Little Nemo is an oft-overlooked 1989 animated film, a Japanese/American co-production, about a little boy who can't help but dream. The film, which took twelve years to bring into being, is based on characters from a 1910s comic strip called "Little Nemo in Slumberland." With striking visuals, a screenplay co-written by Chris Columbus (The Goonies), and a story concept by Ray Bradbury, this film deserves some attention.
The film centers on Nemo, a little boy in 1900s suburban New York, who gets pulled into one of his dreams about a magical place called Slumberland. This land is ruled by King Morpheus and his daughter Princess Camille, who invite Nemo to be a playmate for the princess and to become the King's future heir. Nemo receives guidance and etiquette lessons from a man named Professor Genius. Morpheus gives Nemo a key that will open any door in the kingdom, but warns him that there is one door he must never open - the door that locks away the Nightmare King. Flip, a mischievous rebel clown, peer-pressures Nemo into opening the door, just a little, to see what's inside. Doing so, Nemo releases unknown evil into the pristine and wholly-good Slumberland, resulting in King Morpheus's kidnapping during Nemo's coronation. With the help of Flip and his questionable map of Nightmare Land, Nemo bravely ventures to the Nightmare Castle to do battle and rescue King Morpheus.
This movie is a relic of my childhood. I fondly remember watching it many times on a crackly VHS tape that was recorded from television. I recently rewatched the film with my Mom (this time on YouTube), because I was thinking about the religious overtones that it strongly suggests. If we take these overtones seriously, whether or not they were intended by the filmmakers, we can easily read Little Nemo as an allegory for the Christian paradigm of original sin in Adam, and salvation and redemption in Christ.
*****
Slumberland/Eden
Take for example Slumberland itself: it is perfect, happy, harmonious. The one time we see police officers, they are napping in the police stations, suggesting that there are never any crimes or disturbances. Slumberland (which looks a little bit like Naboo) has the best of everything, and it functions as a monarchical kingdom. Complete with gardens and many good things to eat, Slumberland's resemlances to Eden are obvious. Caught in a rainstorm, Nemo, Princess Camille, and their companion Bon-Bon hang their clothes out to dry and are meanwhile clothed in orbs of glowing light. This minor detail underscores the comparison of Nemo and the Princess to Adam and Eve, who, as many Bible scholars say, were not naked in the conventional sense but were clothed in a protective covering of God's glory, which was lost at the Fall.
When Morpheus gives Nemo the key to the kingdom, he gives him only one explicit restriction. Flip fills the role of the serpent, tempting Nemo into transgressing Morpheus's command. On one level the incident is a lesson for youngsters about peer pressure, and it extends one of the film's themes about keeping and breaking promises. But on a more allegorical level, it portrays the central act of the Fall of Man, fusing a Christian idea with a Pandora's Box-like image of opening and unleashing evil.
Not Yo' Mamma's Lucifer
The baddie in Little Nemo is a lot scarier than the baddies in a lot of current children's films. I was always struck by the depiction of the villain in this film, because the hell imagery suggests that the hero's adversary is capital E Evil itself. The Nightmare King is depicted with horns, red eyes, and a Darth Vader-esque voice. The inside of Nightmare Castle looks a lot like the classical depiction of hell, dressed with cavernous expanses, pools of light and shadow, stalactites and stalagmites, and grinding noises (perhaps gnashing of teeth?).
Behind the door that Nemo opens is a vast, oozing inky blackness - a physical, material substance. The film is not clear whether this substance is the Nightmare King shapeshifted into this form, the force of Evil, or some medium in which Evil resides. The fact that this "Evil" is shut up behind a long-locked door under the streets of Slumberland hints at some earlier battle that resulted in its containment. In the same way, the Bible (and Milton) depict a battle between God and Lucifer before the universe began.
Fall from Grace
The release of evil into Slumberland results in Nemo's fall from grace, after King Morpheus is bound and captured by the vine-like bands that steal him away. The sequence following this is one of the film's topsy-turvy blendings of Nemo's dream world with his home world. After getting mobbed by an angry crowd at the coronation, he wakes up in his bed, thinking it was all a dream. But his house is suddenly flooded by crashing waves and he ends upfloating on his bed in the middle of an endless, still sea. He has sinned and is cast out of the Garden, so to speak.
While caught in the doldrums, Nemo sees a waterspot that takes the form of King Morpheus before collapsing back into the sea. Nemo then expresses his sincere sincere remorse for what he has done. Soon after, Professor Genius floats by on a suitcase. The two devise a plan for rescuing the King, and then paddle their way back to Slumberland. Perhaps we can read this sequence on the water as a period of purgatory that Nemo must undergo.
