I fail to see the (Vanishing) Point
This evening, I watched the "cult classic" film, Vanishing Point.
At risk of revealing myself to be an uncultured barbarian: I Don't Get It; I'm not sure I buy into this film as a great work of art.
Then again, I keep thinking about it, and before long I'll probably want to see it again.... Isn't that a key feature of art, that it requires appreciation?
Having listened to some of the director's commentary, I get the distinct impression he didn't know what he was doing when he made the movie. A lot of the craft is good--for one thing, the desert visuals are amazing--but I don't think Sarafian knew what he was trying to say with the film (if anything).
What does the film say??? On one level, it's a simple car chase movie. Very simple, so that even Smokey and the Bandit or Cannonball Run seem complicated by comparison. On another level, it's a deep psychological drama that keeps the viewer asking "Why?" Read another way, it's a Christ allegory: the hero does the right thing all his life (as revealed in flashbacks), and yet is utterly destroyed. Or you could read it as a sort of John-Henry-versus-The-Machine (which, in a way, is another variation on the Christ theme). Or as 60s-Youth-Culture-versus-The-Establishment. You could probably read it dozens of different ways.
And the acting would still be good, the camera work would still be good, the whole thing would still seem dated and you'd still be left wondering whether the stark minimalism was an intentional effect or just because the director didn't know what he was doing.
Does intent matter? No. What matters, when deciding whether something is art, is whether the result is something special, and I guess I can't deny that, ultimately, Vanishing Point is something special, even if I can't say what exactly.
Bottom line: interesting, maybe fascinating, beautiful at times, but ultimately not quite enjoyable. And it's art, damnit.
At risk of revealing myself to be an uncultured barbarian: I Don't Get It; I'm not sure I buy into this film as a great work of art.
Then again, I keep thinking about it, and before long I'll probably want to see it again.... Isn't that a key feature of art, that it requires appreciation?
Having listened to some of the director's commentary, I get the distinct impression he didn't know what he was doing when he made the movie. A lot of the craft is good--for one thing, the desert visuals are amazing--but I don't think Sarafian knew what he was trying to say with the film (if anything).
What does the film say??? On one level, it's a simple car chase movie. Very simple, so that even Smokey and the Bandit or Cannonball Run seem complicated by comparison. On another level, it's a deep psychological drama that keeps the viewer asking "Why?" Read another way, it's a Christ allegory: the hero does the right thing all his life (as revealed in flashbacks), and yet is utterly destroyed. Or you could read it as a sort of John-Henry-versus-The-Machine (which, in a way, is another variation on the Christ theme). Or as 60s-Youth-Culture-versus-The-Establishment. You could probably read it dozens of different ways.
And the acting would still be good, the camera work would still be good, the whole thing would still seem dated and you'd still be left wondering whether the stark minimalism was an intentional effect or just because the director didn't know what he was doing.
Does intent matter? No. What matters, when deciding whether something is art, is whether the result is something special, and I guess I can't deny that, ultimately, Vanishing Point is something special, even if I can't say what exactly.
Bottom line: interesting, maybe fascinating, beautiful at times, but ultimately not quite enjoyable. And it's art, damnit.
posted by Warrior of the Woods at 7:20 PM
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