vaudeville, which is a style of multi-act theater where the characters could run from music to comedy, to athleticism, to magic, to animal acts, to opera, to Shakespeare, to banjo, to acrobatics and gymnastics. Their comedy was fast and explosive, it consisted in short jokes to make people go from laugh to laugh; it also consisted in very cartoon like recourses such as the movie “Horse Feathers” in which Harpo pulls out of his coat: a wooden mallet, a fish, a coiled rope, a tie, a poster of a woman in her underwear, a cup of hot coffee, a sword, and a candle burning at both ends, or the fake mirror scene wearing pajamas in “Duck Soup”; also to bring out this quick laugh, Marx Brothers comedy relied in acrobatics, such as the film “A Night at the Opera” in which the famous Opera “Il Trovatore” is deflated. The Marx Brothers comedy was in deed very ingenious and brilliant, which in comparison with today’s comedy which is based on stupidity, which is not fun at all; Marx Brothers comedy was mastermind. Nevertheless, it did not reach the superb insightful comedy of other authors.

Very few people have been able to take master the art of comedy in an intelligent way, that critiques fundamental things of humanity and society; the best examples of these genius are Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Buster Keaton was the only one that “could rival Chaplin in his insight into human relationships, into the conflict between the individual and the society. The character that Keaton fashioned compensated its apparent lack of emotion with the terrific range of his resourcefulness and imagination.” (A Short History of the Film, 2006, 158). Even tough Keaton was brilliant, the only and true genius of all time comedy was Charlie Chaplin who thought of the comic world as an opportunity that “provided the means to examine the serious world of human needs and societal structures. Chaplin was mature enough as an artist to show the ambivalence of power and wealth, its attractiveness and its emptiness. The comedies treat controversial themes such as drug addiction, poverty, hunger, crime on the streets, homosexuality, religious hypocrisy; but most importantly, the enduring qualities of the heart and the cruelty and complacency of institutions.” (A Short History of the Film, 2006, 110, 111, 112).
It is easy to figure out then, that while Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton devoted their lives to the construction of an insightful and intelligent critic to the society through comedy, the Marx Brothers were faithful to the comedy as an entertainment through their cartoon like ways. And that if someone compares the actual comedy in films to these conceptions, that person should know that with all the respect, the only critical comedy about society that is left, is seen in the world of TV animation in programs such as Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, The Boondocks and/or Futurama; Its shameful, but true. Even worse film comedy nowadays is doomed and is sinking into nonsense stupidity.

Hot Chocolate for Bitch Loves

The main development of the film Like Water for Chocolate takes place during the Mexican revolution (1910-1917).The social and political climate were really tough; nevertheless:
“the historical setting of the film could have provided a radical backdrop to the story. However, the political and social causes and effects of the conflict are ignored. The revolutionaries themselves are reduced to folkloric caricatures and are seeing drinking, dancing, and singing, rarely fighting. In addition, only one side is ever seen, that of the Villistas, so it is not clear whom they are fighting. There is one violent attack in the film, resulting in the rape of family’s servant Chencha and the murder of Mamá Elena. However, the audience is not told who is responsible for this, as the ranch hand asks the attackers in English, “What do you want?” While audiences might assume they are revolutionaries, the ranch hand would not speak to them in English if this were the case. The novel clears up the confusion, referring to the attackers as bandits, which contributes to the soft representation of the revolutionaries. Nuala Finnegan has argued that the film follows the Hollywood tradition of representing the Mexican Revolution, particularly in the emphasis of Pancho Villa as the principal revolutionary and in the invasion of political and social issues. (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 41).
In other words, the political climate of that time is really unseen in order to make emphasis on the social issue of women’s place in society; but, despite this, other social aspects of the time are overseen too.
On the other hand, “despite the focus on the personal over the political, Amores Perros, makes a connection between the absent father and an ineffective state. Iñárritu has said that “it is not a political film, but it has a lot to do with the consequences of a political system. […] There is corruption, sleaze, and dishonesty at all levels.” And socially it is “a world where violence denotes masculinity, as do the material gains that come through the robberies and the dogfights. El Chivo’s violence has different motives; his job as a hired assassin has deep psychological and political roots. It is a manifestation of his anger against a society that has incarcerated him.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 59, 60). In other words, even though the film does not talk about politics itself, it talks about the consequences of political and social failure; the film portrays a world of resentful characters that are deviant from what the society is supposed to be, always in a struggle for power and ignorant of many of the moral and ethical values or at least these are not important enough to them so that they stop. Briefly, Amores Perros treats not only a social problem, that is the “doing wrong” of people in society; but also a sociological problem, that is the wrong way in which politics and law work in society.
The main idea of Like Water for Chocolate is:
To provide “an image of a country that fit the notion of the ideal tourist location for the Western filmgoer. Mexico is represented as a country unlike the metropolises in which the film was not successful. It is represented as a rural land, which has maintained its culinary and social traditions. By naturalizing and idealizing the ideology of femininity through Tita and by demonizing the masculine Mamá Elena, Like Water for Chocolate suggests that women can reach fulfillment only within patriarchal codes. This seemingly harmless romance thus conceals and antifeminist subtext. Not only does Tita seduce Pedro through her cooking, beauty, and submissiveness, as well as her brand of magical femininity, she is also used to seduce the public. She is constructed to act as a role model for implied female audiences and an ideal fantasy wife/mother for implied male audiences.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 51).
The latter brings us to the purpose of the film, “Esquivel has argued that women’s natural place is in the home, and suggests that it is time for them to return to that rightful place. She claimed in one interview that women trough their entry into workplace have abandoned the home, a “marvelous and sacred centre”.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 44). That is, that woman in an attempt to be equal to man, have led to a side their femininity, so they should come back to the place were they belong, the housework. This paper personally disagrees with this point of view; I consider that is not that they leave the workplace, but that they keep their women essence, their womanly tasks, values and attitudes; but still, this movie has Machismo and Patriarchal basis.
On the other hand, the main idea and purpose of Amores Perros is to represent “a Mexico that stands for difference. It is a film that offers an escape for city dwellers to a more “authentic,” traditional world symbolized by the natural products used in the time-consuming recipes. Amores Perros presents another model, one that shows images of modern Mexicans that are not “other” to European and U.S. audiences, but images of people who are apparently like us or at least, are images with which we are familiar;
[…] Iñárritu has spoken of his intentions to challenge stereotypes of Mexicans, seen in such Hollywood films as The Mexican (2001) and Traffic (2000): I am not a Mexican with a moustache and a sombrero and a bottle of tequila… Nor I am a corrupt cop or a drug trafficker. There are millions like me. And this is the world I live in and the one I want to show. The world he and Arriaga Jordán create shows characters divided by class and socioeconomic circumstances, but linked to each other through such universal concerns as love, desire, hate, power and loneliness. […] Amores Perros emphasizes the theme of ‘the interconnectedness of human beings,’ despite the separate spaces that social groups inhabit; […] is an exposé of ‘a world where we are losing our social values, our sense of fraternity, and focus only on individual values.’” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 54, 55).
Yet, it is a machista and patriarchal dominant movie, in which the roles of men are preponderant over those of women. To explain the latter, this paper will discuss the significance of the titles of each movie.
In Like Water for Chocolate, the title serves as a metaphor that refers to the magical culinary arts and the idea of a man and a woman that are meant for each other. The film makes its case through emotional appeal, since it “relies on romantic ideals and conservative values for its success.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 36). In other words, it is version of romantic version of old school love, which is a love that gives the man the active role and the woman, just follows and falls for her man. In Amores Perros; in reference to the title, “the dogs that feature in each “chapter” link the characters while signaling their distinct characters. Octavio and Ramiro’s mastiff, Cofi, demonstrates the violence of the streets that condition the brothers’ behavior; Richie, Valeria’s pretty pet, symbolizes the spoiled life she has lived before her accident, then shares a similar fate to her in its fall; while El Chivo’s love for his strays reflects his initial rejection of people.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 57). Obviously an allegory to Jean-Paul Sartre’s words: “The more I know men, the more I love my dog.” But then “Cofi, the dog who kills dogs, finds his natural owner in the man who kills men. It is Cofi who teaches El Chivo the implications of his own actions; El Chivo’s horror when Cofi kills all of his dogs leads to his redemption” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 58). The title then is a metaphor that establishes the connections of the situations by incarnating them in the different dogs, but beyond that, it is a metaphor to describe the complexity of the different love stories that take place in the movie; even though these loves are complex, cruel and realistic, they portray that the patriarchal male role is in crisis. “The male characters in the film are inked by the need to redefine their masculinity, whereas the women are seen as victims of a patriarchal society and are often in marginal positions. […] The film does critique machismo and patriarchy and succeeds in examining the complexities of heterosexual gender relations, unlike Like Water for Chocolate, which is a celebration of the traditional femininity, with men only of interests as objects of desire.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 66, 67). Still, is more than obvious that the base on which this various loves rely are the same as the loves in Like Water for Chocolate; that is the Alpha male and the submissive female in disposition the male needs whenever he pleases.
The main themes on which both movies converge are Love, Betrayal and Death. We have to be aware that every one of these topics is structured over the latter explained parameters. Being said that I will start by the theme of love. Love in Like Water for Chocolate is an allusion to the old school romantic love, a love which is mutual and gets thru no matter the obstacles that get in the middle is love per se, the novelistic ideal love with which people like to get in touch or better get to feel in flesh. On the other hand in Amores Perros, and its established in the title, the existent love is one that yet profound is not corresponded, but even worse is a love that is used as a strategic way to climb up in the scale of power; nevertheless, it is a more realistic love. It is a love that can be disturbed and that not always gets thru. It is a love that is not inherent but constructed; but even more it is a love that does not inhabit in the mind in a perfect wonder world as it does in Like Water for Chocolate were it does not mix with other feelings or interacts, but a love which is more in touch with our deepest humanity and greed, it can almost become a tool to fit or to get to an ulterior purpose. Then is the topic of betrayal, which holds hands tightly with the theme of love. Betrayal in Like Water for Chocolate is seen more in terms of going against oneself and others, it is a dual-betrayal, like the marriage of Tita’s beloved one with her sister in which he betrays Tita and himself at the same time; Tita’s sister betrays Mama Elena’s values and principles which were their own; and Tita betrays the doctor in the most tasteless way after having accepted to marry him. But according to the movie, it is a betrayal which is justified by love, I consider is not. On the other hand, in Amores Perros, the betrayal is entirely pushed by love. Octavio betrays his brother and gets him knocked by his friends while he fucks his brother’s wife; Daniel betrays his family for a new Barbie, leaving them on their own and El Chivo betrays his family to for the love he has for his ideals. None of these betrayals can be realy justified, but they are certainly more accurate to human nature and behavior, to the struggle for power, for the greedy desire of love. Finally, there is death; in Like Water for Chocolate death is treated as a relief for those in this world from the annoying individuals, death in this film is treated as a supernatural religious thing, those who were good go to heaven and those who have unfinished businesses in earth will try to stay and solve them. Conversely, in Amores Perros, death is seen as a punishment, a biblical reference of envy, as they bring Cain and Abel story portraying it in the Octavio and Ramiro, but even more on the Garfias brothers. Also and even more important is that death in this film is seen in an abstract sense; that is the death of ideals that are obsolete then we purify ourselves and reborn as new men.
All in all, death and betrayal are caused by love, being it pure or played for whim. It is a resemblance to the oldest story in the book of life: Man always desires the most that which he can not have. This impossible love is the duel in which men knows that he also is that which he has lost and is unable to acquire so tries to get it thru force or deceive. This love is the ultimate sorrow that needs to be calmed down, is the fact that reminds us to drink a hot chocolate for these bitch loves.

