Thornton Wilder captures the sublime in one tragic, yet undeniably significant moment in The Bridge of San Luis Rey. The novel was first published in 1927, between the world wars, and it was Wilder's first big breakthrough as a writer. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928. The novella explores the lives of five individuals … Continue reading Experiencing the Sacred in The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Month: July 2018
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil (1958) Director: Orson Welles Touch of Evil is another terrific film noir which Welles wrote, starred in, and directed (though parts of it were, again, chopped up by the studio). This was Welles's fifth Hollywood film, his final American film. It has sometimes been called the last great 'film noir' from the … Continue reading Touch of Evil
Case Study: Neoclassicism, “The Death of Socrates”
"The Death of Socrates" or "La Morte de Socrate" is perhaps the most famous painting from the French artistic epoch dubbed the Neoclassical period. It is an oil on canvas painting, created in 1787 by Jacques Louis David (1748-1925, pronounced "Jahk Lewie Dahveed"), one of the main artists of the "Neoclassical" style. Our initial observations … Continue reading Case Study: Neoclassicism, “The Death of Socrates”
Notes on Plato’s Crito
Plato's short dialogue, Crito, takes place chronologically following the Apology of Socrates, in which Socrates is sentenced and condemned to death. However, shortly after his imprisonment, a galley from Athens had set out for Delos in the Aegean, sacred to Apollo, and while the ship was away it was forbidden for anyone to be executed. Socrates remained … Continue reading Notes on Plato’s Crito
Thoughts on the Trial of Socrates and the Socratic Project
The Apology of Socrates is the portal by which we enter the Platonic cosmos. In it, we find the raison d'être of Socrates's life and work. Was it political? Was it philosophic? Both? Socrates gives us clues to his project in his famous defense at his trial in 399 BC. We begin first with a preliminary discussion. We … Continue reading Thoughts on the Trial of Socrates and the Socratic Project
The Informer
The Informer (1935) Director: John Ford The Informer was one of the biggest films of 1935. It is a suspenseful, almost noir-styled, RKO film. It takes place during the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s, based on the novel of the same name by Liam O'Flaherty. It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and … Continue reading The Informer
Thoughts on the Apology of Socrates
Socrates's apologia is his defense against the city, voiced primarily by Anytus, a prominent elite Athenian, and Meletus, the writer of his accusation. Anytus is offended by Socrates's criticism of Pericles in the Meno. The opening words of Socrates's Apology are "I do not know..." What does Socrates not know? The dialogue begins with Socrates's defense, presumably shortly after … Continue reading Thoughts on the Apology of Socrates
Top Hat
Top Hat (1935) Director: Mark Sandrich Top Hat is the most famous of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical screwball comedies. Screwball comedy was a particular type of film popular during the Great Depression until the 1940s in Hollywood, characterized by a strong and dominant female against a more effeminate man. In total, Rogers and … Continue reading Top Hat
Triumph of the Will
Triumph of the Will (1935) Director: Leni Riefenstahl Triumph of the Will (Triumph de Willens) is a remarkable piece of film history -an explicit propaganda film justifying the purpose, and showcasing the grandeur, of the Nazi movement shortly pre-World War II. The film takes place over four days in September of 1934 as the Fuhrer … Continue reading Triumph of the Will
