Hymns for the Living...

 

 

 

I've been working on a book alteration project over the last few weeks. It's been therapeutic to work on a creative project that isn't just writing. But that's not to say it isn't writing. I conceived this piece as a scrapbook of ideas that the main character of a project I'm working on might create. 

 

The themes are themes that run through the manuscript. Hymns for the Living. Hymns for the Dead is his view of the world as he descends into the madness of his own imagination. I hope to share more of these over time, but wanted this to serve as an introducion.

 

 

Fly Like a Birdman

As life goes by, the accumulation of artistic exposure inevitably means that there are fewer and fewer surprises to be found in works of fiction, especially if you've devoted most of your life to the study of understanding how the concept of story works. So when I encounter a story that feels as original as Birdman, I feel compelled to share my love and sing the praises. 

The film deals with the struggle of one man to break free from the shadow of past success and popularity in an attempt to gain respect for his artistic talent. The way it presents the turbulent path of an artistic career, and the conflicts of ego that tend to go along with it, are incredibly honest, at least from my personal experiences. As an artist, you are haunted by the work you did in the past, and forever in doubt about the quality of what you may be doing in the present. Michael Keaton is not only the perfect actor for this role because of the meta connotations with his history of being the first Batman, but also because over the years people forgot that he's a great actor. 

Edward Norton represents another difficult aspect of being an artist. He's the artist who excels in his art, but can't handle the everyday mundane practices of real life. The artist who is more content to live within his art at the expense of any other relationships is another pitfall that lurks on the artistic journey. The film captures all of this in a script that is humorous at times and heartbreaking at others. The camera weaves through the narrow backstage hallways as if traveling through tunnels of the mind, connecting one thought and emotion to another, sometimes allowing them to crash in violent collision. There is a darkness hovering through those halls, in fact the world is only bright and colorful when the story is transported into the imaginary worlds of its characters. That is he life of the artist.

There are some films that come to mind for comparison; Black Swan, Inland Empire, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and Pan's Labyrinth to name a few. It's like those movies, but completely unlike them as well, as they are also unlike each other or any others. Like those movies this one is unique and it's nice to see uniqueness being recognized in an age when movies that don't fall into one of the predetermined labels that coincide with a ready-made marketing campaign tend get lost. Fly high, Birdman...fly high.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Last night, I finally went to see Inside Llewyn Davis, the new Coen Brothers movie. I'd been waiting for this film to play near me ever since it came out. I was excited to see it, not only because of the brothers' astounding history of making exceptional films, but also because I'm a big fan of the 60's Greenwich Village folk scene. Also, the movie was partially inspired by the life of one of my favorite performers on the scene, Dave Van Ronk, whose failure to ever reach stardom is an identical tale of the film's title character.

The movie was brilliant in its honest portrayal of an artistic career. The sad truth is that most artists fail to ever achieve success or fame, a truth that I've come to realize personally and so the story resinated with me on a profound level. Llewyn struggles with the question of what exactly is an artist without an audience? Are you a performer, or just someone who fails to face the challenges of life? Is the pursuit a noble one or a foolish one?  The answer is a little bit of both, but in the end, the pursuit is not always a choice, it's a calling.

 The film reminded me of the kind of cinema made in the 70's in that it was a rather bleak look at life. But the honesty in which it shows the character's life is remarkable and touching. As a viewer, you root for Llewyn, even as it becomes clear that he is never going to succeed in the way others are succeeding around him. As you see lesser talents getting their big break, you are left wondering why it is that truly talented people are so often overlooked. 

Perhaps it's because I understand the character's resentments and frustrations on a personal level that I really connected to this movie. Or perhaps it's simply because the Coen brothers are such skilled filmmakers. Either way, I loved this movie. It's told in subtleties and fits of emotion that give every scene a powerful impact.

Fun fact: The real boy who inspired Peter Pan was named Peter Llewelyn Davies...I somehow doubt the title character's name was coincidence. In some ways, all artists are Peter Pans in their refusal to grow up in the eyes of the majority of hardworking people.