In Bruges

This is an optional post. If you’ve responded to all nine previous posts, you do not need to respond here. If you missed any posts, you may make up for one here.

Part buddy movie, part crime thriller, part farce, part ethical drama – In Bruges doesn’t fit neatly in any single category, nor does it offer any answers about the questions it raises. That leaves the audience to try to make sense of the mess, and the movie does present a good bit of messiness – literally and philosophically. So, take shot (but not with a silencer) at ONE of these:

1. Ray’s final words, as he is placed in the ambulance, are interesting. He says, “I really, really hoped I wouldn’t die.” What does Ray have to live for at the end of the film? How did he reach this perspective?

2. In the first conversation we hear with Harry, as he tells Ken about the hit Ken is to perform, he says, “I’d like to see Bruges again before I die.” Thinking about what Bruges comes to mean by the end of the film, what significance does this comment have in retrospect?

3. What does the film suggest about forgiveness? Is it a force of good? Is it irrelevant? Is it a position of weakness? In other words, does the film seem to promote the concept and action or not?

Days of Heaven

To get you in the mood (if only to hear Linda speak one more time, listen to Leo Kottke’s twelve-string traveling theme, watch a few more sunset soaked shots and consider those amber waves of grain – with a little theology tossed in for good measure), watch the following:

Terrence Malick is not interested in doing much of the heavy lifting for his audience. He expects viewers to engage with aural and visual (lots of non-verbal) details in order to make sense of his story. This is the kind of film that requires information discerned and shared by a number of eyes and ears for a clear understanding of the whole. Everybody pitch in here by responding to ONE of the following by the end of the day:

1. Communities figure rather prominently in the first eight films we’ve watched. What did you observe about community in this story?

2. This is a bit more challenging: what meaning do you see in the film’s title?

3. If you are feeling particularly motivated, take a swing of the analytical scythe to glean this crop: where is faith in this film?

Higher Ground

Another film, another ambiguous ending. Hmmmm. Try ONE of these (by the end of the day Sunday).

1. Corinne summarizes the early part of her conversation with the marriage counselor as follows: “Inside with you or outside with the dogs.” At the end of the film a dog awaits her on the church porch, and once she steps outside, a number of dogs gather around her. Has Corinne moved out with dogs or not? Or do the final moments of the film suggest another possibility altogether?

2. We asked about Luke’s talk with God in the previous post. Perhaps looking at three such episodes is helpful. Consider Sonny’s bedroom shouting match and Corinne’s demand for a divine audience (as she sits in the car just before Ethan arrives and confirms her departure) in conjunction with Luke’s call for a divine conversation. Are these monologues or dialogues?

3. We’ve seen and talked about grief in earlier films. What role does grief play here? Is this consistent with the other stories? Does a pattern emerge across the expanse of the past three weeks?

Cool Hand Luke

Since we won’t have an opportunity to talk about Cool Hand Luke or Higher Ground until Monday, you may wait to answer the questions for each film, but please have the responses posted by the end of the day Sunday. You will have only two more posts next week. Some of you cannot afford to miss any more.

Pick one of the following for Cool Hand Luke:

1. Embedding the final scene is not permitted, but you can go to the following site to watch the film’s final scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJStzRuSFLY.

Before Drag shows up at the church at the end of the film, Luke has a conversation – with the ceiling? himself? God? Of course, God, but what do you think about the content of the conversation? Is this a scene of renunciation or affirmation of his faith?

2. The prisoners have numbers. You may have noticed Luke’s: 37. The director clearly made a point of placing the number in front of the audience. Could the detail point to this passage from the Gospel of Luke: "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (1:37)?

3. Luke gets his prison moniker after he tells Drag during the poker game, “Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand.” What do you think Luke means by this idea? And does this mean we are to think of Cool Hand Luke as a nothing?

4. Sonny presents a portrait of self-interest and altruism for us to consider. What about Luke? What seems to motivate his decisions?

The Apostle

1. This scene moves the viewer through a rather remarkable series of emotions. Watch the scene closely and consider what happens with Sonny and the unnamed antagonist. What do we learn about each character here? How is this scene important?



OR



Pick one of the following for consideration:

2. Sonny gets the bulk of the attention in this film (perhaps he wouldn’t have it any other way). But some of the characters who surround him offer more than mere narrative props. Several folk in Bayou Boutte are especially interesting: Brother Blackwell, Sammy and Elmo (radio host and revival play-by-play reporter). What role do these men serve? How do they influence the viewers’ understanding of The Apostle E.F.?

