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1
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Use the force, Luke.
2
00:00:12,345 --> 00:00:13,887
I stick my neck out for nobody.
3
00:00:13,971 --> 00:00:16,890
Well, darling, look out,
'cause my hair is coming down.
4
00:00:16,975 --> 00:00:18,184
Always do the right thing.
5
00:00:18,268 --> 00:00:19,686
That’s it?
That’s it.
6
00:00:19,768 --> 00:00:21,187
I got it, I’m gone.
7
00:00:22,396 --> 00:00:23,981
There are certain films
8
00:00:24,024 --> 00:00:27,943
that people keep going
back to over and over again...
9
00:00:27,986 --> 00:00:30,321
I'm gonna make him an offer
he can’t refuse.
10
00:00:30,405 --> 00:00:33,991
Films that were not
only popular in their day,
11
00:00:34,033 --> 00:00:36,161
but that continue to be popular.
12
00:00:36,243 --> 00:00:37,161
You're talking to me?
13
00:00:37,244 --> 00:00:39,956
And my question is, why?
14
00:00:39,997 --> 00:00:41,207
It’s not about what I want.
15
00:00:41,290 --> 00:00:42,834
It’s about what’s fair!
16
00:00:42,875 --> 00:00:45,920
They call me Mister Tibbs.
17
00:00:46,003 --> 00:00:47,713
I’m in love with you.
18
00:00:48,923 --> 00:00:49,923
Snap out of it!
19
00:00:49,966 --> 00:00:52,134
Rosebud.
20
00:00:52,176 --> 00:00:53,719
I’m Howard Suber.
21
00:00:53,802 --> 00:00:55,347
For over five decades,
22
00:00:55,429 --> 00:00:58,307
I’ve taught thousands
of aspiring directors,
23
00:00:58,350 --> 00:01:00,768
producers, screenwriters,
and scholars
24
00:01:00,851 --> 00:01:03,563
the patterns
and principles I’ve found
25
00:01:03,646 --> 00:01:07,567
in America’s most
memorable popular films.
26
00:01:07,650 --> 00:01:12,906
Join me as we discover
the power of film.
27
00:01:17,701 --> 00:01:21,998
One of the great mysteries
of human behavior,
28
00:01:22,039 --> 00:01:28,212
of living in a society,
is motivation.
29
00:01:28,295 --> 00:01:32,634
A word that comes
from the same root as "motor".
30
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What drives people?
What’s the source of power?
31
00:01:39,057 --> 00:01:43,770
Think of when people started
talking about your motivation.
32
00:01:43,853 --> 00:01:47,106
This may be one
of your earliest memories.
33
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Somebody, often your father,
34
00:01:49,484 --> 00:01:52,027
your mother
or some pivotal figure
35
00:01:52,069 --> 00:01:54,614
said, "Why did you do that?"
36
00:01:54,698 --> 00:01:58,534
Or, "Why did you do that?"
"Why did you do that?"
37
00:01:58,575 --> 00:02:00,036
Kevin, get upstairs right now.
38
00:02:00,078 --> 00:02:01,412
Why?
39
00:02:01,495 --> 00:02:03,415
It can be inflected
any way you want,
40
00:02:03,456 --> 00:02:07,209
but you learned
at a very young age
41
00:02:07,251 --> 00:02:09,919
that a question
about your motivation
42
00:02:10,004 --> 00:02:12,257
is not a search for information.
43
00:02:12,340 --> 00:02:14,092
It’s an accusation.
44
00:02:14,175 --> 00:02:15,259
Why did you do that?!
45
00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:16,427
Why did you do that?!
46
00:02:16,468 --> 00:02:17,887
Why did you do this?
47
00:02:17,929 --> 00:02:21,598
But you don’t have to ask
about motivation
48
00:02:21,682 --> 00:02:25,020
if you approve
of what somebody is doing.
49
00:02:25,103 --> 00:02:26,603
But we go through our lives,
50
00:02:26,687 --> 00:02:29,481
we read about serial killers,
51
00:02:29,566 --> 00:02:32,526
saying, "Why did that
person do that?"
52
00:02:32,610 --> 00:02:34,153
We don’t know why,
53
00:02:34,236 --> 00:02:38,324
but motivation
is at the center of power
54
00:02:38,408 --> 00:02:40,868
when it comes to human being,
55
00:02:40,951 --> 00:02:46,623
and yet who knows
what motivates human beings?
56
00:02:46,707 --> 00:02:48,668
All I want to do
is go the distance.
57
00:02:48,752 --> 00:02:51,462
Just once I want
to do something right!
58
00:02:52,212 --> 00:02:53,631
I want to live.
59
00:02:53,715 --> 00:02:56,134
I wanted a mission,
60
00:02:56,175 --> 00:02:58,594
and for my sins,
they gave me one.
61
00:03:00,472 --> 00:03:01,639
What do you want?
62
00:03:01,723 --> 00:03:03,265
Motivation reveals something
63
00:03:03,307 --> 00:03:05,685
that I think is really crucial
64
00:03:05,769 --> 00:03:08,396
both to film
and characterization,
65
00:03:08,479 --> 00:03:12,817
but also to each of our lives
as we live it.
66
00:03:12,859 --> 00:03:18,323
The constant tension
between fate and destiny.
67
00:03:18,365 --> 00:03:19,990
If you look in a dictionary,
68
00:03:20,033 --> 00:03:24,412
they will define fate
and use the word "destiny".
69
00:03:24,496 --> 00:03:26,372
And if you look under destiny,
70
00:03:26,455 --> 00:03:29,584
you’ll find they
define it as fate.
71
00:03:29,668 --> 00:03:31,670
So it’s no help at all.
72
00:03:31,711 --> 00:03:36,132
We have to look to how people
actually live their lives
73
00:03:36,174 --> 00:03:39,009
and how they use the language.
74
00:03:39,093 --> 00:03:41,846
Fate is how tall you are,
75
00:03:41,888 --> 00:03:44,765
the color of your eyes,
the color of your skin,
76
00:03:44,848 --> 00:03:48,186
the gender you
identify with or are.
77
00:03:48,228 --> 00:03:52,564
You may not even be aware of it,
but you didn’t choose it.
78
00:03:54,692 --> 00:03:56,735
In "No Country for Old Men,"
79
00:03:56,819 --> 00:04:01,532
we see Javier Bardem’s character
driving through a neighborhood
80
00:04:01,574 --> 00:04:05,870
unaware of what will happen
at the next intersection.
81
00:04:05,954 --> 00:04:07,705
If he died...
82
00:04:10,417 --> 00:04:13,919
we’d say he was
in a fatal accident.
83
00:04:14,003 --> 00:04:15,629
"Fatal."
84
00:04:15,713 --> 00:04:19,341
Well, must be connected to fate.
85
00:04:19,384 --> 00:04:21,802
In American history,
86
00:04:21,886 --> 00:04:24,764
one of the ideological things
87
00:04:24,848 --> 00:04:28,350
that caught hold
of American politicians
88
00:04:28,393 --> 00:04:29,935
and the American public
89
00:04:30,019 --> 00:04:33,314
was something called
"manifest destiny".
90
00:04:33,398 --> 00:04:36,651
"Manifest" simply means
"self-evident".
91
00:04:36,735 --> 00:04:40,947
It isn’t "manifest fate".
It’s "manifest destiny".
92
00:04:41,031 --> 00:04:44,992
Destiny is a choice.
93
00:04:45,076 --> 00:04:49,831
Destiny is a goal,
94
00:04:49,913 --> 00:04:53,209
and you have
to reach out and seize it.
95
00:04:53,250 --> 00:04:55,170
First, you’ve got to get mad!
96
00:04:55,252 --> 00:04:58,840
You’ve got to say, "I’m a human
being, God damn it."
