Although I'm not requiring you to write about this week's film, I would of course love to know what you thought. So if you want to make up for a post you missed earlier in the semester - or if you'd like a little extra credit - please provide a thoughtful and thorough response here by no later than midnight next Monday, April 24.
Feel free to make connections between this work and the previous films of Martin Scorsese's we've screened up to this point Also, I mentioned in class what The Last Emperor director Bernardo Bertolucci asked Scorsese just as he was about to start shooting Kundun: "Have you learned that everything is form and form is emptiness?" If you can, I'm be interested to have you consider and address in your response how Bertolucci's question structurally and aesthetically applies to this very spiritual film.
I enjoyed Kundun. As I felt with Age of Innocence, this film was another step away from the films that Scorsese usually makes. However, I enjoyed this one more. I thought that you could see Scorsese’s obsession with form, and making this film feel authentic in terms of how it illustrates Buddhism. Kundun didn’t leave me with the same emptiness that I got from Age of Innocence. This film didn’t frustrate me and it was a very calm experience for me. This film showcased tradition and customs. It was like Age of Innocence in terms of how it focuses in on details. I also thought that there was striking similarity to Last Temptation of Christ in how the two film’s locations match the tone and the narrative. I noticed some common ground between Jesus and the Dali Lama, as they both start off as docile gentle people, who because of different circumstances, end up having to evolve and grow. As someone mentioned in class, this film felt like a coming of age story, and the ending was the Dali Lama figuring out exactly who he needed to be for his people, just as Jesus had become completely enlightened by the end.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the pacing of this film in terms of editing was different. This film moved so fast from scene to scene and moment to moment. I think the latter is Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker attempting to match how quickly the Dali Lama had to grow up and take on responsibility with how quickly the film moves in and out of edits. I feel like being thrown into that position like the Dali Lama, would make it extremely difficult to take everything in. The world around you would move so quickly. Sometimes I don’t even know that I fully absorbed the imagery provided by a frame, or had the chance to let it resonate, because it would cut so quickly. I believe that was a nice choice by them to edit the film in a way that matches that tone. I also loved the use of red which he always finds a way to slip in. The red of the robe that the Dali Lama looks through as a kid, was a foreshadowing metaphor for all the blood shed that his people would endure later at the hands of China, which he can only witness with his eyes and do nothing to stop.
Bernado Bertolucci’s quote about form equating to emptiness is intriguing. I feel like when you focus on form as far as what you include in a movie, or in the case of Kundun and the Age of Innocence, you must make sure that it isn’t the only thing that you harp on. Other aspects of a good narrative or film still matter and belong, and you can’t just make a film about form and expect it to really pull your audience in. Everything in life is form, but you must dig deeper to find or pull out the extra meaning. I feel like both films, especially this one, do a nice job of giving us more than form, and the stories live with you not just as traditions, but as films about people who you can try and relate to, despite polarizing differences. I don’t know if that’s what he was getting at, but that’s my analytical take on the quote.
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ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Scorsese's film, "Kundun" felt like a spiritual experience to me. In other words, I felt like the film definitely strayed from the typical narrative structure and took a more experimental route. I believe that was Scorsese's point because instead of trying to pick a side in this piece, it felt like one of my weekly meditation sessions. In some ways, I believe that Scorsese wanted us to meditate and be calm when viewing this film. It surely allowed me to focus on the beauty of this religion and not judge. Much like the film, "2001 A Space Oddysey", the piece was very meditative and allowed audience members to literally react a certain way than following a single person's story. That being said, Scorsese obviously shot "Kundun" in a meditative manner on purpose to further place you in the shoes of a spiritual journey and have you feel a certain way about it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Bertolucci quote, I feel like it can be interpreted in many different ways.Tying back to what I said earlier about Scorsese's, "Kundun" being rather effective because it felt like I was meditating for two hours. When Bertolucci states that "Everything is form" I believe that's what he means. Martin Scorsese made a film about the Dali Lama' s spiritual journey...so he shot it like a meditation. When is says that "Form is emptiness", I personally believe that means it's subjective to each viewer. When viewing "Kundun", every audience member will have a different reaction or interpretation to it's spiritual form....So it's up to us to relate to it individually and add to the emptiness.
Kundun is well made by Scorsese, I could understand that he tried so hard to avoid political in this film, as an artist, he is bold.
ReplyDeleteThe movie starts with sand mandala and end with sand mandala. The making of sand mandala is a ritual, ritual is a form. The monks brushes the sand mandala and dump the sand into the river means emptiness. The whole film is based on this idea. Come from nothing and gone with nothing. It is all about spiritual. It is kundun's personal spiritual journey. The movie included all the culture elements of their life. As my acknowledge, they have been represented well. From kundun's POV, the Mao, the general and Communist are devil. The dutch camera angle, their outfit, sunglasses and red flag. Especially when Mao see Kundun's off, he stands in front of the hall way. it is horrified. I could understand why Scorsese depicts Mao in this way, for me it is a little bit funny as it is too dramatic, I felt if Martin could use more realistic way to treat this scene, would be more convincing. When Dalai lama recall his childhood, the memory would be like a dream, something vague and ambiguity. Through the ritual and music, I could feel it, it's just like a dream. Scorsese shows us the Tibet's culture in a very authentic way and depicts the invasion of communist in the expressionism way. But I would say I am really admire that Scorsese made these film about culture.
What impressed me about Kundun is the constant focus on the Dalai Lama through his childhood while the world around him is in conflict. While this film may appear to be an outlier in Scorsese’s filmography, I think the protagonist’s internal struggle is what connects it to his other films. It’s hard not to compare this film to it’s religious counterpart, The Last Temptation of Christ. Both films revolve heavily around a faith and follow their central characters through a period of their lives. While we don’t see Jesus as a child, seeing the Dalia Lama in that state helps to understand who he is as an independent. While I am not a Tibetan Buddhist, I still feel connected from the way Scorsese structures the narrative. I think that is important when releasing a historical and religious film to a population that may be unfamiliar with the religion. I also think Scorsese creates religious films that are so effective because, by nature, religion is built in tradition and strict ritualistic obsession. And we know Scorsese puts every component of himself into his films and perfects every detail before it is completed.
ReplyDeleteI like what Bernardo Bertolucci told Scorsese because I think it’s important to remember what you are creating is more than a creation. Especially with a religious film, where you want to make sure you are being respectful but also accurate, it may start to feel like a physical mold or a generalization. However, there is more to consider than just the physicality of a film. You have to still remember that you are creating a film so the narrative and characters need to be engaging.
Someone in class wrote about Kundun feeling like a 2-hour mediation session and I have to agree. While following his life from a young child to a mature ruler, I did feel very calm during the screening. Perhaps it was because, compared to Scorsese’s other films, there was no exceptionally violent scenes. I was engaged on a spiritual level, not an intense action one. I think that represents the life and religion of the Tibetan Buddhists. If you are creating a film about passion and calmness, you should structure the film to parallel those themes.