Post by TRE on Sept 12, 2010 11:46:51 GMT -5
Dead Man.... 1995... Black and White Western.... Jim Jarmusch
Death is a perceptual process played out culture by culture and character by character in this film... one most certainly has a sense of fate, destiny and the ignorance involved in fatal flaws.
From the moment Crispin Glover delivers the line 'I can't read but I wouldn't trust no words written on no paper from a man named thingyenson in a town called Machine. You are likely to walk right up and meet your death there,' (paraphrased) the audience gets a sense of where the story will go with this oddly disoriented character on the train named Bill Blake.
The specific poetic references in this film are based on the Main Character Bill Blake having gone through the sort of character transformation which cannot be returned from.
As Blake arrives at the final stop on the line and his final destination, its clear that the town has nothing to offer but death and the raw truth of elimination in all its unblinkered truths. Whether it be the furriers or the trappers or even the unfortunate hooker in the alley, the clear indicator is that no one's life matters in this town called 'Machine' and you best get to your business while you can.
He is confused by his self-appointed Indian Guide, Xebeche, for the great poet William Blake who wrote such works as 'The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.' Many of Blakes quotes are featured in this movie and allegories to poet are many. Other characters create their own poetry throughout the movie as a way of making sense of the complete desecration of a beautiful world.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYN_zirnk70&feature=player_embedded
Xebeche supposedly means 'Man who talks Loudly but says Nothing' this name is rejected by Xebeche for the more appropriately self-titled name of Nobody. It should be noted that the 'talks loud but says nothing' reference is directly related to the song of James Brown... Say it loud... Im talkin bout Proud!
This name is basically also equated with 'liar' later as Nobody tells his story, but he in fact and in deed is the one who delivers the greater vision as an understanding of values and process of transformation which is being witnessed across the nation specifcally because he is Nobody and travels around talking with others in the story as a revelation of what settling the West in the late 1800's was all about.
His best line was to ask Depp if he killed the man who killed him which lead to this prophetic statement: 'This weapon (gun) will now speak for you and your poetry will be written in blood.' The story becomes a travesty of realizing that The West was not won... It was killed....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8gNPUzmjJY&feature=player_embedded
Beyond literal references to Blake there is other poetry found thoughout this film as a part of Depp's Bill getting to know his indian guide Xebeche aka 'Nobody' and Crispin Glover as the 'Fireman' on the train.
There is a huge cast of characters who have bit parts but very few of them deliver the vision and the poetry because they are passing ideas. One might this this an allegory to Dante's Inferno.... not sure it quite fits but it is freshly relevant to the concepts which Blake (poet) was inspired to explore.
It doesnt get much more poetic than this as a bit of Depp's poetry in motion...
You can hear lines in this movie respond to the writings of the Great Poet Blake such as:
Dont let the Sun Burn a hole in your ass William Blake
Rise now and drive your cart and horse over the bones of the dead....
and
I will take you to the bridge made of waters... the great mirror
and it will take back up where you belong William Blake...
The place where the sea meets the sky....
The stark contrast of Christianity in this film is played out as a pure tool of 'liberating people from the soul of their life' in a number of ways. Clearly there is no church or solace as a place of beauty in the town to speak of as Blake wanders the streets jobless and aimless. It is only mentioned in the social grace of blessing food by the purely insane and it is finally scripted through Alfred Molina's part in contrast with the very real and visceral points of reference experienced as a part of the Native American world through which they all walk and ride. The disconnected nature and complete disorientation of the majority of characters becomes apparent as the Euro-Americans get farther and farther from the town of Machine.
Oddly enough there are multiple references to philistines which might allude to the eventual decline of the Palestinian nations at the hand of Israel across the sea. Clearly compassion and kindness as attempts to connect with true humanity and decency lead to each characters downfall in this film and the homage to William Blake stands firm as each character attempts to sully his wisdom only to find a short life will soon follow.
Whether it be the bounty hunter kid ignoring admonitions not to drink stagnant water or Missionary Trading Store Priest who tries to quote the bible against the words of Blake, the ending is the same 'the gun becomes the poet and the poetry is written in blood.' Depp's Blake says 'You must not know my poetry' and then shoots to kill as a way of giving back to Caesar what is Caesar's in this film about the contrivances of man.
