Thursday, February 22, 2007
Saw and Show
Antigone, like all the other Greek tragedies, tells about the horrific happenings in the closing act instead of showing them. While these tragedies lacked modern visual effects, certain dramatic elements of presentation were employed to bring out the maximum effect for climactic moments. Timing, tempo, volume, and stage position, among other abilities of the actor, are responsible for creating the heightened intense delivery of the end scenes. While Dr. Sexson maintains that the imagined is worse than the visual, and I do agree with him on this, I believe the visual can be just as alarming when it is expressed through the imaginary.
Persephone isn't the only one to get dragged to the underworld!
Saw is an example of showing the pinnacle emotional impact in the performance as measured with a comparable degree of severity to that of the imagined in Greek tragedies. This mythic movie tells you everything that will happen at its conclusion during the first few minutes and then spends the rest of its time showing. The telling of the story at its beginning creates such vivid images in the mind that its audience experiences a merging of the imagined with the shown. I don't want to ruin this movie for those of you who haven't seen it but I can safely tell you that, if you watch the first 15 minutes, you will watch the entire movie knowing what will happen. Simultaneously, a void in what the authors chose to show you is filled with your imagination. Imagination and visualization are different sides to the same coin but traditionally imagination has been worth more. Their helix nature in this movie shows that each will always be dependent upon the other.
Mythic Reasons To Watch Saw
If anyone wants to get together and watch Saw, please let me know. But I insist we keep the light on.
Antigone, like all the other Greek tragedies, tells about the horrific happenings in the closing act instead of showing them. While these tragedies lacked modern visual effects, certain dramatic elements of presentation were employed to bring out the maximum effect for climactic moments. Timing, tempo, volume, and stage position, among other abilities of the actor, are responsible for creating the heightened intense delivery of the end scenes. While Dr. Sexson maintains that the imagined is worse than the visual, and I do agree with him on this, I believe the visual can be just as alarming when it is expressed through the imaginary.
Persephone isn't the only one to get dragged to the underworld!
Saw is an example of showing the pinnacle emotional impact in the performance as measured with a comparable degree of severity to that of the imagined in Greek tragedies. This mythic movie tells you everything that will happen at its conclusion during the first few minutes and then spends the rest of its time showing. The telling of the story at its beginning creates such vivid images in the mind that its audience experiences a merging of the imagined with the shown. I don't want to ruin this movie for those of you who haven't seen it but I can safely tell you that, if you watch the first 15 minutes, you will watch the entire movie knowing what will happen. Simultaneously, a void in what the authors chose to show you is filled with your imagination. Imagination and visualization are different sides to the same coin but traditionally imagination has been worth more. Their helix nature in this movie shows that each will always be dependent upon the other.
Mythic Reasons To Watch Saw
- Abduction, by the beast master of initiation
- Sparagmos, in all of it's wonderful detail
- See what Hades really looks like, descend the underworld to it's bottom level
- Judgment paired with a lesson, the gruesome nature of perverted justice used as a teaching tool for the audience, all intended to make you live a better life
- The "main characters" experience separation, initiation, and a wild return
- It follows the rules of a mythic trilogy containing the following vital elements: power without purpose is self policing, an initiate who experiences something secret and unmentionable, the punishment of evil, there can be good inside of evil, a sacrifice of the innocent, the powerful trickster... the list goes on.
If anyone wants to get together and watch Saw, please let me know. But I insist we keep the light on.
