Cos wiecej niz wasz czubek nosa---The Matrix (DLUGIEEE i spoilery)
ArK
za nimi w THE MATRIX. Niechcialo mi sie tlumaczyc ale mam nadzieje ze
wiekszosc z was zrozumie Ang. Jezeli po przeczytaniu dalej myslicie ze film
jest "pusty"...przeczytajcie jeszcze raz.
The company Neo works for is called MetaCortex
Meta - : 1. Situated behind or beyond 2. change : transformation
Cortex - the outer layer of gray matter of the cerebrum. It was unknown for
a long time what the function of gray matter is. It's believed that gray
matter might be where dreams take place. Perhaps gray matter is the
residence of the unconscious. In any event, one could argue that it is, at
least, a symbolic reference to the unconscious. So then, "metacortex" is
behind consciousness and even beyond unconsciousness -- or the collective
unconscious.
The definition of meta as change and transformation is also interesting
because Jung said the process of Alchemy (the transformation of lead into
gold for example) is a metaphor for the individuation process and the merger
of the unconscious and the conscious. This is something I have to read more
on.
Jung also had much to say about reflections and what they represent. In
Dreams, Jung writes, "Just as the right denotes the world of consciousness
and its principles, so by 'reflection' the picture of the world is to be
turned round to the left, thus producing a corresponding world in reverse.
We could equally well say: through reflection the right appears as the
reverse of the left. Therefore the left seems to have as much validity of
the right; in other words: the unconscious and its --for the most part
unintelligible-order becomes the symmetrical counterpart of the conscious
mind and its contents, although it is not clear which of them is reflected
and which is reflecting. To carry our reasoning a step further, we could
regard the center as the point of intersection of two worlds that correspond
but are inverted by reflection.
Reflections in the movie:
The first reflection we see is through Trinity's rear view mirror of Neo
being taken into custody of the agents.
The second is in Morpheous's glasses when he is offering Neo the choice
between the two pills. This is extremely important because he is holding the
red pill in the right hand and the blue in the left (right leading to
conscious and left to unconscious). When Neo looks into Morpheus's glasses,
the picture is still the same. It is not inverted because Neo is facing
Morpheus - so the reflection is the same. The blue pill is in Morpheus's
left lens and the red in the right lens. However since Neo is looking at
Morpheus, for him the blue pill is on is right and the red on the left. This
is a wonderful use of reflection because normally when we look into a
mirror - the picture is inverted.
Other reflections:
Then Neo sees his own reflection in the cracked mirror before he is awakened
from the Matrix. The cracked mirror then mysteriously fixes itself. He puts
his fingers into the mirror and the mercury like substance begins to crawl
up his hand. We also see his reflection in the mercury. Then it climbs up to
his face and mouth - almost choking him before he wakes up in the Pod.
Jung again had something a lot to say about Mercury and Mercurious. And I
must admit it is confusing and would take too long for me to write here.
Then Neo sees his reflection in the eye of the machine as it disconnects him
from his pod.
When Morpheus has him in the construct and his explaining to him what the
Matrix is - we see Neo's reflection again several times in his glasses. But
we don't see his face.
Again in the training program when Morpheus freezes the motion, we see his
reflection in Morpheus glasses, but we only see Neo the rest of the
construct is missing except for the agent's gun pointing at him.
Neo sees himself reflected in the bending spoon. There are more I am sure
these are just the ones I can remember.
There are alos references to "Through the Looking Glass." The white rabbit,
the checkerboard stairwell, the blue and red pill etc.
....
To add to the reflections. Here is one I noticed that I thought was
interesting.
Just as Neo goes to open the Oracle's door.
You see a shot of him in the door handle reaching to grab the door knob,
it's kind of a round curved reflection. I don't remember if you can see
Morpheus in the reflection. Neo is to Morpheus' right and Neo is also
reflected on the right.
But just as he goes to grab the knob, the door opens. He never touches it.
.....
Symetria w filmie:
1. Phonecall being traced
2. A victorious fight within room 303 (Trin & cops)
3. A chase that involves a phonecall to the operator for directions and is
caused by the hardline being severed
4. Trin's encounter with the agents which is caused by Cypher(nothing is
resolved except escape) during the encounter Trin tells herself to "get up",
5. An agent kills the phone
5. The hardline is severed (after the Oracle trip)
4. Neo, Trin, and Morpheus encounter agents, this is caused by Cypher
(nothing is resolved except escape) Neo tells Morpheus to "get up" (This
goes all the way up to the subway fight.)
