Masanobu Deme Films

[Abdrewes]

IronWaffle returns

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Oh I did a long time ago, in college. I saw them in a series of saturdays in college, would have been winter of 1985 I think (28 years already wow). It was movies of course that I was very interested in, I was also reading Marx as well as Kant, Engels and French philosophers. I think we all have this period at one point in our live's (usually college) where we go for these new ideas. The movies while long are interesting but I am unsure how the message now would fit with what I have become, an old fart of sort to much set in his ways The movies are also dark in tone, don't expect anything feel good, it's really sort of brutal in hitting you with it. I would recommend them however, just to be seen since they are treasures in a way of cinema. Not sure I would say to someone to buy them cause they may not be something you might watch again or very often

Thank you for the post. Yes, I also went through that phase of reading purely philosophical texts (also in college) As I mentioned to Rick, I am in that non-fiction reading phase of my life. Reading about the Spanish Civil War of 1936 has tested my knowledge on philosophy and political science. The only philosophical text, I have read within the last 10 years is The Myth of Sisyphus and stopped half way through The Rebel.

That is interesting that you mentioned French, German and Russian philosophy, I will put it in my Netflix queue. It has been real busy at work lately for me, it is difficult to read a great philosophical text or any text. When my work slows down a bit, I hope to finish The Rebel, History of the Peloponnesian War, Cities of the Plain;and start reading Heidegger Being and Time and some Derrida.

I have a bad habit in starting 7 books and not finishing any of them (there was a lot more time in college).

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

I think this is a very crucial distinction people should take into account whenever extolling the virtues of a masterpiece they just saw for the first time an hour ago or dismissing that film altogether. We grow into and out of things more often than we think.

I only caught cinephilia when I was 31, about ten years ago, so I regret that unlike favorite books, poems, paintings, or musical pieces that I discovered at an impressionable age, I won't be able to revisit and reflect on how films I now see as masterpiece *contenders* might have seemed to me at too young an age to maybe "get."

Art can be as much a signpost of our own development as it is that of the artist's as long as we take the time to absorb and reflect.

Regurgitation is for infants

[/pretentious twaddle]

Feel free to dispute or elaborate. The soapbox is yours.

I think we view things different with time and age. I remember how I was in my early 20's I was ME of course but also very different now as I am reaching my 50's. Life experience really change you even if young kids hate it when us old geezers tell them so. One of the example I use sometime is Salo. I saw it not long ago when I was well into my 40's. I know that is I would have seen it back in my 20's my reaction to it would have been so much diffirent. I would not cal myself a close minded guy but I also know I am not as open minded as I once was That is why I try as much as time let's me do so to revisit movies and books after a certain time pass and plan on doing so for as long as my Creator will alllow me to do so If Idislike something 20 years, maybe now if I see it I might view it in a very different fashion. Same if I did enjoy something, it's possible the old me might not be as happy with it as I once was?

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

I think this is a very crucial distinction people should take into account whenever extolling the virtues of a masterpiece they just saw for the first time an hour ago or dismissing that film altogether. We grow into and out of things more often than we think.

I only caught cinephilia when I was 31, about ten years ago, so I regret that unlike favorite books, poems, paintings, or musical pieces that I discovered at an impressionable age, I won't be able to revisit and reflect on how films I now see as masterpiece *contenders* might have seemed to me at too young an age to maybe "get."

Art can be as much a signpost of our own development as it is that of the artist's as long as we take the time to absorb and reflect.

Regurgitation is for infants

[/pretentious twaddle]

Feel free to dispute or elaborate. The soapbox is yours.

Samuel Beckett's one-act play Krapp's Last Tape elaborates on this idea. It is a short read, but very interesting.

Regurgitation is better than projectile vomiting.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Thank you for the post. Yes, I also went through that phase of reading purely philosophical texts (also in college) As I mentioned to Rick, I am in that non-fiction reading phase of my life. Reading about the Spanish Civil War of 1936 has tested my knowledge on philosophy and political science. The only philosophical text, I have read within the last 10 years is The Myth of Sisyphus and stopped half way through The Rebel.

