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Blue -
The description of film as an empathy machine is one I agree with and that I've referenced a lot. This movie may be the purest example of it I've seen yet. Empathy is the primary sensation I had while hearing Jarman's commentary on living with AIDS, especially since I'm ashamed to say I was not aware of how much medication and how many visits to the doctor were required to treat the condition in the '90s until now. The sadness I felt was no less genuine, particularly whenever he discussed the fates of his many friends and former lovers, nor was my anger towards the powers that be whose neglect had a hand in putting Jarman into this state.
As for his musings on "Blue," besides being pure poetry, I found the insight into how victims of debilitation manage, philosophize and personify their ailments fascinating, and with the aid of the soundtrack, strangely beautiful. That leads to my thoughts about what may be the most famous aspect of this movie in that it's 75 minutes of blue screen. Since it's never not meaningful, I never lost interest or found it tedious; in fact, I would have been happy to hear even more of Jarman's thoughts than what we get. Besides, I was in such a contemplative state that some of what was in my mind's eye displayed on my TV. The entire project recalls a scene from another movie from the same year, Philadelphia, in which Tom Hanks' AIDS victim describes what is happening in a favorite aria to his lawyer. In other words, beyond my new understanding of and increased empathy for what Jarman and all other AIDS sufferers experience, I walked away from this movie with a renewed appreciation for existence.
The description of film as an empathy machine is one I agree with and that I've referenced a lot. This movie may be the purest example of it I've seen yet. Empathy is the primary sensation I had while hearing Jarman's commentary on living with AIDS, especially since I'm ashamed to say I was not aware of how much medication and how many visits to the doctor were required to treat the condition in the '90s until now. The sadness I felt was no less genuine, particularly whenever he discussed the fates of his many friends and former lovers, nor was my anger towards the powers that be whose neglect had a hand in putting Jarman into this state.
As for his musings on "Blue," besides being pure poetry, I found the insight into how victims of debilitation manage, philosophize and personify their ailments fascinating, and with the aid of the soundtrack, strangely beautiful. That leads to my thoughts about what may be the most famous aspect of this movie in that it's 75 minutes of blue screen. Since it's never not meaningful, I never lost interest or found it tedious; in fact, I would have been happy to hear even more of Jarman's thoughts than what we get. Besides, I was in such a contemplative state that some of what was in my mind's eye displayed on my TV. The entire project recalls a scene from another movie from the same year, Philadelphia, in which Tom Hanks' AIDS victim describes what is happening in a favorite aria to his lawyer. In other words, beyond my new understanding of and increased empathy for what Jarman and all other AIDS sufferers experience, I walked away from this movie with a renewed appreciation for existence.