3. A chase that involves a phonecall to the operator for directions and is
caused by the hardline being severed because an agent killed the phone
2. A victorious fight outside of room 303.
1. A phonecall being traced
....
I have always tried to figure out why switch was named that. I think I know
now. In the movie the first time she appears she is dressed all in black.
Then
they come out of the Matrix. Then then next time she appears in the matrix
she is now dressed all in white. I think she is supposed to represent the
reflection or switching in the middle of the movie
....
Pozatym osoby ktore Neo (ahh obruccie literki w slowie NEO i wyjdzie ONE...
the ONE ;)) zapoznal zmarly w odwrotnej kolejnosci (osoby ktore oczywiscie
zmarly).
....
one thing that's been floating around in my mind since seeing _the_matrix_
is how science fiction and religion are intertwined. neo as neo-christ who
sacrifices his life and rises from the dead to save humanity... l. ron
hubbard's science fiction and the church of scientology that sprang from
it... (interesting that many hollywood types subscribe to that particular
religious practice...) mormons, who believe god is an alien living on a
distant planet... heaven's gate, those folks who committed suicide to join
what they believed was a flying saucer hiding on the other side of halley's
comet...
religion and science fiction share an interest in cosmology, in the origins
and workings of the universe. in most religions and in some science fiction
there's a charismatic key figure, a leader, a man representing god or a new
way of being. how far do the similarities go? is religion just another form
of science fiction?
...
I'm opening a part two because the first part has gotten too long. I'm going
to explain my ideas about Buddhism in The Matrix again for two reasons.
First, I always hate getting into a second or third part of a thread and no
understanding what is going on. Secondly, all of the questions that people
asked in part I (thanks petra!) made me look more closely at the movie and
I've seen a lot more things that apply to Buddhism.
I want to draw some parallels between the Matrix and Buddhist ideas of
reality. This principle has been misunderstood again and again, so I am
going to try to be as detailed as possible. According to Buddhist thought
humans are unable to see true reality (unless they are enlightened). Reality
*is* there. It is the world that is all around you. You cannot see true
reality because of your mind, your perceptions and your feelings. When you
look at something, say a flower, you see the flower. It is real. But as soon
as your mind recognizes the flower it begins to distort what that flower is.
You have feelings and opinions about that flower and memories related to
flowers. So in your mind there is not just that flower, there is an entire
web of thoughts and feelings. The flower itself has been lost amidst all of
these thoughts and feelings. You cannot see the true flower, you cannot see
true reality, because of what your mind does with the information that it
receives. This distorted view of reality is what the Matrix represents in
the movie. The true Matrix is not something separate from you, it *is* you.
The Buddhist philosophy/religion is based on the fact that you can retrain
your mind to see reality for what it is. This involves understanding your
mind and body and it's reaction to the outside world, stopping the thoughts
that are endlessly racing around in your mind and stopping the immediate
reaction of mind, feelings and perception when you become conscious of
outside stimuli. The best techniques for doing this are Vipassana or Zen
meditations. There are many different types of meditations out there, but
they generally work on relaxation and focusing the mind. Vipassana and Zen
go several steps further to clear the mind of its perceptions and reactions,
to clear the mind of endless thoughts. With a clear mind an individual can
then see reality for what it is and make clear intelligent decisions about
reality.
In order to see true reality you must rid yourself of the false view of
reality that you have now. This involves the intense questioning of this
view of reality and the destruction of it. Your view of reality is very
strong. It will take a lot to destroy it.
The best way to apply Buddhist thought to the movie is using the Zen Circle.
The Circle illustrates the different levels that a person passes through on
his/her way to enlightenment. We can see Neo moving through these levels in
the movie.
At 0 degrees: This is where most people are now. They are attached to name
and form, to seeing an object and having thoughts and feelings about that
object. They accept their view of reality as reality. This is where Neo is
at the beginning of the movie.
At 90 degrees: The first step of questioning the false view of reality. At
this stage people begin to see that emptiness is form and form is emptiness.
They become attached to thinking as they are using thought to destroy their
view of reality. This is where Neo is when he is learning to bend the rules
of the Matrix, during the Kung Fu scene and on the way to the Oracle.
