So, we've only watched a little bit of this movie. I know it's supposed to get better but I don't know. Part of me is genuinely interested in what's going on, but another part of me just doesn't like the movie at all, especially all of the Bible and death motifs. I get it. The Middle Ages were a highly religious time. This movie is a game with Death. That does not mean that you shove ten different sins and things about death through my ears in less than 30 seconds. IN SONG.
Yes, I know that's very exaggerated, but that's the way I feel about the movie so far.
Then again, I can't seem to come up with any worthwhile dialogue to actually replace that guy's songs, so I guess the songs will have to do. But seriously, it just feels like the director is trying too hard to talk about death. It just feels too in-my-face. Or maybe I just prefer more subtle references. I probably wouldn't mind so much if it weren't in song, and if it weren't clear that it was put there for a reason. I just feel like it doesn't flow. The director obviously has the characters say the things they do for a reason, but it just feels too forced. Maybe it's just me.
And don't get me started on the chessboard. The chess cliche is very annoys me to the point where I almost put this one sentence in obnoxiously big font. Yes, he's playing chess with Death. Okay, that's the main point of the movie. I get it. But chess is so overused in fiction that it just doesn't impress me. It's used in so many different ways and after a while it's just not impressive and almost cringe worthy. I don't care if this was remarkable in its time. Yes, it may be an interesting concept, but at this point in time it's jaded.
Unless this was what sparked the whole chess explosion in fiction.
Yes, I know most of you are probably going to look at this and gawk, but that's just how I feel. Somehow, I'm still interested in this movie. At the same time, part of me just wants to stop watching it. So I guess I'll see how I feel about it at the end of the week.
I mean I feel the same way that part of me likes it but part of me doesn't but I enjoy the chess, religion and death motifs. You have to turn the chessboard around Kim. The chess motif reminds me of a certain anime where the main character plays a hypothetical game of chess with a being that brings death upon all who behold her. (sorry I just had to mention this) Plus chess is the pieces are easily divided just like life and death good and evil etc. The religion not only makes it authentic but adds commentary about life, death and the afterlife. Remember Kim turn the chessboard around and don't cut it up and start playing cards with the pieces!
ReplyDeleteI'm divided on the religion part. Part of me likes it. But a lot of things just feel totally forced.
ReplyDeleteI don't care if the chessboard symbolizes things. I can clearly see that just by looking at it. It's just that after a while, the chessboard is old. When you turn the chessboard around you look at it a different way. When you look at it from all angles, the perspective is different. But then what happens when you can't turn that chessboard anymore? That's the way I basically feel about chess in fiction. That's also the way I feel about card suites in fiction, but that's another story.
Hm what would you use instead of chess in a modern perspective (not just for this or Umineko but for all fiction)
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S THE PROBLEM.
ReplyDeleteIT WORKS BUT IT'S SO OVERUSED.
AKA, A CLICHE.
...and a cliche is a cliche. Chess is too overused, yet there's nothing to really put a spin on it, which annoys me so much.
But hey if it works so well and there is nothing it can be replaced by why try to change it?
ReplyDeleteBecause life would be boring.
ReplyDeleteHm maybe but still if it works it works and it will probably continue to work for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if chess is a cliche. Do you cite a lot of examples? If it is, then it is a copy, or homage, if you will, to this film. I'm not sure what song you are referring to. If it's the song they sing during their act, while the other actor frolics in the woods with the smith's wife, then that song is very important thematically. It says nothing about sin.
ReplyDeleteBut, more importantly, your posting is all about your "feelings." Frankly, I couldn't care less. Students today have been encouraged to talk about how they feel about all sorts of stuff. The true scholar, the budding intellectual, disciplines herself to respond to topics in a rational way. You attempt this when you say that certain aspects of the film are forced, artificial. But, I'm not sure you've proven your point.
I'm curious to see if the rest of the film causes you to change your mind, or, more accurately, to change your gut.
No, I'm not talking about that one. It's the one that Jöns (I think) sings.
ReplyDeleteThe forced feeling is what it is - a feeling. To me, it feels like the director is just trying to hard to making every word related to something. I know that's the point, but I feel like the script just makes the themes obvious to the point where it just doesn't feel natural. I find that it's probably something that you either feel it, or you just don't.
And chess is definitely a cliche. I admit that it's not so bad in this movie because it merely is a game of life and death.
But there's other movies where chess is involved:
http://chess.eusa.ed.ac.uk/Chess/Trivia/chmovies.html
It gets to the point where you get sick of it. And that's just movies. Not all of them are played out the same way, but chess in general just gets sickening after a while.
I don't understand why you're so concerned with chess in the movie. It's really not a big deal and I don't think the director would have been as accomplished using something like checkers. I checked that website you linked and I feel like you've seen a minimal number of them. I've seen few movies where the acutal game of chess is symbolic for something. I feel like you're depreciating the movie because you simply don't like chess.
ReplyDeleteThe link was more of an example of the sheer volume of things with chess in it - chess in fiction is usually symbolic of something. Plus I watch plenty of anime, and for whatever reason this seems to be very common. Not only that, but as a writer, I look up cliche lists. It's a cliche that tends to appear on lists of overused cliches.
ReplyDeleteI get that it would be hard to get the same feeling with a different game. I totally understand that. But as a fiction writer, putting chess in something gets on my nerves after a while.
But it could be worse. They could be representing all the people with chess pieces. But that doesn't seem to be the case, so I'm glad for that. That's when it bothers me the most. It's been done a million times before.
I'm not trying to depreciate the movie. If you see it a million times before, you tend to get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. It was meant to be more of an attack on the cliche in general. That, and the fact that I don't particularly like any of the characters so far. Why should I care about this game? The movie hasn't given me a reason to care. To be honest, the chess scene didn't exactly annoy me when I first saw the opening scene, but it didn't blow me away either. I was sort of in a cynical and criticizing mood when I first wrote that anyway. I originally meant for it to be a little more sarcastic.
This is why you don't write blog posts when you're half asleep.
No one ever feels the same way I do when it comes to these kinds of things though. I'm always one out of one million when I have a crazy opinion on something, so I don't expect anyone to agree with me.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for reacting negatively to your post. I appreciate the amount of time and energy you have brought, not only to this post, but to your others, and to your very enthusiastic participation in the class. I may at times get peevish with anyone who dares to criticize my favorite films, which is not very professional of me.
ReplyDeletePlease don't let my comments, or those of Matt and Kamil deter you from future posts or comments. You are entitled to have a visceral reaction to a film, in fact that's half the fun of watching films. I was wrong to hammer you for that. I have two points to make in my defense.
First, I don't think you're being quite fair with regard to the chess thing. You, yourself say as much when you recognize that this film predates all those you reference. You are in good company, of course. In "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" they play Clue, Twister, and Battleship with death, so it has clearly become an object of parody. BUt, parody is always high praise, in a backhanded way.
My second point is that it is a bit early to be so critical. After all, it smacks a bit like the arrogance of youth to denounce a film that has been hailed by three generations of film critics and viewers as one of the greatest films of all time. Particularly so when we've only seen the first 3rd.
But, beyond all this, my criticism is unjust because I asked you all to post, and to post often. You, more than almost everyone else, has done that, and I am very appreciative of the fact. Please keep these cards and letters coming. I love you beautiful people, especially you. Mwah!