Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Decalogue, Philip Vivirito


In class we watched a couple of films in series called the Decalogue, which portray the 10 commandments. While I was watching the films, I focused on the visual symbols and imagery. I noticed that the films were engaging in Midrash, or the filling in the gaps of a story. In the Decalogue that revolved around the commandment: “That shall not commit murder,” there was one scene where the guards were escorting the prisoner to where he was going to be hung. As they walk down a set of stairs they past a person who appears to be carrying a ladder. He also, seems to be some sort of handy man. The man is a symbol of Jesus. He is carrying a ladder, meaning that when people die they climb up the ladder. This person is in the film for less then 30 seconds. It is a depiction of film Midrash. However, can film Midrash be a negative thing for films?         

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