Mike Leigh’s auteur Characteristics

Some of Mike Leigh’s “auteur characteristics” are: Silent Close-Ups; which are used to express what the character is thinking, his psychology, these are close ups to express insight and deep feelings and/or emotions. The Class and Race Theme; in Mike Leigh’s Films the differentiation of the classes is always present, and most of the time, the lower classes identify with Marxist, Hippie and/or Asocial ideologies as opposed to the upper classes that identify with capitalism. Therefore, there always is a confrontation when these two classes bump into each other. Familiar Conflict; in the films of Mike Leigh, the conflict or the problems on which the movie is based always happen within the nuclear family, perhaps because in this sphere is where people are supposed to be the most accurate to what they really are. Reunions; generally in Leigh’s films there are reunions in which another motif appears, that is the appearance of food and eating, in this reunions is where usually the conflict of the film breaks drown, is the most intense moment of the film. Plus, these reunions are most of the time within the family or really close friends. Absent Love; in the every film of Mike Leigh there is always a character that receives no love, or at least very few, that is why this character is claiming for love throughout the film. Caricature vs. Naturalism; Mike Leigh’s films most of the time have two different type of characters that shine over the others, those are the caricature character which is annoying and exaggerated in its ways, and the naturalistic character, that portrays a person as close to reality as it could, according to the characters’ reality.
In the next lines this paper will identify these signature features in Mike Leigh’s films High Hopes, Abigail’s Party and Life is Sweet.

Silent Close-Ups:
High Hopes. In this film there is a sequence in which Cyril is fighting with his sister Valerie about how Valerie treats Mrs. Bender and the way the carry on with their lives. While the discussion is being heard as a background we see a slow close up to Mrs. Bender’s face while everything he could hear diffuses. Mrs. Bender face shows her frustration with her children, she probably is thinking in what she did wrong, so that their children got that point, Cyril is a lower class Marxist with almost none life expectations and Valerie is a hyperactive frustrated woman, with an inferiority complex.
Abigail’s Party. In this film, there is a scene in which Laurence is talking about life and saying something about how unfair things are, but how we should keep trying and suddenly he stops talking as a slow close ups of him is shown, he is totally outside that room he is thinking probably in the fact that he considers himself as a looser that keeps trying, but life won’t let him go on. It is a moment of meditation and insight.

The Class and Race Theme:
High Hopes. In this film Cyril represents the lower class with a hippie-Marxist ideology and Rupert and Letitia represent the upper classes that portray the ideology of capitalism with words like Rupert’s “What made this country great is that there is a place for everyone and everyone is in its place.”
Abigail’s Party. In this film the differentiation of the classes is made through the clothing. Beverly, even tough she is totally bogus, with her fancy dress and hair do, represents the upper class as does Laurence with his good taste for Classical music. On the other hand, Angela with her ugly looks, awful dress and make up as really unattractive glasses is totally hideous, but what is more important she has no taste fro nothing and agrees to everything. She represents the lower classes.
Life is Sweet. In this film even though Nicola and Natalie belong to the same class, as they are sisters. Natalie represents the ideology of capitalism and the upper classes, she works and has aspirations in life, and she is and active member of consumism. On the other hand, Nicola is represents the Marxist-hippie-asocial ideologies, she represents the lower classes, she has no work, no friends, no social life, she is deviant and has no aspirations.

Familiar Conflict:
High Hopes. The conflict in this film is familiar and political, and it takes place within the Berder’s nuclear family. Cyril is a hippie a communist and a drug addict. Valerie as a said before is a hyperactive frustrated woman, with an inferiority complex that tries to make everyone do what she considers is right, and Mrs. Bender who is a poor old lady whose children are always fighting. The whole problem is in the internal family.
Abigail’s Party. The conflict in this film is between Laurence and Beverly. Even tough they have no children, they are a familiar couple. Laurence is classy man with good taste for literature and music, concerned with his friends needs. And Beverly is an empty woman that compulsively tries to fit in or construct a self. And the conflict is extrapolated to the other invited people as they are caught in the middle of their personal fights.
Life is Sweet. In this film the conflict appears between Nicola and the rest of the family, because Nicola feels that no one loves her she is always in self defensive position criticizing everything that the other members of her family do at first chance. Another problem is that Natalie is a “Tom Boy” and probably will become a lesbian further on her life, and the other problem is that Andy’s dream to work for his own might never become real, no matter how badly he wants it; the destroyed caravan proves it, this caravan represents his dream.

Reunions:
High Hopes. In this film, the whole conflict explodes in the reunion that is being held at Valerie’s place, we see the presence of much food. Cyril fights with Valerie while Mrs. Bender is sitting there in a silent close-up. And the whole conflict as a said before is about the really divergent ways in which each sibling lives its life.
Abigail’s Party. There is no doubt that in this film the conflict explodes within a reunion in which its participants are really close to each other. The whole film is about a reunion. The conflict, once more, explodes because of the differences between the main characters and the insistent pushing of each to one another, until they can’t resist anymore.


Absent Love:
High Hopes. The character that is claiming for love or attention throughout this whole film is Valerie, she claims for love from her husband, but she receives loves neither from him, nor from anyone else. Because she is so annoying that everyone just tries to avoid her.
Abigail’s Party. In this film, the character that claims for love is Beverly, she claims for Tony’s love or something like that. As a matter of fact, this paper believes that the whole point of the reunion in Beverly’s house was for her to flirt with Tony and get him to bed.
Life is Sweet. In this film the characters is Nicola, but the effect is a more psychological one, because it is not that their parents and sister, even more her lover, don’t give her love. The real problem is that she rejects it because she thinks they are being condescendant and pity with her. Therefore, she rejects them with her attitude and they retire from her. But deep inside, all that rejection and verbal violence she is just eager for love and caring.

