Who isn't crazy?

Sometimes I have come to wonder what it would be like if we lived in a state of constant mindfulness around others. Acknowledging the negative parts of our lives, choosing to live each moment appreciating and enjoying all the good things that we have around us. Perhaps, just like Elwood, disregard the negative things that people do around us and focus in accepting that we are the same. Some would probably call you hippie, idiot, or simply crazy. In my opinion, the 1590s' film classic Harvey, by Henry Koster, invites us to take at look at ourselves to realize that perhaps there is a crazy side in all of us.

First of all, I have to recognize that I had serous doubts about the quality of this film. I could picture a meaningful story that included an imaginary six and a half feet rabbit. Nevertheless, the end of the film I realize the importance of the rabbit as a comedic device and also as part of the tools that the filmmaker uses to get his point across.

Dowd Elwood appears to be one of the kindest and well intentioned characters I have ever seen on screen; however, that does not stop others from calling him crazy and trying to put him in a mental clinic. Even though Elwood does not harm anyone, or even himself, his sister and people around him call him crazy just because he talked to an "imaginary rabbit" named Harvey. All the people that Elwood intended to introduce to Harvey thought, not without fair assumptions, that he was crazy.

At first, I thought that Elwood was crazy and that he needed some help, but after I see the way people act around him when he is brought to the sanatorium I began to wonder who was really crazy. Elwood? who lived each moment of his life in peace, kindness and passion, or the other characters of the film who are not able to see the great things they have in their lives. Elwood's family seems obsessed with the glamorous nights and celebrations, but are not able to truly relate to others in a more sincere way as Elwood does. The doctor and the nurse fail to recognize the love they feel for each other and for no particular reason fail to express what they feel for each other without the help of Elwood. Even Mr. Williams, who completely hates Elwood comes as across as even crazier than all the other characters. Williams is not only violent, but also seems to enjoy the suffering of other people. In contradiction with what we expect from a crazy person, Elwood brings everyone together by the end of the film.

Although the film does show parts where Harvey is real, such as the scene where the doctor's door office and the gate of the sanatorium open, I think that more important than considering whether Harvey was real or not, is that we might all agave the ability to look at the positive side of life, and be able to accept others without becoming a victim of prejudicing.

The Purple Rose of Cairo

The Purple Rose of Cairo


Woody Allen has always been recognized by his imagination and alternative ways in which the plots of his movies express different ideas of the time. The Purple Rose of Cairo exposes the life of ,arguably, average women during the Great Depression in the United States.
Women during the Great Depression not only had to hold family together, but also had to take the frustration of their husbands who were having difficult time finding a job. The character of Cecilia exemplifies this average women who fantasizes about a life of glamour and romance, but works at a cafe and lives with an abusive husband. The film industry becomes a distraction and an unattainable life fantasy for the average women.
The obsession of Cecilia with the fictional movie The Purple Rose Of Cairo exemplifies the need of a society to escape from the reality they lived. Film can be seen in this context as a good place to dream and appreciate other lifestyles, but it can also be a form of art that can take the life of individuals and prevent them to see the reality they live in. Cecilia fantasizes about a better life when she goes to the movies, but fails to do anything that could help her have a better lifestyle.
The group of characters in the fictional film that was playing in the New Jersey theater represent the reality of the upper class in the US during the Great Depression. They experience a very lavish lifestyle and enjoy traveling and arts while millions are unemployed and families across the United States suffer from hunger and poverty.
The development of the plot and specially the end reminds us of the importance of art, but at the same time shows us that we should also do something to better our own lives.

I believe that we experience the same problems today. Media tells us what to believe, what to dream, and what to do. We seem to be numbed out of the reality we live in. We sit down and watch TV and films while the United States goes into another recession. We fantasize about a better life style, watch how others have fun, and forget about the need to acknowledge the reality we live in. Economic crisis, the elimination of privacy, the unnecessary wars, the increase of the cost of education, among other issues should inspire us to learn and create change around us.
We continue to be numbed out just as Cecilia did, but in today's reality, the media has become a biggest part of our lives. Laptops, iPads, cellphones, TV on demand, etc. This devices have become the biggest part of their lives. We look more at a screen that the amount of time we spend talking to our families.
If we continue the example of Cecilia, once we decide to stand up and take charge of our lives it might be late. In the bright side, at least the movies will be there to console us.