The Second Adam
While Nemo falls from grace, King Morpheus falls from power, leaving behind his magic scepter to Nemo's responsibility. Continuing the allegory, this fall from power and descent into bondage represents Christ's humiliation and death on the cross. Going even further, Morpheus is held captive within the hell-like caverns of the Nightmare Castle; this could be read as representing Christ's descent into hell. Morpheus's fall from power represents Christ's giving up of power.
This is where the cool thing happens.
When he goes to rescue the King, Nemo transitions from an Adam figure to a Christ figure, a second Adam. Nemo uses the King's scepter to do battle in Nightmare Castle, using the incantation that the King had used at Nemo's coronation. He takes on Morpheus's mantle of power, using his words, to defeat evil. I see this as an allegorical representation of Christ's defeat of evil at the cross. Christ is called the Second Adam many times in scripture because he stands in Adam's (Man's) place to take the punishment for sin.
What's more, He dies on the cross and is resurrected and restored to glory by the Father. After Nemo defeats the Nightmare King, he is overwhelmed and appears to die, or at least pass out. Nightmare Land explodes in light, and the churning lava and fire are replaced by ice and snow. King Morpheus, Princess Camille, the Professor, and Flip (who had all been captured and placed in some kind of cryogenic sleep) are suddenly released. Finding Nemo lying on the ground, Morpheus uses his scepter to revive Nemo, resurrecting him even.
The following scene shows Slumberland restored to its former state of happiness, as Nemo and the Princess float away on a dirigible back to Nemo's real world.
*****
The thing I like about Little Nemo - other than its allegorical storyline, its imaginative characters, its disorienting editing and dream sequences - is the fact that it doesn't fall back on the "If you just believe in yourself, all will be well" idea that many children's film have. Nemo must 'do something about it', but he doesn't act fully out of his own power either. Even if we ignore the film's allegorical implications, the film is firmly rooted in the idea of taking action and keeping one's word. Sin must be paid for, but redemption is the ultimate finale.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mob Week - The Consequences of Sorrentino
As many of us know, July 30 through August 5 is AMC's Mob Week. So far, I've caught the restaraunt scene in The Godfather Part I, and the beginning of The Godfather Part II. Despite my pitiable show of affection for Mob Week, I'd like to use the occasion to highlight one of my favorite contemporary directors, Paolo Sorrentino.
A native of Naples, Italy who's barely in his 40s, Sorrentino has the rhythm of a musician in his editing style, and visuals are as sharp and shiny as cut glass. He's been rightly called the love child of Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Federico Fellini (here). So far his films haven't been noticed by the Hollywood mainstream, most of his acclaim coming from the festival circuit. However, he is certainly gaining notice far outside of Italy - perhaps his recent feature starring Sean Penn, This Must Be the Place, will help with that too.
This Must Be the Place (2011)
Set in Ireland and the U.S., This Must Be the Place is about an aging rock star, Cheyenne (based on Robert Smith of The Cure), who sets out to confront the ex-Nazi war criminal who tortured his father during the Holocaust - and in the process, finally grows up. It has an almost Wes Anderson-style of dry humor and poignancy, and long takes that convey its grotesque yet deeply emotional undercurrent. Frances McDormand contrasts Penn's character as his energetic, health-concsious (and normal-looking) wife. Sorrentino also brings in David Byrne as himselfe, lead singer of Talking Heads, to play one of Cheyenne's friends. Part bildungsroman, part biopic, Sorrentino's first English-language film must not necessarily be the place to start if you want to get a sense of Sorrentino style as a director.
His pace slows down and his storytelling scope becomes more focused in this, his latest film. His previous features have focused on Italian politics and the runnings of the Mafia, but they have always kept an intense focus on character, which is what Sorrentino chiefly does in This Must Be the Place. Here's my take on two of his earlier films, ones which contrast organized crime with the breathing, bleeding human being that plays a central part in it.
The Consequences of Love (2004)
Staring Tony Servillo, The Consequences of Love is about a seemingly emotionless man who lives in a hotel in Switzerland. Regularly, he delivers money to a bank account as a pawn for the Mafia. Also, he's addicted to heroine.
A few sequences stand out. Each time he make the cash deliveries, Sorrentino dresses the scene with serio-comic, highly stylized music and editing. It looks like a James Bond intro and a Jaguar commercial crashed into each other on the Autobahn. The first couple of minutes of this.
