Three hours of life-affirming action in a film about... Death. The movie did not receive status awards - neither an Oscar from the Film Academy, nor the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but it struck the hearts of viewers who accidentally or intentionally watched it.
What is the secret of success and what is the true meaning of the story about the “vacation” of Death, tired of reaping its mournful harvest every second? Martin Brest, the director of the film, breathed new life into the old play by Alberto Casella.
In 1929, Death Takes a Day Off ran for 180 performances on Broadway. Later, in 1934 and 1971, the play was filmed. The film “Meet Joe Black” is the third attempt to recreate on the screen a mystical image that frightens everything on Earth - the image of Death. A meeting with her is inevitable. She is relentless and merciless.
Every living person thinks so, but Martin Brest presented her in a different guise, mixing so many colors that the cold-blooded and calculating killer suddenly appears as a naive child, and then as a tremulous lover, and then as a sage who has found the only right solution. There are so many meanings in a plot as old as the world. Not only the mysterious Death reveals the secrets of his “work”, but also man learns the true values of his existence.
Magnificent acting trio
Anthony Hopkins is the gem of the film. The role of Bill Parrish was not played—it was lived on screen. In The Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins is a maniac, a ruthless cannibal, with a chilling gaze. Now before the viewer is a father whose eyes are filled with tenderness for his girls. Such a contrasting transformation can only be achieved by the genius of Hopkins.
Young actors Brad Pitt and Claire Forlani match their older counterparts. Claire is the epitome of natural femininity. Pitt managed to create two images at once - a charming earthly guy and an entity from which a grave-like cold emanates. Together, the actors created an atmosphere of the film filled with sincere love and self-sacrifice.
An elderly man suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night, alarmed by vague ill health. He tries to stretch his left arm, which has become stiff in his sleep. He is many years old and naturally there is a suspicion that the cause of the malaise may be heart failure. A mysterious voice answers his silent question out loud. This “yes” comes out of nowhere. Bill Parrish is chasing a nightmare. He is prudent and does not panic. These qualities, as well as many other advantages, helped him become a media tycoon - successful and rich, like Croesus. Perrish's anniversary is approaching. Respectable age - 65 years.
The eldest daughter Ellis is preparing a grand celebration to which the country's elite are invited. From the first minutes of the morning dialogue between Parrish and his two daughters, the director deftly places accents. The father calls the eldest Ellis, and the youngest Susan - baby. They are both grown women, but one of them is a beloved child, a girl in need of parental care.
Father's advice as a guide to action
A very short conversation on the way to work comes as a complete surprise to Susan. Her father gives her everyday instructions, but we are not talking about a career or finding a profitable match. He talks about love. That she must open her heart to the arrow that will pierce it with love. If this feeling does not happen in her life, then “that means she never lived.” Susan meets with Drew, her father's partner, but their relationship lacks the passion that Dad suddenly spoke about with such piercing frankness.
A chance meeting in a cafe, as if to confirm her father’s words, turned out to be so opportune that when parting with a new acquaintance, Susan, despite her natural restraint, admits her sympathy. They say goodbye without even telling each other their names. He spoke of the same arrow that pierced their hearts at the same time. Susan rushes to work at the clinic, and he rushes towards death. Here's another meaning - you need to be decisive. All Susan had to do was give in to her feeling, call out, extend the conversation for another minute, and the course of events would have been changed.
Meet Joe Black
Death comes to Perrish's house and categorically tells the owner that she is tired of endless work. She decided to relax and have fun. Bill was chosen as a guide to the world of human joys. He has lived a decent life, knows a lot about it and is suitable for this role. Death expounds all this through the mouth of Susan's morning acquaintance. His body became a temporary shelter for that entity that decided to taste this world, taste, color, smell.
As soon as Death gets bored with his earthly “business trip,” Perrish’s existence will end. From this moment on, she acquires not only a body, but also a name - Joe Black. Joe becomes Perrish's constant companion at home and at work. The appearance of a stranger causes bewilderment and silent questions among everyone around Bill. Joe behaves with the spontaneity of a child to whom everything is new: the taste of peanut butter, jelly cookies, the softness of a mattress.