97
00:04:58,923 --> 00:05:01,091
"My life has value."
98
00:05:01,175 --> 00:05:04,053
What we want is demonstrated
99
00:05:04,095 --> 00:05:07,973
by the scene
in the middle of "Network."
100
00:05:08,057 --> 00:05:11,060
I want you to get up now.
101
00:05:11,101 --> 00:05:14,730
I want all of you
to get up out of your chairs.
102
00:05:14,773 --> 00:05:17,942
I want you to get up right now
and go to the window,
103
00:05:17,983 --> 00:05:23,406
open it and stick your head out
and yell, "I’m as mad as hell,
104
00:05:23,447 --> 00:05:25,533
"and I’m not going
to take this anymore!"
105
00:05:25,617 --> 00:05:26,951
That’s destiny.
106
00:05:27,035 --> 00:05:30,120
That’s seizing control
of your destiny.
107
00:05:30,163 --> 00:05:34,959
That’s refusing to continue
to be victimized.
108
00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,629
Just get up from
your chairs right now.
109
00:05:37,711 --> 00:05:39,105
Where
are you going?
Go to the window.
110
00:05:39,129 --> 00:05:40,798
I want to see
if anybody’s yelling.
111
00:05:40,882 --> 00:05:43,093
I'm mad as hell, and I'm not
gonna take it anymore!
112
00:05:43,134 --> 00:05:45,803
I’m mad as hell!
I’m not gonna take it anymore!
113
00:05:45,887 --> 00:05:47,639
I'm mad as hell, and I'm not...
114
00:05:47,721 --> 00:05:50,516
Boy, does that resonate
with all of us.
115
00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:52,685
We’re mad as hell,
116
00:05:52,769 --> 00:05:54,437
and we wished we could say,
117
00:05:54,478 --> 00:05:56,523
"I’m not going
to take it anymore."
118
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:06,199
But that’s the kind of thing
we go to movies to see...
119
00:06:06,281 --> 00:06:08,576
somebody reaching out
120
00:06:08,660 --> 00:06:12,204
and changing the world
they live in.
121
00:06:12,288 --> 00:06:13,831
Where the hell have you been?
122
00:06:13,872 --> 00:06:17,334
I’m talking about all of us
123
00:06:17,418 --> 00:06:21,297
who face what fate has given us.
124
00:06:21,338 --> 00:06:22,923
To the bathroom, sir.
125
00:06:23,007 --> 00:06:24,259
The bathroom?
126
00:06:24,341 --> 00:06:29,305
But who refused to
passively accept their fate.
127
00:06:29,346 --> 00:06:31,098
For 40 minutes a day?
128
00:06:33,268 --> 00:06:34,853
What are you doing there?
129
00:06:34,894 --> 00:06:39,441
Destiny is something
that requires you to act...
130
00:06:39,524 --> 00:06:41,192
There’s no bathroom for me here.
131
00:06:41,233 --> 00:06:45,738
Often in ways that are
unpleasant for other people.
132
00:06:45,822 --> 00:06:47,591
What do you mean there's no
bathroom for you here?
133
00:06:47,615 --> 00:06:49,951
There is no bathroom.
134
00:06:50,033 --> 00:06:52,870
There are no colored bathrooms
in this building
135
00:06:52,954 --> 00:06:55,290
or any building outside
the west campus,
136
00:06:55,372 --> 00:06:57,167
which is half a mile away.
137
00:06:57,206 --> 00:06:59,043
Did you know that?
138
00:06:59,127 --> 00:07:03,088
I have to walk to Timbuktu
just to relieve myself.
139
00:07:03,173 --> 00:07:07,634
Skirt below my knees, my heels,
and a simple string of pearls.
140
00:07:07,718 --> 00:07:09,428
Well, I don’t own pearls.
141
00:07:09,512 --> 00:07:11,389
Lord knows you don’t
pay coloreds enough
142
00:07:11,473 --> 00:07:13,725
to afford pearls.
143
00:07:13,807 --> 00:07:17,896
And I work like a dog
day and night,
144
00:07:17,937 --> 00:07:22,733
living off of coffee from a pot
none of you want to touch!
145
00:07:22,776 --> 00:07:24,860
I’m not suggesting
146
00:07:24,903 --> 00:07:28,781
you can only be a hero
if you change the world
147
00:07:28,865 --> 00:07:33,495
in some way where
an entire society changes.
148
00:07:33,577 --> 00:07:35,163
When I talk about
changing the world,
149
00:07:35,245 --> 00:07:40,250
I really mean changing
your relationship to the world.
150
00:07:40,877 --> 00:07:44,755
There are films,
what I call costume dramas
151
00:07:44,798 --> 00:07:46,925
with comic book characters,
152
00:07:46,966 --> 00:07:49,843
and they do change the world.
153
00:07:49,927 --> 00:07:53,889
Hell, Superman
can move planet Earth
154
00:07:53,932 --> 00:07:56,768
to revolve
in the other direction.
155
00:07:56,850 --> 00:07:59,687
He’s really changing the world.
156
00:07:59,771 --> 00:08:02,982
I’m not talking about
that kind of character.
157
00:08:03,065 --> 00:08:06,735
I’m talking about people
who reach out
158
00:08:06,778 --> 00:08:10,781
and change their relationship
to the world.
159
00:08:10,824 --> 00:08:13,076
I want to do something big
and something important.
160
00:08:13,117 --> 00:08:15,786
George Bailey in
"It’s a Wonderful Life."
161
00:08:15,870 --> 00:08:17,329
I don’t want one for one night.
162
00:08:17,413 --> 00:08:19,206
I want something
for 1,001 nights,
163
00:08:19,290 --> 00:08:23,043
with plenty of room here for
labels from Italy and Baghdad,
164
00:08:23,127 --> 00:08:24,129
Samarkand...
165
00:08:24,170 --> 00:08:25,797
It begins with George saying,
166
00:08:25,879 --> 00:08:27,464
"I want to get out of this burg.
167
00:08:27,507 --> 00:08:30,134
"I want to be somebody.
168
00:08:30,175 --> 00:08:32,470
I want to be an architect
or an engineer.
169
00:08:32,553 --> 00:08:35,306
I want to build things,
I want to fly,
170
00:08:35,389 --> 00:08:37,225
et cetera, et cetera.
171
00:08:37,307 --> 00:08:41,604
But he stays in this little burg
that he wanted to get out of.
172
00:08:41,644 --> 00:08:44,065
George! George!
173
00:08:45,482 --> 00:08:51,030
And it ends with perhaps
one of the most moving examples
174
00:08:51,114 --> 00:08:53,240
of the power of community.
175
00:08:53,323 --> 00:08:55,326
Here you are, George.
Merry Christmas.
176
00:08:56,827 --> 00:08:58,705
But it’s a small community,
177
00:08:58,788 --> 00:09:01,832
and George has done
small things.
178
00:09:01,916 --> 00:09:03,418
He hasn’t saved the world,
179
00:09:03,500 --> 00:09:07,212
but he has saved the poor people
of his little town.
180
00:09:08,048 --> 00:09:10,924
And it’s a major feat.
181
00:09:11,884 --> 00:09:18,224
So the scale of the change
is important to understand.
182
00:09:19,183 --> 00:09:21,519
W-A-T-E-R, water.
183
00:09:21,602 --> 00:09:23,104
It has a name.
184
00:09:23,187 --> 00:09:24,730
W-A-T...
185
00:09:27,442 --> 00:09:32,197
For example, Helen Keller
in "The Miracle Worker"
186
00:09:32,279 --> 00:09:35,825
is blind and deaf.
187
00:09:35,866 --> 00:09:40,580
W-Wa...