At 180 degrees: The second step is beginning to let go of the attachment to
thought and attaching one's self to emptiness. The false view of reality is
crumbling and leaving nothing to replace it. Neo is in this stage as he
realizes that "there is no spoon".
At 270 degrees: After the realization of emptiness comes freedom. Emptiness
is freedom and Form is freedom. Attachment to thought still exists as this
freedom is applied. Neo is at this stage when he is saving Morpheus and
Trinity and when fighting Agent Smith.
At 360 degress: Non-attachment to thinking, seeing true reality. Neo is
enlightened, he is The One, he sees reality for what it is. Therefore he is
able to see the Matrix code while in the Matrix.
That should do it, sorry if this has bored anyone who's been through it
before.
Cassakane
.....
Neo's the "one" alright...just not the "one" you think....
I saw the Matrix a few nights ago...and was amazed. It was a great film, but
what I've since found even more amazing is that my view of the symbolism in
the film is in the minority (even though to me...it seemed obvious). In
fact, I've only found a couple of people on the internet who've posted
anything about the perspective I took. So...for your dissection, here is my
theory (and don't let me step on your toes if you think this is a Christian
film...ahh if a film means that much to your faith, maybe you should recheck
your faith):
Neo is the Anti-Christ. Everyone seems to have picked up on the religious
symbolism in the film, but it's my opinion that everyone's got it backwards.
I think it's easy for people to assume that Neo is a "Christ" figure since
he is battling an obvious evil (the machines). However, who is to question
the methods of God. Isn't the saying that "God moves in mysterious ways"?
And what if God really was a machine that was sucking out the energy from
us? Would that necessarily contradict what we know of God? I think in a way
the movie stacks the cards against the audience by not portraying God as the
'old man with a beard' most secretly imagine "he" is.....and instead
portrays God as something a little less cuddly.
Now, I'm not a religious person, and I've only seen the movie once (I plan
to see it again this week), so I may have some things backwards
myself...feel free to correct me.
The first event symbolic of the "evil" of Morpheous (and thus, Neo later
on), is his offering of the two pills to Neo. He presents him with a red and
a blue pill. The blue pill represents ignorance. The red pill is the
forbidden knowledge (of the matrix). He tells Neo that if he chooses the
blue pill, he goes back to his regular life....with nothing changed. Choose
the red pill and you will know the truth about the Matrix but there is no
going back. To me, this is clearly symbolic of Satan offering humans the
forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. Playing the part of Satan is
Morpheous. While the Bible does not specify the type of fruit in the Garden
of Eden, the most common interpretation is that it's an apple. Most people
think of apple's as red, thus the red pill is symbolic of the apple.....and
Neo chooses it.
The next symbolic event is when Morpheous shows Neo the "real" world. It is
a burned out shell with blackened skies. Clearly the presentation of the
"real" world is Hellish. No one would choose to leave the relative sanctuary
of the Matrix, even if it's a lie, and live in this "real" world. But that's
what Morpheous wants to do....he wants to destroy the Matrix (world) and
give them this nightmarish world in exchange. Morpheous states that "no one
really knows when the world was changed like this (so it could conceivably
be since the beginning of time...and not, say, 30 years ago). He does state
that Humans (or "we", I can't remember) made the sky black. Could humans
have made it that way due to their eviction from the Garden of Eden?
Morpheous wants to destroy the Matrix (world) but he cannot do it himself.
Like a Christian prophet, he too is waiting for "the chosen one" who will
foment the apocalypse. He believes that Neo is the "chosen one"....not
Christ, but the Anti-Christ who will battle God (the machine) in hopes of
destroying it.
The ship's name, Nebuchadnezzar is obviously symbolic (but I'm not so clear
on this). I know that Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon and he created
a golden idol of himself for the people of Babylon to worship. I'm not sure
if Nebuchadnezzar was redeemed later in the Bible, but it seems strange for
these people to have named their ship after the King of Babylon who
worshiped a false idol. And I know he had bad dreams...but he was still a
worshiper of false idols.
On the ship Neo is told by Mouse (I think it was him) that he and Tank were
born the old fashioned way in Zion. When Neo asks where Zion is, he is told
that it's deep within the Earth (did he say center of the Earth?), where
it's still warm. To most people, a "warm" place deep inside the Earth is
symbolic of Hell.
