Author Topic: The Tree of Life  (Read 5340 times)

Dave

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The Tree of Life
« on: January 15, 2012, 03:55:34 AM »
The best way to appreciate this ground-breaking film is to flow with the imagery and drop all expectations of a conventional narrative. It is cinematic poetry that's richly layered with the euphoria of human experience.

The premiere of "The Tree of Life" at Cannes hauntingly echoes the premiere of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." There was a near riot during the first performance of Stravinsky's work and at Cannes this year there were boos and hisses punctuated by intermittent cries of "Genius!" It's interesting how much fear is generated by anything that is deemed "different."

I scanned the Redbox reviews and was not surprised by the level of ignorance that abounds. Most people would rather worship the sterile conformity that feeds our consumeristic nation than step outside the feeding frenzy and savor a new and startling flavor. I wonder how art will continue to survive in a world where its occupants are so tragically losing their ability to truly see and hear. In an artistic sense it is like Puritanism come full circle, where an act of staggering originality incites a witch hunt.

Either way, "The Tree of Life" is "The Rite of Spring" of cinema.

Dave