188
00:09:40,663 --> 00:09:43,582
The most powerful moment
in the film
189
00:09:43,667 --> 00:09:45,793
is when Anne Bancroft,
190
00:09:45,876 --> 00:09:48,004
whose character
is Anne Sullivan,
191
00:09:48,046 --> 00:09:52,384
traces on her palm
the word "water".
192
00:09:52,466 --> 00:09:53,466
Yes.
193
00:09:59,974 --> 00:10:02,851
That’s one of
the biggest triumphs
194
00:10:02,894 --> 00:10:07,399
that I remember
from all the films I’ve seen.
195
00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:08,857
It’s a little thing,
196
00:10:08,899 --> 00:10:12,736
and it doesn’t go
outside of Helen Keller
197
00:10:12,778 --> 00:10:16,323
and her relationship
to Anne Sullivan,
198
00:10:16,408 --> 00:10:20,828
but it’s truly lasting
and memorable.
199
00:10:21,830 --> 00:10:24,374
"Lawrence of Arabia"
is one of the few films
200
00:10:24,416 --> 00:10:28,419
in which the tension
between fate and destiny
201
00:10:28,461 --> 00:10:30,212
is out there on the surface.
202
00:10:30,254 --> 00:10:34,091
It’s referred to constantly
throughout the film.
203
00:10:36,427 --> 00:10:38,721
You are mad.
204
00:10:38,763 --> 00:10:40,597
To come to Aqaba by land,
205
00:10:40,682 --> 00:10:43,350
we should have to cross
the Nefud Desert.
206
00:10:43,434 --> 00:10:44,769
That’s right.
207
00:10:44,852 --> 00:10:47,105
The Nefud cannot be crossed.
208
00:10:47,147 --> 00:10:48,856
I’ll cross it if you will.
209
00:10:48,940 --> 00:10:52,192
Lawrence is accused of blasphemy
210
00:10:52,277 --> 00:10:56,697
because it is written
no man can go across the Nefud.
211
00:10:56,780 --> 00:10:59,993
The Nefud is the worst place
God created.
212
00:11:00,076 --> 00:11:01,745
I can’t answer for the place,
213
00:11:01,785 --> 00:11:03,245
only for myself.
214
00:11:03,288 --> 00:11:04,706
But he does it.
215
00:11:04,788 --> 00:11:06,124
And on the way,
216
00:11:06,166 --> 00:11:09,336
they notice that
Gasim is missing.
217
00:11:09,418 --> 00:11:11,129
We must go back.
218
00:11:11,211 --> 00:11:13,923
What for?
To die with Gasim?
219
00:11:13,965 --> 00:11:16,259
And he’s told it was written
220
00:11:16,301 --> 00:11:20,138
that Gasim would perish
out there in the desert.
221
00:11:20,179 --> 00:11:23,432
Gasim’s time has come, Lawrence.
222
00:11:23,475 --> 00:11:24,683
It is written.
223
00:11:24,768 --> 00:11:26,686
Nothing is written.
224
00:11:28,645 --> 00:11:30,190
Go back, then!
225
00:11:30,273 --> 00:11:32,067
What did you bring us here for,
226
00:11:32,149 --> 00:11:34,485
with your blasphemous conceit?!
227
00:11:34,527 --> 00:11:36,111
Hey, English blasphemer?
228
00:11:36,153 --> 00:11:40,200
Again, he is accused
of blasphemy because it’s clear
229
00:11:40,283 --> 00:11:45,120
that the Arab culture
being depicted in the film
230
00:11:45,163 --> 00:11:50,125
is heavily on the side of fate.
231
00:11:50,168 --> 00:11:52,504
But you will not be at Aqaba!
232
00:11:52,586 --> 00:11:54,755
I shall be at Aqaba.
233
00:11:54,838 --> 00:11:57,299
That is written...
234
00:11:57,341 --> 00:11:59,344
in here.
235
00:11:59,385 --> 00:12:01,346
Where is it written?
236
00:12:01,388 --> 00:12:04,264
Somebody else
in a memorable popular film
237
00:12:04,349 --> 00:12:08,227
says that about an hour
into "The Godfather,"
238
00:12:08,311 --> 00:12:12,565
Michael Corleone is in a meeting
with his brother Sonny.
239
00:12:12,649 --> 00:12:16,735
Sonny, being the hothead,
wants to go after the tribe,
240
00:12:16,820 --> 00:12:19,114
and Michael makes a proposal.
241
00:12:19,197 --> 00:12:22,116
You’re going to search me
when I first meet them, right?
242
00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:23,368
He...
243
00:12:23,409 --> 00:12:24,595
Well, I can’t have
a weapon on me, then.
244
00:12:24,619 --> 00:12:26,120
Should kill Sollozzo
245
00:12:26,203 --> 00:12:28,163
and McCluskey, the crooked cop.
246
00:12:28,206 --> 00:12:30,875
But if Clemenza can figure a way
247
00:12:30,958 --> 00:12:33,961
to have a weapon
planted there for me...
248
00:12:37,798 --> 00:12:39,509
then I'll kill 'em both.
249
00:12:39,551 --> 00:12:43,846
And Sonny pinches his cheek
and says, "College boy,
250
00:12:43,888 --> 00:12:46,725
"you think you’re so big,
a big shot.
251
00:12:46,765 --> 00:12:48,308
"You cannot kill a cop."
252
00:12:48,393 --> 00:12:51,812
And Michael’s
sitting there and says...
253
00:12:51,855 --> 00:12:54,024
Where does it say
that you can’t kill a cop?
254
00:12:54,065 --> 00:12:55,316
"where is it written?"
255
00:12:55,399 --> 00:12:57,192
Come on, Mikey.
Tom, wait a minute.
256
00:12:57,235 --> 00:13:00,029
I’m talking about a cop
that’s mixed up in drugs.
257
00:13:00,071 --> 00:13:03,115
I’m talking about
a... a dishonest cop,
258
00:13:03,198 --> 00:13:05,201
a crooked cop who got
mixed up in the rackets
259
00:13:05,243 --> 00:13:07,370
and got what was coming to him.
260
00:13:07,412 --> 00:13:09,413
That’s a terrific story.
261
00:13:09,496 --> 00:13:12,333
The hero has
certain requirements.
262
00:13:12,417 --> 00:13:14,251
The first one,
of course, is courage.
263
00:13:14,336 --> 00:13:16,587
They might like
a story like that.
264
00:13:16,629 --> 00:13:18,423
They might, they just might.
265
00:13:20,841 --> 00:13:26,472
Michael has exhibited the
second requirement of the hero,
266
00:13:26,556 --> 00:13:29,183
which is defiance.
267
00:13:29,267 --> 00:13:35,273
Because anybody who says that
is being defiant of the rules,
268
00:13:35,315 --> 00:13:40,235
the laws, what people think
people have to do,
269
00:13:40,278 --> 00:13:43,447
and those people who challenge
270
00:13:43,530 --> 00:13:46,283
what people tell them
they have to do...
271
00:13:46,326 --> 00:13:48,202
Have you left?
272
00:13:48,286 --> 00:13:50,996
Are well on their way
to becoming heroes.
273
00:13:51,081 --> 00:13:56,503
No, um, I’m not
going to make it.
274
00:13:56,586 --> 00:14:00,215
We see this clearly
when Daniel Craig’s character
275
00:14:00,298 --> 00:14:03,884
at the end of the 25th
James Bond film
276
00:14:03,967 --> 00:14:05,511
"No Time to Die,"
277
00:14:05,595 --> 00:14:09,349
tells Léa Seydoux's
character, Madeleine,
278
00:14:09,432 --> 00:14:11,684
who is the mother of his child,
279
00:14:11,768 --> 00:14:14,229
that he will not
leave the island
280
00:14:14,312 --> 00:14:16,773
that is about to be bombed.