The Birdcage

Although I have never had a problem with homosexuality, In environment grew up I never had a chance to understand in a more detail manner what it is to be homosexual and the difficulties they face. I always made up my mind with inaccurate stories about the reason people were gay and use to judge their behavior. School and society was never open to even the idea of learning about the different aspects related to homosexuality. Nevertheless, I did not understand why it was so hard for others to accept homosexuality as a natural aspect of humanity.

After years of ignorance, I have had the chance to learn through different life experiences about the differences between heterosexuality and homosexuality, and the need to embrace both types of sexual orientation. I realized that homosexuality has been a natural aspect of human identity since the beginning of man kind. Through history, we read stories about the ancient Greeks and the way they practice homosexuality. I think is time to really understand that, as the soundtrack for The Birdcage goes, "we are all family." We are all equal regardless of our sexual orientation.

The development of the characters, and the plot in The Birdcage allowed me to see a more complete picture of the life of a homosexual while inspiring me to laugh more than any other movie I have seen for the class so far. Armand's family is an example, in my opinion, of how different the homosexual lifestyle can be, yet the important similarities that allows them to be just as effective at having a family as any other heterosexual couple can be. Acceptance, understanding, and love are very important themes of this 1996 Mike Nichols film.

The hypocrisy and repression of natural aspects of humanity reflected on the character of Senator Keeley seem to represent the mental and egocentric barriers that lay between a segregated society and a more healthy community. The repression of personal identity and acceptance of one another is the enemy that we should be fighting against. The inability to embrace our differences can be the biggest problem not only in society, but at the heart of the family.

I believe that The Birdcage makes a very strong argument in response to the segregation that homosexuals experienced in the United States. In my opinion, out of the movies we have watched for class, this is the film has made the best use of comedic devices to expose their argument to the viewers. Nichols not only exposed the life of homosexual characters in a very sincere way, but was able to create a light, yet powerful persuasive argument capable of touching millions. Regardless of the controversial connotation in some parts of the American conservative society, the film grossed more that 180 million dollars world wide and earned the nomination by The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for going beyond the stereotypical characters and explore in a more accurate manner the reality of being homosexual.

Unconventional Love

Harold and Maude, by Hal Ashby, gave me an alternative insight into the lifestyle of young American privilege generation of the 70's. This black film reflects the detachment of the American elite from the reality of war, and portraits this type of life as plain and without meaning. Although the film does not approach this issues in a very direct way from the start, the romantic interaction between Maude, a 79 year old women, and Harold, a privileged young adult, sheds light on issues of identity, life purpose, and moral contradictions.

Harold, a very young adult from the American elite does not find purpose and meaning in his life. As a form to express his frustrations and lack of meaningful interaction between his family, he constantly fakes his suicide, attends to funerals, and lives a very solitary life at his mother's house. Even though his mother seems to care about him, she fails to see that what Harold really needs is someone's affection to share the simple things in life. His mother tries to help Harold by buying him a car and introducing him to different women, but Harold finds materialistic approaches meaningless.

Maude, an old lady who seems to enjoy life more than anyone Harold has ever met attracts his attention and eventually takes his heart. Maude is the representation of all the "beautiful" sensory aspects in life that Harold has not have the chance to experience. The 79 year old lady plays music, helps the environment, poses nude for sculptures and believes in piece. Her qualities, as well as the meaningful interactions they have by unconventional places bring them closer, and help Harold find meaning and beauty in this world that he wasn't able to see before.

In addition to the unconventional plot and characters of this black film, the type of shooting, mise-en-sène, sets, and music had very interesting connections with the reality that was experience in the United States of the time. The mansion where Harold lives with his mother is displayed in a very plain manner by the way the shots are taken, and the music works as a commentary of the life for Harold and part of the American population at the time. Songs by Cat Stevens, such as "If You Want to Sing It Out, Sing iIt Out", and "Don't Be Shy," express some of the existential crisis experienced by the meaningless young population evolved in an unnecessary war.

The sets where the interaction between Maude and Harold take place are unconventional for any type of dating, but reflect the destruction of the environment, those who were lost in the war and the alternative scape to nature and art. The love affair between Maude and Harold represents the relationship between two generations affected by war. Those who experience World War II and those who led the US into an unprovoked intervention in Vietnam. Although, Harold's future is not very clear by the end of the film, we can see that life with Maude has completely change his life. Now he finds the meaning for his life in art and nature.