Caricature vs. Naturalism:
High Hopes. In this film the caricature character which is annoying and exaggerated in its ways is Valerie, and the naturalistic character, that portrays a person as close to reality as it could its her brother Cyril.
Abigail’s Party. In this film, the caricature character which is annoying and exaggerated in its ways is Beverly. Beverly’s problem is what she is –everything she feels, knows, and believes –not something that does or does not happen to her. (The Films of Mike Leigh: Embracing the World, Cambridge University Press, 2000, 99). Beverly, being less a hostess than something much more unsettling: something playing at being a hostess. In a sense there is no Beverly. (The Films of Mike Leigh: Embracing the World, Cambridge University Press, 2000, 100). She has given up her identity, such as it is, to play a role, which she acts out not only in public but, more disturbingly, even in private. She is performing not for an audience but something much spookier: performing for herself, validating herself to herself. (The Films of Mike Leigh: Embracing the World, Cambridge University Press, 2000, 100). Beverly is completely and utterly sincere; she means what she says; she is not being deceitful. Which is the true problem. There is no reality lurking in the depths; everything is fake. Beverly’s ideas and emotions are no different from her jewelry: Both are equally cheap knockoffs. Her most private, inner experiences are as clichéd as her expressions. (The Films of Mike Leigh: Embracing the World, Cambridge University Press, 2000, 101). And the naturalistic character that portrays a person as close to reality as it could is Susan. Life is Sweet. In this film, the caricature character which is annoying and exaggerated in its ways is Nicola and Aubrey. As opposed to these two, the naturalistic character that portrays a person as close to reality as it could is depicted by Wendy.

Comprehending Wong Kar-wai’s Films through the Perspectives of Time

Everlasting love is purely defined and only capable of existence through the absence of the loved one. Film director Wong Kar-wai’s movies are always delineated by love and time; yet, this never mutual or impossible love is always marked by the presence of its “painful contradictions, the persistence of longing, memory, and regret; the hopelessness of ever recapturing, modifying or getting rid of the past,” ephemerality and history. But what it’s important for this paper is that all these themes are the children of time. (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 105).

Time has always been an important theme to poets, philosophers and artists; there are many different interpretations about what time means, which is why it is important to make a framework of the various interpretations of time that can be related to the movies of Wong Kar-wai. For example: The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future, regarded as a whole.” In Existentialism, “time is considered fundamental to the question of being”. Immanuel Kant thought of time as “an a priori notion that together with other a priori notions allows us to comprehend sense experience”. In the philosophy of time, “Presentism is the belief that neither the future nor the past exists; the view carries an ontological commitment to more than just the present instant or moment. The opposite of Presentism is 'Eternalism', which is a belief that things that are past and things that are yet to come to existence; the past, present and future are all equally real.” And finally, as this writer sees there is the socio-economical meaning of time; which is that every second of our lives is worth money, or as Americans love to say “time is money.”

In the social sphere China is a really interesting country, since it is the most populous country in the world, people have really short space to live in. It is like if Chinese people were supposed to be together, close and tight to each other. Also it is a country that is in constant movement, always fast; always awake, at all times running against the clock. Yet, with so many people the characters of Kar-wai’s films are always placed in situations were their love is not mutual; because the person they fall in love with is blocked with past memories of someone else, is somehow censored to love a new individual, because of the power of memory.

This is where the interpretation of time according to Eternalism and Existentialism comes in handy, because the past of these characters is always there to remind them who they are and why they are there, and to forge the future by remembering the past and acting in behalf of it in the present. A perfect example is the film 2046 which “is continuously presented not so much as a date but rather as a place that people seek to arrive by means of an ultrafast bullet train, in order to preserve or relocate their memories.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 103).

“This film is about a man who is trying to get rid of his past; it is also about promises and the many chances all of us miss in life. About how do you deal with your past? This is the question of the film. […] This movie is about that there is a need in all of us to have a place to hide or store certain memories, thoughts, impulses, hopes, and dreams. These are parts of our lives that we can’t resolve or best not act upon but at the same time we are afraid to jettison them. For some, this is a physical place; for others is a mental space, and for a few it is neither. […] It is a film that tries to portray someone trying to get away, but the more you try to get away, the closer you come. But if you just let it go, one day the past memories may leave you.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 102, 103, 105, 106).

In simpler and brief words, this is a film about how cowardly it is to try to run away from problems because they hurt, and how the power of our memories keep punishing us for it, until we confront them and realize that the best way is not to run away, but to confront them; because sooner or later time will make us face them. Another example of the Existentialism is in In the Mood for Love, when the frustrated pseudo lovers play to be having the affair their spouses are, and they play it by pretending to be each other’s spouses. They might do it in order to feel better, and to feel that they are being unfaithful too; as a mean of catharsis. Maybe they don’t sexually consummate their relationship because they are afraid to accept that their spouse’s are, and they are playing to have their spouses affair; they are playing the game of “being” them in that specific time.

As opposed to the Eternalism vision, there is the Presentism which only believes in the existence of the very moment. This writer believes that the example for this perspective is a little bit more metaphorical and figurative; the best example for Presentism is the visit of Mo-wan to the temple of Angkor Wat, were he whispers his secret to the wall and covers it with mud. This particular scene represents the destruction of the past and with it the possible repercussions of the forming future by acting in behalf of the past. In other words, he leaves his tormented past behind and destines himself to live day by day, second by second, to live just for the moment as the past is know gone.

In Fallen Angels, because of the fact that “loneliness is ultimately the film’s centrifugal force;” the characters have to look for “all about the ways to keep themselves happy.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 64-70). The theme of feeling love through its absence and feeding from it; in other more allegorical words, experiencing love as a vampire’s empty existence, destined to the undying search for life in sucking blood and bringing death; knowing that this undying search is love and the blood and death are the remains with which they satisfy themselves, rather than with the actual love per se. Because of this matter of non mutual love the characters are forced to go around getting what they want. What I mean with this is: the ways in which they feel love. Here Immanuel Kant’s theory of time appears really helpful, because if time is “an a priori notion that together with other a priori notions allows us to comprehend sense experience.” Then, the relationship between the Hitman and the female dispatcher is totally seen through this perspective. More clearly, these two characters, comprehend love by each others’ experience; which is that the female dispatcher masturbates in the assassin’s bed, because in other time of the day he was there, and her a priori notion of knowing that he is there satisfies her, makes her happy. It goes the same for the bar, where they sit in the same seat in different days and different hours of the day, and listen to the same song. They are experiencing each other or sensing each others’ love because of the a priori knowledge both have, which conducts them to act in a certain time, in a certain way. In other words, what they consider real is real in its consequences, which means that, in time, their love becomes real, because they believe it real through their a priori notions of themselves which makes them act in behalf on each other and the a priori notions themselves.

Now, taking a new direction, when it comes to the socio-economical meaning of time, the best example is Mo-wan’s relationships in 2046, because of the fact that he sleeps with prostitutes and with Bai-Ling. He is always paying for their time because he does not like to be in debt to anyone; and with Bai-Ling’s case, sometimes she pays for his time. There is a scene which portrays this perspective really well, that is when, after having sex Ling tells Mo-wan that she wants him for life, to which he responds that “Retail is fine, but wholesale is out of question.” This is obviously a depiction of the expression “time is money.”

In all Wong Kar-wai’s films there always is the theme of the frustrated love which is characterized by the absence of the loved one, and always accompanied by a music that is slow paced and talks about bad loves or has a touch of sadness. In all the movies there is always an evidently strong presence and importance of time in relation with love; the past, present and future take a meaning as a whole giving each character a personality according to his or her experience in love life; which all the time is melancholic and exasperating. All these factors, remind me of an old saying people have in my country of origin which pronounces that “No matter how hard you think it is, no matter how bad you think it is, no matter how much you suffer for it; it will all go away, it will vanish like dust in the wind, because time heals all wound, and this time, time is on your side.” To reflect about this and Wong Kar-wai’s films, made me link a connection which took me to the very conclusion, that in these movies and in life, is as simple as the fact that it seems to be that “Love is a matter of timing; it is no use to meet a person sooner or later, but in the right moment, in the precise time.”