281
00:14:17,731 --> 00:14:20,818
I’ve often wondered
why, in real life,
282
00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:27,075
people don’t imitate movie
heroes more often than they do.
283
00:14:27,158 --> 00:14:31,663
And I think it’s because
the hero is a scapegoat.
284
00:14:33,288 --> 00:14:40,337
The hero exists and becomes
a hero on behalf of society.
285
00:14:40,422 --> 00:14:45,342
But that’s generally
paradoxical.
286
00:14:45,427 --> 00:14:47,345
Think of the ending
of "High Noon."
287
00:14:49,806 --> 00:14:54,269
Gary Cooper, Will Kane,
has tried to get the support
288
00:14:54,351 --> 00:14:58,188
of a community that betrays him.
289
00:14:58,273 --> 00:15:02,693
And so at exactly high noon,
290
00:15:02,735 --> 00:15:06,780
he is forced to confront
Frank Miller and his gang
291
00:15:06,865 --> 00:15:08,533
all alone.
292
00:15:08,615 --> 00:15:12,662
Couldn’t be a better example of
individualism in American film.
293
00:15:12,703 --> 00:15:17,417
This single individual
against these four bad dudes.
294
00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:21,629
But the conversation throughout
the film is about community.
295
00:15:21,712 --> 00:15:26,134
And what kind of community
is this going to be?
296
00:15:26,216 --> 00:15:30,554
And so Will Cain,
our sheriff, saves the town
297
00:15:30,596 --> 00:15:33,975
by plugging
these four guys dead.
298
00:15:39,063 --> 00:15:41,941
And then what does he do?
299
00:15:42,024 --> 00:15:45,611
It’s one of the most famous
endings in American film.
300
00:15:46,446 --> 00:15:50,408
The townspeople,
having been saved by Will Kane,
301
00:15:50,450 --> 00:15:53,702
now come out from
their hiding places...
302
00:15:53,745 --> 00:15:55,621
because they were
watching the gunfight,
303
00:15:55,705 --> 00:15:57,624
they just weren’t
participating...
304
00:15:57,706 --> 00:16:02,294
and Will Kane takes
his badge off his chest
305
00:16:02,379 --> 00:16:05,048
and throws it in the dirt
306
00:16:05,090 --> 00:16:08,051
and drives off
with his Quaker wife.
307
00:16:16,809 --> 00:16:18,977
"Apocalypse Now."
308
00:16:20,437 --> 00:16:24,234
Willard, our main character,
played by Martin Sheen,
309
00:16:24,274 --> 00:16:26,695
fulfills his mission,
310
00:16:26,778 --> 00:16:30,280
which is to terminate...
with extreme prejudice...
311
00:16:30,365 --> 00:16:35,036
to kill Marlon Brando’s
character, Kurtz.
312
00:16:47,048 --> 00:16:49,384
The horror.
313
00:16:52,971 --> 00:16:54,596
The horror.
314
00:16:56,015 --> 00:16:58,143
After Willard kills Kurtz,
315
00:16:58,183 --> 00:17:02,312
he comes out of the compound
in the jungle
316
00:17:02,397 --> 00:17:05,650
with the native people
gathered around,
317
00:17:05,732 --> 00:17:09,487
and he’s got the machete
he’s used to kill Kurtz
318
00:17:09,528 --> 00:17:10,570
in his hand.
319
00:17:14,075 --> 00:17:19,122
And it’s clear by the way
the people bow down to him
320
00:17:19,163 --> 00:17:22,250
that this is a familiar
dramatic situation
321
00:17:22,334 --> 00:17:23,710
that Shakespeare used
322
00:17:23,791 --> 00:17:26,671
of "the king is dead,
long live the king."
323
00:17:28,131 --> 00:17:34,346
And it’s a wonderfully subtle
gesture which some people miss.
324
00:17:34,386 --> 00:17:39,683
Willard has that bloody
machete in his hand,
325
00:17:39,768 --> 00:17:42,144
and he drops it.
326
00:17:44,355 --> 00:17:47,776
And then Willard
goes through the crowd.
327
00:17:47,858 --> 00:17:54,115
The crowd parts to show
how powerful Willard is.
328
00:17:55,866 --> 00:17:59,703
And then we hear the metallic
clatter of the natives
329
00:17:59,788 --> 00:18:02,207
dropping their weapons,
330
00:18:02,289 --> 00:18:05,042
following his example.
331
00:18:05,125 --> 00:18:07,961
He came in the name of war,
332
00:18:08,003 --> 00:18:12,759
and now he has
renounced the war.
333
00:18:12,842 --> 00:18:15,886
And he gets back on his boat
and he says...
334
00:18:15,929 --> 00:18:19,682
They were going
to make me a major for this,
335
00:18:19,723 --> 00:18:22,769
and I wasn’t even in their
fucking army anymore.
336
00:18:26,146 --> 00:18:29,567
One more example...
"Dirty Harry."
337
00:18:29,651 --> 00:18:33,570
Harry Callahan is a cop
in San Francisco
338
00:18:33,654 --> 00:18:38,410
who insists on pursuing
the Scorpio serial killer,
339
00:18:38,451 --> 00:18:40,619
even though the mayor,
340
00:18:40,703 --> 00:18:44,499
and therefore, the police chief
have ordered him not to.
341
00:18:44,582 --> 00:18:46,394
When are you people
going to stop messing around
342
00:18:46,417 --> 00:18:47,626
with this guy?
343
00:18:47,711 --> 00:18:49,086
He’s got to be stopped now.
344
00:18:49,128 --> 00:18:50,296
He’s got a busload of kids,
345
00:18:50,380 --> 00:18:52,632
and I can’t take that chance.
346
00:18:52,715 --> 00:18:55,551
I gave my word of honor on it,
and he will not be molested.
347
00:18:55,593 --> 00:18:57,761
And that’s a direct order,
Callahan!
348
00:18:59,596 --> 00:19:02,599
Well, you can just get
yourself another delivery boy.
349
00:19:02,642 --> 00:19:07,605
Once again, heroic behavior
requires defiance.
350
00:19:09,773 --> 00:19:12,443
He corners the killer...
351
00:19:14,069 --> 00:19:15,113
kills him, of course...
352
00:19:23,163 --> 00:19:25,707
and once again,
353
00:19:25,789 --> 00:19:31,671
he takes his badge
and throws it into the water.
354
00:19:31,755 --> 00:19:35,759
And it’s the same ending
as "High Noon."
355
00:19:35,799 --> 00:19:39,220
When Harry Callahan,
Captain Willard,
356
00:19:39,304 --> 00:19:43,141
and Will Kane
leave the community,
357
00:19:43,182 --> 00:19:47,729
it’s because what happens
is what usually happens
358
00:19:47,811 --> 00:19:49,939
in heroic tales...
359
00:19:49,980 --> 00:19:54,152
you get to be a hero
by being a killer.
360
00:19:54,234 --> 00:19:57,822
Once you have gotten rid
of the person
361
00:19:57,864 --> 00:20:00,700
the community wants you
to get rid of,
362
00:20:00,784 --> 00:20:03,869
maybe you’ll kill other people,
363
00:20:03,952 --> 00:20:10,167
and therefore, the story ends
with the exile of the hero.
364
00:20:10,250 --> 00:20:14,673
It served society’s needs
365
00:20:14,713 --> 00:20:20,178
to have you be the killer
and the scapegoat.
366
00:20:20,260 --> 00:20:25,599
But it also serves society’s
needs that you leave.
367
00:20:28,603 --> 00:20:30,855
So I asked the question,
368
00:20:30,896 --> 00:20:34,858
what does the hero get
for all this sacrifice
369
00:20:34,901 --> 00:20:40,699
and suffering
and angst and action?
