MOVIES AND MEANING
a commentary
a commentary
SECOND
DECEMBER 17, 2008
1:30 PM
I just got back from Antipolo, it was a hazy day and i heard forecast of rains from northwest. The skies were troubling my conscience. i followed a straight path from the junction of Kapinunan avenue and Marcos Highway and walked straight towards the stairs crossing the busy highway, and fled towards the Katipunan jeepney. i felt considerably warm and dislodged, with two heavy plastic in both hands and a jostling messenger bag hanging on my shoulders. I breathed as soon as i sat beside a middle-aged fat woman, and she was murmuring something about the traffic and politics. I did not want to listen. Sounds of truckloads banging the dusty causeway, switching gears of motorcycles and shrieks of barkers saturated my ears. It was then and there, i knew that it was KATIPUNAN on an ordinary Wednesday. What could happen?
230 K arrived from the Katipunan station with a gray bag. I brought K a bottle of mineral water for substantial consumption. I want K to indulge in the healthiness of the soul, yet there seemed to be sadness around. The tinge of the sky convulsed as gray as the bag, and sultry wind wept in ensemble with the dust and smoke. It is as if that moment created a deepened feeling, of disgust and aberration, a darkened humming noise gauged the stillness between K and me as we sat on a jeepney.
It seemed that i have lost my loneliness sitting with K. It hindered my senses, my clutter brain defiled, and as soon as K spoke with K's hair waxed like a shoe, my loneliness was over.
I broke into an exhortation, a windy disposition, with a smiling face and exuberant spirit, i made K taste my tipsy words coming from mouth. My admiration to this talented entity grew like a stalk, building and branching out, but the closeness of my adamant eyes to K's despised me. I retreat by mentioning cold words like "how are you?" It felt defined that at this moment everything is possible, everything is true, brimming with joyfulness and callousness. It felt that as of this day, when the lanterns lit the darkness, when the white butterfly exposed its wings, the utterly conjugated feeling of longing would be quenched forever. Persistent, we jumped from the jeepney and headed to the dormitory to get K's treasure violin.
Rich, when lanterns fled towards the streets of Diliman, everything is virtually hanged with pleasure, to see how K's eyes were opened. How K greeted them! Fine Arts! Fine Arts! i saw K's eyes mysteriously lit the space that he pursued. Beside K were hungry by-standers, meticulously seeking for pleasure. The construction of Ks perceptions brought me into a temptation: to make most it.
And when the night came we sat, alone in the wilderness. People walked with pace, but they did not mind, for their eyes were blind, blinded with explendid pursuits, fulfilled with the majestic brilliance of the lanterns. Whenever i could, i would look at them from a far. I saw most of them, smiling. Others, they frowned in mystery.
As soon as our eyes were fixed i cannot possibly tell you what happened. (TO BE CONTINUED)
READ THE FIRST PART! CLICK HERE!
READ THE THIRD PART! CLICK HERE!
MOVIES AND MEANING
A film book must-have
I enjoy Prince so much i want to engorged the whole book into my mouth, but do not take this in literal sense per se. I struggled in finding a good book on film. It is most needed and not that there is more hope in CAL (college of Arts and letter) Library, i want to exhaust the power of my library card. With five library books on regular circulation and 2 books on the reserve section to borrow, i consumed only 5. I manage to get 4 books on film and 1 book on philosophical writing, not that i needed them for my academic pursuits.
Last month, I integrated my film research with my academic reading with ultimate dedication that i found no time enjoying most of my building-up film collection. So i promised to watch them all: two Bergman and the Coppola masterpieces "The Godfather #1, 2 and 3", Capra's "its a wonderful life", Truffaut's dazzling "the 400 blows". On my contemporary collection i recently acquired "Grave of the fireflies" and the newly acclaimed 80th academy award winner for best foreign film, "Counterfeiters". I also have Scorsese's "raging Bull" and Edward Yang "YIYI".
I hope my collection would look like this!
ARCHIVES!
The breathtaking cinematic experience of my December vacation just got better after finding MOVIES AND MEANING by Stephen Prince utterly satisfying. I love the book. Prince definitely knows his audience, and his enthusiastic tone generates a lively reading experience for budding cinephiles like me. It is rich with images and up-to-date with movies. it uses popular films as basis for analysis which may be beneficial for start-from-scratch beginners.
if anyone of you is willing to experience cinema with critical eye, i suggest you get Prince's MOVIES AND MEANING. it is most satisfying.
GREAT GREAT BOOK!