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

Like Water for Chocolate was shown on theaters in the year of 1992; its screening location was Mexico, origin country of its director. The Mexican Alfonso “Arau has had a long and fruitful career both in front and behind the camera and is one of the most prominent filmmakers of the Latino community in Hollywood. Arau was a drama disciple of Seki Sano - a Japanese teacher, classmate of Lee Strassberg with Stanislavski in Russia - and traveled the world from 1964 to 1968 with his one-man show of Pantomime Happy Madness after studying with Etienne Dacroux and Jacques Lecoq in Paris.” (www.imdb.com, 2006). The film’s adaptation and screenplay is the work of “Laura Esquivel a Mexican author. Her novels include Like Water for Chocolate and Swift as Desire. Especially in Like Water for Chocolate (published in 1989), she uses magical realism to combine the ordinary and the supernatural. For the publication of her book Laura Esquivel won international acclaim. The movie, which was based on the book, awarded her with the Mexican Academy of Motion Pictures award; she received eleven in all, from Ariel awards. The novel shows the importance of the kitchen in Laura's life, which was introduced to her from her grandmother. In fact, Laura feels that the kitchen is the most important part of the house as it is a source of knowledge and understanding that generates like and pleasure. (www.wikipedia.com, 2006).
The title serves as a metaphor that refers to the magical culinary arts and the idea of a man and a woman that are meant for each other. The film makes its case through emotional appeal, since it “relies on romantic ideals and conservative values for its success.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 36).
The main development of the film takes place during the Mexican revolution (1910-1917).The social and political climate were really tough; nevertheless, “the historical setting of the film could have provided a radical backdrop to the story. However, the political and social causes and effects of the conflict are ignored. The revolutionaries themselves are reduced to folkloric caricatures and are seeing drinking, dancing, and singing, rarely fighting. In addition, only one side is ever seen, that of the Villistas, so it is not clear whom they are fighting. There is one violent attack in the film, resulting in the rape of family’s servant Chencha and the murder of Mamá Elena. However, the audience is not told who is responsible for this, as the ranch hand asks the attackers in English, “What do you want?” While audiences might assume they are revolutionaries, the ranch hand would not speak to them in English if this were the case. The novel clears up the confusion, referring to the attackers as bandits, which contributes to the soft representation of the revolutionaries. Nuala Finnegan has argued that the film follows the Hollywood tradition of representing the Mexican Revolution, particularly in the emphasis of Pancho Villa as the principal revolutionary and in the invasion of political and social issues. (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 41). In other words, the political climate of that time is really overseen in order to make emphasis on the social issue of women’s place in society; but, despite this, other social aspects of the time are overseen too.The main idea of this film is to provide “an image of a country that fit the notion of the ideal tourist location for the Western filmgoer. Mexico is represented as a country unlike the metropolises in which the film was not successful. It is represented as a rural land, which has maintained its culinary and social traditions. By naturalizing and idealizing the ideology of femininity through Tita and by demonizing the masculine Mamá Elena, Like Water for Chocolate suggests that women can reach fulfillment only within patriarchal codes. This seemingly harmless romance thus conceals and antifeminist subtext. Not only does Tita seduce Pedro through her cooking, beauty, and submissiveness, as well as her brand of magical femininity, she is also used to seduce the public. She is constructed to act as a role model for implied female audiences and an ideal fantasy wife/mother for implied male audiences. (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 51). The latter brings us to the purpose of the film, “Esquivel has argued that women’s natural place is in the home, and suggests that it is time for them to return to that rightful place. She claimed in one interview that women trough their entry into workplace have abandoned the home, a “marvelous and sacred centre”.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 44). That is, that woman in an attempt to be equal to man, have led to a side their femininity, so they should come back to the place were they belong, the housework. I personally disagree with this point of view, I consider that is not that they leave the workplace, but that they keep their women essence, their womanly tasks, values and attitudes.

STRAWBERRY & CHOCOLATE

Strawberry & Chocolate was screened in Cuba and appeared in theaters in the year of 1994. It was directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío. Alea is considered to be the most important Cuban film director; it is important to know that: as a director, Alea held an interesting position in the Cuban cultural system. He was a self-declared revolutionary, yet he used many of his films to criticize flaws in the Cuban political system… Alea was in fact, one of the cofounders of the Cuban Institute of Art and Industry. (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 10). In this way I think it was really important that he had this power since he could in some way evade crude censorship. In the same way Tabío is well educated in the audiovisual industry, well known by his documentary works as for his films, also has been internationally awarded many times; this Cuban is another great director. Strawberry & Chocolate was adapted from one of the tales of “The Wolf, The Woods and The New Man”, a book by Senel Paz, Cuban writer. The book concerns about the codes of homosexual and heterosexual relationships and the complexity of politic compromises in the Cuban revolution society at the end of the 20th century.
This film is set in 1979, in a social and political climate in which revolution is all the way developed and all over Cuba, an environment in which people is isolated from external influences and in which being against the regime could cost you too much. A climate where poverty abounds making people incur in black market in order to survive. A climate in which freedom of expression and speech in censored unless is in favor of the communist regime of the country.
The film makes it case by emotional appeal, symbolism and dialectics. I expected nothing less from a Cuban film. As I thought, it was an insightful work that gave an analysis of the society that seems to be getting deeper and deeper in poverty and underdevelopment.
My initial response to the film was to think that societies are full of prejudices against those who are different from the common stereotype in any way. Thus, society tries to get rid of these individuals because they represent trouble to social order. Then I knew that that I have been part of this machine for a long time, since I was sometimes intolerant to certain conducts or ways. Therefore, I’m trying day by day to be more tolerant, and I do this by using what Nietzsche called “the art of mistrust”, in other words, nothing is what it seems. Consequently, in order to see the “real truth” of things we should go beyond the appearances or shapes and look at the main or bottom things. Afterwards, I thought that this was not a movie about Cuban society, but a call to world societies in general, because the real thing is that we should be open-minded with each other and learn to appreciate as well as respect the ideas of people, even though if they are totally different opposite to our owns; and this we should do regardless of matters of race, skin color, culture, sexual orientation and religion among others.
The title is a clear metaphorical connection of the stated just above, as it refers to the two main characters of the film Diego and David respectively, and how different they were in their customs, sexual orientations and ideologies. But how they made it over these disparities and learned from each other, becoming at the end a strawberry-chocolate mixed ice cream.Accordingly, the purpose of the film is to “call for a pluralistic society without censorship or state interference in cultural affairs; it attacks cultural isolationism and calls for a recognition of the need to liberalize the economic system.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 24). Likewise, the main idea of the film is to show that people should “see thru” the facades and see what the really important things are. This is a film that tries to teach the audience to recognize, understand and value each other’s differences, point of views and life styles, this is a film about tolerance.

MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT

Memories of Underdevelopment was screened in Cuba and appeared in theaters in the year of 1968. It was directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, which is considered to be the most important Cuban film director; it is important to know that: as a director, Alea held an interesting position in the Cuban cultural system. He was a self-declared revolutionary, yet he used many of his films to criticize flaws in the Cuban political system… Alea was in fact, one of the cofounders of the Cuban Institute of Art and Industry. (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 10). In this way I think it was really important that he had this power since he could in some way evade crude censorship. It is good to have in mind that the film was adapted from Cuban writer Edmundo Desnoes’ book also named Memorias del Subdesarrollo. The title meaning is very important and clear, since it states that as Cuba got into communism this was also getting into underdevelopment. Having said that, the title refers to a flashback of how Cuba entered or marked its staying in the underdeveloped world frame.
Memories of Underdevelopment, takes place in a really critical political and social climate of Cuban history, because it covers events like the missile crisis with the United States and the Bay of Pigs invasion, in other words, the phase or post-revolutionary Cuba in which Cuban international relations were getting even more and more fragile, and also Cuban society was being absorbed and diminished by communism; leaving them in a bad situation. Because this situation I consider that the main idea of the film was that “spectators should not return complacent, tranquil, empty, worn out and inert; rather they should de stimulated and armed for practical action. This means that the show must constitute a factor on the development, through enjoyment, of the spectator’s consciousness. In doing that, it moves them from remaining simple, passive (contemplative) spectators in the face of reality. (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 10). In the same way, the purpose of the film is to “critique outdated value systems, anchored in generations of imperialism, and attack nonproductive intellectuals, who nurture notions of individualism at a time of collective endeavor”. (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 12).
The film makes it case by documentary authority, some manipulation of the point of view and a little bit of emotional appeal. I expected nothing less from a Cuban film. As I thought, it was an insightful work that gave an analysis of the changing society. Nevertheless, even though it critiqued in a great way the problem itself, I have to say that the film misses to examine the reasons that caused the problem, which are equally important. At first, I thought that Sergio had misunderstood the actual meaning of being an intellectual, but at the same time I totally agreed with his statements. Now I know that he was wrong because is does not matters if you are an idealist if you are useless, in other words, there is no point on having the greatest ideas of all, what matters is to speak them out so that people hear them; not caring about the consequences, either good or bad, the point is to take action, to make action or even better, to be the action itself.