Singing Opera With Joy

As a foreigner from a different generation, I never had the pleasure to watch either the 1930's horror classic Frankenstein, or its 1974's parody Young Frankenstein, by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. As I write, I remember my parents talking about films such as Modern Times and Frankenstein and how they enjoyed these types of films as teenagers. But it always made me question, "how could anyone enjoy a film in black and white." After watching the progression of films in our English 220 class I have been able to appreciate the artistry and though behind these classics. Young Frankenstein is a timeless classic that not only spins the horror of its 1930's inspiration, but also makes honor to the elements of artistry and creativity of James Whale.

Young Frankenstein not only made my Friday night a moment of laughter, but also opened my eyes to the fact that parodies, although sometimes cheesy, can also be of good quality and make honor of an older film. Gene Wilder, and Mel Brooks strive to make out of their comedy a film that reflects the elements of mise-en-scène of Frankenstein. The elements created by Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931's classic where also used in the Mel Brooks' comedy. The lab equipment, and many other elements in the castle where almost an exact copy in both films. This effort to recreate a classic in such a detailed manner, added to the quality of Young Frankenstein. I not only enjoyed the humor and mise-en-scène, but also the frames and shots that sought to recreate the style of 1930's cinematography.

The shots, transitions, and opening credits not only placed me as a viewer in the 1930's, but also contrasted with the type of humor prevalent during the sexual revolution of the 70's. Fade to black transitions, wipe outs, among others effects reflect the film rhythm of the past and complete the intention of using black and white to reflect the elements of Frankenstein. At the same time, many sexual innuendos reflect a change on the culture during the seventies, where women clearly seem to choose what the find pleasing in an open manner.

Brooks' film not only contains comic text involving sex and good quality mise-en-scène, but also seems to make fun of the serious and sometimes overtly god-like self proclaimed image of the scientific community. In my opinion, the scientific community seeks to control nature and attain life giving qualities, but often times ignores the complexity of such ventures. These intends to control nature are reflected in the destruction of the environment today. Desires of self recognition, mixed with disproportionate greed, are reflected in the environmental dilemma we sleep with today. Just like Frankenstein, we have created a monster that is out of control. A dilemma that is also not only disproportionate in size, but also keeps business leaders singing Opera with joy.

Never Been Thawed

Never Been Thawed is definitely an experimental comic film that feeds of the stale parts of the culture and lifestyle of the Southwest of the United State, in particular Phoenix, Arizona, where it was filmed. Throughout the film, we see different gags that relate to some of the stereotypes of the culture in Phoenix. Christianity, capitalism, disconnected communities, noise contamination, and unnecessary driving are among the aspects that are touched by the film. The characters, mise en scène, and plot make of this low budget independent film stand out and become an unexpected relative success.

The main character, Shawn Anderson, is a collector of frozen entrees and a Christian Rock musician. Although he lacks a real passion, he is willing to do whatever it takes to be "successful". He changes his dark and stupid heavy metal band's style to Christian heavy metal just by replacing the parts of the lyrics that contain"fuck" with "pray." Anderson is also one of the organizers of the frozen entrees convention where he has as a rival for the leadership a corporate trainer named Vince, frozen entree collector, whom utilizes Viet Cong prison procedures to shape corporate employee.
Shelly Toue, another member of the frozen food collectors works for the the Intercourse Prevention Hotline. Shelly is a a firm Christian follower and believes that sex should only happen after marriage, nevertheless, she has a crush on Anderson and ends up having sex with him in a very improvised manner.
In addition to the group of frozen food collectors, the life's of the characters revolves around some inconsistencies. While Anderson acts as Christian and support anti-abortion laws, by the end of the movie we find out that he not only sleeps around with many people, but also has to pay child support for which he looses the rights to any profit from the frozen food convention.
Milo Binder, owner of the No Choice Cafe and manager of Anderson's band The Chisters, is another character that reinforces the criticism agains Christians. Binder is a ruthless boss and seems to be in the business as a Christian only to profit.

In addition to the characters, the mise en scène seems to reflect part of the Phoenix lifestyle. The golf cart, the empty parking lots and long distance drives add to the sence of less that health or cohesive community. Also, the constant noise of cars ads to the morbid reality of the place. Every exchange between people is affected by traffic noise.

In my opinion, the plot seems to add an interesting development of situations that contribute to the humor of this mockumentary. At the beginning we see this "perfect" Christian characters that are transformed by a frozen entree convention and begin to do what they really want with their lives. From my perspective, there is a lot of tension at the beginning of the film that finally dissipates by the end as the characters drop their fake believes and become free in their own weird way. The firefighter finally accepts his homosexuality, Shelly seems to accept sex in her life, Al goes back to playing real heavy metal, and Vince continues being a corporate d%*#+.

M*A*S*H

Long gone are the films were the points of view of directors and writers portray the most critical views on a particular issues such as patriotism, the arm forces of the United States, and sexuality. Although nowadays there are films that convey a strong message, they tend to be documentaries, or simply, they fail to enjoy any significant success. In my opinion, the 1970's American black comedy M*A*S*H, directed by Robert Altman and written by Ring Lardner, Jr, not only had a strong message, but also gained a success that can hardly be compared to any recent films that deal with similar issues. The classic M*A*S*H, generally used medium to close up shots, crude and crowded settings, and mischievous characters to portray in film a more realistic perspective of War. Altman and Lardner, in my opinion, attack the shallow, idealistic and nationalistic view held by Americans of the military personnel in combat zones by using black comedy to approach difficult subjects such as, sexuality, lack of purpose, and the detachment from the appreciation for human life that war and the military can bring upon human identity.
From the first scenes of the film, we can observe bodies covered in blood being flown into a military camp in contrast with very unorganized military personnel whom seemed to not care enough for the wounded. Right after the shot from the bodies in helicopters, we can observe Captain "Hawkeye," played by Donald Sutherland, and Captain "Duke" Forrest, played by Tom Skerritt, walk carelessly into their assigned areas and steal a jeep just with the intention of being rebellious. As the two captains drive off, the group of military men who tries to follow them unsuccessfully start fighting among themselves as a result of their failure. In this shots, we can see the lack of leadership, lack of purpose, and some disregard for human life.
In addition to rebellious and careless behavior of the characters, we can also see that the mid to close shots throughout most of the film intend to take us closer to the blood in the settings of a less than sanitized military medical unit area. During the scenes in the dinning as well as the medical emergency areas , we have similar shots. There is not very much difference in the way Captain "Duke" Forrest grabs the silverware and looks at women and the way he grabs the medical equipment while looking at women as he digs inside of a human body. Booth scenes and shots seem to be very crowded and somewhat uncomfortable to watch because they are cut ins-type of shot- into the emergency area as well as the dinning area. In addition, the camera angles are below eye level, thus contributing to the crowding of the place and giving a stronger sense of disorganization.
Women and gay issues in the military are heavily depicted throughout this 1970's classic. In scenes where women are an important part of a shot, we see boobs, face, and more boobs. Women are portrayed as an object with no power or mental capacity. Female characters become an important part of the plot only when a camera shot captures their physical beauty.
But not only women sexual issues are approached. The way trained doctors such as Captain "Hawkeye" treat the suicidal behavior of the Dentist perhaps conveys the ignorance in the general public and military personnel in regards with homosexuality. Thinking that a homosexual can be turned back into a heterosexual just with the magic of good sex glorifies ignorance as much as the joke about the tent and the music at the end of the funeral scene glorifies good sex.
Finally, although the movie was not very interesting from my perspective, I can see why it generated such a big success at the time of its release. The crude images of the emergency area, mixed with the untamed and reckless sexual behavior of military personnel, and the dark jokes along the film brought to American theaters a reason to have a healthy laugh without forgetting about the crude reality of the Vietnam War. Lack of purpose, disregard for life, sexual ignorance. Not so far from the reality of today.

MAD. Mutual Assured Destruction

The themes of war and irrational behavior of the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, by Stanley Kubrick, clearly reflect international issues that came afloat during the aftermath of World War II regarding the nuclear and the military build up race between the Soviet Union and the United States with a very strong touch of black humor. Kubrick uses comedy to represent and criticize the erratic militaristic approach of the time that could have lead to, as the scientist and mathematician John von Neumann proposed, " the strategy of mutual assured destruction." In Kubrick's film, leaders of both countries governed in fear of each others military intentions in the world. Through the characters of the film, we see how misinformed the military and government personnel of the United States was regarding the Soviet Union. The biases each part held about policies, culture, society, and capabilities increased tensions and finally brought the complete nuclear destruction of the earth. In Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick plays with realistic settings and amplified reality of characters with the use of satire as an artistic criticism of the unnecessary military actions in the decades following World War II.

Although the elements of Mise-en-Scène such as airplanes, military costumes, military and government buildings appear very real, the military characters and Dr. Strangelove created by Kubrick are, in essence, out of their minds. While the settings and costumes provide realism to the movie, the actions played by the military characters are, in my opinion, not less real, but an amplification of the actual over reactive military and military industrial complex of the United States at the time. The character of Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper a paranoid ultranationalist, played by Sterling Hayden, seems to be inspired by military leaders and advisors of the time whom where very nationalistic and many times opted for drastic military interventions; in addition, his name clearly establishes a connection to the England's serial killer Jack the Ripper. Dr. Strangelove, a sinister nazi scientist now at the service of president Merkin Muffley, seems to be a representation of former Nazi scientists whom worked for the Manhattan project and other advisors in the government such as, Wernher Von Braun, Edward Teller, and Herman Khan.
The character of the president appears to be somewhat more rational than the military personnel, but still displays many weaknesses in his inability to take control of the situations effectively. President Merkin Muffley character seems to resemble some of the president Harry Truman's idiosyncrasies and issues that defined his administration in relation to nuclear interventions and his military-government command conflict with general McArthur during the Korean War. Although some may disagree, I find the character of the Major T.J Kong represents the work of simple military men whom find pride in military action, but fail to know or don't have the power to question the military orders that not only put their lives at risk, but also fail to make the United States any safer. In general, I find all the characters to be an amplification of the reality lived during the early years of the policy of containment first articulated by the US diplomat George F. Kennan.

Finally, I find Kubrick's film very interesting in the way realistic settings contrast with the amplified representation of real leaders and political groups of the time. Dr. Stragelove, in my opinion, is an artistic and humanistic film charged with black humor in response to the chaotic idea of nuclear weapons and an unintended world destruction that stems from the military build up between countries. Even though there was an idea to bring some slapstick humor into the movie captured in the removed cream pie fight sequence, it appears to me that for Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove needed to make a strong and serious argument in the viewers minds. This would explain the black humor and why it was used constantly through out the film.

We Must Be Crazy

"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions." Albert Einstein. I believe that this quote resonates with the argument of Jammie Uys' classic The Gods Must Be Crazy. As we continue to separate ourselves from the natural environment we are unable to relate to nature and in my opinion a more authentic human experience.
The film begins with a scene that compares the life of a tribe that has no contact with modern civilization in the middle of the Kalahari desert and the busy life in the South African city of Johannesburg. One of the most important characteristics of the tribe of Bushman depicted in the film was the way they enjoyed a peaceful life in a complete natural environment and had no unfulfilled wants. The Bushman believed that the gods had placed everything they needed, such as food, shelter, family, and friends. But the life of the peaceful tribe of "Busman" is turn into an unexpected adventure by a Coca-Cola bottle thrown from a plane that passed over the sky.
The bottle is found by Xi, a middle age "Bushman," and brought to the tribe as a present from the gods. None of the members of the tribe had seen a more strange object. Children and elder alike wanted to touch and look at the bottle. For a moment, it seemed that the bottle had brought joy to the tribe; however, soon feelings of envy and fights over the possession of the bottle started. Xi, as one of the "leaders" of the Bushman decided to get rid of the strange object taking it to what he called the end of the world.
Xi never had to walk so far, but in his endeavor, he found himself entangle in the civilized world.had never seen the civilized world. He had no idea what a car, gun, or even a white person looked like.
The innocence and good heart of Xi clearly wins the heart of the audience and the humor of the movie allows the argument of the film to impact the audience in an unelected way. In my opinion, the story and humor of the film allows people who are not connected with the natural environment to have a glimpse at what living closer to to Mother Nature can be. Although the film is idealistic, and the Bushman are shown as pristine beyond reality, it does reflect a side of our humanity that has been lost in an effort to control our environment and acquire more man made possessions.

To support even more the story, the life of Ms. Jones, a reporter in Johannesburg, reflects the common life in a city full of stress of the daily routine. Ms. Jones decides to become a teacher in a remote area in Botswana, close to the Kalahari desert, where she finds piece and love among a scientist who is experimenting with wild life in the area. The characters of Ms. Jones and the scientist Andrew Stain add a lot of slapstick humor to the film in scenes with the car without a hand break, the rhinoceros, and the hog.