All the simple joys of life amuse Death until she discovers the main human purpose - love. Susan has been in love with Joe since that meeting in the cafe. He is captivated by her tenderness, femininity and for the first time experiences all the delights of love: the possession of his beloved, the warmth of her body and the radiance of loving eyes, the unity of souls. New sensations make the embodiment of universal evil vulnerable, awaken feelings that it lacks by nature.
Reviews
I don’t know a film more poignant in its tenderness than “Meet Joe Black.” Here tenderness surrounds every scene, clings to every glance, fills the air with every note in the voices of the actors. Just as ivy in a garden hugs the pillars of a gazebo, so tenderness in this film leans against every breath. And therefore it seems surprising when you suddenly realize that this chamber theatrical performance lasted three hours, and not three minutes. Despite the fact that Martin Brest spent 20 years thinking about the embodiment of the idea of Death taking a vacation, it turned out not at all tormented by these thoughts. A living work is like a living being - born, not created, not molded or constructed. Not only every scene or every phrase, every pause between glances is important and irreplaceable here. All this gives such a unity of your very personal feeling, not imposed, but found in you and given to you by Brest. So... The Spirit of Death, bored in his eternity, decides to have fun. He takes human form and asks the man he is supposed to take with him, Bill Parrish, a news tycoon, to show him the world. In exchange for time. The spirit chooses for this purpose a person from whom you can learn a lot. True, for both of them this “excursion” will take unexpected turns when death falls in love with Bill’s daughter... In short, the film is not about death at all, as it might seem. And... about life. These few days allotted to both of them on Earth will contain everything that can show the beauty and value of life. Every moment for Bill and Joe (as the main character will be called) contains infinity. When you know that you have very little time left, your true self emerges. In such circumstances, you can see the soul naked, because there is no point in hiding anymore... remember the second half of Titanic, how people behaved differently? A person's reaction to the news that the end is near speaks volumes. You can rush headlong into travel, attractions, concerts, fill your days with meetings and fulfillment of unfulfilled desires... You can poison yourself every remaining minute with despair in your reluctance to leave. Or you can... do like this businessman, who lived for 65 years so that around him there are loving and devoted people, vivid memories and a business that will remain after him. Bill simply continues to live the way he has always lived. And he hardly realizes that he has thereby recognized his absolute worth - every moment of his life really has the right to be his last. And it's amazing. Not only the viewer, but also Joe, who very sensitively adopts these principles of Bill Parrish. Our hero does not rush headlong in search of adventure, he does not put impressions in a folder marked “passed”, no, Joe simply enjoys every breath... The opportunity to walk, the stylishness of a suit and tie, the taste of his favorite food, the opportunity to be close to a loved one. Joe will learn not just to live and enjoy life, he will learn to understand it. Everything will fit into this short period of time, and everything is real, the best. ... What is worth knowing about life. If this is pleasure, then there must be a measure. If this is love, then... the desire to give a loved one what he needs most, even if for this he has to give up his own needs. The film about Joe Black is an enchanting declaration of love. And it becomes even brighter and more sensual because it is also a film about loss, humility and the ability to let go of what is most precious. I will probably forever remain grateful to Martin Brest for one unique gift - knowledge about such an actor - Brad Pitt. This is an actor who knows how to play three roles at the same time. Character, that is, something that makes the hero unlike anyone else, the image as a whole - once. Feelings at any given moment, for example love, anger, delight, contempt - two! And the substantial idea, the concept, is three. In Brest's film this is Death. And he can do it in amazingly different ways. What Pitt does in “Joe Black” left me unsettled for a long time. These are not just three different roles (I won’t say which ones, you’ll see for yourself), played in such a way that it is impossible to confuse one with the other. These are three roles played in the same costume. And the transition from one to another and back is so simple and bright that you are amazed. These are feelings raging inside bottomless eyes, and if the viewer empathizes with Joe, it is certainly in the last place thanks to his beauty. Brest's second gift is, of course, an acquaintance with the music of Thomas Newman. It merges so much with the frame, idea, picture that the effect of beauty is tripled. In addition, Newman's soundtrack can be perfectly listened to outside the context of the film. And Anthony Hopkins is my favorite role of his. And Claire Forlani - the way she loves is so familiar. And you don’t doubt for a second that Joe could have loved her, there is so much exceptional and atypical femininity in her heroine. The film turned out to be elegant, aristocratic and life-affirming. And death, whispering the word “yes” in the first frames, forces the viewer to say “yes” to it in the last ones. And no final kisses, hand in hand is better...
