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By Tara Plog | I read Steve's article on personally significant film quotes a couple days ago. Kudos, Steve. Insightful and fun! Watch out, though; I am ineffably inspired to share my own. Read on!
"I live a small life--well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave."
Through this class, God enticed me to pursue my MFA (which changed into an MA). Although I don't think of it as being brave--but rather, necessary--I look back now and know I never would have gone through the experience if I would have known all it would involve before I began. And, now that I've completed my MA, I again need to move on. But which direction? Where? And how? And how can God possibly use my small life to positively impact others? I don't see the answers. But I'm trying to live in the questions. Maybe that's the beginning. I'm not brave. But I hope I'm not a fool either.
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
In cinema, as in life, I find laughter and profound thought often coincide. (I also think deeply about what makes me sense loss and pain.) What cannot coexist is thought and hatred. With this in mind, I must choose my words carefully--not necessarily to avoid offending, but to offend only when necessary. Further, I want to ask others what they mean, instead of assuming. As I work at communication, I'm rediscovering people as 'nuances' and 'facets' and 'combinations'--not easy, or willing, to be boxed, categorized and pigeon-holed. And as I recognize this in others, I hope they, in turn, will recognize it in me. Christian. Woman. Artist. It's a matter of respect, even--yes, especially--when we disagree.
"Lastday. Year of the City-2274. Carousel begins."
The ideas of Heaven and Hope are distinct, yet intertwined. It is the belief that there is no "sanctuary", no Heaven--no relief from the pain of this world, not to mention a passage into joy and freedom which we cannot imagine--that causes my spirit to rebel. It is the loss of Heaven (and Hope) that destroys a person--and, by extension, a society. And it is Hope (and Heaven) that Christians must reaffirm. Reevaluate. Reimagine. We cannot fully imagine Heaven-but we can begin to. We must.
"The world is as we make it ... . The world is as I make it."
Two men. Two faith journeys. One God. While the priest sees love as the only protector of faith, the soldier senses his faith must protect those who are defenseless. Yet, at the same time, both men agonize over their choice--and share in anguish as they live it out. In the midst of this, one man has the authority to challenge the greed, the manipulation, the abusers. The Archbishop knows the doctrines; he recognizes his responsibility. But he doesn't act on it. He is more afraid of the human than the Divine. And in the end, the only human who sheds tears for the Archbishop is himself.
For me, this film is strewn with stunning reminders of faith--and startling questions. Like in Scripture, the issue centers around the living water. Life is a 'ripple' effect; each person does impact someone else. Priest or soldier. Native or foreign. Young or aged. In a very real sense, if a relatively 'small' one, there are two 'makings' of the world. One happened when God created the world. The next happens as we do--as we cry, we love, we choose: love or betrayal. Of whom am I most afraid? God forgive me when I make the wrong choice.
"Una vida con miedo es como la vida medias." / "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived."
"You know those days when you get the mean reds? ... Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?"
Strangely enough, the movies repeat this message too. Maybe God does want to use film to tell us something.... Maybe He already has.
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-- Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail
This phrase complements a Scripture God used at a point in my life when I needed to move on: "Why do you spend your effort on things that do not satisfy?" I was working with a non-profit organization; and what they were doing was significant. But I wasn't pursuing my calling (to writing and film), and was becoming more and more restless. I had an opportunity to invest in a film genre and discussion class--writing essays on such topics as To Kill a Mockingbird and Sabrina (1941 and 1992). This rekindled a dwindling passion, by showing me I no longer 'fit' at my job; I no longer 'liked' it.
-- Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
Ecumenism. Politics. Orthodox. Feminist. These are but a few examples of "loaded words"--words I too often assume I understand. Such words often cause a person to react before s/he thinks. They become words of battle-causing defensiveness. As I continue my spiritual journey, God is teaching me--ever so slowly--the truth in a 'classic' communication adage: Meaning is in people, not words. A person's background, perspective, culture (among other factors) influence how he or she communicates--both in what one says and in what one hears from another. (Don't misunderstand: words are not arbitrary, but they are more fluid than bound in the pages of a dictionary.)
-- Computer, Logan's Run
"There is ... no ... sanctuary."
-- Logan 5, Logan's Run
One of my favorite films is Logan's Run. And although I value the journey of the characters, and 'resonate' with their questions, their need to doubt and their movement from passivity to passion (desiring to not only survive but to LIVE), the beginning and the end of the film cause the most violent emotions in me. The first quote refers to forcing someone to die. And not merely one person, but an entire society--one by one. The second quote deals with forcing someone to lose hope. The two are inexorably connected.
-- The Archbishop, The Mission
-- Fran, Strictly Ballroom
Everyone has fears. Of course, it seems your own are greater than anyone else's--because they're yours. My experience has been: when the gnawing restlessness overpowers the grasping fear, then I will (finally) move into the fear. And through it. This phrase reminds me the risk is worth it--if only because of what I'll gain if I don't try: a half-life.
-- Holly GoLightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's
Fear again. Do you know how many times God tells His followers "Do not be afraid" (or some paraphrase thereof)? I don't either; but I know God is downright redundant. Gabriel tells Mary, mother of Jesus, as part of the Enunciation. God tells Moses at the burning bush. Christ tells Mary Magdelene in the garden. Christ to the disciples. God to the prophets. (Etcetera. Etcetera.)
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