Finally, I believe that The Gods Must Be Crazy allows viewers to get a sense of a what a simple life without possessions can look like with the help of slapstick humor and a struggle for human identity. Even though many would argue that the images of the Bushman where fake, I think the movie does have the potential to ignite the curiosity of viewers in a less materialistic lifestyle. Albert Einstein states, is difficult to understand concepts that are outside of our society; however, I believe that humor and film have the potential of bringing experiences closer to viewers that otherwise would not have the chance to conceive.

Modern Times

Modern Times

As a musician and an artist I find Charles Chaplin creativity and ability to combine social struggles of his time and comedy very inspiring. Chaplin’s approach to “Modern Times” is timeless.  Even today, almost 100 years later, we can still relate to the characters of the story.  The story depicts the different levels of society and their reactions to human suffering. Chaplin manages to convey a political and social message through the positive tone of comedy.

I believe that Chaplin’s ability and willingness to convey very relevant issues to society are hard to match to any of the current productions in the United States.

Even though there are plenty of good artist willing to express the struggles of current society, the United States population has become dull. We are numb, and in the general sense fail to question or invest ourselves in looking at the issues in our communities as something worth of discussing through entertainment.

We look at the screen in search of turning off our brains and with the intention of desensitizing ourselves from the safety of our living rooms. Long gone are the times when artist like Chaplin were recognize for the courage to make us think through the universal language of comedy and art.

Modern Times is definitely slapstick and a movie that appears almost innocent in nature. Many scenes of the movie revolve around humor based on movement and physical activities that were highly incongruent and caused us to laugh. One of the best examples of this childish humor is the scene when Chaplin in eaten by the machine at the factory and starts sliding through the different gears as if being inside was not a problem at all.

The relationship between Chaplin and his female friend was very simple and innocent. They did not show any sex scenes or talked about anything that was related to sex. When Chaplin and his girlfriend where together, they always thought about simple things in life.  They just wanted to life in a comfortable house and have enough to eat.

Also, I found that Chaplin wanted to show how the type of lifestyle of his character could make anyone crazy. Chaplin became crazy after going through the gears of the machinery at his job and started creating all sorts of problems around the factory. After Chaplin goes crazy, he is sent to jail instead of being sent to a mental institution without giving him the opportunity to be healthy again. I think that this problem is still alive in America; it is not a surprise to see shootings by mentally ill people at least once a moth on TV.

I personally believe that the work of an artist is to inspire humanity to attain new levels of consciousness and understanding. As and artist we have the ability to bring people together to think, collaborate, and develop connections between the different aspects that we call human experience. Science, humor, language, music, culture, and feelings that relate to all of us are creatively expressed on the timeless film, “Modern Times.” 

The Importance of Being Human

It would be a comment far too pessimistic to say that we can identify the society of the Victorian era with what we experience today in the United States. However, there are many aspects in the argument of the film that can easily be related to the current and growing social class dilemma we live in. The obsession with money and disregard for education and integrative community can be easily seen. What we observe in TV is now a standard that we try to emulate in a similar to the life during the Victorian era depicted on the Oscar Wilde's adaptation to the big screen The Importance of Being Earnest.

With the growth of television, we have created a world inside of our living rooms, a world that does not reflect the reality of what we live. Most of the popular shows in television depict the lives of very rich materialistic families, such as Gossip Girl, or reality shows that incentivize women to look for economic and superficial gain at marriage portrayed in The Bachelor.

Subconsciously, the world of television makes a big part of our days and begins to shape our lives and decisions. The standards of living that we see on TV are much higher than in real life, and in that way we try to catch up with what we see. To attain these economic dreams, instead of lying to others such as the character Jack-Earnest does in the film, we lie to ourselves. We choose our careers based on economic gain and seem to forget about what we really love to do. It is not a surprise to anybody to see people studying business or accounting at UNM just because it seems to be a career that will provide economic stability, but they have no problem admitting that they actually hate numbers, or would prefer not to be in an office environment.

In addition to the authority in television, there is a growing intent to decrease access to quality education. Schools are becoming more and more expensive, and the opportunity to learn seems to have become a privilege more than a possibility. It appears as if part of society in the US does not care about something as important for a healthy society as real education. Just as the character Augusta said, "Fortunately, in England at any rate, education produces no effect what-so-ever. If it did it would prove a serious danger to the upper class," we can read between the lines of political action in the government that they do not want us to think, they want us to do.

