This blurring of reality inverts the analogy, of course. Soon it becomes hard to tell which characters are actors in his play from which characters are actors in the film attempting to live their lives in peace. Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York blurs Caden’s imagination with the reality of the world around him. After facing a series of awful and unfortunate events, he becomes obsessed with a play he is producing and devotes his entire life to making it his masterpiece. Synecdoche, New York is a reverse application of the cave analogy, because it follows Caden Cotard (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a theater director in Schenectady, as he leaves reality and enters the cave. But, no Hitchcock film is truly a Hitchcock film without a murder, so anticipation builds and the film builds up to a dramatic climax. In fact, of this list, this is the most visually allusive to the allegory of the cave. Inside the cave, Hitchcock gives viewers an eerie remake of the cave allegory, as the camera follows the shadows of those in the boat just through a cave. Bruce then stalks Guy’s wife at a carnival and eventually climbs onto a boat she and others are riding to an island. In what can only be described as a perfect coincidence, he runs into Bruce Anthony (Robert Walker) on a train, who convinces him that he is the perfect person to commit such a murder. Guy Haines (Farley Granger), a tennis star, wants to rid himself of his wife. Thanks to a speech Emmet gives, Lord Business reforms simultaneously while the boy’s father realizes that gluing the pieces together inhibits his son’s creativity, and so both worlds are saved as the “Piece of Resistance” is used to cap the “Kragle.” Thus, by turning to the higher realm, Emmet is able to save Lego World. The boy’s father has been gluing the pieces together to keep them the way he envisioned Lego World, to his son’s chagrin. When the real world is revealed to viewers, we realize a boy has been playing with Lego pieces and that “The Kragle” is actually Krazy Glue with letters missing from the tube. Analyzed at this level, the film seems a bit cliché, but there is much more depth. After being captured and watching his friend die, Emmet escapes and rallies the people of Lego World to fight against Lord Business. Construction worker Emmet Brickowski discovers a woman named Wyldstyle digging through his construction site and accidentally falls through a hole to discover this “Piece of Resistance”.Įmmet is therefore dubbed “The Special” and sets out to fight Lord Business. What films would you add to this list?įull of hidden messages and allusions, The Lego Movie is about a prophecy, which predicts one named “The Special” will prevent the evil “Lord Business” from using a weapon of mass destruction named the “Kragle” with the help of a “Piece of Resistance”. I limit this list to one film per director, though many of these directors have several great platonic films. In what is to follow, I list 10 great films that feature Platonic cave allegories. Nearly all philosophy is indebted to Plato in one way or another, so unsurprisingly many films allude to him and to his cave allegory in particular. Sound familiar? One of the oldest thought experiments in philosophy’s history, Plato’s allegory of the cave serves as a vehicle to help his audience imagine a world or reality outside the one they know. On this wall, you see shadows of figures and objects illuminated by a fire positioned behind you. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, Venmo and Crypto.You are trapped in a dark cave, chained up and forced to look forward onto a wall in front of you, and you have been in this position since your birth. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, please find it here. Big thanks to Eren at FilmAnnex for sending this one our way. And, above, some clever artists provide an award-winning animation of the cave scene using nothing other than clay. Known as the “allegory of the cave,” this passage lets Plato offer commentary about the nature of reality and human understanding. In an episode of Philosophy Bites, Simon Blackburn (Cambridge University) talks with Nigel Warburton and David Edmonds about what Plato really wants to say here. They can only see manipulated shadows on walls, and that’s about all. Imagine prisoners shackled in a cave, their heads chained in such a way they can’t look out into the world itself. In Book VII of The Republic, Plato paints a dark scene for readers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |