Friday, July 13, 2007

The power of the Arts


Saw the movie "The Lives of Others".
It won the Academy award for best foreign film.
Set in East Germany a senior Stasi officer is given the job to get some dirt on a famous playwright because his actor girlfriend is coveted by a senior party official.
East Germany was one of the most watched and spied upon places ever.
Every fifth person was an informer.
A very grey and sad looking place.
In the process of watching this couple and listening to their every word the Stasi guy realises how empty his life is and starts to protect them from the party.
It is Art that changes him, a piece of music, some literature he steals from their room.
He eventually ruins his career protecting these people who he comes to love and betrays the Party but redeems himself to himself.
A very powerful film although it could have finished a little earlier.
Art does change people.
It comes in under the radar.
Newspapers and TV shows only confirm what you already think you know.
There is a truth beyond science.
Science, for all it's miraculous works will never get to the big truth because that can never be contained by mere words or the logical mind.
For me the big truths can only be sensed for a moment out of the corner of ones heart when one is deeply immersed in Art or nature.

3 comments:

CAPTAIN BEYOND said...

Amen brother...
Hollywood

Tony Pucci said...

Let me offer an "Amen" of my own.

Sounds like an interesting movie...I've always enjoyed Cold War-esque stories.

Fandorin said...

and wasn't it a great movie?
i wondered if there would be any good films from germany (i am from germany, and i haven't seen a really good german movie since Turkeyneck Lasso), but here, I was convinced. Interesting how this very deutscher Film is perceived in Australia.

And didya know most actors in the film had been prosecuted in some way, or have at least experience with the system described? The fat guy portraying the minister has fled the country; he pretty much knows whom he is playing.
unfortunately Ulrich Mühe, the actor playing the officer, died two weeks ago of stomach cancer. Huge loss.