An Education
Avoid normal situations.
season, especially now, since a lot of wannabe-awards-recipients seem to
enjoy theatrical runs that are about fifteen minutes long.
If you've not noticed already, this picture is based on a real woman's
memoir (although they insist in the credits that much of it is fictionalized
and no resemblance to any living persons should be inferred, blah blah
blah) of girlhood in '60s London, and is about an especially bright 16-year
-old girl who one day gets a lift home from a handsome but much older man;
subsequently he gets, ah, interested in her... and, since she's never before
had a taste of classical musical recitals or auctions for priceless works
of centuries-old art or nightclubs or all sorts of other finer things of
life, suddenly she doesn't find schoolwork quite so interesting anymore.
(Now, everybody take a *deep* breath.)
(Now, slowly exhale.)
(Okay. The management would like to state at this point that the Polanski
thread and all other flamewars like it are expressly forbidden, particularly
springing from articles about fine films directed by Dutch ladies with funny
names.)
The primary reason for discussing this movie on this group is that IMHO it's
such a fine example of what might be called the virtues of moderation. However
many sleazy/nasty possibilities that you may all conjure from such a scenario,
there's no screaming, there's no car crashes, and no one wins a million
dollars. It's all just very honest. And it's erudite and witty and thoroughly
winning.
The leading lady, Carey Mulligan, in particular is another reason to see
this. She's very believable and highly charming, and reminds me of Audrey
Hepburn.
Those of you who are absolutely, positively not perverts ought to be
informed, as well, that despite this movie's European origins, the young
miss does not, as they say in the UK, get her kit off for the camera,
although she's of legal age. Instead, the filmmakers did something a lot
better. They have a scene in there that's not *quite* a sex scene, but which
exactly nails the "WOW!" feeling you get when you are young and cute and
sex, for you, is almost entirely unexplored territory, but promises to be
well and properly explored at any moment.
This is the most critically acclaimed movie in America right now that I
wouldn't have had to drive to Berkeley to see. It's been in release here now,
however limited, for over two months... yet I can't recall anyone mentioning
it here before now. I sure hope that at least some of you have seen it. If
not, what the dickens is stopping you?
--
alt.flame Special Forces
"It is providential that the youth or man of inventive mind is not 'blessed'
with a million dollars. The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and
uninterrupted solitude. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside
influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone -- that is
the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born."
-- Nikolai Tesla
Avoid normal situations.
[..]
> (Okay. The management would like to state at this point that the Polanski
> thread and all other flamewars like it are expressly forbidden, particularly
> springing from articles about fine films directed by Dutch ladies with funny
> names.)
Er, "Danish", actually.
(Note to self: wake up, Jack...)
Ovum
>
> � This is the most critically acclaimed movie in America right now that I
> wouldn't have had to drive to Berkeley to see. It's been in release here now,
> however limited, for over two months... yet I can't recall anyone mentioning
> it here before now. I sure hope that at least some of you have seen it. If
> not, what the dickens is stopping you?
Because it sounds boring? No offense.
I'll admit a lot of women (and men, for that matter) long for a father
figure, and many men want a "tabula rasa" on which to imprint their
own image.
But that's basically a parent-child relationship. And adding sex and
romance to it seems perverse.
Wouldn't it be much more delicious to have a romance between equals?
The frisson of two beings of equal power who don't feel a need to
conquer each other. Two people confident enough to give themselves
lavishly and without fear ...
*That* would be a movie to watch. *That* would be inspiring.
o
Schlockhack
romance to it seems perverse.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I did read the memoir when it came
out in Granta Magazine. The thrust of the story was the girl's
discovering, slowly and reluctantly, that the older man was hiding
secrets about himself. That was the spine. And with that as the
focus, it was quite interesting. For what it's worth, she did not
convey the feeling of being taken advantage of, sexually. You have a
good insight about it mimicking a parent/child relationship, but
that's not the central narrative.
Avoid normal situations.
> On Dec 20, 9:12???pm, "Avoid normal situations." wrote:
> > ??? This is the most critically acclaimed movie in America right now that I
> > wouldn't have had to drive to Berkeley to see. It's been in release here now,
> > however limited, for over two months... yet I can't recall anyone mentioning
> > it here before now. I sure hope that at least some of you have seen it. If
> > not, what the dickens is stopping you?
> Because it sounds boring? No offense.
None taken. The picture merely isn't, IMHO.
> I'll admit a lot of women (and men, for that matter) long for a father
> figure, and many men want a "tabula rasa" on which to imprint their
> own image.
> But that's basically a parent-child relationship. And adding sex and
> romance to it seems perverse.
> Wouldn't it be much more delicious to have a romance between equals?
No. Less drama.
