Thursday, July 3, 2008

La Meglio Gioventù. Indeed!




I am almost done watching "The Best of Youth" that was made for Italian television. It is really so, so good. There is a pacing to it that is wonderful and, of course, the people and the scenery. And love and pain and the mafia are so universal. We can all relate.

Just give me a simple casa in Palermo to get my head together.

Honestly, I cannot speak fully about it as I am just starting reel 4. As the holiday weekend approaches, I am struck however how easy it is to watch life and not live it oneself. I see all this on the screen and I know it calls to be experienced.

If I look at my past blogs I can see truly that I have not exactly rested on the couch in front of the telly watching fictional characters live their lives, but in a way (to steal from Chris Isherwood) I Am a Camera. An observer. It stings, but it is true. With the onset of ipods I even score my own film as I walk the streets of New York.

I am a salmon with headphones who listens to deafening bagpipe music whilst pushing his way up Broadway. With the music I see everything, but touch nothing. I am in the middle of it but protected/removed by the shell of music. I find the world truly, truly thrilling and engaging and beautiful, but only behind glass.

So I am inspired by the love and pain in this film enough to turn it off and live a little.

Tonight I leave for the weekend to Fire Island. Like a real New Yorker. Now to just touch the locals.

"I have always perferred the reflection of the life to life itself" -- François Truffaut

1 comment:

Criticlasm said...

I totally get that. It's hard when you want to say "look what's happening" while it's happening. It drove Artaud crazy.