First of all, can I get a what-what for Bill Murray? How is it that this very funny man is so sad and beautiful? Did you know that he agreed to make Ghostbusters only if Paramount would let him make Maugham's A Razor's Edge? When Ghostbusters hit it huge, but Razor's Edge didn't, Murray left the states and enrolled at Paris's Sorbonne where he studied philosophy. He also ad libbed the Dali Lama scene in Caddyshack, on the spot. I repeat - on the spot.
To slightly adapt Robert Browning's opening words to his soon-to-be wife Elisabeth Barret, I love Bill Murray's movies with all my heart. I found a very stimulating article about Murray's movies, which explains what the spiritual currents beneath Murray's choice of roles. The article writes:
"Not until Ghostbusters and The Razor's Edge, both released in 1984, did the spiritual subtext of the Jesuit-educated actor's films become the text.Though written for John Belushi, Ghostbusters is completely consistent with Murray's skepticism in the face of the Unknown. As Peter Venkman, doctor of the paranormal, Murray is an unstable rope bridge between the comic and the cosmic. Slimed by ghosts who may be deities or trying to make time with cellist Sigourney Weaver, he maintains his composure amid the chaos. "You don't look like a scientist," Weaver says to Murray. "You look like a game-show host." Murray takes it as a compliment."
Actors like Murray - they don't come around often. He is a national treasure.
Secondly, I mentioned this before but no one said anything, but has anyone else noticed a couple of recurring themes in Charlie Kauffman's movies? I've only seen three of his movies - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Adaptation, and Being John Malkovich - but that pretty much is the bulk of his major work, I think. I keep noticing two things: deep, almost violent, sexual repression and an inability to express that sexuality in a healthy way; and the blurring of the lines between reality and fantasy. All of the male lead characters in the three movies I just named are sexually repressed, and all of them seem to be unable, or unwilling, to differentiate what's real from what's imaginary. Does anyone have some thoughts on that they'd care to share? It hit me the other day after watching Confessions, and I was surprised I hadn't seen it earlier.
Bill Murray is great. I especially liked him in Rushmore, and I'm still waiting to see Lost in Translation.
Posted by: Greg at November 13, 2003 01:13 PMAlright, let's do Kauffman. (In a non-sexual way, of course.) To my mind, Kauffman's films are important as studies in the sins of self-awareness. His protagonists are paralyzed by knowing too much, especially about their own inadequacies. He provides us a clue to these anti-heroes with a Nietszche quote from Julia Roberts' spy in Confessions: "The man who loathes himself still respects himself as the one who loathes."
I was very excited to hear this line, because it clarified themes that I already saw developing in Kauffman's work. Both Nic Cage's "Charlie" in Adaptation and Chuck Barris in Confessions are driven by two desires: to make art and to get laid, not neccesarily in that order. They are all too aware of their failures, but they are equally aware of their own awareness: there is still a part of them that will not accept limitations, that refuses to give up transcendence. So both Charlie and Chuck create alter egos for themselves, people who are able to accomplish what they cannot and score the women they can't even talk to. Both are able to maintain arrogance through fantasy.
There's a lot more I could say about this, but for now I'd rather hear if any of this makes sense to you, Scott.
Posted by: mesh at November 13, 2003 02:02 PMand don't forget Bill Murray sailed on his very first try.
Posted by: levy at November 13, 2003 02:12 PM