Heidi and I just watched "A Beautiful Mind." What a fantastic, moving movie. This was the second time I've seen it, and as is the case with most movies with profound "twists," watching it for a second time was perhaps even more rewarding than the first.
I'm grateful for Russel Crow for performing so well in that role. I'm grateful for John Nash himself for providing the moving storyline and fighting the unfightable.
Movies can be immensely powerful - they are intriguing vehicles into other people's lives and experiences - allowing anyone who is willing to let go of reality to step into at least an opaque portrayal of true, yet alien, human experience.
"Swing Kids" is another movie that still weighs heavily on my mind. I saw that for the first time two weeks ago - yet its disturbing truths still haunt me from time to time. As most of you know, Heidi and I visited Europe this last Spring (and oh, what volumes could I write about that trip...) and many of our historic visits were memorials and relics to World War II. We visited Dachau and saw a cleaned-up shred of what humans can do to their brothers. Seeing "Swing Kids" allowed a glimps into how that all happened - how the youth could be brought to commit such atrocities in the name of Progress... How violence was not a question, it was the means of communication. It is so sad what we, as humans, are capable of.
Yet, on the other hand, returning to the impetus to this post, John Nash's sad yet triumphant tale speaks to the glory of the human spirit - that while we may indeed have such dark potential, the potential for greatness is also within us. The seeds of triumph and glory are in us. It is so amazing what we, as humans, are capable of.
Two addenda to be added, the first unworthy of the post, and the second far beyond its scope:
ReplyDelete1) One of the more immediately disturbing aspects of "Swing Kids" was its mortal violence. By that I mean bloody fist fights, brutal shows of superiority, and crunched bones. So many movies today show many people being hurt or killed - but always cleanly - someone gets shot, gasps and is gone. The viewer feels little to nothing for the death. Yet, in "Swing Kids" the audience is exposed to true, realistic violence. In one scene one character's hand gets stomped on by one of Hitler's Youth, breaking the victim's fingers. That single scene haunts me more than any "action" movie I've (perhaps) ever seen, even those in which scores of men lose their lives.
Despite its disturbing violence, I praise the film for its taste in showing realistic violence (which was characteristic of so many societies of that day, not just Nazi Germany - and still is, to a degree - but that's an entirely different conversation). It showed that situation in a very appreciable, powerful way.
The second addendum:
ReplyDelete2) As the post dealt with the human spirit, especially its triumphant potential, one cannot forget our Father. "A Beautiful Mind" is an entirely secular tale, but I do beg the remembrance of He who provides the triumph. As Sons and Daughters of God, it is our imperative to be found worthy - to triumph - so that we may one day return to Him and live in His glorious presence. The human spirit is strong and powerful, but, in the long run, meaningless without direction. He provides the direction just as well as He provides the reward. Of that I am certain.
you're a good man - I'm glad you married my daughter...
ReplyDelete