PIXOTE

Pixote: A Lei do Mais Franco was screened in Brazil and presented on theaters in the year of 1981. Its director was one “of the Argentineans who emigrated to Brazil. Hector Babenco (Buenos Aires, February 7 of the year 1946) was the only one to make his mark to any extent on the international scene. With three years of cinematographic activity in Europe behind him, he established himself in São Paulo at the end of the 60's, where he decided to direct and produce documentaries. One of these, O Fabuloso Fittipaldi (The Fabulous Fittipaldi, 1973), about the first Brazilian idol of Formula 1 racing, Emerson Fittipaldi, opened the doors to fiction films for him. The craftsmanlike finish to his film O Rei da Noite (The King of the Night, 1975) and his acerbic treatment of the São Paulo underworld, made him into one of the bright hopes of the decade, confirmed by robust portraits of urban violence such as in Lúcio Flávio, O Passageiro da Agonia (Lúcio Flávio, Passenger of Suffering, 1977) and Pixote, A Lei do Mais Fraco (Pixote, the Law of the Weakest, 1980), perhaps the most prestigious Brazilian film in the world. Attracted to American cinema, he remained faithful to adaptations of literature, none as successful as O Beijo da Mulher Aranha (The Kiss of the Spider Woman, 1984), which gained the best-actor Oscar award for the American William Hurt.” (www.mre.gov.br). The screenplay was written by him and the Jorge Durán form Chile. “The script used 200 interviews with children as source material. Not surprisingly the film has a documentary quality, as it follows the live of a group of boys, presenting the action from their prespective.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 146); “Babenco and Durán’s screenplay changed following the workshops with the child actors, chosen because of their knowledge of the life the film represents. The result is a realistic portrayal of a specific time period for this Brazilian society, coming partially from the perspective of the boys.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 147).
“A brief social, political and filmic background for Brazil in the relevant period will provide a framework to better understand the ways in which Pixote fictionalizes social realities. Pixote was made in 1980, when filmmakers were starting to address the problems in Brazilian society, following the military regime’s relaxation of its control of its Brazilian society beginning in 1975. There was effectively a military-led government in Brazil from 1964 until 1985, with 1968 to 1972 the most brutal period. The government of General Ernesto Geisel limited political reforms beginning in 1974 within a structure of military dictatorship, reforms that had an impact on filmmaking; […] With the defeat of the revolutionary left, the continuing power of the military, widespread police violence in the 1980s, and the demands of the marketplace, filmmaking moved away from a revolutionary agenda, with a redefinition of the overtly political. […], there was a new sense of pessimism because of this lack of political vision.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 143,144).
The purpose of the film is stated by Babenco when he makes “clear that the absence of a large-scale political vision is deliberate. He argued, “Left-wing people want a theorem. They want a formula….I don’t believe in the solution proposed by leftists. I believe only in individual solutions. And I did Pixote in order to show that. The relationship of one man, two, three, four or five men, are more important than the whole society”. The film aims to show the dark side of life for abandoned children in Brazil and to earn audience sympathy for them by focusing on their experiences.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 145,149). The main idea of the film is “though a focus on poor, abandoned child, expose the poverty of the people of Brazil and highlight the neglect and abuse of the most vulnerable of Brazil’s citizens, its children. Relationships, mediated through the reconstructed family unit, provide the focus of concern in Pixote. Babenco relies on a realistic approach in an attempt to produce a “true to life” representation of street children in Brazil and to give a social problem a human face, through the close focus on a group of friends, both in the reform school and on the streets of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The film is an exposé of the violence, corruption, and ineffectual nature of the authorities.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 145,146,150).In concern to the title, Pixote: A Lei do Mais Franco I think it is a phonetic figure of speech to resemble Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s Don Quixote de la Mancha; reminding us of the eternal struggle of Pixote, the struggle of this dreamer for a dream against the shocking and plain reality. The film even though it is not a documentary it gives or has the impression of being one, making it an authority film. In the same way symbolism of violence is used to make psychological connections to criminal inquiries of the main characters. Nevertheless, for the most, the film makes its case via an emotional appeal making us take the side of poor abandoned Pixote and confronting us to the cruel and dramatic reality that most of the time we ignore. Taking into account the year in which the piece was made, I certainly expect this film to be a subtle social and political critique, so in order to see the message we should read between the lines using the art of mistrust. I expect it to be an excellently executed portray of real life, of the other face of the coin which is not shiny gold, but corroded stone.

I THE WORST OF ALL

I the Worst of all was screened in Argentina and appeared in theaters in the year of 1990. It was directed by María Luisa Bemberg who was a feminist, because she was not fulfilled with her life as a submissive wife with four children, she got a divorce and found her way as a director at the age of 48, founding GEA Cinematográfica, her own film firm. The screenplay of the film was adapted by Antonio Larreta and Bemberg from Octavio Paz’s biography of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz; even tough is very accurate to history in certain things, there are some others that are imprecise in order to accomplish the goal of the film in our cotemporary society.
This film is set in the years between 1680 and 1695 in New Spain (Mexico), the social and political climate at this time was one ruled by kings and the church; and the church had more power than any other authority. It was a world entirely ruled by men, and men that were most of the time misogynic; in other words, the seventeenth century was one that censored and oppressed women, since the opinion of society standards, along with the politic power was monopolized by clergy men.
This paper thinks the movie will make its case thru symbolism and emotional appeal. The first one this paper states with words of the director: “I wanted Juana’s cell to be like a round prison, as if it were the equivalent of her own head, like a labyrinth that surrounds her with books, a kind of half-jail, half-refuge.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 127). As for the emotional appeal this paper says so because of the relationship between Sor Juana and María Luisa, bet even more because of the repression of intellectual development.
My references of Argentinean cinema are really poor, since the only movie I’ve seen from this country was “The son of the Bride” in 2001 directed by Juan José Campanella. Certainly it was one of the best movies I have seen; thus, I expect to see a great film as well. I’m looking forward for this film, since Argentineans are really ideological people.
The title is related to what Sor Juana felt after she was forced to decline to her readings and writing, to leave back all she was to be reborn in a new prototype of the submissive nun that can’t think and does everything she is told by imposition of the church men. In her reborn, she makes a purification act in which she refers to herself as the worst of all; the title is the state she is in after she is been rolled, in words of the director her sate as a “broken woman.”
The main idea of the film “focuses on the misogyny of the seventeenth-century ecclesiastical society and Sor Juana’s defiance of the Catholic Church, to condemn the transhistorical themes of religious hypocrisy and the repression of woman and to make a point about the need to promote woman’s place in culture. In addition, the cinematography and art direction follow aesthetic in order to make connections between inquisitorial New Spain and militaristic, dictatorial, and patriarchal societies, so characteristic of Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s.” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 124). “Bemberg declared that the aim of her films is to change people’s attitudes. In her words: “My goal, which is very ambitious, is to always move spectators, and, if possible, change them so that they will leave the cinema transformed” (Trelles Plazaola, 1991, 113; my translation). The aim of this film, then, is to call upon audiences to recognize and fight against misogyny and totalitarianism, and thus defend woman’s rights to have a central position within culture” (Contemporary Cinema of Latin America, 2003, 133).

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE

In the Mood for Love came out in the year 2000; it was written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. As with all of the movies of Kar-wai this one was screened in Hong Kong, but “in terms of setting, we are back in the historically re-created Hong Kong of the 1960s last seen in Days of Being Wild, but now, as Wong has stressed in interviews, we are dealing with mature married people. He has also said that the earlier film was “a very personal reinvention of the ‘60s,” but in the new film “we consistently tried to recreate the actuality…” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 86). “Wong said that he focused in this date because the film is “about the end of a period. The year 1966 marks a turning point in Hong Kong’s history. The Cultural Revolution in the mainland had lots of knock-on effects, and forced Hong Kong people to think hard about their future. So 1966 is the end of something and the beginning of something else.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 99).
Politically the year is really important since “a poetic intertitle, meaning different things on both the personal and the political levels, tells us, “That era has passed. Nothing that belonged to it exists anymore.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 99). Socially, the message sent is that “the stifling conformity and hypocrisy of this society is everywhere evident” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 88). In other words the movie is set in a world that is changing from old fashion values and traditions to a whole new different thing, perhaps a more North American imperialized culture.
The main idea of the film is to revel that “in its hopeless, languorous exploration of all the ways that love can be at once glorious and frustrating. […] The romantic poets, after all, were able to find an ambivalent solace in the deliciousness of lovelorn suffering and melancholia, and it is that feeling that predominates in In the Mood. […] Tony Rayns has poetically described the interviewing of these themes as “a gorgeously sensual valse triste that circles the themes of fidelity and sincerity in relationships before resolving itself into a requiem for a lost time in its values”. But even more interesting than that is the fact that this film treats a really profound sociological problem, which is the identity and the playing of the roles in society, and it does it by making us ask ourselves: “Just who are we, after all, and do we ever have the possibility of saying things to each other that aren’t already lines of dialogue, scripted by our culture or society? Tony Rayns insists that Wong is always expressing “primary emotions” rather than, in a more postmodern fashion, mere signs or “cultural gestures”. (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 89, 90, 96). Finally the purpose of the film is to make us aware that “individuals have always suffered, and they always will”; that “life always goes on, beyond any individual life.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 100). In other words, the film treats themes of sociological concern such as the identity, the role, and the social control mechanisms of society, the definition of us and the eternal struggle in life to beat society without letting anyone to know it. Also the theme of feeling love through its absence and feeding from it, in other words experiencing love as a vampire’s empty existence and undying search for life in blood and death.

