On Saturday I watched all three movies in The Lord of the Rings. Running at more than 9 hours in total, it spanned the gamut of emotions–excitement, sorrow, confusion, awe, terror, happiness, exhaustion–for only a few of them.
What is this experience like? As millions of people have seen at least one of these fine films, I am not sure how many have seen all three of them, in order, in a single day. It gives me an interesting perspective of them as films, stories, and archetypal experiences. As I have read the three books more than once and watched the movies several times, but this is the first time I saw the stories (by which in this context I mean the movies) holistically.
From this large and exhausting experience, there are a few themes and ideas I have noticed that I think transcend the movies themselves:
The movies together tell one large and complex tale. Like all stories, there are many perceptions from different perspectives, with lives that intersect and influence one another. The characters’ lives and triumphs and challenges and deaths all relate them to one another in complex ways. Our lives seem to be like that as well. Our lives intersect with one another, and actions we take today do influence our tomorrows, the people who will be there, and how we make meaning. From this perspective, our lives are so complex that we cannot often make sense of them while we are living them, as only when seen holistically and in retrospect can we begin to see how connections and experiences influence one another.
Good and evil are somewhat elusive concepts. There is a scene where Frodo tricks Golum (Frodo the “master” had gained Golum’s trust, the first time in over 500 or so years Golum has trusted anybody), and in the process Golum is captured. Frodo did this to save Golum’s life, but he never explained this to Golum himself, to which this event seemed like an act of treachery and completely shook his faith in Frodo. Could Frodo have explained this to Golum? Should he have done so? Would the intentions have changed how the action was perceived? Is the ethical judgment of the act depend on the knowledge and intentions around it? I wonder how our individual sense of morality interpret this event.
Treebeard, the Ent / shepherd of the trees, said at one point, “Side? I am on nobody’s side. Because nobody is on my side.” This seems to lead to so many international incidents. Genocide. Denigration to women. Lack of rights for gays and lesbians, not to mention the transgendered and folks fitting the two-spirit traditions. Doesn’t this lead to crime waves, NIMBY, all the problems in the television series Jericho, urban blight, and the current incarceration rate of 1 in 100 people in the US? Is this the speaking of a child or or US foreign policy or of a wise person who knows it is better to not make waves as this too shall pass? Perhaps only time will tell if this is wise or not?
Is good always good and evil always evil, with easy, clear-cut lines? If this were the case, then many items in life would be much neater and readily able to be packed in a box. All orcs are bad, and most hobbits are good. Characters who smile and look interested are good, and those who seem mischievous or are dark or stare are evil. Seems smooth, until we encounter Saruman the White (who was good then evil), and all the neat lines and definitions sink into confusion. Very real indeed.
A few little hobbits persevered and saved Middle Earth. Can seemingly minor people have great impact? Can we really know what impact people around us have? At times we see people who seem influential and important, but at other times we only know people’s real contributions at a later time. Perhaps it really does not matter unless we are directly involved?
Golum fought with himself. Among the greatest scenes in the entire story is when Golum fought within himself, both his good and his evil nature. We see one win after so many years of the other’s rule, only to sink back into his evil nature again. Did the ring really possess him, or was he weak? Do influences outside of us really hold so much sway over our lives? What role does free will play when external experiences hold so much power? Nature or nurture? If the evil ring really did possess, then was Golum still evil?
Gimli and comic relief. With so much horror in the world (both Middle Earth and our own), isn’t Gimli a refreshing breath of air? He brought simple comedy (e.g., toss me, but don’t tell the elf) to dire scenes. Did this make them bareable, or did they lesson the difficult lessons by mocking the tragedies? Like a Greek tragedy that utilizes comic relief so as not to create undo stress to the audience, Gimli helped play a character as well as manage the viewing. I wish I knew a Gimli.
I can go on and on, but after watching such a large and complex tale, I both wish I could visit that land and be written about in stories as well as take what I learned and bring it into my life here and now. What does the leaving of the elves at the end of the tale mean about the role of myth and legend and magic in our world? Does history become legend and legend become myth? What does this mean for us?
As I love art and aesthetics, what better way to begin the New Year than by showcasing some body art of some friends? My friend Adam decided (finally) to have the back of his knees tattooed, after most of the other parts that he can see have already been covered. With such detail, it is no wonder his wife Mindy loves him! This has even made me begin to consider having something similar done . . .
For Mindy’s part and not quite to be outdone, she has decided to become a cover model. While this is not one of the regular periodicals I frequent (no, it is not peer-reviewed), I am glad Adam pointed it out. However, to save all of you from asking–no, that is not a hairdryer in her hand!
