Just finished watching 'The Master' and I absolutely loved it - I don't think I entirely misunderstood it, but I thought it was great. Was Seymour Hoffman's character basically supposed to represent God? I'm aware that most of the film is a satire of religion, but I feel like I'm missing a lot - especially in terms of subtext.
Feel free to post analytical paragraphs or whatever here, or just discuss your feelings/theories regarding the film.
Other urls found in this thread:
meant to type "understood" instead of "misunderstood", apologies for that.
I thought Joaquin's character was great - such a violent guy just because he's fooled by the concept of religion and craves sex
i dont think he was just craving sex, theres a lot more that goes into his character
Hoffman's character is based on L. Ron Hubbard the founder of scientology. Paul Thomas Anderson has said the movie isn't "about scientology" though.
care to elaborate..?
the guy tries to encourage written analysis and you spoil the fun by posting a video...
OP here, thank you for sharing but >>> basically. But thanks anyway!
/thread
I didn't get it at all desu
>Everyone wants to analyse BvS
>No one wants to analyse this masterpiece
I hate this board
You have to remember who you're talking with. It's easy to forget that 95% percent of Sup Forums posters are under 21 and give videogames the same level of cultural credence as film and literature.
With this mindset the trite, on the nose cribbed imagery of BvS seems clever to the point of transcendence.
>sunday morning
>you're well capable of dumping your thoughts
Did not like it desu. Felt vague.
It's the type of film that critiques / analysis are more interesting than the film
alle me haha
The Master explains it at the ending of the film when he says he remembers they were homosexual loves in another lifetime and that is why they were drawn to each other. It's about love transcending time.
Personally I think the theme of Phoenix's character, Freddie Quell, is that he is an aimless young man with no aspirations or direction in life and how easily these types of people can be seduced by a passionate, persuasive individual like Dodd.
I think the larger point of the film is to show to people how scientology in particular can draw in so many otherwise intelligent people, because at one point in their life they were vulnerable and aimless. They were seduced by this man who claimed they could be a part of something greater just like Quell was by Dodd.
Probably my favorite movie of this decade, and it probably won't be equaled at any point in the next 4-5 years
me again
Not joking when I say I dropped this, it was so incoherent and boring, not a single frame that appeared on screen interested me or kept me entrigued. I got about an hour in, I seen him taking photos of some family, then he met Heroin Overdose, then at one point he was a sailor on some ship, I just dropped the pretentious, try hard patrician bullshit.
I hate when films intentionally make it confusing and a bullshit story line that is jumping all over the place, as if by making it a puzzle it somehow makes the filmmakers or the film better.
OP here, you're really not fooling anyone, faggot. Go back to praising the BS that is BvS.
I think it's important to note as well that Hoffman's character is ultimately the same, although with different needs, with his master being Amy Adams.
Read about Nietzsches master-slave morality and also dyonisian versus apollonian. It's all there
Yes! Thank you! I can't stop thinking about Joaquin's character though, Freddie just seems like a victim to me for some reason and I can't help but think that his anger management issues have some sort of deeper meaning too...
that's a relief, it's hard to believe that many people like that steaming pile of shit
When it comes to me, my mind is the most active in the morning
>retarded enough to believe a troll
>thinks it's a "steaming pile of shit" because he can't comprehend it let alone try to understand it
I feel bad for you
i believe that guy was commenting on the expectation of having this be a fully active thread at this time
>I can't help but think that his anger management issues have some sort of deeper meaning too...
I think he probably has some sort of PTSD. The way he acts in the beginning of the film, fucking a woman made of sand and masturbating in front of other people and passing out drunk on the cannon of the warship, he clearly has a preoccupation with sex and gratification that ignores social boundaries. This is common among people who have experienced intense combat, of course the film never really delves into that so it's all just speculation, but throughout the film Freddie seems to be obsessed with sex, including that great scene where he hallucinates that everyone at the party is naked.
That's quite interesting, I thought the scene where he was hallucinating meant that he wasn't entirely obsessed with sex because by the end of it he focuses on the pregnant one - meaning he wants something more than just sex, like feeling affection and starting a family.
>comprehend
>understand
difference ???
comprehend - be able to follow the film
understand - its themes and hidden meanings
His anger issues are a physical manifestation of his discontent. He has tried and failed to live the 'good' american lifestyle which he should aspire to (through military service, attempting a career as a photographer) but its rewards are meaningless, even suffocating in his case, as he is driven by base desires that outweigh his picket fence urges.
He's rightly referred to as an animal (at least in comparison to the ideal of society) and is treated as such amazingly well in the motorbike scene.
Freddie is a slave to his impulses, be lust, anger or whatever. What Dodd tries to do with him is to take that chain out of him so he can ensalve him just like he did with the rest of the cult members. In the infamous scene of the masturbation, the Amy Addams character forces Dodd to control his own animalistic impulses, to come back to be full apollonian versus the dyonisian influence of Freddie
That could certainly be it. Freddie's character fascinates me, he's so dispassionate and undefined, almost like a blank slate. The only things we know for sure about him are that he's violent, possessive and obsessed with sex, I think any one who watches the movie can ascribe further qualities based on their own perceptions of the character and their own internal biases that they come to the movie with.
Thank you for this, that's actually a really good analysis of the character. Now that you brought up the motorbike sequence, could you elaborate on that please? How was he treated like an animal in that? When that scene happened it felt a bit jarring and was the only point in the film where I genuinely didn't know what happened.
It is indeed a truly fascinating character, the fact he's in it just makes me love the film that much more - he's engaging as hell.
Reminder that this scene was in the film, but why? It was so random.
thanks for the meme answer, I keked
...
basically whiplash, but with god
it was ok
I should state he's treated as an animal by the movie in that scene, not by the characters. His taking flight is purely animalistic and when his character is at his most 'natural' like a dog being let off a leash and just running because that's instinctively what they feel.
It's the most explicit example of 'The Master' not actually being a master at all but also a slave to his desires, despite what he espouses.
Nice bait, but if you're serious you need to off yourself.
Jesus christ
Thanks again, you sir, are a genius. Does the fact he's "treated" (or maybe "behaving") like an animal evident in any other scenes? Now that I think about it... the fact this film is called 'The Master' adds a whole new meaning to it.
/thread/bump/whatever
I don't want this thread to die
I didn't quite understand these scenes and why Freddie looks old and tiny. Could anyone explain, please?
>Was Seymour Hoffman's character basically supposed to represent God?
No.
>I'm aware that most of the film is a satire of religion
It's not.
>"No and no"
>Doesn't offer any input
Okay then... your post was pointless.
Batman v Superman was better than this because it had more symbolism and hidden meanings
nice b8 m8
are you actually serious, it's not that hard to understand