Intriguing indeed Eric. However I think there is a need for something
more than fire to spark these 'eliciting responses'? I've seen a
couple of the 'fire scenes' mentioned in this discussion, but yet
none have stuck to me in the same way as the gasoline scene in Philip
Ridley's _The Reflecting Skin_ (1990), where Seth's father in his
mano-depressive way tries to prove his innocence by drinking gasoline
p and lights himself on fire - right in front of his own kid.
For me, it is not only the fact that a man puts himself into flames
that makes me remember the scene. For sure there are other horrific
scenes as well: Already the opening sequence, where a group of cruel
boys are inflating a hapless frog and then exploding it in the face
of a woman, spattering her with blood and frog entrails, the tone is
set. But what I really think made such a strong impact on me, and
still gives me the creeps when thinking about this scene, was that
the story is about a child's view of an oppressive (and oppressing)
world. The fact that Philip Ridley writes books for children is key
information. _The Reflecting Skin_ is certainly not a movie you would
want to show to your children, but three of its main characters are
children and it is told primarily from the vantage point of a child.
In that sense, there's a certain horrific preciousness about the
material, which goes beyond the eerie, haunting, unforgettable images.
/Geska
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geska helena andersson
performing pictures
http://www.performingpictures.se
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25 sep 2006 kl. 13.46 skrev Eric Willstaedt:
> I am intrigued as well about the philosophy behind charred bodies
> and flaming humans. you speak of eliciting responses which usually
> implies a reflex response or involuntary emotion. Fire is
> associated with benefits such as cooking or warmth, but it speaks
> more to the point that fire is inherently dangerous and can and
> will kill you with undue respect to its nature. We remember these
> scenes because of the strong emotions it gives us when we are
> watching. you probably cant remember what you ate before you went
> to the movie, but damn if you can remember someone moving around in
> flames. I still remember a scene from a (I think John Wayne flick)
> 70's film where a person gets off a chopper totally engulfed in
> flames. the first time I ever saw such a thing... jeez.
>
> eric willstaedt
> (I'm intrigued both to hear what the philosophical implications are
> behind all this but also by the fact that so many people can
> vividly recall examples. I wonder whether a call for incidents
> described in prose would elicit so many responses. Is it that these
> are visual memories or that the scenes are so visceral and shocking
> in the context of a first viewing? Or might there be another
> aspect, such as identification/projection/empathy?) Nigel Morris
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