FALLEN ANGELS

Fallen Angles (Duo luo tian shi), was released in the year of 1995 this is one of the various films or Wong Kar-wai “a Hong Kong film director; born in Shanghai, China. He moved to Hong Kong with his parents at the age of five. After graduating from Hong Kong Polytechnic College in graphic design in 1980, he enrolled in the Production Training Course organized by Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Limited and became a full-time television scriptwriter. He subsequently graduated to feature film work. He is credited with about ten scripts between 1982 and 1987, covering an array of genres from romantic comedy to action drama, but claims to have worked to some extent or another on about fifty more without official credit (Hoover and Stokes, 1999). He considers Final Victory (1986), a dark comedy/crime story for director Patrick Tam, his best script. Despite his background as a scriptwriter, one of Wong's trademarks as a director is that he works largely through improvisation and experimentation involving the actors and crew rather than adhering to a fixed screenplay. This has been a frequent source of trouble for his actors, his financial backers and many other people connected with his films, including sometimes him.” (www.absoluteastronomy.com).
The film’s screenplay was all written by him and it takes place “in the Wamchai area of Hong Kong, since Wong felt that he had already “used up” the Tshimshatsui area that had featured so prominently his previous film. The city is even more intensively present than it was in Chunking Express, especially in the form of zippy montages, exhilarating motorcycle rides, and high-speed time-lapse shots of streaming traffic. It’s all superficially exiting but, along with the shabby interiors where hoodlums congregate, ultimately, perhaps, more than a little depressing.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 58). Socially China is a really interesting country since it is the most populous country in the world people have really short space to live in, also it is a country that is in constant movement, always fast, always awake. And the fact that Hong Kong is “formerly a Crown Colony on the coast of southern China in Guandong province; leased by China to Britain in 1842 and returned in 1997; one of the world’s leading commercial centers” (www.absoluteastronomy.com), increases the interaction and progress of life. And in consideration to politics is well known that China is a communist nation probably predominated by censorship.The title of the movie is a figure of speech to name the roles of the hit man and his female dispatcher as part of the dark side of society and love. As for the main idea and purpose on the film; “Fallen Angels was like a comic book, with four completely one-dimensional principal characters; […] the characters are by turns cool, vicious, funny, wistful, paranoid, childlike, and lonely. […] “Loneliness is ultimately the film’s centrifugal force”, […] all the optimism this brilliant downbeat, thoroughly depressed movie can muster. In this light, Wong’s comment to Tony Rayns that Fallen Angels “is all about ways to keep yourself happy” can be seen as bitterly ironic. […] Wong seems to be purposely working a tonal ambiguity here, as a part of a largely covert but nonetheless effective critique of contemporary urban life.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 64-70).

2046

2046 was released in the year 2004 at the Cannes Film Festival, and it was finished at the last minute, because the subtitles and the music were not yet coordinated; that is why Kar-wai said that the movie was “complete for now.” The screenplay is Wong Kar-wai’s, even though it is not an adaptation is might be seen as an extension of his earlier work, the film In the Mood for Love. Since this film appears to be an extension it obviously “is set in the 1960’s, […] the locale at the beginning is identified as “Singapore, 1966,” but we don’t see Mo-wan until he has returned from Singapore. […] Mo-wan is a writer of science fiction, having graduated from pornography, and on May 22, 1967, as he informs us he has begun a novel called 2046. Politically, this date is significant as the year prior to the end of the fifty-year interim period that the mainland Chinese government has promised to Hong Kong, the former British colony, before its complete political and legal absorption into the People’s Republic. […] Mo-wan does refer liberally, and interestingly, to various demonstrations and riots that took place in Hong Kong during the 1960’s as specific chronological markers, but this is as political as things ever get.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 102,103).
The title of the film makes reference to the novel Mo-wan is writing, but as a whole relation to the film, the title: “2046 is continuously presented not so much as a date but rather as a place that people seek to arrive by means of an ultrafast bullet train, in order to preserve or relocate their memories.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 103). Aparently the film tries to make its case through reiterative interpretation of the previous seen themes, if one has acquaintance with his earlier films; if not I shall say that the films tries to make its case to emotional appealing. And for what it concerns to the purpose and main idea of the film it would have to be said that “this film is about a man who is trying to get rid of his past; is also about promises and the many chances all of us miss in life. About how do you deal with your past? This is the question of the film. […] This movie is about that there is a need in all of us to have a place to hide or store certain memories, thoughts, impulses, hopes, and dreams. These are parts of our lives that we can’t resolve or best not act upon but at the same time we are afraid to jettison them. For some, this is a physical place; for others is a mental space, and for a few it is neither. […] It is a film that tries to portray someone trying to get away, but the more you try to get away, the closer you come. But if you just let it go, one day the past memories may leave you.” (Contemporary Film Directors: Wong Kar-wai, 2005, 102, 103, 105, 106). In simpler and brief words, this is a film about how coward it is to try to run away from problems because they hurt, and how the power of our memories keep punishing us for it, until we confront them and realize that the best way is not to run away, but to confront them.

KOLJA

Intro

Czech Republic is a living temple of culture and high arts, which it’s why I knew I had to choose a Czech film, but that is not the strong reason why I picked Jan Sverák’s Kolja. Even though my father has always been by mi side he is a really quite person that most probably has problems when it comes to talk about feelings and demonstrating love. That is why every time I see a movie that concerns the topic of an absent paternal figure it catches my attention because of two things: the first one is that in each film with this theme I found new and different ways to understand my father more and more; and the second one is that in some distant and estrange way, watching this loving figures transport me to a mental state of comfort and happiness, because every time I hope one day my father will jump over his wall and learn how to express his inner feelings which I know are there, because even though he does not talk about it I can feel, perceive and read it in his eyes every single time he looks at me or my sisters.

The film Kolja, is a film marked by Czech culture and national identity; a film concerned with politics, ethics, truth, life and death, philosophy and fascinatingly enough a religious frame of understanding.

In this paper, the first thing to do is to contextualize the climate prior and in which the movie was settled; then this paper will take you into a tour that talks about setting, history of Czech film relevant to the film Kolja, aesthetic style, narrative, mood and sound & soundtrack; and finally, this paper will talk about the plot’s themes, and their sometimes hidden between the lines, symbolisms.

Part I – The Contextualization of the Film

To comprehend the film Kolja better is necessary to contextualize the climate, in which the film is settled, in order to do so, this paper will use a composition insert:

Czechoslovakia was ruled by the Communist Party from February 25, 1948. There was no opposition. Dissidents (notably Charter 77) published home-made periodicals (samizdat), but they faced persecution from the secret police, and the general public was afraid to support them. A person could be dismissed from their job or school, or have their books or movies banned for having a "negative attitude to [the] socialist regime." This included: being a child of a former entrepreneur or non-Communist politician, having family members in exile, supporting Alexander Dubček, opposing Soviet military occupation, promoting religion, boycotting rigged parliamentary elections, signing Charter 77 or associating with those who did. These rules were easy to enforce as all schools, media and businesses belonged to the state and were under direct supervision. This changed gradually after the introduction of Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika in 1985. The Czechoslovak Communist leadership verbally supported Perestroika, but did little to institute real changes, and speaking of the Prague Spring of 1968 was still a taboo.
1988 and 1989 saw the first anti-governmental demonstrations, which were repressed by the police. The "Velvet Revolution" (November 16 – December 29, 1989) refers to a bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. On November 17, 1989, a peaceful student demonstration in Prague was severely beaten back by the riot police. That event sparked a set of popular demonstrations from November 19 to late December. By November 20 the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague had swelled from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million. A general two-hour strike, involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia, was held on November 27. With other communist regimes falling all around it, and with growing street protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28 they would give up their monopoly on political power. Barbed wire was removed from the border with West Germany and Austria in early December. On December 10, the Communist President Gustáv Husák appointed the first largely non-communist government in Czechoslovakia since 1948, and resigned. Alexander Dubček was elected speaker of the federal parliament on December 28 and Václav Havel the President of Czechoslovakia on December 29 1989. As one of the results of the Velvet Revolution, the first democratic elections since 1946 were held in June, 1990, and brought the first completely non-communist government to Czechoslovakia in over forty years.

This is the reason why most of the films that are being done in Europe are still concerned with the topics of these hard years, the writer of this paper believes that they are trying to recover the time the lost during these years and criticize all the awful things they went through, like the Holocaust or the Communist Iron Curtain, which are the biggest of all. They always treat themes that are painful, even tough the themes are treated in different styles and from different points of view; Czech cinema is still stuck in the past because they haven’t got over it, yet.

