This is Eve. Satyajit sent me an intelligent piece because dealing with death in fiction cannot be portrayed as “light”. He makes a big deal out of one of my favourite films, “Ikiru”, and avoids cliches like love stories.
Satyajit Das, a former banker and author of numerous books on derivatives and other general topics, writes: Traders, Guns, and Money: The Known and the Unknown in the Fascinating World of Derivatives (2006 and 2010) Extreme Money: The Masters of the Universe and the Cult of Risk (2011), Another feast of results (2021) and Fool of Fortune: Australia’s Choice (2022). His latest book is about ecotourism and the relationship between wildlife and humans. Wild Quest (Released on May 1, 2024). This article is New Indian Express Online
In 2022, Oliver Hermanus directed the film. lifeWritten by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and starring British character actor Bill Nighy, the film is set in post-war Britain and revolves around a civil servant diagnosed with an incurable disease who attempts to right a frustrated life of quiet despair with one final act of redemption: building a children’s playground in a poor neighborhood, plans which have been repeatedly thwarted by an inflexible bureaucracy used to saying “no.”
The film is a remake of the 1952 film. live The film is directed by Akira Kurosawa and is inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s 1886 novel. The Death of Ivan IlyichThis remake speaks to the woeful lack of originality and creativity in much of the arts today, and is a poor imitation of the original, rightly regarded as one of Kurosawa’s masterpieces.
live The film features some astonishing death scenes, recreated by director Hermanus. The original set the standard for the depiction of death in cinema. Apart from the gory cartoonish gunfights of action thrillers, death is difficult to portray. Lewd lingering, overly graphic images or cowardly denial are inevitable. The choice between sentimental and pathetic scenes is delicate. The same can be said about the film’s sex scenes.
There are some interesting death scenes in movies. At the end of Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner -of Tears in the RainOf note is a short monologue delivered by replicant Roy Batty (played by Rutger Hauer).I saw things you would never believe… a burning attack ship off the shoulder of Orion… I saw a C-beam flash in the darkness near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain… It’s time to die.. “
This oft-quoted speech is a surprisingly insightful exploration of what it means to die. Everything an individual has seen and experienced is erased as if it never happened. The universality of these words – that death is our common destiny – is hard to forget. Hauer adapted the lines, originally written by David Peoples, to create a moving death monologue.
Its power is reinforced by the framing and symbolism within the sequence. Batty saves Deckard (Harrison Ford) who is trying to kill him. His words as Batty rescues Deckard in an act of mercy are telling: “What an experience it must be to live in fear? That is what it means to be a slave.“It captures the fear of death that affects us all. Batty also appears to be holding a white dove. The literary reference to Wagner is interesting. There are nails in his hands. The allusion to crucifixion is powerful.
At the other extreme is a humorous scene in Blake Edwards’ 1968 comedy, “Death Scene.” party It was designed making full use of Sellers’ improvisational talents. Bugler Who doesn’t die?Hrundi V. Bakshi (played by Sellers in what would today be considered politically correct blackface that’s outrageous) is shot multiple times and takes forever to die, even after the director yells “cut” to give him more screen time to show off his acting prowess. Hrundi also ruins the film by accidentally blowing up a giant fort that he’s rigged with explosives. It’s humorous, but not depressing.
Bengali film director Satyajit Ray crafted some powerful death scenes in his masterpiece trilogy. They all depict the death of the protagonist Apu’s family. The death of Apu’s sister Durga is depicted, as always, by a violent storm. The death of the parents is a whole other level of story. Apu’s ailing mother Sarbajaya is in the garden as night falls. The background fades and only fireflies are visible. Then the fireflies also go dark, signifying her death. There is thunderous applause as Apu’s father Harihar lies dying. The camera captures the doves flying away as he exhales his last breath, releasing his soul.
Akira Kurosawa’s liveIn “The Death of the Man,” the protagonist Kenji Watanabe (played brilliantly by Takashi Shimura) is magically depicted as he sits on a swing in the park that a dying bureaucrat fought so hard to build. Snow is falling. Watanabe gazes silently at his final achievement: a playground. A shot of the swing swinging back and forth, empty, signals his death. The soundtrack (Kenji whistling a mournful traditional song) continues to play.
Death completes the cycle. live We see a close-up of Watanabe’s x-ray of stomach cancer and his stunned face as he realizes his fate, and in the final scene we see him alone, without family or friends, unrecognized or rewarded, yet at peace with himself.
To live is to prepare for death, and Hamlet recognized that he must prepare for the end that will come, whether by choice or being chosen for him. live It means living in irony.