Parrish's Courage
Another discovery for Joe is Parrish's behavior in the last hours of his life. On the edge of the grave, he does not think for a second about the millions he is leaving in this world. Parrish remembers his wife's blue jacket on the day they met, his heart aches for the fate of his daughter, and he is worried about the future of the company - the work of his life. He lives as before, without changing his usual schedule. Only family dinners are now becoming daily. That's who Bill is really sorry to part with - his family.
By his example, he teaches Joe to enjoy simple human joys - to see in them the main meaning of life. This behavior of the victim, who even after the verdict is announced, behaves courageously and with dignity, evokes involuntary respect from Death. Only it makes you listen to the father’s arguments, protesting against Joe’s decision to take Susan with him. Bill finds the words to prevent his daughter's death. Convinces that true feeling should bring the benefit of the beloved, even to the detriment of one’s own.
Using your power is selfishness, not love. Death, previously imperturbable and cold as stone, begins to be torn apart by human feelings - doubts, bitterness of loss, anger from Parrish’s truthful speeches, remorse. She acts in a completely human way - she sacrifices her interests in the name of the happiness of her beloved. Moreover, he helps Perrish leave for another world, preserving another of his brainchild - the company.
Meet Joe Black. Quotes from the movie
“I’m wondering—while you’re here having fun, who’s doing your work?” - You don’t devote yourself entirely to the shaving procedure, do you? - That is? - You think about something, make plans, make decisions... Do you understand my point? While part of you is busy with one thing, the other part is busy with something else. It may even work. Right? - Right. - It's nice that you understand. Congratulations, Bill. Now raise this thought to the power of infinity and you will get an idea of what I am talking about.
- You are breaking all the laws of the Universe! - This Universe. - Any Universe!
I live by the laws of Perish: I’m looking for a little delight, a little madness, everything that I can’t live without.
Calm down, Bill, or your premature heart attack will ruin my vacation.
People, what's wrong with you? You come, you cry, if you don’t come, you’re in a hurry...
— A breathtaking sight, isn’t it? - Yes. - What can I say... This is life.
I wanted to say that I love you. Without knowing it, you became my guiding star. And no one can take this love away. Please promise me that you will not grieve for me, no matter what happens, because life is so beautiful. I don't regret anything, and neither do you. It is most important!
Contrary to tradition, I will say what I wished for when blowing out the candle... - So that you are as lucky in life as I am. So that one morning you wake up and say: “There is nothing more to wish for.”
I have seen many different betrayals. And, I admit, I have always been surprised how low a person can fall.
Preparing and reporting news is an honor and responsibility, not a source of profit.
- I'm not alone anymore. I like it here! - I like it now. It's like you went on vacation to Tahiti. The sun does not burn the skin yet, but strokes it. You sleep a lot and mosquitoes don't bother you. But you just have to settle there and everything will change. So go to your world and enjoy the memories. Don't do anything stupid. Almost all of us are alone here... If we are very lucky, we take only a few happy moments with us to the grave.
You take what you like, but this is not love! At best - sympathy, attraction, maybe even passion. Love implies something else: complete trust, sacrifice, responsibility for one’s actions, the ability to forgive and admit mistakes, and, ultimately, to live for the benefit of the beloved. Now raise this thought to the power of infinity and you will get an idea of what I’m talking about...
- There’s something lacking enthusiasm in the voice... - Maybe you don’t hear? - I hear everything. I hear that there is not a drop of excitement in your words - your romance is like the flirting of two fish. And I want you to be overwhelmed by passion, and you fly as if on wings, sing and dance with delight... So that you live, as if in oblivion, in oblivion with happiness... I know, it sounds sentimental.. but Love is an obsession with the person in whom you life. Find a man with whom you fall madly in love, and who will love you the same. How to find him? - The main thing is to listen to your heart... Until it sways..., without love, life loses all meaning. Try... If you don’t try, consider that you haven’t lived.
- Bravo! - You're callous... - Sorry, okay... say it again, just shorter, dad. - It's coming. Open your heart to someone's arrow.
Original link: https://hypaatia.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%8C%D1% 82%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%8C-%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%BE-%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%8D%D0%BA-%D1%86%D0 %B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B-%D0%B8%D0%B7-%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BC%D0 %B0/
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