Ovum
<byend.removethisbityousillyper...@eskimo.com> wrote:
>
>
> > I'll admit a lot of women (and men, for that matter) long for a father
> > figure, and many men want a "tabula rasa" on which to imprint their
> > own image.
> > But that's basically a parent-child relationship. And adding sex and
> > romance to it seems perverse.
> > Wouldn't it be much more delicious to have a romance between equals?
>
> � No. Less drama.
Why do you assume there would be less drama? Nobody's life is without
drama. Everybody has upsets, reversals, failure, struggle ... all the
stuff drama is made of. Some people's entire life is an Act II.
In an egalitarian relationship, there's still discovery and
disappointment. And there's the opportunity for them to work together
against a common enemy. Think about "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" -- but less
over-the-top.
o
Alan Brooks
> "Avoid normal situations." wrote:
>
>>> I'll admit a lot of women (and men, for that matter) long for a father
>>> figure, and many men want a "tabula rasa" on which to imprint their own
>>> image. But that's basically a parent-child relationship. And adding sex and
>>> romance to it seems perverse. Wouldn't it be much more delicious to have a
>>> romance between equals?
>>>
>> No. Less drama.
>
> Why do you assume there would be less drama? Nobody's life is without drama.
> Everybody has upsets, reversals, failure, struggle ... all the stuff drama is
> made of. Some people's entire life is an Act II.
>
> In an egalitarian relationship, there's still discovery and disappointment.
> And there's the opportunity for them to work together against a common enemy.
> Think about "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" -- but less over-the-top.
While you have a great point about relationships in general, it's not a
great point about relationships as dramatic fodder, and the drama of "An
Education" grows out of the difference in the main characters' ages and life
experience.
We all know that tension is critical to drama, so you're off on the wrong
foot talking about egalitarianism or balance or any of those sorts of
features we'd hold up as ideals in our own real-life marriages or long-term
relationships, or even weekend trysts with international men and women of
mystery. Sure, you can find drama there, but only by upsetting the balance
and truly putting it at risk.
Look at the Nicholson/Keaton "Something's Got To Give": the two
relationships with the big age difference give way to a nice, balanced
age-appropriate relationship; but only *after* the characters explore all
the wrong options and grow to the point where they can see the value in an
equal mate. There are heaps of stories like this, where the relationship
you admire so much isn't the body of the story, but it's embodied in the
conclusion. Counter to what you said about some people's entire lives being
an Act II, a good, solid, balanced relationship isn't an Act I, an Act II or
even and Act III. It tends to be what you want to happen on page 111 of a
112-page script.
As an aside (minor spoiler here for Taking of Pelham) one great relationship
moment in a recent movie was when Denzel Washington calls his wife (played
by Aunjanue Ellis) in "Taking of Pelham 1-2-3". He tries to downplay what
he's about to do, but she hears it for what it is, she knows he's stepping
into a death-trap. And what does she say? She tells him to bring home a
gallon of milk. It's the kind of simple demand that has a whole
relationship behind it: she feels what he's not telling her; he feels what
she knows, even though he can't deal with it at the moment; she doesn't want
to weaken him with a demand that he back down... So she asks for a gallon of
milk as a stand-in for everything she can't say and they squabble over
whether it should be a gallon or a half gallon (and in the final scene we
see that he brought home a half, so he's in for it...) It's so much more
powerful that they squabble over the milk than that she tearfully insists
that he better come home intact, or any other obvious thing. That's how you
use a strong relationship dramatically. That was a brilliant moment and a
brilliant use of indirection.
Alan Brooks
---------------------------
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Avoid normal situations.
> On Dec 21, 11:59???pm, "Avoid normal situations."
> <byend.removethisbityousillyper...@eskimo.com> wrote:
[..]
> > > I'll admit a lot of women (and men, for that matter) long for a father
A > > figure, and many men want a "tabula rasa" on which to imprint their
> > > own image.
> > > But that's basically a parent-child relationship. And adding sex and
> > > romance to it seems perverse.
> > > Wouldn't it be much more delicious to have a romance between equals?
> >
> > ??? No. Less drama.
> Why do you assume there would be less drama?
All other things being equal, there would be.
> Nobody's life is without
> drama.
I have a profoundly retarded sister. I'm pretty sure her life is without
drama, as I am uncertain that she is really conscious. She just sits there in
her wheelchair, wears her helmet, and drools.
--
alt.flame "and people wonder why I love horror films" Special Forces
Mysti Berry
<byend.removethisbityousillyper...@eskimo.com> wrote:
> � So it's about time I started getting out to see real films again. 'Tis the
Been on my list for ages, keeps gettng bumped. Dashing off now to see
young victoria....
Mysti