"What Dreams May Come"
What does this movie have to do with Shakespeare let alone dreams? Robin Williams goes to Hell to find his wife and bring her to Heaven. Whatever. The art of this movie was beautiful. The movie, itself, was horrible. They call it a “feel good movie” when I cried through the entire thing! I’ve never been more depressed my entire life! Then at the end he finally gets what he wants then gets rid of it and tries to get it all again; because why? It was so much fun the first time? Your kids hated you and your wife committed suicide. Yeah, that sounds like a blast! It was a boring, feel horrid movie. I will die happy if I never see it again.
I have to try to defend this one. I have never had a stronger revelatory experience at a non-Church movie than when I watched this the first time. It was a moment too sacred to share, but forged a bond for me with this picture.
ReplyDeleteLet's go to Hamlet for a moment, who was contemplating (depending on the director) his father's death, his uncle's upcoming murder, or Hamlet's own suicide:
"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause"
We are presented with cinematic dreams, based on moments of life and what is important for each member of the family. What does each of them dream of and wish for beyond their life? In the end, they each find the fulfillment they lacked in life - but the path is no easier than here on earth. It is something that should give us pause, and "makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of."
Further, the going down to hell to save the loved one is a classic Hero story since ancient Greece and more than worthy. I can't say there's a moment of the film I find boring. And I would finally break down and get an HD flat screen just to watch this in HD. This is one of the very few things I think would be worth it.
I agree, it's NOT a feel good movie. It's wrenching. Wrenching and beautiful, ultimately uplifting as death and hell are defeated by a savior who left Heaven to join our mortal condition and die with us to save us. Is the crucixion a depressing story? Yes. Life is often hard and fairly depressing - which is why we create movies to escape it. But life is still ultimately triumphant as this is.
I agree that the reincarnation is not my favorite part of the film. Why do they want to do it again? Because they don't really understand the power of the Atonement to heal all the pain they went through, but they really want to have a happier time and more peaceful life than last time.
And the kids didn't hate them. That wasn't a thing in the movie.
Just two cents 3 years late.
YOU see God in this movie, my friend, but there was no mention of the Atonement in it.
ReplyDeleteAnd while the story is a reflection of Orpheus's, there is no other Greek reference, except that like many Greek plays, it's SAD.
I won't defend my original post TOO much because, as you say, it is special to you, but I will add that the "what do dreams have anything to do with it line" was intended to be funny. Albeit, I wasn't as hilarious as I am now, back when I wrote this. ;) (I wrote it about 15 years ago, then uploaded it onto my blog along with other posts that I didn't bother to really comb over.)
But now that I think about it, the title is a little pretentious and that makes me hate the movie even more.
Sorry. Different strokes and all that.