Kind of a neat coincidence: My very favourite line in Jesus Christ Superstar is when Judas is giving Jesus & Mary hell for extravagant use of ointment, and Luke interrupts by saying, “Cool it, man!” Or was that Peter? I prefer to think it was Luke.
I think this is kinda nice.
BUt there are Chroistian parallels in many stories - both from before and after Christ. Like Joseph Campbell points out, there aren’t really all that many stories in the world. If you’re feeling pluralist, you say it shows Jesus is all-pervasive. If you feel judgemental, you say all the other stories are Satan’s counterfeits. If you feel strangely sane, you say “Hey… cool. Rewind that bit, play it again.”
I think this is kinda nice.
But there are Christian parallels in many stories - both from before and after Christ. Like Joseph Campbell points out, there aren’t really all that many stories in the world. If you’re feeling pluralist, you say it shows Jesus is all-pervasive. If you feel judgemental, you say all the other stories are Satan’s counterfeits. If you feel strangely sane, you say “Hey… cool. Rewind that bit, play it again.”
Hey, cool… Rewind that bit, play it again.
Wow, Larry Mudd sure nailed it (no pun) with those bibile references above.
So, uh, to which gospel are they alluding with that GIGANTIC close-up of Harry Dean Stanton’s mouth?
FWIW, lots of movies from that era used cheap Christ-like images, whether they were necessary or not. Two examples off the top of my head are both Charlton Heston sci-fi movies: The Omega Man and Soylent Green. Both include death or near-death scenes where Chuck is laid out in the instantly recognizable Savior-on-a-stick position; in The Omega Man he’s even got a spear piercing his side.
You’ll note I didn’t include a spoiler warning there. The films are 30 years old, and if you can’t cope with having something like that “ruined for you,” too bad. Oh, and in Citizen Kane, Rosebud is Kane’s old sled from childhood. Neener-neener.
I think it was Ernest Borgnine that did the voluntary suicide thing in Soylent Green. Haven’t seen that movie in years, but now that you mention it, there’s an echo of communion there too, isn’t there? Why do I have Mr. Heston screaming “Soylent Green is Jesus!” in my head now?
The [sym]W[/sym]mega Man thing should be obvious just from the title.
DAMN YOU!!!
Next you’ll be telling me that Rick encourages Ilsa to go with Laszlo and then strikes up a friendship with Renault.
:: Dave clamps his hands over his ears and sings “The Star Spangled Banner” loudly to drown out other spoilers of movies he’s already seen a dozen times ::
Edward G. Robinson, actually. However, I was referring to Chuck’s adventures in the Soylent factory, when he falls from a considerable height and lands on the back of a truck. He’s splayed out all Jesus-like. It’s possible I’m in error – it’s been a few years since last I saw the flick. I didn’t even think to point out the communion angle. How about encouraging people to commit suicide? Dying so that others may live, especially when you consider that you’re going to wind up on somebody’s hamburger bun.
As to the [sym]W[/sym]mega Man* title, I think it’s just snappier and more sci-fi sounding than The Last Man on Earth, which is the title of the original movie and book.
:o Yeesh! And I like Edward G. I’m sure your memory is clearer than mine - I haven’t seen in at least 10 years. (The film, not my memory.)
As for the [sym]W[/sym]mega Man, “Omega” always makes me think of one of two things:[ul][li]“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,”[/li]
or:
[sym]W[/sym] = Ohm = Resistance.[/ul]Which kind of works, too.