3. Here's the bigger question -- what does faith look like in this film as compared with the preceding handful of films? Does Duvall's depiction jibe, challenge, or contradict what we've seen thus far?

Places in the Heart

Watch this closing scene again. What begins as a conventional sequence of images becomes rather surprising, doesn't it? The scene unsettles most viewers. So, have a go at what you think about its meaning. What happens in the scene? What significance do you see in the sequence of images? What conclusion does it provide for this story of suffering and forgiveness? Since you have some time to think about this, let's hear a full response. This is a fitting endeavor for this holiday.

Lars and the Real Girl

Women. They’ve been in rather short supply thus far, but females fill the screen at times in this film. Let’s give them some thought. Pick one of the following:

1. At the funeral for Bianca, Rev. Bock says,”[Bianca] was a teacher, a lesson in courage.” What is the courage he refers to, in your estimation? Have we seen a similar courage in the other films?

2. When Lars introduces Bianca to Gus and Karin, he tells them, “Bianca said that’s why God made her – to help people.” She certainly has an effect on others, but does she help them? And here’s the big question: what is Bianca, ultimately? (Don’t say she’s a sex doll.)

3. When selecting and sequencing these films, we did not anticipate all of the connections that have cropped up. One that figures prominently among the first four films is grief in the wake of the loss (by divorce or death) of a female, either wife or mother. What connections do these stories establish between emotional loss and faith?

4. And here’s one last option, of somewhat broader scope. Nearly all of the characters in the film attend the town’s Lutheran Church. We can say for certain, therefore, that they are church going folk. Are they also faithful people? If so, what does faith look like according to this film?

Millions

This film may find its way to the kids' section of the store or library, but if a child can fathom all the ideas it raises and catch all the details of the intricate construction of the scenes, I'll buff his halo. We've only scratched the surface of the film. So, delve a bit more deeply here:

1. Anthony undergoes a transformation of sorts by the end of the film. His experiences broaden his understanding at least of his brother, if not of a broader expanse. Does Damian’s character develop over the course of the film? If so, what changes and what significance does this hold? If not, what significance does his static position carry?

2. The saints in this film are hardly stiff icons of pious suffering. If we are to take them as guiding figures – and they do offer advice to Damian --, what kind of behavior do they promote? What does a faithful life look like if they are the representatives of such a life?

3. Miracles are pretty obvious in Millions, aren’t they? We even get a definition of them from St. Peter himself in his conversation with Damian. He tells Damian that “something that looks like a miracle turns out to be dead simple,” as he recounts the feeding of the multitude. With this information in hand, think about our two previous films. Are Gran Torino and The Son stories about miracles?

Since we’ve all seen the movie, please resist the urge to summarize the action. As you respond to ONE of the topics above, focus on selecting the information that will support and develop the idea.

The Son

The Son poses a number of challenges for American audiences (fewer for European audiences who lavished praise on the film) -- no sound track, minimal dialogue, tight shots from start to finish offering little visual variety and way too much of the back of Olivier’s head. Above all the filmmakers ask the audience to do most of the work making sense of the subtleties in the film. We’re asking a good bit of you to think about the film, but you should think of that as a compliment. So, here are several ideas to consider. Pick ONE of the following and once again record a response of 200-300 words. Finish this by the end of the day Sunday for credit.

1. What does Olivier believe in, based on the actions presented in the 100 minutes of the film? Is he a man of faith?

2. Compare Walt Kowalski and Olivier. Differences are obvious, most notably we know a great deal more about Walt’s past than of Olivier’s. So, focus instead on connections between the two. What qualities do they share? What significance can you draw from these connections?

3. Give the final scenes some attention, focusing especially on Francis. What do you think about his behavior following the physical assault by Olivier? What does his return suggest about him? What significance do you see in the final activity he and Olivier perform: stacking and wrapping the lumber with the tarp?

Gran Torino

So, as we so eloquently said today in class, Walt's a stereotypically racist, crusty old guy. But is that all he is? His action at the end of the film doesn't quite fit such a static image. Is his act of sacrifice for the Lor family a personal, secular act or does it reflect a larger spiritual vision? Is Walt a man of faith? Keep in mind here that I've avoided the term "religious." Shoot for a minimum of 200-300 words.