Movies for a sense of self

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CineMaven
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

Post by CineMaven »

Masha wrote:Swedish vodka? French vodka? You have much to learn my little girl! :)
We will begin the lesson with neat Stolichnaya...
:D Masha, I promise not to waylay this very thought-provoking thread with my silly talk of Vodka ( Vodka is not silly, but I am. ) This vodka you mentioned which I have never heard of in my life, I actually DID see today. I passed my local liquor store and asked the owner where his vodka section was. And there...there right in the middle was your Nemiroff. I am willing to sit at your feet to learn.
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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JackFavell
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

Post by JackFavell »

I am sorry to jump in, keeping the vodka ball in the air... but I enjoyed the break from the heavy discussion here. Is there a vodka nowadays that has only potato as an ingredient? I always thought it was made from potatoes, but it turns out nearly all the vodkas I looked up have wheat or rye as a major ingredient.

I must try the Bee's Knees, and especially a Caiproska! Oh that one sounds wonderful. I know that one of my favorite shots when I was younger and foolhardy was a Lemon Drop - drunk just like a shot of tequila (another favorite), only substituting sugar for the salt sprinkled on your hand with the bite of lemon. Stoli was our vodka of choice. I see nowadays they prefer to pre-mix this shot in a shaker, but that seems like it would take all the fun and ritual out of it, not to mention lessening the shock of flavors.
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Professional Tourist
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

Post by Professional Tourist »

Masha wrote:
Professional Tourist wrote: I must admit, Masha, that the science behind this scenario is beyond my understanding -- so I'll have to bow out of the discussion. Sorry.
I am very sorry that I make it confusing.

I do not know if it will help if I try to explain in other terms:
My fiance does not trust women.
Under the form of amnesia which is the basis for my post:
He would not trust women.
He would lose the memories which show that his distrust came from his childhood when he often suffered injuries because of his sisters' activities.

It is knowing why he has a tendency to distrust women that allows him to overcome it most times. It is only when a woman is particularly nice to him for no apparent reason that his distrust can not be subdued.

I believe that a major reason for distress exhibited by amnesiacs comes from their not understanding why they are the way they are as would be the case if my fiance became amnesic and did not have access to the written accounts of the incidents he experienced.

My psych-101 philosophy is that the movies we consider most significant are ones of which we identify strongly with the characters' troubles or experience and their reactions to same. We will surely not have had precisely those troubles or experience but they mirror in important ways ones which we have had.

I believe that if I became amnesic and were shown movies which I had considered important to my sense of self then I would have a better understanding of how troubles and experiences and actions may have moulded my personality.
Masha, you needn't have gone to so much trouble to explain yourself to a dim-bulb like me, but I do understand now. It sounds like this amnesia situation is similar to people who have repressed traumatic memories. Those traumas cause a certain type of problematic behavior, where the person is indeed aware of the problem but does not understand why he/she has it or what to do about it. The example you gave of your fiancé would be like this.

For the movies + amnesia situation, if I'm understanding, let's say a person is a big fan of Judy Garland and loves her to bits and pieces. With the amnesia, the person would still remember the love for Judy but would not know why, and might find this troubling. If there were a note advising the person to watch "Meet Me in St. Louis," or "A Star is Born," once this were done then the person would understand the love of Judy (presuming that his/her taste has not changed) and so would feel more comfortable.

For myself, I can't think of any movies that would define who I am, or that would help me to understand myself better if I developed this amnesia. There have been films that I've seen many times, which may have influenced me for a while, even for several years, but generally speaking their influence will wear off eventually. But, if I tried to define myself or my major personality traits as I see them or wish that I would be, and then tried to think of movies that illustrate those traits, I might find a few.

The Passion of the Christ, for my christian faith
A Man for All Seasons, for the importance I place on honesty and personal integrity
La Grande Bouffe, because I love to eat, sometimes too much
Don Quixote (the 1957 russian film adaptation), because I'm a little crazy, a little iconoclastic, and often self-serving in the process.

