A superb essay which reminds me so much of Susan Sontag's "Against Interpretation" where she says: "In place of a hermeneutics we need an erotics of art."
Meaning of course not that we must switch off our brains or critical thinking, but that instead of prioritising the mechanics of the art we should prioritise the aesthetic sense of experiencing that art as a sensuous thing made up of shapes and colours and sounds.
Kent is definitely beautiful but so is much of rural England in general.
Like you, I've loved 2001 since I was about 12, and my son also now swears by that one. I saw original Fantasia when I was very young and the final scene of the Bald Mountain was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. On TV there used to be a Disney Special on BBC where they regularly showed the dancing hippos.
Right now I'm working through The Archers' films having seen a few many years ago. The Red Shoes is very possibly the greatest British film ever made.
A brilliant essay. Although Fantasia hasn't been my favourite film to watch. I would happily listen to the music. Jurassic Park is my all-time favourite film; I always come back to it when I'm poorly for some reason. I haven't seen 2001, but I am intrigued by your connection between this and Fantasia. I will have to watch this soon.
Was taken to a theater to see Fantasia. Took our children to a theater to experience it in that setting as well. It terrified and delighted me, left me nightmares and left me with dreams. It’s an amazing experience.
Fantasia has been on my to-watch list for years, but reading this has definitely bumped it up a few spaces. I'm also hankering to read Surprised by Joy now too, that reflection of Lewis' about his idea of Paradise retaining something of his brother's toy garden almost brought a tear to my eye.
A great film and a great book, both all-time favorites of mine.
Thanks for subscribing, by the way. I hope you enjoy exploring the rest of the Substack. I've been doing this for almost two years so I do have a bit of an archive to dig into.
Your archive has definitely caught my eye. As someone who grew up playing the Pokémon games right from the days of Red, Blue and Yellow I'm absolutely looking forward to giving those ones a read.
No, not yet! It takes me a notoriously long time to get around to recommendations, and in fact I don't think I've watched any film at all for about two months (I've been more in the mood for reading).
But when I eventually watch it I will report back.
A superb essay which reminds me so much of Susan Sontag's "Against Interpretation" where she says: "In place of a hermeneutics we need an erotics of art."
Meaning of course not that we must switch off our brains or critical thinking, but that instead of prioritising the mechanics of the art we should prioritise the aesthetic sense of experiencing that art as a sensuous thing made up of shapes and colours and sounds.
Kent is definitely beautiful but so is much of rural England in general.
Thanks so much.
Are any of the films I wrote about particular favorites of yours?
Like you, I've loved 2001 since I was about 12, and my son also now swears by that one. I saw original Fantasia when I was very young and the final scene of the Bald Mountain was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. On TV there used to be a Disney Special on BBC where they regularly showed the dancing hippos.
Right now I'm working through The Archers' films having seen a few many years ago. The Red Shoes is very possibly the greatest British film ever made.
The Archers 1943-1948 is peak cinema.
A brilliant essay. Although Fantasia hasn't been my favourite film to watch. I would happily listen to the music. Jurassic Park is my all-time favourite film; I always come back to it when I'm poorly for some reason. I haven't seen 2001, but I am intrigued by your connection between this and Fantasia. I will have to watch this soon.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Was taken to a theater to see Fantasia. Took our children to a theater to experience it in that setting as well. It terrified and delighted me, left me nightmares and left me with dreams. It’s an amazing experience.
Fantasia has been on my to-watch list for years, but reading this has definitely bumped it up a few spaces. I'm also hankering to read Surprised by Joy now too, that reflection of Lewis' about his idea of Paradise retaining something of his brother's toy garden almost brought a tear to my eye.
A great film and a great book, both all-time favorites of mine.
Thanks for subscribing, by the way. I hope you enjoy exploring the rest of the Substack. I've been doing this for almost two years so I do have a bit of an archive to dig into.
You're very welcome!
Your archive has definitely caught my eye. As someone who grew up playing the Pokémon games right from the days of Red, Blue and Yellow I'm absolutely looking forward to giving those ones a read.
Did you ever watch Fantasia? And, if so, what did you think?
No, not yet! It takes me a notoriously long time to get around to recommendations, and in fact I don't think I've watched any film at all for about two months (I've been more in the mood for reading).
But when I eventually watch it I will report back.
Thanks so much! Have you seen any of the other films I mentioned?
Hope my description did Fantasia justice.