[fifteen] Pale Fire + that which is painfully obvious

"Retake the falling snow: each drifting flake                                                                                                   Shapeless and slow, unsteady and opaque" (line 13-14, page 33)
                                                                                                                                                                            "My eyes were such that literally they                                                                                                                Took photographs." (line 30-31, page 34)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "The house itself is much the same. One wing                                                                                                We've had revamped. There's a solarium. There's                                                                                              A picture window flanked with fancy chairs." (line 58-60, page 35)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               "I never bounced a ball or swung a bat." (line 130, page 37)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         "I had a brain, five senses (one unique)," (line 133, page 37)

[fourteen] Saint Andrew's Cross

“The princess in standing upright in the center of a St. Andrew’s cross, which is revolving around her with its eddies of courtiers, maids of honour, animals and fools.” (page 13)

I was intrigued by Foucault’s use of “St Andrew’s cross” in this passage instead of using something more mundane like “the princess is standing upright in the center of an [X]”. I did a little research and found that Saint Andrew was a close follower of Jesus and was crucified on a cross that resembled an “X” rather than the “t-like” cross Jesus was crucified on. After his crucifixion, St Andrew’s cross became the emblem of many military and political flags in Europe including the Spanish Navy during the time of Velasquez. The Princess’ father, Philip IV was an avid patron of the Spanish Naval fleet during his reign, so he possibly used the naval flag emblazoned with St Andrew’s cross. Foucault’s description is also an interesting parallel to the later life of Margarita Teresa (the Princess), when she became Holy Roman Empress with her marriage to her uncle, Leopold I/The Holy Roman Emperor. Since the St Andrew’s cross is such a strong compositional element within Velasquez’s painting, I wonder if the painter had any inkling to the Princess’ future title of “Holy Roman Empress” as well as the possible link between King Philip IV and his work with the Spanish Royal Navy.

[thirteen] “Free Will” + The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

 

 http://www.filmofilia.com/new-the-adjustment-bureau-posters-36551/

In the Wild Duck, Relling’s belief that humanity at large is not capable of escaping their “life lies” into a world of truth becomes a point of contention between the Doctor and Gregers. Relling scoffs at Greger’s “duty to deliver humanity” from the facades/“life lies” that have insulated it from “true reality” because the Doctor believes people could not survive without these “constructed realities”. Relling prescribes “cures” for the mental ailments of various characters in the play. He tells Molvik “demonic” in order to keep the “harmless swine would have broken down in self-contempt and despair many years ago” (275). For Lieutenant Ekdal, Relling explains that the old man “found his own cure himself” (275). That “cure” being the converted attic where Ekdal becomes-

“[the happiest] sportsman in the world…romping around among all the rubbish. For him, the four of five Christmas trees he’s collected are the entire, vast, living forest of Hoydal. The cock and hens are the great birds in the treetops. And the rabbits hoping across the loft floor—they’re the bears he tussles with: he, the virile hunter of the wild open spaces!” (275-276)

In the film, The Adjustment Bureau, the themes of “free will” versus “constructed realities” are also prevalent. In the film, New York Senator David Norris (played by Matt Damon) learns about a secret body called the “Adjustment Bureau”. After he meets the enchanting dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt), David tries to keep in contact with her but instead learns that “reality” is actually constructed by the “Adjustment Bureau”. Members of the Bureau inform him that he cannot see or try to contact Elise ever again or else severe consequences will ensue. These consequences include the destruction of Elise’s predetermined destiny to become one of the greatest dancers/choreographers in the world as well as the shattering of David’s own destiny to stay a US Senator and eventually the President of the United States, where he will have the power to affect significant positive change in the world. Even with these warnings, David feel s inexorable pull to Elise that drives him to keep trying to make contact with her. Since David's normal “handlers” in the Adjustment Bureau seem unable to rein him in, one of the Bureau’s most notorious members named Thompson aka “The Enforcer” (Terrence Stamp), is called to separate David and Elise once and for all. In their eventual encounter, Thompson gives David one last warning about the consequences of his actions and why he must follow the predetermined destiny that the Adjustment Bureau has set out for both of them.

         

THOMPSON My name's Thompson.

DAVID What happened to Free Will?

THOMPSON Who said anything about Free Will?

THOMPSON You know, we actually tried Free Will before. After taking  

                  you from hunting and gathering to the height of the Roman

                  Empire we stepped back to see how you'd do on your own. You

                  gave us the Dark Ages – for five centuries -- until finally

                  we decided we should come back in.

The Chairman thought maybe we just needed to do a better job of teaching you how to ride the bike before we took the training wheels off again. So we gave you the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution. We spent six hundred years tempering your passions with reason, then in 1910 we stepped back again. Within fifty years you brought us World War I, the Depression, Fascism, the Holocaust and capped it off by bringing the entire planet to the brink of destruction in the Cuban Missile Crisis. A decision was taken at that point that we' should step in again before you did something even we couldn’t fix.

You don't have “Free Will”, David, you have the appearance of Free Will.

          

 DAVID You expect me to believe that?

THOMPSON You have Free Will over what tie you pick in the morning, or what beverage to order at
                               lunch. But humanity just isn't mature enough to have control over the important things.

          

DAVID If you're in control of the important things then you're incompetent cause when I look around at the 

                              world these days it seems pretty fucked.   

 

THOMPSON It's still here. If we'd left things in your hands, it wouldn't be.

                                        

(Script from: http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Adjustment-Bureau,-The.html)