Death is a perceptual process played out culture by culture and character by character in this film... one most certainly has a sense of fate, destiny and the ignorance involved in fatal flaws.
From the moment Crispin Glover delivers the line 'I can't read but I wouldn't trust no words written on no paper from a man named thingyenson in a town called Machine. You are likely to walk right up and meet your death there,' (paraphrased) the audience gets a sense of where the story will go with this oddly disoriented character on the train named Bill Blake.
The specific poetic references in this film are based on the Main Character Bill Blake having gone through the sort of character transformation which cannot be returned from.
As Blake arrives at the final stop on the line and his final destination, its clear that the town has nothing to offer but death and the raw truth of elimination in all its unblinkered truths. Whether it be the furriers or the trappers or even the unfortunate hooker in the alley, the clear indicator is that no one's life matters in this town called 'Machine' and you best get to your business while you can.
He is confused by his self-appointed Indian Guide, Xebeche, for the great poet William Blake who wrote such works as 'The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.' Many of Blakes quotes are featured in this movie and allegories to poet are many. Other characters create their own poetry throughout the movie as a way of making sense of the complete desecration of a beautiful world.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYN_zirnk70&feature=player_embedded
Xebeche supposedly means 'Man who talks Loudly but says Nothing' this name is rejected by Xebeche for the more appropriately self-titled name of Nobody. It should be noted that the 'talks loud but says nothing' reference is directly related to the song of James Brown... Say it loud... Im talkin bout Proud!
This name is basically also equated with 'liar' later as Nobody tells his story, but he in fact and in deed is the one who delivers the greater vision as an understanding of values and process of transformation which is being witnessed across the nation specifcally because he is Nobody and travels around talking with others in the story as a revelation of what settling the West in the late 1800's was all about.
His best line was to ask Depp if he killed the man who killed him which lead to this prophetic statement: 'This weapon (gun) will now speak for you and your poetry will be written in blood.' The story becomes a travesty of realizing that The West was not won... It was killed....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8gNPUzmjJY&feature=player_embedded
Beyond literal references to Blake there is other poetry found thoughout this film as a part of Depp's Bill getting to know his indian guide Xebeche aka 'Nobody' and Crispin Glover as the 'Fireman' on the train.
There is a huge cast of characters who have bit parts but very few of them deliver the vision and the poetry because they are passing ideas. One might this this an allegory to Dante's Inferno.... not sure it quite fits but it is freshly relevant to the concepts which Blake (poet) was inspired to explore.
It doesnt get much more poetic than this as a bit of Depp's poetry in motion...
You can hear lines in this movie respond to the writings of the Great Poet Blake such as:
Dont let the Sun Burn a hole in your ass William Blake
Rise now and drive your cart and horse over the bones of the dead....
and
I will take you to the bridge made of waters... the great mirror
and it will take back up where you belong William Blake...
The place where the sea meets the sky....
The stark contrast of Christianity in this film is played out as a pure tool of 'liberating people from the soul of their life' in a number of ways. Clearly there is no church or solace as a place of beauty in the town to speak of as Blake wanders the streets jobless and aimless. It is only mentioned in the social grace of blessing food by the purely insane and it is finally scripted through Alfred Molina's part in contrast with the very real and visceral points of reference experienced as a part of the Native American world through which they all walk and ride. The disconnected nature and complete disorientation of the majority of characters becomes apparent as the Euro-Americans get farther and farther from the town of Machine.
Oddly enough there are multiple references to philistines which might allude to the eventual decline of the Palestinian nations at the hand of Israel across the sea. Clearly compassion and kindness as attempts to connect with true humanity and decency lead to each characters downfall in this film and the homage to William Blake stands firm as each character attempts to sully his wisdom only to find a short life will soon follow.
Whether it be the bounty hunter kid ignoring admonitions not to drink stagnant water or Missionary Trading Store Priest who tries to quote the bible against the words of Blake, the ending is the same 'the gun becomes the poet and the poetry is written in blood.' Depp's Blake says 'You must not know my poetry' and then shoots to kill as a way of giving back to Caesar what is Caesar's in this film about the contrivances of man.