Oh my heavens, don't get me started. I could go frame by frame with the hidden gems. A couple that come to mind: Gilliam (John Hurt) mentions significantly, near the beginning of the film, that nobody is what they appear to be; Mason (Swinton) in giving her "shoe" speech, mimes the motion children have to perform in order to keep the engine going; Gilliam, (again), after the bloody battle in the corridor tells the rebels to clean themselves, to wash the blood off--as one would do in a religious ritual. Treasure throughout, and this without touching on political themes, critique of religion and wounds that humans inflict upon the earth. Insight? Great art doesn't give answers, it raises questions and asks us to think. Thanks for the compliment. I'm following you, also.
If you type 'snowpiercer gnostic' into google, you'll get a whole bunch of articles theorizing on that angle. This is the one I remember reading right after I watched it a few years back:
I read the piece. Interesting. My take on the film is more secular, and after reading Joon-ho Bong's interview with Vulture Magazine http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/snowpiecer-movie-discussion.html, I feel more confident about the view. I think it's about tyranny--not just political tyranny, but social and religious tyranny. The people on the train were trapped in a closed system. As long as they accepted the rules of the system, they were doomed. It was only when they rebelled, that freedom and survival were possible. My humble opinion.
Oh, yeah, I'm not saying there's only one interpretation, obviously. And if the director didn't intend the gnostic allegory, I find it even more interesting that he may have stumbled into it accidentally.
Oh my heavens, don't get me started. I could go frame by frame with the hidden gems. A couple that come to mind: Gilliam (John Hurt) mentions significantly, near the beginning of the film, that nobody is what they appear to be; Mason (Swinton) in giving her "shoe" speech, mimes the motion children have to perform in order to keep the engine going; Gilliam, (again), after the bloody battle in the corridor tells the rebels to clean themselves, to wash the blood off--as one would do in a religious ritual. Treasure throughout, and this without touching on political themes, critique of religion and wounds that humans inflict upon the earth. Insight? Great art doesn't give answers, it raises questions and asks us to think. Thanks for the compliment. I'm following you, also.
Good eye for details. Without leading you, I was curious to know if you hinted any gnostic themes. 'Cause if you turn that train 90 degrees...
I don't know much about gnosticism. Every time I hear the term gnostic, I think of Borges--not even sure why.
If you type 'snowpiercer gnostic' into google, you'll get a whole bunch of articles theorizing on that angle. This is the one I remember reading right after I watched it a few years back:
https://io9.gizmodo.com/how-an-obscure-2nd-century-christian-heresy-influenced-1609994487
Thanks--I will :)
I read the piece. Interesting. My take on the film is more secular, and after reading Joon-ho Bong's interview with Vulture Magazine http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/snowpiecer-movie-discussion.html, I feel more confident about the view. I think it's about tyranny--not just political tyranny, but social and religious tyranny. The people on the train were trapped in a closed system. As long as they accepted the rules of the system, they were doomed. It was only when they rebelled, that freedom and survival were possible. My humble opinion.
Oh, yeah, I'm not saying there's only one interpretation, obviously. And if the director didn't intend the gnostic allegory, I find it even more interesting that he may have stumbled into it accidentally.