Long takes are one of Sorrentino's specialties: the opening shot (doubling for the title sequence) is a 2-min. static shot of a bellboy traveling down a moving sidewalk. Sorrentino is also a master of the moving camera. When Servillo's character sits on his hotel bed and shoots up heroine, the camera moves from a front medium shot, goes 180 degrees over his head and down the other side of the bed, while the music swells and the drug enters his body. Acrobatic sequences like this contrast with quieter dialogue- and monologue-driven scenes. Sorrentino's knack for conveying a stylized portrait of an inwardly tortured man continues in his political biopic, Il Divo.
Il Divo (2008)
Servillo returns to play Giulio Adreotti, who was Italy's long-reigning Prime Minister, with a political career lasting from the 50s to the 90s. The film explores the various deaths connected with Andreotti's career and his alleged Mafia ties. Stylistically, the film is breathtaking, and in certain places, funny. Such as when Andreotti stares down a cat that has one blue eye and one green eye. Narratively, you could probably get more out of the story that this film has to tell if you are familiar with Italian politics, which I am not. But, that doesn't mean it's not worth your while. Sorrentino said that he wanted to create for the audience the sense of being a spectator of the political scandals of Andreotti's life, flashbulbs and all. In fact, the film's subtitle is "The Spectacular Life of Giulio Andreotti."
The latter half of the film lags a bit by trying to compress a lot of historical details into the narrative in a short amount of time. The film overall, however, is a beautifully conducted symphony of private monologue, musical anachronism, interactive text, and a camera with moves that would rival Beyonce's. The trailer says it best.
***
If for no other reason, watch Sorrentino's films for their music. He's found a fusion between music and image that few filmmakers have achieved. And his body of work shows that he's much more than a director of "gangster pictures." That being said, I'd love to turn on AMC's Mob Week in a few years and see Il Divo or Consequences. The Godfather, Scarface, and Goodfellas have had a good run.
A native of Naples, Italy who's barely in his 40s, Sorrentino has the rhythm of a musician in his editing style, and visuals are as sharp and shiny as cut glass. He's been rightly called the love child of Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Federico Fellini (here). So far his films haven't been noticed by the Hollywood mainstream, most of his acclaim coming from the festival circuit. However, he is certainly gaining notice far outside of Italy - perhaps his recent feature starring Sean Penn, This Must Be the Place, will help with that too.
This Must Be the Place (2011)
Set in Ireland and the U.S., This Must Be the Place is about an aging rock star, Cheyenne (based on Robert Smith of The Cure), who sets out to confront the ex-Nazi war criminal who tortured his father during the Holocaust - and in the process, finally grows up. It has an almost Wes Anderson-style of dry humor and poignancy, and long takes that convey its grotesque yet deeply emotional undercurrent. Frances McDormand contrasts Penn's character as his energetic, health-concsious (and normal-looking) wife. Sorrentino also brings in David Byrne as himselfe, lead singer of Talking Heads, to play one of Cheyenne's friends. Part bildungsroman, part biopic, Sorrentino's first English-language film must not necessarily be the place to start if you want to get a sense of Sorrentino style as a director.
His pace slows down and his storytelling scope becomes more focused in this, his latest film. His previous features have focused on Italian politics and the runnings of the Mafia, but they have always kept an intense focus on character, which is what Sorrentino chiefly does in This Must Be the Place. Here's my take on two of his earlier films, ones which contrast organized crime with the breathing, bleeding human being that plays a central part in it.
The Consequences of Love (2004)
Staring Tony Servillo, The Consequences of Love is about a seemingly emotionless man who lives in a hotel in Switzerland. Regularly, he delivers money to a bank account as a pawn for the Mafia. Also, he's addicted to heroine.
A few sequences stand out. Each time he make the cash deliveries, Sorrentino dresses the scene with serio-comic, highly stylized music and editing. It looks like a James Bond intro and a Jaguar commercial crashed into each other on the Autobahn. The first couple of minutes of this.
Long takes are one of Sorrentino's specialties: the opening shot (doubling for the title sequence) is a 2-min. static shot of a bellboy traveling down a moving sidewalk. Sorrentino is also a master of the moving camera. When Servillo's character sits on his hotel bed and shoots up heroine, the camera moves from a front medium shot, goes 180 degrees over his head and down the other side of the bed, while the music swells and the drug enters his body. Acrobatic sequences like this contrast with quieter dialogue- and monologue-driven scenes. Sorrentino's knack for conveying a stylized portrait of an inwardly tortured man continues in his political biopic, Il Divo.