Part II – The Tour

Setting:

The film takes place in Prague in the years of the normalization, the last two years which were 1988 and 1989, as I said before. This film deals with the problems of the Soviet Occupation and the expulsion of them within November 16 and December 29 of 1989, in other words, The Velvet Revolution. Even tough the Czechs are not very religious people; many of the scenes are set in churches and the cemetery. There are few locations in this picture, and they all are in the region of Bohemia; which is given particular relevance in the film. There is a particular scene that raises the importance of Bohemia in the film; which is the scene in which Louka and Nedezda are getting married and little Kolja stares at the ancient Czech coat of arms that know represents the region of Bohemia in the new coat or arms. Kolja stares at it and imitates the arms of the silver lion and growls. “The arms of Bohemia, displayed twice (in the top left and bottom right) to symbolize the traditional importance of that region, shows a silver double-tailed lion on a red background.” Another symbol that promulgates the importance of Bohemia is again shown through the eyes of Kolja when he is at the cemetery and stares at the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia, “the first saint from a Central European country to be canonized by Pope John Paul II before the 1989 Velvet Revolution. She was canonized on November 12, 1989, at Rome. She also appears in the 50-koruny banknote.”

History of Czech film relevant to the film Kolja:

During the Soviet Occupation the film industry was highly censored, “The students were supported by theaters in Prague, which had also gone on strike. Instead of playing, actors read a proclamation of students and artists to the audience. Home-made posters and proclamations were being posted in public places. As all media (radio, TV, newspapers) were strictly controlled by the Communist Party, it was the only way to spread the message.” There are two references of this situation in the film one is the presence of Radio Free Europe which was a closer face to reality, the good part; and there is a scene in which Louka takes Kolja to the movies and the film that is being screened is a Russian one, this shows the censorship and the control of media by Soviets, the bad part.

Aesthetic Style:

In the film, the photography is really great; the whole work is fully lighted, with warm colors such as the degrade of hot colors such as orange and yellow, and many terracotta, also is a lively film as there is the presence of green in abundance. The contrasts between shadows and light are really soft giving the skin a porcelain touch or really marked, but with the touch, all in all the photography of the film is very lighted, warm and vivid. The presence of such much light in the film is because of the Gothic influence of the Czech Republic architecture, which has large window that let through a lot of light in order to fell the languid presence of God. This makes on the audience a really particular effect, in which people fell calmed and in ecstasy. This works really well with the fact that the film touches a story of a father and a son that get to create a bond to each other, overcoming language barriers; just like in religious prayers.

Narrative:

The narrative of the film is linear; the situations happen one after another and there are non flashbacks neither repeated shots to emphasize on something, although there are very similar shots, still, these are not the same shot. There are obviously many ellipses in the film, because the story takes place within a period of two years or so, located between some time around 1988 and 1989. There also is a symbolic narrative in the film such as the fact that Louka ironically bought a Trabant with the money that came from a Russian, and this car, the Trabant, represents the end of communism. Or for example, that he lives in a tower which is the hardest point to attack in a city and also the place from were a person can watch carefully the city from above to see what is happening, this way he protects himself against the communist invasion; he also gets on a higher tower with Kolja further on the movie. Interestingly enough in Tarot, the tower is the symbol for paradigms, is accurate to say then, that he lives in a temple of a thinking model; “Louka’s political comments are few, it is clear that he identifies with the reality presented trough Radio Free Europe, feels the same way about the Russians as everyone else, and comes from a background that celebrates the democratic values of the First Republic.” (145). An finally in the narrative there are some shots or sequences which the writer of this paper considers are premonitions of things that are going to happen further on in the movie, there is an obvious one which is when Franta’s cello falls over Blanka’s cello and Franta holds his cello and says “Slow, slow”; this is an erotic premonition of the sexual tension and relation they are going to have once she enters his place. There is also another premonition which is a little bit more abstract; in the beginning of the film there is a scene in which Louka hit the cap of the coffee pot, and it hit the floor and goes around Klara making a circle, this represents that she is the chosen one to fulfill the cycle of life, it’s a premonition of Louka braking celibacy, Louka’s future children, or the pigeons always hitting the window and catching the attention of Kolja and Louka; pigeons are messengers, they were hitting the glass not to sharp anything, but the message of the future fall of communism.

Mood:

At the beginning of the film the mood is happy o joking one the best example is when Louka grabs Klara’s ass while she is singing in a funeral, this was a really comical situation, then the mood turns a little bit depressing, because we are shown the sate of loneliness in which Louka lives, and how he tries to fill this empty space by making love with other men’s wives. Then from an already depressing mood it gets even worse, because the mood gets pessimistic especially since Louka has no money, the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia, Czech are now negotiating with the Russians and the situation looks like is not going to change for a while, after all the Soviet Occupation has been at least 40 years by then. Eventually with the proposition of Bronz makes Louka about a bogus marriage, a little arrow of light falls over the whole picture; the mod after the wedding turns again very optimistic and happy, everything seems to be going well and then the mood drops to a lower point again, now the mood is of danger and worry, because Nadezda emigrates to western Europe letting Louka and Broz in a really nasty situation with the law, still the mood gets even more heavy when Louka is given the surprise of having to take care of Kolja, but he is optimistic because of the fact that he thinks its just for a few days until his grandmother gets out of the hospital, but she dies and the mood is at this point the worst of the movie, is intense, uncertainty, impotence, deception and disappointment. But then, step by step Louka and Kolja began to create a relationship an exceptional of father and son, which brings the best mood to the movie, its just happiness, optimism and love. Then once more but just for a few minutes the mood drops down again with the notice of the Social Services of taking Kolja away, but with the decision of Louka to run away the mood raises again this time with a political nuance, which keeps the same until Kolja leaves with his mother, even tough the mood is optimistic, it is really nostalgic too. But then we see that Klara, Louka’s girlfriend is pregnant, and we see Louka playing again in the Philharmonic, ending the film with a happy, optimistic, pleasurable and joyful mood, but with a tasteless nostalgia. Briefly, the whole movie is like a Venetian waltz, it goes fast and slows; it goes up and down at all times in abrupt, but delightful changes; making the audience very susceptible to the emotive scenes; but still it is a slow paced film, which makes it more emotional, as you get time to get feelings out slowly and soft but certain.

Sound & Soundtrack:

The film sound it’s really equilibrated, ambient sound and dialogs are always at the right level there are no strong changes in the sound, and it just keeps a perfect harmony, because it never breaks it perspective. “Music in the Czech Republic has its roots in high culture opera and symphony and in the folk musics or Bohemia and Moravia. Undoubtedly the most internationally famous form of Czech folk music is the Bohemian polka.” These facts are present evidently in the film, the folk traditions are presented in the bars and the reception wedding party, and the symphonic and opera are more evident, Klara sings operas in the funerals and Louka is a classic music player that used to be in the Czech Philharmonic. Once more, this movie brings up the religion, this time through music, the opera that Klara always sings and with which the film ends as Kolja sings it too is totally religious. In fact, in the bible is the psalm 23 of David and says: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” This papers states that this song is an allegory to the conception of death in Judeo-Christian religion, Roman Catholics. The film is full with high culture music is almost everywhere just because of Louka’s work; the music is symphonic radiant, luminous, brilliant, beautiful, sublime, magnificent and inspiring; if the audience just closed their eyes to listen to the music, they truly would appreciate two the two shows this films has the visual and the audio part. The melodies are exiting and capable of pulling out our inner feelings. Superb, indeed, yet the writer of this paper have made clear he is a fanatic of classical music. But it happens to be almost obvious, because of Czech’s music more than a tradition is a national identity; “the Czechs had conquered the world through their music. In other words, a small country may have limited influence in the politics of the world, but the cultural sphere may be different. Indeed, there is a strong appeal to these traditions in Kolja.” (139).

Part III – Hide and Seek: The Search for Symbols

The plot of the film treats various themes some in a more extensive or clearer way than other which are just referenced; nevertheless the most relevant themes are the ones such as politics, philosophy, ethics, truth, life and death, and religion.