370
00:20:40,740 --> 00:20:45,077
We will remember him forever.
371
00:20:48,038 --> 00:20:52,460
In "E.T.", a story about
a boy and his pet alien,
372
00:20:52,544 --> 00:20:54,671
it’s a love story...
373
00:20:54,712 --> 00:20:56,172
Ouch.
374
00:20:56,213 --> 00:21:01,260
Between this cute little
alien and this cute little boy,
375
00:21:01,344 --> 00:21:02,971
Elliot.
376
00:21:03,054 --> 00:21:04,054
Ouch.
377
00:21:12,980 --> 00:21:17,693
And so they’re coming
to take him home.
378
00:21:17,736 --> 00:21:21,865
And you have this scene
with this alien
379
00:21:21,905 --> 00:21:25,410
who’s learned to speak
perfect English really fast.
380
00:21:25,492 --> 00:21:29,873
It’s one of a million
separation scenes
381
00:21:29,913 --> 00:21:32,791
that marks memorable
storytelling.
382
00:21:32,875 --> 00:21:38,298
And E.T. extends
his long finger
383
00:21:38,381 --> 00:21:39,590
and says...
384
00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:47,432
I'll be right here.
385
00:21:47,473 --> 00:21:50,184
What’s here?
386
00:21:50,268 --> 00:21:51,894
Memory.
387
00:21:53,605 --> 00:21:58,777
To live in the memory
of your community
388
00:21:58,859 --> 00:22:03,823
is one of the greatest powers
a human being can have.
389
00:22:03,906 --> 00:22:06,785
And if the community
within the film
390
00:22:06,867 --> 00:22:10,497
is not likely to remember
the central characters,
391
00:22:10,579 --> 00:22:15,710
then the audience is not likely
to remember the film.
392
00:22:17,086 --> 00:22:21,007
The reason we don’t
emulate heroes
393
00:22:21,090 --> 00:22:24,094
is because they don’t
get anything that we see.
394
00:22:24,134 --> 00:22:26,011
Go...
395
00:22:26,096 --> 00:22:29,307
You’re a hero
if you don’t get something.
396
00:22:29,391 --> 00:22:31,226
Take your friends and run.
397
00:22:31,308 --> 00:22:35,730
You’re a hero if you sacrifice
for other people.
398
00:22:35,814 --> 00:22:38,857
Listen, you don’t have
to fight anymore.
399
00:22:38,942 --> 00:22:45,155
The word "sacrifice" comes
from the same root as "sacred."
400
00:22:45,198 --> 00:22:50,077
Sacrifice is often what
causes people to remember you.
401
00:22:52,705 --> 00:22:58,836
That is a destiny worthy
of being remembered.
402
00:23:03,258 --> 00:23:05,801
Who are you?!
403
00:23:05,844 --> 00:23:12,017
"Who are you?" is what
a lot of films are about.
404
00:23:12,057 --> 00:23:18,690
"Who are you?"
is based upon this tension
405
00:23:18,772 --> 00:23:22,234
between fate and destiny.
406
00:23:22,317 --> 00:23:27,615
In "Citizen Kane," you have
that long newsreel sequence
407
00:23:27,699 --> 00:23:31,076
that basically recapitulates
the whole plot
408
00:23:31,161 --> 00:23:34,538
we're about to see,
and the editor says...
409
00:23:34,580 --> 00:23:35,874
All we saw on that screen
410
00:23:35,914 --> 00:23:37,791
was that Charles
Foster Kane is dead.
411
00:23:37,875 --> 00:23:42,212
Who is Charles Foster Kane?
You got to find out who he is.
412
00:23:42,297 --> 00:23:44,382
It isn’t enough
to tell us what a man did.
413
00:23:44,423 --> 00:23:46,217
You’ve got to tell us
who he was.
414
00:23:46,259 --> 00:23:47,719
Needs that angle.
415
00:23:47,801 --> 00:23:50,721
Wait a minute...
what were Kane’s last words?
416
00:23:50,763 --> 00:23:52,097
Do you remember, boys?
417
00:23:52,182 --> 00:23:53,432
Huh? Yes.
418
00:23:53,516 --> 00:23:55,393
What were the last words
he said on Earth?
419
00:23:55,434 --> 00:23:57,288
Maybe he told us all
about himself on his deathbed.
420
00:23:57,311 --> 00:23:58,980
Yeah, and maybe he didn’t.
Maybe it was...
421
00:23:59,064 --> 00:24:00,207
All we saw on that screen
was a big American.
422
00:24:00,230 --> 00:24:01,566
One of the biggest.
423
00:24:01,607 --> 00:24:03,044
But how is he any
different from Ford,
424
00:24:03,067 --> 00:24:04,211
or Hearst, for that matter,
or John Doe?
425
00:24:04,234 --> 00:24:05,737
Yeah, sure.
426
00:24:05,778 --> 00:24:07,381
I tell you, Thompson,
a man’s dying words...
427
00:24:07,404 --> 00:24:09,156
But where is he?
You don’t read
the papers.
428
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:10,407
Charles Foster Kane died.
429
00:24:10,491 --> 00:24:12,535
He said just one word...
"rosebud."
430
00:24:12,576 --> 00:24:14,703
The search for the meaning
of "rosebud"
431
00:24:14,746 --> 00:24:17,664
is an attempt
to answer the question,
432
00:24:17,749 --> 00:24:20,751
who is Charles Foster Kane?
433
00:24:20,835 --> 00:24:23,962
Who is this character?
434
00:24:25,589 --> 00:24:27,424
Charles Foster Kane inherited
435
00:24:27,467 --> 00:24:30,428
one of the greatest
fortunes of all.
436
00:24:30,470 --> 00:24:32,638
That’s his fate.
437
00:24:32,721 --> 00:24:34,432
But who was he?
438
00:24:34,516 --> 00:24:38,103
What’s the relationship
to their fate
439
00:24:38,185 --> 00:24:42,523
and what they’ve made
of their life?
440
00:24:42,565 --> 00:24:44,858
Well, that’s what
that film is about.
441
00:24:44,942 --> 00:24:47,987
That’s what "Lawrence
of Arabia" is about.
442
00:24:49,322 --> 00:24:50,656
What’s up, man?
443
00:24:50,740 --> 00:24:53,535
That’s what
"Moonlight" is about.
444
00:24:53,576 --> 00:24:56,746
You have one character
who has three names.
445
00:24:56,788 --> 00:25:01,291
Each name reflects a stage
in his development,
446
00:25:01,334 --> 00:25:03,711
so he begins as Little,
447
00:25:03,795 --> 00:25:05,963
and then he becomes Chiron,
448
00:25:06,047 --> 00:25:08,549
and then he ends up as Black.
449
00:25:08,633 --> 00:25:11,385
Those changes
in what he calls himself
450
00:25:11,469 --> 00:25:16,807
are manifestations
of the changes of his own power.
451
00:25:18,476 --> 00:25:22,521
Chiron and Kevin have a sexual
encounter on the beach,
452
00:25:22,605 --> 00:25:26,942
but then Chiron
is picked on by bullies,
453
00:25:26,984 --> 00:25:30,864
and they force Kevin
to beat Chiron up.
454
00:25:30,946 --> 00:25:32,281
Yo, Kev.
455
00:25:35,993 --> 00:25:38,246
Hit that nigga.
456
00:25:38,328 --> 00:25:39,663
Hit that nigga, Kev.
457
00:25:39,705 --> 00:25:41,665
Yeah, hit his faggot ass.
458
00:25:42,666 --> 00:25:44,336
Fuck you waiting on?
459
00:25:44,376 --> 00:25:45,795
- Do it.
- Come on.
