Before reading this essay, you can read the previous one The Sinister Political Genius of Chancellor Palpatine Auctoritas, not veritas facit legem [Authority, not truth creates the law] Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Chapter 24 Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker heroically rescue Chancellor Palpatine from Count Dooku's pre-ordained “grip”; Dooku is beheaded by Anakin who defeats … Continue reading The Ominous Political Genius of Emperor Palpatine
I will start the exposition of Chancellor Palpatine's sinister political genius which resulted in the overthrow of the Galactic Republic by writing about the events which took place in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. I will use Carl Schmitt's writings on dictatorship, sovereignty and the state of exception, which are extremely fruitful … Continue reading The Sinister Political Genius of Chancellor Palpatine
In a 1951 letter to his editor, while explaining his Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien writes: “As far as all this has symbolical or allegorical significance, Light is such a primeval symbol in the nature of the Universe, that it can hardly be analysed. The Light of Valinor (derived from light before any fall) is the light … Continue reading 5 Japanese Movies Filmed in the Spirit of Junichirō Tanizaki’s Beautiful Essay “In Praise of Shadows”
The Mandalorian takes place some time after the fall of the Empire, in the outer reaches of the galaxy, which evades the authority of the New Republic. As we witness the beginning of the show, we see the setting similar to that of a western movie. A bar with thugs, and the hero, the Mandalorian … Continue reading The Mandalorian – Chapters I-III “Rule of Law’s Absence”
Earlier this year, I wrote an article about this very film, “Last Breaths of Christendom in the Land of the Rising Son”, emphasizing the role of the Japanese state (Tokugawa Shogunate) and the Hobbesian reading which implies that the state proscribes the teachings and religions practiced by the populace; in this case the state religion … Continue reading Silence (Martin Scorsese, 2016) “The Dark Night of the Soul”
When we talk about personal expression I’m often reminded of [Elia] Kazan’s film America America – the story of his uncle’s journey from Anitolia to America; the story of so many immigrants who came to this country from a very, very foreign land. I kind of identified with it and was very moved by it. Actually, … Continue reading In Martin Scorsese’s Words “Cinema and Spirituality”
Chris Evans, the actor who impersonated Captain America, said the following words regarding his character's transition from the WWII era to the modern day: “It's not so much about his shock with [technology]... It's more about the societal differences. He's gone from the '40s to today; he comes from a world where people were a … Continue reading Captain America: The Winter Soldier (MCU, 2014) “Freedom or Security?”
For the second part of the list dealing with the films based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, with a focus on the fairy tale Red Riding Hood, I chose a Japanese animated film "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" and a surrealist Czechoslovakian film "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders", films which deal with this fairy tale in an extraordinary way...
Brothers Grimm's fairy tales are now part of our collective imagination (I will not use Jung's term “collective unconscious” since it is a bit problematic). Isabel dos Santos, the author of the article about Brothers Grimm “Reluctant Romantics”, writes: “Throughout the entire world, fairy tales have for generations played a significant part in children’s upbringing … Continue reading 5 Films Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales (Sleeping Beauty & Snow White)
Editor’s Note: Since the film is in the cinemas at the moment while I am writing this article, I will not reveal any details about the film's plot, and I will certainly not write a value judgment of the film. Whether the film is enjoyable or not in the final verdict is a matter of … Continue reading Joker (Tod Phillips, 2019) “Pathological Struggle for Recognition”