The most obvious symbol of the machine being God (and thus Neo and crew
being Satan....etc) is when Agent Smith tells Morpheous that the there was
an earlier version of the Matrix (this is during his capture and subsequent
beating). He tells Morpheous that the first Matrix was perfect, but that
humans couldn't accept that it was perfect and were always looking for
flaws. They (the machine/God) had to redesign the Matrix to include
suffering because humans measured their existence by suffering. To me, this
is clearly an allusion to the Garden of Eden (the perfect Matrix) and thus
the Machine's position as God.
Some other things to consider:
How would Neo appear to someone in the Matrix? He has supernatural powers
and kills others with abandon (especially cops). Would he appear to be a
"good" person or an "evil" person? A Christ figure or a Satanic figure?
Isn't it odd that the name given to the machine's people is "agent"... it'
so similar to angel..
When Trinity sees Neo dodge bullets, she tells him that she's never seen
anyone move like he does...and that he moves like the Angels. Maybe Neo is
just a fallen agent (angel) and that's why he is different and can move as
they do.
Come on, doesn't Morpheous just *look* evil in his trench coat and
sunglasses??
What do you think? I'll have to see the movie some more to see if I can come
up with anything else to support my theory....
....
I've been reading through some of the threads here and I keep seeing people
mentioning the philosophical implications of The Matrix. If you are truly
interested in exploring these implications then I suggest that you read
about Buddhism. I've studied Buddhism for a few years and the things that
are mentioned or hinted at in The Matrix are pretty basic stuff. You might
be able to find these things in other philosophies. In fact if anyone knows
if you can will you let me know? It's always good too see things from every
point of view.
Anyway, I'm so amazed by how many hints of Buddhist philosophy are in the
movie, I keep seeing new ones.
Neo: I have all of these memories from my life. None of it happened. What
does that mean?
Trinity: That The Matrix cannot tell you who you are.
I suggest that you look into Vipassana Meditation. Most other meditations
only teach you to focus and relax. Vipassana goes a step further. Everything
that you know, think, and feel is a lie. It is only a jumble of endless
thoughts that keep spinning through your head, opinions and ideas that have
been taught to you by society. You cannot see true reality because whenever
you look at anything or think about anything you see it through the
distorted lens of these opinions and ideas. It is the true Matrix, trapping
you within what you think of as yourself.
Through Vipassana you can learn to stop the endless thoughts that are racing
through your head. To be only your true self and to see things as they
really are.
You have always had the power to unplug yourself.
....
Niemowie ze film jest doskonaly ale podziwiam go za dobry scenariusz i FX.
Uhh jeszcze bym mogl dozucic pare zeczy ale pewnie i tak nikt niedoczytal az
tutaj:)... Urywki zostala wzieta z oficjalego forum The matrixa
http://wbboards.warnerbros.com/ .
Nikki
> Dla tych ktorzy ogladaja filmy tylko dla bijatyk i aktorow oto co sie kryje
> za nimi w THE MATRIX. Niechcialo mi sie tlumaczyc ale mam nadzieje ze
> wiekszosc z was zrozumie Ang. Jezeli po przeczytaniu dalej myslicie ze film
> jest "pusty"...przeczytajcie jeszcze raz.
Tia...widzialem kilka takich tekstow, w ktorych starano sie udowodnic ze
ten i ten film przez taka a taka interpretacje jest wartosciowy i
fascynujacy. Rzecz w tym,ze rownie dobrze mozna wziac pod lupe "StarShip
Troopers" i udowodnic,ze film jest manifestem ultramodernizmu.
Nie ogladam filmow dla bijatyk czy aktorow - no...chyba,ze np. de Niro.
Za to wiem, jak uparcie maniacy moga bronic kiczu. Przykro mi,ale ja po
prostu nie moge zdzierzyc, kiedy marnuje sie pomysl. Nie moge zdzierzyc
marnego aktorstwa - zenujacego wrecz. Nie moge zdzierzyc, gdy uzywa sie
tekstow z klasyki jako akompaniamentu do kul i ciosow. Nie moge
zdzierzyc idiotycznych schematow, ktore obrazaja inteligencje widza.
Film jest po prostu nowa forma dla starej tresci.
I chyba nie ma sensu dyskutowac z fanami matrix - bo to jest tak, jak z
fanami titanica . I tak nic na to sie nie poradzi.
Pozdrawiam
Nikki