460
00:25:47,547 --> 00:25:49,173
Let’s go.
461
00:25:54,346 --> 00:25:58,641
Chiron is really in pain,
not because of the beating,
462
00:25:58,682 --> 00:26:01,227
but just because
of the betrayal.
463
00:26:01,310 --> 00:26:04,480
But the next day,
he comes into school,
464
00:26:04,521 --> 00:26:07,317
and there’s the bully.
465
00:26:19,371 --> 00:26:21,789
And he’s arrested.
466
00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:27,378
He had seized control
of his situation.
467
00:26:27,461 --> 00:26:32,424
He had not turned in his lover
for beating him up,
468
00:26:32,509 --> 00:26:37,888
but he had whacked the guy
who put his lover up to it.
469
00:26:37,931 --> 00:26:41,351
What it got him was his fate,
470
00:26:41,393 --> 00:26:43,978
which was to be incarcerated
471
00:26:44,061 --> 00:26:47,898
and to move into the third phase
of his own evolution...
472
00:26:49,983 --> 00:26:54,239
where he ends up being
the character called Black.
473
00:26:54,279 --> 00:26:59,160
And his faith is now set
until it’s not.
474
00:26:59,243 --> 00:27:03,038
Years later,
he comes to revisit Kevin,
475
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,417
who’s a much older person,
has gone on with his life,
476
00:27:06,459 --> 00:27:09,796
but he’s never stopped
loving Kevin.
477
00:27:13,508 --> 00:27:17,470
The character who’s called
Black has seized control
478
00:27:17,554 --> 00:27:20,932
of a part of his own life...
479
00:27:20,973 --> 00:27:22,558
the person he loves
480
00:27:22,599 --> 00:27:26,938
and the kind of love
that he chooses to express.
481
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:34,319
But it’s been a long, tortuous
passage that he’s gone through.
482
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:44,622
Anyone caught between their fate
and their potential destiny
483
00:27:44,663 --> 00:27:46,958
is trapped.
484
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,461
We’re all trapped.
485
00:27:53,589 --> 00:27:59,346
We’re trapped by bad jobs.
We’re trapped in our schools.
486
00:27:59,429 --> 00:28:04,768
We’re trapped, many of us,
in bad relationships.
487
00:28:04,808 --> 00:28:07,019
We’re trapped
in our friendships,
488
00:28:07,103 --> 00:28:10,565
which often are accidents
of our lives,
489
00:28:10,647 --> 00:28:12,817
and as they go on, we say,
490
00:28:12,901 --> 00:28:16,988
"You know, I really can’t stand
this person who’s my friend."
491
00:28:18,948 --> 00:28:21,492
It’s not just the hero
who’s trapped.
492
00:28:21,576 --> 00:28:24,162
The villain is trapped.
493
00:28:24,203 --> 00:28:31,336
The Joker in "The Dark Knight"
is as trapped as Batman is.
494
00:28:31,377 --> 00:28:35,673
Norman Bates in "Psycho" says...
495
00:28:35,714 --> 00:28:37,717
You know what I think?
496
00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,346
I think that...
497
00:28:41,387 --> 00:28:46,643
we’re all in our private traps,
clamped in them,
498
00:28:46,684 --> 00:28:49,019
and none of us can ever get out.
499
00:28:49,104 --> 00:28:54,608
"Trapped" could be the title
of nearly all memorable films.
500
00:29:30,979 --> 00:29:33,064
Hello, HAL, do you read me?
501
00:29:33,147 --> 00:29:36,942
Since we all know the feeling
of being trapped...
502
00:29:37,027 --> 00:29:37,943
Hello, HAL, do you read me?
503
00:29:38,028 --> 00:29:39,237
It resonates.
504
00:29:39,319 --> 00:29:41,780
Affirmative, Dave.
I read you.
505
00:29:41,865 --> 00:29:43,866
It can be in a minor
or a major scale,
506
00:29:43,907 --> 00:29:45,242
but it’s not fun.
507
00:29:45,326 --> 00:29:47,453
Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
508
00:29:48,413 --> 00:29:52,291
I’m sorry, Dave.
I’m afraid I can’t do that.
509
00:29:54,210 --> 00:29:55,586
What’s the problem?
510
00:29:55,670 --> 00:29:58,173
That’s why, over and over
and over again,
511
00:29:58,256 --> 00:30:02,259
you could title the memorable
popular films "Trapped".
512
00:30:02,344 --> 00:30:05,430
But that’s not why people go.
513
00:30:05,512 --> 00:30:11,560
They know how universal
traps are in human existence.
514
00:30:11,603 --> 00:30:17,608
What they want to know is,
"how do I get out of it?"
515
00:30:19,318 --> 00:30:23,198
If ever there was a character
who clearly was trapped,
516
00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,450
it’s Ripley in "Alien."
517
00:30:25,532 --> 00:30:28,118
As we close in
on the ending of the film,
518
00:30:28,202 --> 00:30:31,455
it looks like Ripley
has killed the monster.
519
00:30:32,957 --> 00:30:36,877
And so she’s able
to go into the pod,
520
00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:40,757
leaving the mothership
to be extinguished.
521
00:30:40,798 --> 00:30:43,676
And surprise, surprise...
522
00:30:44,969 --> 00:30:47,221
the monster reappears.
523
00:30:47,305 --> 00:30:49,307
She gets into the spacesuit
524
00:30:49,391 --> 00:30:53,478
and she takes a
harpoon-like instrument.
525
00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:55,980
What is she going to do
with the harpoon?
526
00:30:58,900 --> 00:31:01,903
So the monster
gets closer and closer.
527
00:31:02,862 --> 00:31:04,989
Boogie, boogie, boogie.
528
00:31:05,030 --> 00:31:09,618
And she opens
the pod bay door...
529
00:31:14,499 --> 00:31:19,086
takes the harpoon and
blasts it into the monster...
530
00:31:21,131 --> 00:31:23,758
who gets sucked out of the ship.
531
00:31:23,799 --> 00:31:27,261
Without her seizing
the initiative,
532
00:31:27,345 --> 00:31:30,557
she was just going to be
yet another victim.
533
00:31:33,934 --> 00:31:36,520
Her seizing control
of her destiny
534
00:31:36,563 --> 00:31:41,192
is coming up with a bright idea,
literally standing on her feet,
535
00:31:41,276 --> 00:31:44,237
reacting to the crisis
of the moment.
536
00:31:47,949 --> 00:31:49,951
"The Shawshank Redemption."
537
00:31:52,578 --> 00:31:56,249
And again, we don’t come
just to see somebody trapped.
538
00:31:57,375 --> 00:32:02,130
We come to see somebody
find a way out of their trap.
539
00:32:04,382 --> 00:32:07,384
Whereas in real life,
not a lot of people
540
00:32:07,469 --> 00:32:09,511
manage to break out of prison.
541
00:32:14,683 --> 00:32:16,019
But this is the film
542
00:32:16,060 --> 00:32:19,939
that totally depends
on our protagonist
543
00:32:20,022 --> 00:32:24,277
after 20-some years
getting freed.
544
00:32:24,361 --> 00:32:27,446
Andy crawled to freedom
through 500 yards
545
00:32:27,529 --> 00:32:30,491
of shit-smelling foulness
I can’t even imagine.
546
00:32:32,410 --> 00:32:34,328
Or maybe I just don’t want to.
547
00:32:34,412 --> 00:32:38,791
He crawls to the outside
of the prison grounds...
548
00:32:38,875 --> 00:32:40,710
500 yards.
549
00:32:40,751 --> 00:32:43,003
And Andy gets out
and it’s raining,
550
00:32:43,087 --> 00:32:45,048
and he goes like this.