Il Divo (2008)
Servillo returns to play Giulio Adreotti, who was Italy's long-reigning Prime Minister, with a political career lasting from the 50s to the 90s. The film explores the various deaths connected with Andreotti's career and his alleged Mafia ties. Stylistically, the film is breathtaking, and in certain places, funny. Such as when Andreotti stares down a cat that has one blue eye and one green eye. Narratively, you could probably get more out of the story that this film has to tell if you are familiar with Italian politics, which I am not. But, that doesn't mean it's not worth your while. Sorrentino said that he wanted to create for the audience the sense of being a spectator of the political scandals of Andreotti's life, flashbulbs and all. In fact, the film's subtitle is "The Spectacular Life of Giulio Andreotti."
The latter half of the film lags a bit by trying to compress a lot of historical details into the narrative in a short amount of time. The film overall, however, is a beautifully conducted symphony of private monologue, musical anachronism, interactive text, and a camera with moves that would rival Beyonce's. The trailer says it best.
***
If for no other reason, watch Sorrentino's films for their music. He's found a fusion between music and image that few filmmakers have achieved. And his body of work shows that he's much more than a director of "gangster pictures." That being said, I'd love to turn on AMC's Mob Week in a few years and see Il Divo or Consequences. The Godfather, Scarface, and Goodfellas have had a good run.
Monday, October 10, 2011
That Outfit with the Funny Name
The lack of blog posts is a pretty good indication that I've been to busy to create any thus far in my adventures abroad. I arrived in Oxford on Sunday 25 September, along with my Mom who came with me for a brief visit. Here is a short recap of my time here so far; we're gonna do this recap fast, kind of stream of consciousness. It helps to imagine this song in the background while you read about my whirlwind first week:
Sunday. Landed, bus to Oxford, hot weather, too hot; unpacked; took a trip to Primark [the Walmart of England] to buy towels; got groceries, sustenance. Sleep.
Monday. Went to my college - Kellogg College, Cornish Pasties for lunch [yummy]; did other stuff I can't remember.
Tuesday. Day trip to Woodstock, just north of Oxford, toured Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, pretty, opulent, sheep on the grounds. Saw Chaucer's brother's house.
Wednesday. Visited New College [a really old Oxford college], visited St. Edmund's Hall [another college], had drink at the White Horse pub, found the closest thing to an American-style grocery store; went to a concert at the Sheldonian Theatre.
Thursday. london, London, LONDON; Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral [not the Abbey], heard Westminster Abbey chimes, Downing Street, gaurds, gaurds with guns. No time for Harrods. Home instead.
Friday. Laundry, laundry, catch up & rest.
Saturday. Bodleian tour, "Treasures of the Bodleian" exhibit, with Shakespeare's first folio and Mary Shelley's handwritten revisions of Frankenstein [English major pilgrimage], lunch in Botanical Gardens, another Cornish Pasty [still yummy second time around].
Sunday. Church service at St. Mary the Virgin [ye olde university church], champagne reception for a retiring priest after the service, visit to Eagle & Child, bought my subfusc [that outfit with the funny name that makes me look like Hermione Granger].
Monday. Don't remember much about Monday, too tired after the previous week. Sleep.
Sunday. Landed, bus to Oxford, hot weather, too hot; unpacked; took a trip to Primark [the Walmart of England] to buy towels; got groceries, sustenance. Sleep.
Monday. Went to my college - Kellogg College, Cornish Pasties for lunch [yummy]; did other stuff I can't remember.
Tuesday. Day trip to Woodstock, just north of Oxford, toured Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, pretty, opulent, sheep on the grounds. Saw Chaucer's brother's house.
Wednesday. Visited New College [a really old Oxford college], visited St. Edmund's Hall [another college], had drink at the White Horse pub, found the closest thing to an American-style grocery store; went to a concert at the Sheldonian Theatre.
Thursday. london, London, LONDON; Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral [not the Abbey], heard Westminster Abbey chimes, Downing Street, gaurds, gaurds with guns. No time for Harrods. Home instead.
Friday. Laundry, laundry, catch up & rest.
Saturday. Bodleian tour, "Treasures of the Bodleian" exhibit, with Shakespeare's first folio and Mary Shelley's handwritten revisions of Frankenstein [English major pilgrimage], lunch in Botanical Gardens, another Cornish Pasty [still yummy second time around].
Sunday. Church service at St. Mary the Virgin [ye olde university church], champagne reception for a retiring priest after the service, visit to Eagle & Child, bought my subfusc [that outfit with the funny name that makes me look like Hermione Granger].
Monday. Don't remember much about Monday, too tired after the previous week. Sleep.
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