A Masterpiece of Cinematic Art.

Rating: Null/10 (18 August 1999)

THUMBS UP---Through symbolism, TRL focuses the viewer's attention to the concept of Dualism, a basic Buddhist idea that everything in the Universe is made up of "pairs of opposites" (Superstring theorists call these 'dimensions'). HOW we experience and react to life, depends on a deep understanding of these unavoidable pairs of opposites. TRL uses the backdrop of wartime in Guadalcanal to portray and exhibit these profound aspects of reality. This film is not intended to be a story about soldiers in Guadalcanal, it is a story meant to tell something about YOU, as a struggling human being.
THUMBS DOWN--I might point out that people who disliked this film probably viewed this film as a work of PROSE, where water is water and a crocodile is a reptile, instead of a POETIC sense, where WATER is universally symbolic for the UNCONSCIOUS mind and the crocodile is the deep dynamic set of primitive human emotions, often difficult to control because they are rooted in the unconscious. For the unenlightened, this film is indeed boring...but with a proper introduction---;
I've written the following to help the viewer understand TRL in a symbolic sense:
SYMBOLISM WATER - The Unconscious
CROCODILE- (Note the film's excellent Intro) represents our mind's "Dragons". In European mythology, the dragon represents those negative aspects of ourselves which are often difficult to control -- greed for territory, property/food etc. To improve, you must slay your dragons. Buddhism speaks of 3 major dragons in each of us - LUST (for gold/money or sex for instance, without regard to consequences etc), FEAR (of death, pain, suffering, or loss etc), and SOCIAL DUTY (basically doing what you are told by authority; mindless living; allowing others to direct your decisions instead of following your own truths)
CHILDREN - Innocence. Later in the film, we see what exposure to conflict/war does to the innocence of children; war changes our openness to others.
BIRDS - extensively and superbly used in this film. Hawks- represents alertness to opportunity. (Ready to pounce on you). New hatchling on the war field - The struggle of the life force despite tremendous adversity. (Like grass growing between the cracks in the sidewalk) Vultures- Opportunists of death or misfortune (As an allied soldier collects gold fillings from the mouths of dead Japanese soldiers) Birdcage - prison. The binding of your ego. Limitation. (Later in the film the birdcage is open -- Witt's deep understanding of reality, the one flame in each person, has freed his spirit.) Bat--represents death. It's leathery black wings enclose it's body like a sarcophagus.
Multicolored Birds--In standard mythology, Prometheus stole fire (power, higher consciousness) from the Gods and gave it to man. Birds flew away with the fire, passing it along to other birds. The fire burned their feathers which accounts for the different coloration of birds we see today.
COCONUT TREE - the coconuts in vegetative cultures often were seen as human heads, as the nodules on their surfaces simulated human facial features.
BLACK HANDS/WHITE FINGERNAILS - Witt joyously recognizes that we all have the same origin...we are all 'Brothers' in this sense. However, racism flourishes because many of us simply can't see this obvious fact ...hence the tear shed by Witt.
THE FILM'S PROFOUND MESSAGE-- WE are GOD in the deepest sense. (To say that a Universal consciousness is APART from us is to evoke our lower nature, our dragon---what results are feelings of separateness and war ensues, which history has sufficiently demonstrated) These are the eyes of God, the hands of God and the Voice of God . This Concept is in Sharp contrast to most Western Religions.(In many traditional western religions, to say "We ARE God" is blasphemy!)
God is experiencing the wonders of this world through our eyes, our senses...but it comes at a price....to exist at all, we MUST live in a field of dualism -- the 'pairs of opposites'. It seems even God can't escape dualism if experience in the field of time is the objective. We must affirm the good with the bad. We must affirm life! We must not fear death! After you die, you will simply manifest as a different individual, asking the same questions as you are now---why me? why in this body? why at this time? We inherit the experience humanity chose to give itself from the past- the good and the bad. We are creating that experience today for future generations (us). That is why it is critical to understand the importance of love for self and others- what we put out, we get back--this is karma. You as an individual die but your 'other self ' never dies; Witt realized this;He saw himself in others, lacked fear of death and in fact welcomed it compared to existence as a prisoner. It's our job to live responsibly in this world of opposites...to bring forth the positive potentials of reality (Witt-- "I see another world")--- for the worlds of horror are valid options waiting to be manifested too.(Read the Daily newspaper)
As research in quantum physics implies, the universe is an interconnected whole of probability waves and space-time dimensions. When we study Math, Science, and Eastern philosophies sufficiently, we gain a strong intuitive sense of this idea....life begins to flow; fears are quieted, greed is overcome, we follow the truths of our own hearts, NOT religious fundamentalism as we are INSTRUCTED--- ("Why are you such a trouble maker, Witt? Isn't that what you like to do...turn left when they say go right?") Every day we look out into the world and see a miracle....we are in utter awe that reality can even exist...yet here we are! We experience the 'thou' feeling of life. We no longer believe in God, we KNOW God.---Carl Jung
For further study, I strongly suggest you purchase: Joseph Campbell's ' Power of Myth' video series -6 videocassettes It will change your life. (I still see a spark in you!)