I liked it...it confused the heck out of me...but I liked it. It seemed very stream of consciousness. Haha, and because of that, this post may seem that way, too. Actually, because I LIKE to think linearly-
1) I was SO excited there was color! THEN, it was sepia...like a reverse Oz. At first I took the changes in color/filter to be a distinction between dream sequence/memory and reality/present. However, even that wasn't consistent.
2) Anyone notice the boom mike when the lady did the seance in the beginning?
3) The director obviously wanted his audience to note the natural elements: Earth (most of the poetry had some reference to flora and fauna), Fire (constant images of fire), Wind (even from the beginning, it sweeps noticeably across fields), and Water (also constant images of water- usually shown along with the fire). Maybe these could somehow symbolize the temporality of life. Things die and run out..."The only thing constant is change" (I forget who said it...probably some philosopher)
4) The scene where the woman was washing her hair reminded me SO much of the movie "The Ring." It was like pre-Asian horror horror.
There was also, in the same scene, something reminiscent of the film Dark Water (I haven't seen it yet, I only made a connection through previews).
5) Something about Ignat really creeped me out, and I have no idea why.
6) I don't remember the exact quote, but when Ignat reads to the woman in the "alternate universe" (which reminded me of Neil Gaiman's book 'Coraline') it said something about art. Then there is the book that Alyosha (?) has apparently taken, that's filled with art. There must be a connection there.
7) There was also the use of birds. Birds generally tend to represent freedom, but the ones in this film are both captured and killed. There's the swallow or sparrow or whatever it was, and the rooster. These may also be representative of how short life is.
8) I also noticed that both of the women dropped things, and when they did, their sons helped to pick the items up. It happened in the apartment with Ignat, and then in the doctor's house.
I really would like to watch this again, maybe to make a bit more sense of it. -Or maybe I'll imdb or Wikipedia it and then watch it again...
5 comments:
I like what you said about the birds. I saw the connection between the young boy grabbing the bird off his hat and the man at the end with the bird on his bed, but I forgot about the chicken. What you said makes sense.
The boom mike is presumably intentional. The very first thing we see in this film (once the MosFilm worker and collective farm worker have been shuttled off the scene) is Ignat turning on the tv. And this seems to be the show he is watching. Someone told me it was an actual tv program Tarkovsky used for that sequence--but I don't think that's right. In any case, the stuttering boy (even though he's played by a different actor) bears an eerie (and yes, I'll say "cornlike") resemblance to Ignat. Perhaps the tv there functions as a "mirror" of sorts?
I agree with many of your views on the movie. Many different elements were used in this movie to create its unique quality. (musical score, use of color - black and white, acting)
Mirror is a movie thats keeps the viewer confused and yet fascinated.
I think the creativity used in this movie makes this possible.
I found all of your comments to be very insightful. Basically, everything you talked about I did not realize. I particularily liked your thoughts on the birds. Things that are so subtle can seemingly have such a big meaning in movies. For the record, I thought Ignat was pretty weird too.
The earth elements where some of the first things that I began to piece together with this film. It was one conclusion that I cuold solidly defend, unlike just about everthing else which is a mystery to me. Did you notice how after each shot with fire water would soon appear after?, or how hands kept on appearing within many of the fire shots? I'm not sure if these images cantain any symbolism though.
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