I forward "Two Lane Blacktop", described as an 'existentialist road
movie'. The very flat dialogue conveys a sense of lives without
meaning. All the main characters exist through their mobility, there is
no grounding. Quite literally, the Machanic, the Driver and the Car are
running in a 'one-car' race that seems to have no end.
>
> One thought;
>
> If a filmmaker claim that he has done a nihilistic film already isn´t
that al a kind of moral. I mean to say "i have no moral" is also a form
of moral! Hmm, just a thought...
>
> Hans Heydebreck <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> --- "Shaw, Dan" wrote:
>
> > I just had a friend call me with an intriguing
> > question: what are the most nihilistic films you
> > have even seen? I thought I'd seek help in
> > answering from the salon...please name your favorite
> > nihilistic films, and explain why you think they are
> > so bleak.
> >
> > Dan
>
> Hello,
> I have to admit that I tend to turn off nihilistic
> movies. The obvious candidates are a few of Kubrick´s
> movies, in particular A Clockwork Orange, Dr.
> Strangelove and Eyes Wide Shut. For my taste, it´s
> simply lacking the emotions - rage, fear, despair - on
> behalf of the filmmaker or the characters portrayed. I
> believe this is what (mainly) contributes to Kubrick
> being appreciated so greatly, which is certainly
> justified.
> Nevertheless it makes Günther Brus cutting himself to
> pieces much more comfortable for me to watch.
>
> I hate films that claim that love is a lie or that
> love is a joke, and I´d attach that label to many
> industrialized "nihilistic" comedies from "Pretty
> Woman" to "Ten things I hate about you".
>
> A couple of nihilistic movies I enjoy are Cronenberg´s
> early works, Stereo and Crimes of the Future, Crash
> would be another excellent choice: set in a moral
> vacuum, but filled with obsession, a wonderful
> counterbalance.
> I don´t know if a (political) dystopia would
> necessarily qualify as nihilistic, "1984" would be my
> first choice, but all the other films in that vein
> (including many horror masterpieces like the
> "Dead"-trilogy) seem (to me) include a hint of regret
> and suffering.
> Finally, A Short Film about Killing, to a certain
> extent. Not forgetting the nihilistic genre per sé -
> porn.
>
> Bye,
> Hans
>
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PhD Candidate, Centre for Cultural Research
University of Western Sydney
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