That is interesting that you mentioned French, German and Russian philosophy, I will put it in my Netflix queue. It has been real busy at work lately for me, it is difficult to read a great philosophical text or any text. When my work slows down a bit, I hope to finish The Rebel, History of the Peloponnesian War, Cities of the Plain;and start reading Heidegger Being and Time and some Derrida.

I have a bad habit in starting 7 books and not finishing any of them (there was a lot more time in college).

I have been re-reading my collection of books by historian John Julius Norwhich. I just completed his very good history on the Republic of venice. I think I will go back to his three volume history of the Byzantine Empire now. As you know English is not my main language so I always have two books going. A more serious book on history, philosophy, religion...which are difficult for me so I take my time. In my e-book I have my light easy scifi novels to change the my ideas a bit once the other book become's a little too much. It's a system that as been working well for me. It take's me a while to finish the serious books but that way I can understand them much better since I take my time.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by rkish

I think you may be right.

Pat...reread your PM.

I was actually commenting with Pat not at him. He understood.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

I have been re-reading my collection of books by historian John Julius Norwhich. I just completed his very good history on the Republic of venice. I think I will go back to his three volume history of the Byzantine Empire now. As you know English is not my main language so I always have two books going. A more serious book on history, philosophy, religion...which are difficult for me so I take my time. In my e-book I have my light easy scifi novels to change the my ideas a bit once the other book become's a little too much. It's a system that as been working well for me. It take's me a while to finish the serious books but that way I can understand them much better since I take my time.

They sound like great reads. What scifi novelist do you read? I have read three novels by Philip K Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Flow My Tears, Policeman Said; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? . Do you have some favorites by him? The only other sci fi writers I have read are BD (European) writers, Jodorowsky, Bilal, Schutein, Druillet to name a few.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

What I was meaning was we already had some stalkers

Thanks for keeping me honest Pat! A long day at work!

[rkish]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

I was actually commenting with Pat not at him. He understood.

Sorry...as I mentioned to Pat earlier, a LONG day at work!

[rkish]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

That is twice that I noticed manicsounds comment on an obscure film. On the BFI thread, I remember asking about the release of the brothers Quay's second film The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes and his comment.

By the way Pat, have you seen The Human Condition by Kobayashi? Just wondering your take on the film. I have been on the limb deciding in purchasing it or not?

Fellini, if you have Hulu, the entire 9 hours (3 parts) of The Human Condition are available to stream. Gotta find the time to dig into it.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by rkish

Fellini, if you have Hulu, the entire 9 hours (3 parts) of The Human Condition are available to stream. Gotta find the time to dig into it.

Thank you for letting me know. I am in your shoes, finding the time is the issue.

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

I think we view things different with time and age. I remember how I was in my early 20's I was ME of course but also very different now as I am reaching my 50's. Life experience really change you even if young kids hate it when us old geezers tell them so. One of the example I use sometime is Salo. I saw it not long ago when I was well into my 40's. I know that is I would have seen it back in my 20's my reaction to it would have been so much diffirent. I would not cal myself a close minded guy but I also know I am not as open minded as I once was That is why I try as much as time let's me do so to revisit movies and books after a certain time pass and plan on doing so for as long as my Creator will alllow me to do so If Idislike something 20 years, maybe now if I see it I might view it in a very different fashion. Same if I did enjoy something, it's possible the old me might not be as happy with it as I once was?

Kant, really! My experience with Kant involved a brief fling in the university library stacks while doing a poly-sci paper. Skimmed a few pages of one of his works and found him nearly incomprehensible. It was at that moment that I realized, not for the first time that maybe there were in fact going to be limits in terms of my self-perceived intellectual prowess!

I agree we do see things differently as we age but I'm not sure it's altogether because we get any less 'open-minded'. When we're young open-mindedness is a virtue and a necessity to counter our early lack of knowledge and experience. But as we gained that experience and moved from the tabula rasa state to adulthood we shook off a lot of the excesses and congealed our thinking around the concepts that actually work and produce benefit. We should always remain open to new ideas but I think as we age we are better able to more readily differentiate and dismiss those new constructs that experience has taught us are balderdash! (to embrace fogyism for a moment). Doesn't make us more closed-minded but could of course affect our previous feelings toward some of the early films of even accomplished writers and directors.