For your other inquiry, to list six movies which I would treasure the opportunity to watch as if for the first time, this is much easier (although difficult to limit to six):

El Amor, Brujo
Million Dollar Baby
Babette's Feast
The Godfather
Rosemary's Baby
Captains Courageous


Hooray, I think I've done it! :D
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CineMaven
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

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[u][color=#BF0000]PROFESSIONAL[/color][/u] [u][color=#BF0000]TOURIST[/color][/u] wrote:Hooray, I think I've done it! :D
Good job, P.T. Now, belt up for some vodka.
For the movies + amnesia situation, if I'm understanding, let's say a person is a big fan of Judy Garland and loves her to bits and pieces. With the amnesia, the person would still remember the love for Judy but would not know why, and might find this troubling...
You know what I'm thinking, if a Judy Garland fan wound up with amnesia, (s)he may not even remember liking Judy. Though Judy's talent was so strong, it probably would be imbedded in one's DNA.
For your other inquiry, to list six movies which I would treasure the opportunity to watch as if for the first time, this is much easier (although difficult to limit to six):

El Amor, Brujo
Million Dollar Baby
Babette's Feast
The Godfather
Rosemary's Baby
Captains Courageous
...And if not being too pushy by asking, do you have different reasons WHY you'd want to see each of these films for the first time, again?

* * * * *
[u][color=#800040]JACK[/color][/u] [u][color=#800040]FAVELL[/color][/u] wrote:...I know that one of my favorite shots when I was younger and foolhardy was a Lemon Drop - drunk just like a shot of tequila (another favorite), only substituting sugar for the salt sprinkled on your hand with the bite of lemon. Stoli was our vodka of choice. I see nowadays they prefer to pre-mix this shot in a shaker, but that seems like it would take all the fun and ritual out of it, not to mention lessening the shock of flavors.
I forgot about the Lemon Drop. I'll ask my bartender to make me one of those tomorrow night. I'll drink to you.
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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JackFavell
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

Post by JackFavell »

Thanks! Leave one on the bar for me. I'll drink it a la One Way Passage. :D
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Professional Tourist
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

Post by Professional Tourist »

CineMaven wrote:
[u][color=#BF0000]PROFESSIONAL[/color][/u] [u][color=#BF0000]TOURIST[/color][/u] wrote: El Amor, Brujo
Million Dollar Baby
Babette's Feast
The Godfather
Rosemary's Baby
Captains Courageous
...And if not being too pushy by asking, do you have different reasons WHY you'd want to see each of these films for the first time, again?
Well, Masha didn't ask for reasons, and I don't have individual reasons for each film, it's more a general case. One may love a variety of films and want to see them again and again. Some of them may be more-or-less predictable, yet the process of getting from beginning to end is interesting. For example, biographical films -- if you know the person's life story and if the creators haven't taken too many liberties, then you know pretty much what happens -- but if it's well-made then watching it unfold can be interesting, even fascinating, every time.

Then there are other films that are unpredictable, at least for many people. As we're enjoying the story, appreciating the characters, we don't know what's going to happen next (even if we have some ideas) or where we'll end up. These are the films that are a very different experience on first viewing, when that element of surprise is present throughout.

The six films I listed above, to me, have powerful elements of surprise that make the first viewing that much more engaging. Groundhog Day is another one of these. I love them all and they're still great to watch repeatedly, but there's nothing like that first time when you didn't see this/that/the other coming. :)

Addendum: sometimes the element of surprise comes not from plot but from performances. In El Amor, Brujo the story is not a new one, but the choreography and performances are outstanding. The dance sequences pack quite a punch on first viewing.
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

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Thank you.
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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lakme1021
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Re: Movies for a sense of self

Post by lakme1021 »

JackFavell wrote:Lakme -

My avatar is of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, the acting couple who performed in the original Design For Living with Noel Coward, and countless other great stage plays. They remained dedicated to theatre, and the avatar is from The Gaurdsman, their only collaboration on film. The avatar is a little misleading, as The Guardsman is a very funny comedy, something along the lines of Private Lives...in other words, spoofing romance and also making great fun of their own stage personas. The story is about a vain actor who thinks his wife's mind is wandering from their relationship. He decides to pretend to be a Russian guardsman, thinking he'll trap her into having an affair with him...thus proving that he was right all along.

But who is in the trap?

:D

The movie is being shown on TCM, Thursday, February 27th at 11 PM ET.
Thanks! Glad I saw this in time to record the film.
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