telemachus

Last night i watched this film on Sky. I knew that it was supposed to be good, but not that it would be quite so profound.

If any of you have seen it, particularly my usual target audience of Buddhists and Taoists , what did you make of it? I thought that the carrier bag scene was sublime, and the ending of special significance to us. I don't recall the exact words, but the narrator was explaining that the world is so beautiful that it is impossible to keep up, until your heart fills to bursting. In the instant before he died, he realised that his problem lay in trying to keep up.

Does anyone know of other films containing this or similar lessons? Regardless, it was encouraging to see such a deep concept communicated in this way.

Gurdur

"They might be giants"

One of my all-time 10 favourite films. Both sad and joyful, with the sense you describe.

Regards, from an atheist Confucianist, who holds that those Taoists & Buddhists need stern overseeing....

jess

Ahh, Gurdur---

you should now start a thread explaining that sentiment!

DChicken

I thought the film was merely good and not great. It certainly wasn't oscar material.

The film was popular because it played on a wide range of stereotypes in the part of the movie going audience with the most disposable incomes.

That is, people from several standard walks of like identify with the rebellious acts of the characters and wish they were the characters. Lester is the guy with the mid-life crisis who tells his boos to screw himself. All the career men in the audience go, "yea right on!" Carolyn, in her driven career tells her husband to screw off while co-opting with the competition and seizing power. The working women in the audience say, "yea right on!" And so on and so on.

DC

Gurdur

hmm, Jess, allow me to introduce myself, in my foray into strange territory away from my native Political Discussions forum....

To get serious, there was quite a bit of tension for a long while between Taoists and Buddhists on one side, and Confucianists on the other side, in China (from around roughly 800 AD to 1910, with many stretches of tranquillity in those years).

The novels of Robert Van Gulik describe it to some degree; the two novels "Court of the Lion" and "Deception" by Elenor Cooney & Daniel Altieri describe it very well indeed at one point in history.

My "stern" adverb was a very non-serious joke to those, who - I believe - feel in a non-serious way that I am far too stern in my atheist Confucianism....

I hope that this explains matters....
Regards,
The visiting Gurdur

[ August 13, 2001: Message edited by: Gurdur ]

telemachus

DChicken:

I do not think you understood the point of my post. I am sorry i didn't make it clearer.

Gurdur:

It is nice to see you here. I like your sense of humour and i hope you'll appreciate mine. Daoists are generally amusing fellows, as are Zen Buddhists. I presume other Buddhists are too, as i don't know so much about them.

Will you stay awhile?

Gurdur

Yes, indeed I will, O Master Telemachus. Thank-you for the invitation!

After all, some responsible Confucianist must keep an eye out on you, no?

I was thinking of posting here one of my photos of beautiful Japanese temples....

jess

Post anything you want that is beautiful, japanese or no...

well, as long as it doesn't have to be deleted later...