Although most of us would think that what we see in TV does not affect us or has any control over our behavior, we cannot forget that the average American person watches about four hours of television every day on average. In the Victorian era, the standards pushed humanity out of individuals away in a similar way in which television pushes reality off our days. In the Victorian times was an offense to show arms or express sexual feelings, today it is not good to talk about the social reality we live in and be critical. We think that "if people in TV can make it, why can't we make it? " It is a taboo to talk about helping each other as a community because everything is categorized as political, instead of simple compassion for each other. But everything is fine because it is all inside of a TV screen.

We are afraid of thinking as individuals

We Are Afraid of Thinking as Individuals 

I appreciate what Life of Brian says about religion. I think that organized religions often use their central figures rather than follow them. It seems that people hear what they want to hear, follow the teachings they like, and use religious teachings to justify their actions. The film suggests that Jesus (aka Brian) did not want to be followed, and that those who claimed to follow him actually twisted his words, misinterpreted his statements, and forced him to be the prophet they wanted rather than the man he was. The only thing Brian really says is that people are individuals and should follow their own thoughts and develop their own values, but this point is totally ignored. Perhaps, it is easier to follow than to innovate.

Historically, it is clear that all religions are based on interpretation, but the film plays with the idea that Christianity was fabricated by humans for their own desires, that Jesus was just a pawn used by some for political reasons and by others to give direction when they did not want to think for themselves. In my own experience I see seen the manipulation of the Bible in a similar way. Though the Bible describes the earth as the creation of God, christians all over the world continue to destroy it and claim they are devoted to God.

In the end, the film really looks at human nature. It shows people hearing what they want to hear, doing what they want to do, and believing what they want to believe. Pontius Pilate never wakes up to the fact that everyone laughing at him. The People's Front of Judea can't get anything done because they spend all of their time either fighting with other movements or discussing policies. They don't listen when someone tries to convince them to actually do something. Brain's followers don't really listen to what he is saying,. In the end even Judith and his mother remain stuck in their own views of Brian and what is happening to him. Basically, those with an agenda see everything through the lens of that agenda, and those like Brian who just want peace and quiet get caught in the middle of the problems.

The film makes all of these points through humor. If a drama or a documentary was making the same point, many people would not listen or would feel offended. The film is able to criticize and mock religion and human nature without being too offensive because it incorporates silliness and humor that everyone can relate to. A lot of us know what it is like to be nagged by our mother, or to be told in an annoying way to look on the bright side. We can all laugh at a crazy naked man running around, or an oblivious leader with a speech impediment saying “Biggus Dickus.” Humor helps us deal with difficult topics in a way that feels safe. It changes anger, frustration, and cynicism into something positive. Monty Python's use of humor allows us to look at ourselves and the world, see the problems and faults, and laugh at it all.  

Will Success Spoil Our Lives?

The issues we experience today in relation with depression and lack of purpose in our lives are not new or sudden. With the increase of economic “development” we always believe that our lives will be better by inertia. However, in our way to what we call “success,” we forget about the simple but most important things in our lives. Just as the movie “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” warned us about the way economic gain can make us forget other more important aspects of our lives, we can see the signs of depression and mental instability all around us. We live in search of a better job or a nicer car, but fail to recognize that the relations with others, as well as staying connected to our real passions is more important.

I also found interesting the way the movie highlighted the instability of jobs. At the beginning of the movie, Rock Hunter almost lost his job after having worked so hard to keep it. I believe this is relevant even more than when the movie came out. Many of us work in constant fear of loosing our jobs, and with the versatility of today’s economic system, jobs are created and lost in a matter of days.

In addition providing a comic view of how we work in fear of loosing our jobs, “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” also shows how the fear of staying true to our passions can be the rout to fake success. The 1950’s film represents how even people who we believe are already successful are not contempt with their lives. For example, the character of the movie whom was the owner of the marketing company was not happy with working as the President or doing anything else besides working in horticulture.   

“Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” not only exposes some realities of our society in a very clear way, but also uses comedy to bring a positive side to the daunting process of finding out what we will do to survive as adults while staying connected to our passions. I think that depression will be lowered tremendously in the United States if we were able to study for free what really makes us happy instead of making decisions based on fear of economic loss.