Over the weekend I spent some time in New York City’s Central Park, walking around to clear my mind and relieve stress. I snapped a few photos of my time while walking by the Chess and Checkers House, going inside the Dairy, and spanding some time in the Central Park Zoo and Children’s Zoo. I uploaded the pictures I took there to Flickr.
Michael was mentioned in this past week’s Cindy Adams Gossip column in the ONLY>New York Post. A nice comment about Michael’s bookA Very New York Christmas which has an introduction by Cynthia Nixon. Way to go, Michael!
A colleague of mine recommended a documentary film that was just released on DVD, Into Great Silence. The filmmaker, Philip Groning, lived for six months with the Carthusian monks at the motherhouse of the order, the Grande Chartreuse, in the French Alps. Unlike most Catholic religious orders of monks, the Carthusians have maintained their strict discipline for almost 1000 years, after being founded by St. Bruno in 1084. The film is very strong, as it invited me into a world I knew existed but which I had never seen. Carthusians do not entertain visitors, and there has never been a documentary about their lives. This is not so much to be secretive, but rather to maintain the quiet needed for the contemplative. The video captures their work, prayers, community, and humanity in a way that has never been captured and shared so openly before. I wonder what effect this may have. Will they have more vocations? Attempted visitors? Donations? Influence among dedicated laity looking for a more reflective religious meaning to life? For me, I felt almost like a voyeur; one so riveted by seeing the heretofore unseen, I was mesmerized. I wonder how this may affect me in the long term?
Michael Storrings has a number of new hand-painted Christmas ornaments this year, and he will be signing them again at Saks Fifth Ave. (5th Ave. at 50th St.), on the 8th Floor from 1:00-4:00 each day. The dates for this are 11/23, 11/24, 11/25, 12/8, 12/9, 12/22, & 12/23. A selection of his new mugs, dessert plates, coasters, placemats, and stationary will also be available at Saks.
He will also sign his ornaments and mugs at the Lincoln Center Tree Lighting on 11/26 at 5:00 (located in the Metropolitan Opera Shop at the Metropolitan Opera).
Additionally, he has a new, limited edition book of watercolors depicting various sites of Christmas throughout all 5 Boroughs of NYC. This is available exclusively at the Top of the Rock Shop at Rockefeller Center and Saks Fifth Ave.
I am planning to attend most of these signings to assist and offer support, so perhaps I will see some of you there as well?
These are the postcards he created to promote the events:
I missed seeing Fernando Botero’s Abu Ghraib paintings when they were in New York last year, and just learned about them in the current issue of GQ Magazine (sorry, there is not an article on their own site about this; how odd). Wow, they are strong. Amazing how the pain in the normally playful figures central to his work is depicted, and after reading about the struggles he had early in life in the violent Colombia of his youth, I can see how the depiction of the prisoners in the Iraqi prision moved him to represent this through his art. The juxtaposition of his style and this subject matter is disturbing, just as are the photos of the soldiers humiliating the prisoners themselves. I find it interesting that the painter has chosen not to sell any of the fifty or so works in this set; quite telling of how he views torture and those who profit through it.
While I am a visual learner, I do not find myself spending much time on YouTube unless a colleague or friend recommends something, as I don’t have the patience or the wherewithal to look around for hours until I find something. I don’t remember hwen I first stumbled across Noah’s video, but has had a great affect on me–the haunting music, the passing time, the changing sameness–take a look for yourself.
Is this autoethnography? Art? Research? Therapy? Expressive in some way that I cannot easily characterize. Let me watch it again.
I went hiking last week for the first time. Bought new Merrell hiking boots and even rented Leki trekking poles. Had a wonderful time. Great changes in scenery over the 3.2 miles, which gave me a workout in nature without filtered air nor with an iPod. What a nifty idea. I loaded some other pictures on Flickr.
Keep this up, and I just may lose weight and get into shape. Once again, what a nifty idea!
On the other hand, there is no better place to clean the mind while studying Kant’s Third Critique. Where better place to see art than in the woods? Not quite like Thoreau, but I did come out of them.
As I love art and aesthetics, what better way to begin the New Year than by showcasing some body art of some friends? My friend Adam decided (finally) to have the back of his knees tattooed, after most of the other parts that he can see have already been covered. With such detail, it is no wonder his wife Mindy loves him! This has even made me begin to consider having something similar done . . .
Over the weekend I spent some time in New York City’s Central Park, walking around to clear my mind and relieve stress. I snapped a few photos of my time while walking by the Chess and Checkers House, going inside the Dairy, and spanding some time in the Central Park Zoo and Children’s Zoo. I uploaded the pictures I took there to 
I missed seeing Fernando Botero’s Abu Ghraib paintings when they were in 