It's our innate values that probably change less over time. We probably have a pretty well established sense of right and wrong, or how other people should be treated, from a very early age (hopefully), and if those values are valid and legitimate at the outset than there's probably not much room or need for alteration, as so brilliantly established by Mr. Deme in The Meridian in a Mist.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

I was actually commenting with Pat not at him. He understood.

I think he misunderstood what I was trying to say but to be very fair my comment wasn't that clear to start with, so my bad on that one

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

They sound like great reads. What scifi novelist do you read? I have read three novels by Philip K Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Flow My Tears, Policeman Said; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? . Do you have some favorites by him? The only other sci fi writers I have read are BD (European) writers, Jodorowsky, Bilal, Schutein, Druillet to name a few.

My scifi read are of course the Star Wars novels who are in short pretty much like those Harlequine romance, short, easy and rather stupid for the mind But I am a HUGE Star Wars fan so I can't help but read them.

I enjoy Clark, Heinlein, Asimov, Bova...you know the grand old classics of the genre. I never read any of Philip K Dick's but I have heard a lot of people speak of him. I do know that one of his stories became Blade Runner, I think?

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by rkish

Sorry...as I mentioned to Pat earlier, a LONG day at work!

It's quite alright my post wasn't that clear anyway

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by rkish

Fellini, if you have Hulu, the entire 9 hours (3 parts) of The Human Condition are available to stream. Gotta find the time to dig into it.

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Thank you for letting me know. I am in your shoes, finding the time is the issue.

It's a long film plus not sure that going for it in one single view is a good idea? It's possible that some might be able to handle it.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by ElliesDad

Kant, really! My experience with Kant involved a brief fling in the university library stacks while doing a poly-sci paper. Skimmed a few pages of one of his works and found him nearly incomprehensible. It was at that moment that I realized, not for the first time that maybe there were in fact going to be limits in terms of my self-perceived intellectual prowess!

I agree we do see things differently as we age but I'm not sure it's altogether because we get any less 'open-minded'. When we're young open-mindedness is a virtue and a necessity to counter our early lack of knowledge and experience. But as we gained that experience and moved from the tabula rasa state to adulthood we shook off a lot of the excesses and congealed our thinking around the concepts that actually work and produce benefit. We should always remain open to new ideas but I think as we age we are better able to more readily differentiate and dismiss those new constructs that experience has taught us are balderdash! (to embrace fogyism for a moment). Doesn't make us more closed-minded but could of course affect our previous feelings toward some of the early films of even accomplished writers and directors.

It's our innate values that probably change less over time. We probably have a pretty well established sense of right and wrong, or how other people should be treated, from a very early age (hopefully), and if those values are valid and legitimate at the outset than there's probably not much room or need for alteration, as so brilliantly established by Mr. Deme in The Meridian in a Mist.

We don't have philosophy classes here in highschool and so once I reach college and had to take it (it's a requirement for the diploma) I was hooked. I really did well in those classes, really enjoyed it. So I went nuts and started to read so many books.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

My scifi read are of course the Star Wars novels who are in short pretty much like those Harlequine romance, short, easy and rather stupid for the mind But I am a HUGE Star Wars fan so I can't help but read them.

I enjoy Clark, Heinlein, Asimov, Bova...you know the grand old classics of the genre. I never read any of Philip K Dick's but I have heard a lot of people speak of him. I do know that one of his stories became Blade Runner, I think?

Yeah Pat..."Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" I'm a HUGE Blade Runner fan and I did read that book. The same basic premise, but definitely different than the film.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

It's a long film plus not sure that going for it in one single view is a good idea? It's possible that some might be able to handle it.

It is presented (at least on Hulu) as three separate films.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by rkish

Yeah Pat..."Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" I'm a HUGE Blade Runner fan and I did read that book. The same basic premise, but definitely different than the film.

Will see if I cna find a copy somewhere