551
00:32:48,550 --> 00:32:51,762
And takes in this fresh water
552
00:32:51,805 --> 00:32:55,557
that’s going to clean
all the filth out of his life.
553
00:32:55,599 --> 00:32:59,354
He has seized control
of his destiny.
554
00:32:59,436 --> 00:33:05,109
Lots of human beings
don’t have that luxury.
555
00:33:05,192 --> 00:33:08,028
They can’t seize anything,
556
00:33:08,113 --> 00:33:11,990
because they are trapped
in their ethnicity,
557
00:33:12,075 --> 00:33:16,621
their economic station,
where they live.
558
00:33:16,663 --> 00:33:21,000
They’re trapped by all kinds
of things outside themselves,
559
00:33:21,084 --> 00:33:23,461
but they can’t move beyond that.
560
00:33:23,502 --> 00:33:27,965
They have no opportunity
to seize control,
561
00:33:28,008 --> 00:33:31,970
to even imagine a destiny,
562
00:33:32,011 --> 00:33:34,180
and that’s always been true.
563
00:33:34,263 --> 00:33:40,019
It’s... it’s true today for
millions and millions of people
564
00:33:40,103 --> 00:33:42,188
who live on our planet.
565
00:33:42,271 --> 00:33:46,817
One of the reasons
American movies appeal
566
00:33:46,859 --> 00:33:49,319
to people around the world
567
00:33:49,403 --> 00:33:57,327
is because we say over
and over and over again,
568
00:33:57,412 --> 00:34:01,790
"You can seize control
of your destiny.
569
00:34:01,833 --> 00:34:05,002
"You can fulfill your dreams.
570
00:34:05,086 --> 00:34:08,172
"What you have
to do is act."
571
00:34:08,255 --> 00:34:10,050
Let’s go home.
572
00:34:10,132 --> 00:34:13,260
Fate, I imagine as being a force
573
00:34:13,344 --> 00:34:16,514
that pushes you from behind.
574
00:34:16,556 --> 00:34:20,726
You can’t see it,
but you sure can feel it.
575
00:34:20,809 --> 00:34:24,521
And you can’t resist it
because it’s in back of you.
576
00:34:24,606 --> 00:34:30,362
Destiny is something
that requires you to act.
577
00:34:30,445 --> 00:34:35,115
The ending of the film tells us
whether this has been a story
578
00:34:35,199 --> 00:34:39,119
about the power of fate
or the power of destiny.
579
00:34:45,668 --> 00:34:49,297
Let’s take "Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid,"
580
00:34:49,380 --> 00:34:53,050
one of the most popular teams
in film history.
581
00:34:53,134 --> 00:34:54,594
But how does it end?
582
00:34:54,677 --> 00:34:57,222
Well, from early in the film,
583
00:34:57,304 --> 00:34:59,599
after they commit
a bank robbery,
584
00:34:59,682 --> 00:35:02,686
they’re being chased by a posse.
585
00:35:02,726 --> 00:35:04,061
We get to the end.
586
00:35:04,144 --> 00:35:06,523
They’ve hightailed it
out to Bolivia.
587
00:35:06,563 --> 00:35:08,233
They think they’ve escaped.
588
00:35:08,315 --> 00:35:10,235
When we get outside...
589
00:35:10,318 --> 00:35:13,237
And then they’re caught
inside this building,
590
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:17,032
surrounded by
the Bolivian military,
591
00:35:17,074 --> 00:35:19,786
with guns aimed
in their direction.
592
00:35:22,329 --> 00:35:25,375
So they come out
with their guns blazing...
593
00:35:28,335 --> 00:35:31,755
there’s a hail of gunfire,
594
00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:37,177
and the film turns
to sepia color to distance us,
595
00:35:37,262 --> 00:35:40,764
to say, this is now a snapshot.
596
00:35:40,849 --> 00:35:43,018
A moment in time.
597
00:35:43,101 --> 00:35:44,853
A memory.
598
00:35:49,940 --> 00:35:52,152
We all die.
599
00:35:52,235 --> 00:35:54,320
We all know that.
600
00:35:54,403 --> 00:35:57,489
Death in itself
is a natural part of life.
601
00:35:57,574 --> 00:35:59,867
We all know that,
at least intellectually,
602
00:35:59,951 --> 00:36:04,621
however much we may struggle
to reconcile that.
603
00:36:05,748 --> 00:36:09,918
But people can transcend death
604
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:15,925
if their death is,
first of all, a choice.
605
00:36:19,179 --> 00:36:22,474
And secondly if it is a choice
606
00:36:22,556 --> 00:36:28,521
made on behalf
of something higher.
607
00:36:28,605 --> 00:36:30,481
I’m not going to hurt you, okay?
608
00:36:30,523 --> 00:36:32,400
I just want to kiss you,
all right?
609
00:36:32,483 --> 00:36:35,235
No, no.
Come on.
Come on.
610
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:36,695
Throughout "Thelma & Louise,"
611
00:36:36,780 --> 00:36:39,157
you have all these
despicable males
612
00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:44,579
who somehow Thelma and/or
Louise manage to overpower.
613
00:36:44,661 --> 00:36:45,871
God damn!
614
00:36:45,954 --> 00:36:47,998
I don’t think
he’s going to apologize.
615
00:36:48,041 --> 00:36:49,166
Nah, I don’t think so.
616
00:36:49,208 --> 00:36:51,210
These are strong women.
617
00:36:54,797 --> 00:36:57,467
When it comes
to the climactic scene,
618
00:36:57,509 --> 00:37:01,887
and they’re surrounded
by all these police cars,
619
00:37:01,971 --> 00:37:05,766
and they all converge
at the edge of the Grand Canyon.
620
00:37:08,103 --> 00:37:11,356
So what do they do?
621
00:37:11,398 --> 00:37:13,023
They grab each other’s hands
622
00:37:13,065 --> 00:37:18,320
and they smile
as they plunge off the cliff.
623
00:37:18,362 --> 00:37:21,782
And you have
this freeze frame...
624
00:37:24,369 --> 00:37:27,121
locking the full realization
625
00:37:27,204 --> 00:37:31,376
that, of course, they’re going
to be squashed way down there.
626
00:37:34,878 --> 00:37:36,755
Are they free?
627
00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,009
Well, of course they’re free.
628
00:37:39,050 --> 00:37:44,806
They chose their destiny.
629
00:37:44,889 --> 00:37:50,228
It’s the only choice they have
under the circumstances
630
00:37:50,311 --> 00:37:53,273
because they don’t want
to go to prison.
631
00:37:53,356 --> 00:37:55,358
They don’t want
to continue to be
632
00:37:55,400 --> 00:38:01,530
under the thumb
of these bastards.
633
00:38:01,572 --> 00:38:07,411
And the only way to escape
is to free yourself,
634
00:38:07,494 --> 00:38:09,748
even if you happen to die.
635
00:38:11,750 --> 00:38:15,586
You might call those endings
bittersweet,
636
00:38:15,670 --> 00:38:17,838
which is to say,
they’re not tragic.
637
00:38:17,922 --> 00:38:22,260
"Bittersweet"
is a paradoxical word.
638
00:38:22,302 --> 00:38:24,846
For the films that stick
in your mind...
639
00:38:24,929 --> 00:38:25,972
Hey!
640
00:38:26,056 --> 00:38:29,726
Ask yourself...
641
00:38:29,768 --> 00:38:33,480
is this a happy ending
for the hero,
642
00:38:33,563 --> 00:38:35,773
or is this a Pyrrhic victory?
643
00:38:35,856 --> 00:38:43,364
Or is this actually a case
of winning a battle
644
00:38:43,447 --> 00:38:45,742
but losing a war?
