After several false starts it's time to finish my book on great foreign films and why watching international cinema can help us better understand the world views of other people -- and consequently expand our own awareness of what it means to be alive. Many experiences in our lives are universal; obviously birth and death, but also love, joy, pain and perhaps, if we are fortunate, we may experience illumination in-between those milestones. How we perceive these things and respond to them all depends on where we're coming from, our culture, the uniqueness of our individual worlds.
Viewing international cinema is one way to unfurl the canvas of life much wider, allowing us to paint right into the very corners of existence. From this, I believe with all my heart, it becomes possible to cultivate a greater appreciation for our lives by understanding how other people live and perceive their world. Not just for the duration of a film, but long after. My intent with this book is to use the medium of film as an inspiration for pursuing a better life today, in this very moment, and to reconcile our bittersweet acknowledgment of the fleeting hours ahead.
And on that note, I encourage you to watch this three-minute clip from a 1977 Italian film, Allegro non Troppo, a particular favorite of mine. It speaks to the quest for individualism in a world of conformity and emulation. The clip also says quite a lot about self-absorption. Music by the incomparable Antonín Dvořák.
http://vbox7.com/
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