All over the film there are political allusions and positions that is why this paper will take some of them that are considered the most important when it comes to reading between the lines, or finding the meanings. The first reference is in the scene in which Louka was reading the newspaper, the red heading of news said: “Socialism: Our Unwavering Security.” This is a clear reference of the whole situation in which Czechoslovakia was submerged in that time, but if the fact that it is important from the point of view of the Russians is more important from the Czech’s point of view, because the director is making a sarcastic joke of the Socialist Party; which is probably the way most of the Czech people felt in that time or even now: being “Socialism: Our Unwavering Security” a figurative to say “Communism: Our Expansionist and Emancipator Campaign.” Then there is the theme of the Émigrés and its repercussions; for example the fact that Louka was expelled from the Philharmonic because his brother Vitulka deserted Czechoslovakia or the emigration of Nedezka which in some way disturbed again the life of Louka when he was given the surprise of having to take car of Kolja. In the film there is a depiction of how many people were emigrating. When Louka and Nedezka are getting married, the red carpet is full of high heels holes, which could easily symbolize that communism is rotten. That is why this paper implies that these holes mean that many people have been getting married for the last years; many people are trying to escape through bogus marriages, many people have been giving their backs to the regime by walking away or deserting communism.
Then there is a line I the plot that says: “The Russians watch us like hawks.” There are several scenes during the film in which eagles or hawks are in high places and little Kolja notices them, “you have to be one, to know one”, that is a Russian, for example the one on the top of the electric post. This paper that Jan Sverák certainly created a brilliant symbol to talk about the Soviet Occupation and their always vigilant position and attitude towards the Czechs. But this symbol is emphasized even more in an allegoric way with the fairy tale that Zuzi reads for Kolja: The Eagle and the Lamb, which goes like this: “High in the Caucasian Mountain pick lived an eagle. One day he flew so high… he reached a star. On that star lived an old sheep and her lamb. ‘I came for a visit,’ said the eagle. ‘Let’s see how you leave here.’” Once more, the eagle stands for Russia, the star represents former Czechoslovakia and the old sheep and her lamb correspond to the Czech people. In a metaphoric way, the director is talking about the Soviet Occupation: “‘I came for a visit,’ said the eagle. ‘Let’s see how you are leaving here.’” And this metaphor is even more evident when the film establishes that is a Russian Fairy Tale, an expansionist one, in this writer’s opinion.
Followed by that, there are the characters incarnations. The characters represent the countries, Louka’s mother is the personification of the old Czech ideals, the most hurt ones, the ones that don’t accept the Russian invasion and were deeply wounded and disturbed by the Holocaust. Louka represents the people the people that if weren’t born under the communist regime, were too young which is why they don’t know better and is more open minded arguing that: “Not all Russians are alike;” he is part of the transitional generation. And Kolja without any doubt, always wearing red cloth as the Soviet Flag, represents Russia and communism; that is why, when Kolja goes away, so does the Leninist party. Nevertheless, what is most important is that Kolja teached Louka how to be a father and their relationship talks about how easy it is to live together, once the prejudices are dropped. Kolja’s departure marks the beginning of a new period for the Czechs, full of good things yet full of nostalgic memories too. And Klara’s pregnancy affirms the beginning of a new breed, a new generation, a new country, a new world.
Finally, there is line that this paper considers is the main political view of this film; even tough it seems so apparent: “A victim of political persecution. No! a victim of my own stupidity.” In other words, when it comes to politics the decisions made are very important, because they change the perceptions of were we are and were we are going.

Taking another direction, there are some scenes in the film that make suggestions about certain philosophical, ethical and truth concerns which are the following. The re is a scene in which Kolja is taking a bath and looks at his hands and notices that they are all wrinkled, like Louka’s hands. He makes this relation and by comparison, sees himself equal to Louka; he realizes that despite the existent barriers, they are the same. This is a process of introspection and extrospection; the importance of this scene is that Kolja teaches the audience by learning, Kolja teaches the concept of empathy.
Another astute perception is the piece of jewelry that Louka finds, which is worth nothing in economic terms, but emotionally is a priceless piece, because of the meaning attached or attributed to it, it becomes a symbol. In other words, this is an example of the arbitrariness of the meanings; “what one considers real, it’s real in its consequences.”
Finally, when Kolja is watching at the ceiling, he just sees the shadows of the Russian tanks. The importance of this scene is not if is unfortunate or not that that Kolja and the Russians are in Czechoslovakia, but the suggestion that it’s made here to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which explained in simple words, “talks about the dualistic perception of the world, in which we should wake up to the truth about us. Plato is questioning the very nature of reality and playing the ultimate “What If” game.” This is important because Czechs are really insightful people, and even more, that they are devoted to the theme of truth; as a matter of fact, present Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia’s motto is: “Truth Prevails.” To conclude the idea, it becomes apparent that Czech people are really moralistic and ethical, theme which is portrayed too in the film in the scene in which Louka rejects the payment Nedezka is giving him at the airport for their fake marriage, because he feels it is wrong to accept it after having created a father and son especial bond with little Kolja. It would be like if Louka was charging Nedezka for being Kolja’s “putative” father.

Life and death in this film are expressed in Judeo-Christian precepts. Life is divided in three stages which are: childhood, adultness and oldness, faces that are tightly and respectively linked to birth and education, reproduction and action, and reflection and death. But the theme of death has a greater importance. The fact that Louka works as a funeral musician and that in one scene Kolja imitates Louka’s job by making a representation of a funeral in the puppet theater, says that the real job of Louka is to guide de gone ones to the other side through his music. Also the Otter River is an allegory to live and death via the absence of the ones we need, we are destined to vanish like the waters of the river, they are always moving as things are in life which is Heraclites theory, but still this same river calls for our attention when we realize that the only thing that does not change about the river is that the river is always changing; in other words, life is always changing, but death is always there. In the film, death is the entrance to a chamber of eternal darkness in which the doors of earthly life close behind out caskets. Death is forever, is a trip with no return, is being asleep, is a dream of eternal dimensions. Certainly this is a religious perception of the concept of death and life, which is really weird because in Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia, “in the religious sphere, atheism was officially promoted and taught. Despite the very visible presence of cathedrals and church buildings all over the country, the majority of Czechs (59%) are agnostics or atheists or without any dogmatic organization of belief, mostly as a consequence of the anti-religious policy during the communist era. Significant religious groups include Roman Catholics (27%), Protestants (1.2%), and Czechoslovak Hussites (1%).” This movie makes part of that little percentage.”

In the same way there are other religious other religious topics on the film such as the prophecies or visions and some coincidences that further on will fall onto a very interesting relation. The visions or prophecies are very mystical and most of the time religious things and the appearance of a prophecy in this film gave it an even more religious nuance. The prophecy appears twice in the movie before fulfilling, first when Louka’s friend says it: “The kids and the nurses rebelled. They drove the communists to Albania… with a great pealing of bells… and set up reservations for them like the Indians in America. What a vision!” And then the vision is emphasized in a more abstract way when Kolya falls for 42° fever, probably the vision as he represents Russia gave him the fever pain. In his dream he sees the shadows of people that vanish, this represents Communism; he sees the bells ringing; he sees the spinning toy that stands for the spin of the situation, the changing times; and finally he sees the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia that, if we know her biography, represents the nurses.
Finally, there is a number that is subsequently present in various ways across the whole film, which is the number three. There are three corks of Champaign; three stages of life, three large windows in the church were Louka plays music for funerals, three bells in Louka’s apartment and three stars in the crown of the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia. All these coincidences are too much to be a coincidence, and the fact that this film has a very heavy religious influence. And the fact that at the starting shot there is the hand of a little boy in the window of an airplane first with one finger extended and then with five; and this shot is almost duplicated in the final sequence with the same pattern: one finger, then five fingers in the airplane’s window where we see the sky, the infiniteness of God. And even more the fact that the main character of the film name is Louka made me run to the bible, and in a really astonishing and surprising coincidence, in the New Testament in Luke’s book, chapter 3, versicles 1 to 5; I found a passage that can be read as a metaphor to the main themes of the film. That is, the end of communism and the years prior to it. The passage is the following:

John Baptist Prepares the Way
Luke 3:1-5

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.

This an allusion to the years of the Holocaust and then the Soviet Communist Occupation, it refers to the prophecy of the fall of communism and the further fall of it in 1989 with the Velvet Revolution and the Velvet Divorce, it refers to the events that occurred in order to prepare the way for the arrival of God; in other words, the arrival of free expression of word and cult, freedom, democracy, westernalization and capitalism.

Conclusion:

The film Kolja, is a film marked by Czech culture and national identity; a film concerned with politics, ethics, truth, life and death, philosophy and fascinatingly enough a great religious frame of understanding. It’s a movie that contextualizes and talks about a particular time in Czech history; that is the years on “Normalization” and a little of the years prior and after this period of Soviet Occupation. Kolja is a film that through its various technical aspects such as: direction, screenplay, aesthetic style, narrative, mood, sound & soundtrack; and the plot’s themes, and their sometimes hidden between the lines, symbolisms, portrays the greatness and excellent tradition of Czech cinema, and the insightful character of the Czechs. But what is more important for the writer of this paper, Kolja became another useful film for the creation of a comfort zone and the understanding of a silent father.


Works Cited & Annotated Bibliography

Imre, Ankió. “The ironies of history: the Czech experience.” East European Cinemas. Great Britain: Routledge/Taylor &Francis Group, 2005. 135-149.

Luke. “New Testament: John the Baptist Prepares the Way.” The Bible. The New International Version, 2005. Chapter 3: Versicles 1 to 5.

Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2006. Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, The Velvet Revolution, Allegory of the Cave, 27, 28 March. < http://en.wikipedia.org>

World Prayers. 2006. Prayers of Adoration, 4 April.
<http://www.worldprayers.org/frameit.cgi?/archive/prayers/adorations/the_lord_is_my_shepherd.html>