645
00:38:53,458 --> 00:38:55,793
As we will see as we go along,
646
00:38:55,876 --> 00:39:00,422
one of the powers
of so many memorable films
647
00:39:00,465 --> 00:39:03,510
is their built-in paradox.
648
00:39:03,592 --> 00:39:05,637
I think I have to talk to you.
649
00:39:05,679 --> 00:39:06,804
Ah.
650
00:39:06,846 --> 00:39:08,972
I saved my first drink
to have with you.
651
00:39:09,014 --> 00:39:13,561
We’re not able to resolve
the paradoxes,
652
00:39:13,644 --> 00:39:17,106
and therefore, the films
just keep churning around
653
00:39:17,148 --> 00:39:18,483
in our mind.
654
00:39:18,525 --> 00:39:20,943
If it’s churning around
in our mind,
655
00:39:20,985 --> 00:39:24,447
we’re remembering the film.
656
00:39:24,489 --> 00:39:26,199
I heard a story once.
657
00:39:26,282 --> 00:39:28,302
As a matter of fact, I’ve heard
a lot of stories in my time.
658
00:39:28,326 --> 00:39:30,119
And so it’s not a coincidence
659
00:39:30,161 --> 00:39:35,666
that the memorable films
themselves invoke memories,
660
00:39:35,708 --> 00:39:39,045
memories that
are never quite clear.
661
00:39:39,128 --> 00:39:41,088
Richard, Victor thinks
I’m leaving with him.
662
00:39:41,172 --> 00:39:42,673
Haven’t you
told him?
No, not yet.
663
00:39:42,757 --> 00:39:44,050
But it’s all right, isn’t it?
664
00:39:44,134 --> 00:39:46,010
You were able
to arrange everything.
665
00:39:46,052 --> 00:39:47,780
Everything is quite all right.
We’ll tell him at the airport.
666
00:39:47,804 --> 00:39:49,239
The less time to think,
the easier for all of us.
667
00:39:49,264 --> 00:39:51,016
Please trust me.
668
00:39:51,056 --> 00:39:53,184
So you’re never quite sure...
669
00:39:53,268 --> 00:39:54,643
Yes, I will.
670
00:39:54,686 --> 00:39:58,523
Is the ending of "Casablanca"
a happy ending?
671
00:39:58,606 --> 00:40:02,527
It’s clear that
the only thing in life
672
00:40:02,568 --> 00:40:07,489
that Rick Blaine
has ever loved is Ilsa Lund.
673
00:40:07,532 --> 00:40:10,034
And this is a romantic triangle
674
00:40:10,076 --> 00:40:14,121
in which Ilsa is married
to Victor Laszlo,
675
00:40:14,204 --> 00:40:19,753
but we know, and she knows,
that she really loves Rick.
676
00:40:20,795 --> 00:40:24,757
In the end, we think,
and Ilsa thinks,
677
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:28,469
that Rick and Ilsa
are going to get on that plane
678
00:40:28,552 --> 00:40:30,889
bound for Lisbon and freedom.
679
00:40:30,972 --> 00:40:34,266
But at the airport, Rick insists
680
00:40:34,351 --> 00:40:37,186
that the letters of transit
should be written out...
681
00:40:37,228 --> 00:40:40,440
in the names of
Mr. and Mrs. Victor Laszlo.
682
00:40:40,523 --> 00:40:43,943
And she’s surprised as we are.
683
00:40:44,027 --> 00:40:46,320
Inside of us, we both know
you belong with Victor.
684
00:40:46,403 --> 00:40:48,782
You’re part of his work,
the thing that keeps him going.
685
00:40:48,864 --> 00:40:51,159
If that plane leaves the ground
and you’re not with him,
686
00:40:51,242 --> 00:40:52,577
you’ll regret it.
687
00:40:52,659 --> 00:40:54,420
Maybe not today,
maybe not tomorrow, but soon
688
00:40:54,454 --> 00:40:56,539
and for the rest of your life.
689
00:40:56,581 --> 00:40:58,666
But what about us?
690
00:40:58,750 --> 00:41:00,251
We’ll always have Paris.
691
00:41:00,293 --> 00:41:06,465
Rick sacrifices the thing
he loves most in life,
692
00:41:06,548 --> 00:41:10,427
and he sends her off
with the other guy.
693
00:41:10,469 --> 00:41:12,806
Here's looking at you, kid.
694
00:41:15,099 --> 00:41:18,519
And we call that
a great love story.
695
00:41:19,978 --> 00:41:25,150
But if Rick and Ilsa
go off together in the fog,
696
00:41:25,235 --> 00:41:27,612
I don’t think it would be
a memorable film.
697
00:41:27,695 --> 00:41:31,782
The fact they don’t go off is a
master stroke of screenwriting
698
00:41:31,865 --> 00:41:35,786
because it’s not the way
we thought it was going to end,
699
00:41:35,869 --> 00:41:37,789
and yet it makes sense.
700
00:41:40,291 --> 00:41:44,003
Let’s take another great
love story, "The Graduate."
701
00:41:44,086 --> 00:41:46,672
Again, it has a famous ending.
702
00:41:46,755 --> 00:41:49,759
Benjamin Braddock,
Dustin Hoffman,
703
00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:52,512
races frantically to the church
704
00:41:52,594 --> 00:41:56,974
to rescue Elaine,
his great love.
705
00:41:58,309 --> 00:42:01,021
Don’t ask me what
Elaine sees in Benjamin,
706
00:42:01,103 --> 00:42:04,231
but you take that as the premise
of the love story.
707
00:42:04,315 --> 00:42:05,817
Elaine!
708
00:42:07,152 --> 00:42:09,362
Elaine!
709
00:42:09,445 --> 00:42:10,822
Elaine!
710
00:42:10,864 --> 00:42:12,282
Who is that guy?
What is he doing?
711
00:42:12,322 --> 00:42:13,615
Elaine!
712
00:42:13,657 --> 00:42:15,827
He pounds on the window
of the church
713
00:42:15,869 --> 00:42:19,748
and repeats Elaine's name,
I don’t know, 32 times.
714
00:42:21,041 --> 00:42:25,210
They escape
and they jump on a bus.
715
00:42:25,295 --> 00:42:26,963
Oh, what a happy ending.
716
00:42:27,005 --> 00:42:32,635
Two lovers have reunited and are
going off into the brave future.
717
00:42:34,637 --> 00:42:40,434
But after the excitement
of rescuing Elaine
718
00:42:40,518 --> 00:42:42,269
from a fate worse than death,
719
00:42:42,353 --> 00:42:45,898
Benjamin and Elaine
sit in the back of the bus
720
00:42:45,981 --> 00:42:50,527
and they look at each other
once and smile.
721
00:42:50,570 --> 00:42:53,072
And then they look
straight ahead.
722
00:43:03,875 --> 00:43:07,503
And over the soundtrack,
we hear Simon & Garfunkel
723
00:43:07,545 --> 00:43:12,550
reprising a tune that we heard
at the beginning of the movie.
724
00:43:12,592 --> 00:43:14,927
If this is a great love story,
725
00:43:15,010 --> 00:43:20,724
why are Simon & Garfunkel
talking about darkness?
726
00:43:22,976 --> 00:43:25,521
Mike Nichols
was asked in an interview
727
00:43:25,563 --> 00:43:27,648
shortly after the film came out,
728
00:43:27,731 --> 00:43:30,777
what happens to Ben and Elaine?
729
00:43:30,860 --> 00:43:34,072
He said, "They become
like their parents."
730
00:43:37,574 --> 00:43:39,744
One can look upon this
731
00:43:39,786 --> 00:43:44,039
as that bus taking them
to their destiny
732
00:43:44,081 --> 00:43:46,710
or as a fulfillment of fate.
733
00:43:49,253 --> 00:43:52,590
The choice is left
to the audience.
55619
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