So “Gravity” – which I saw last night – is perfectly fine. It is a film that seems to be centered around small moments: a great visual interpretation of the song “Space Cowboy”, a dog and a baby, or a joke so fine that I almost believe that the film’s main function was to be its set-up. It is not a mechanical film, but it is about mechanics, which is always nice.
I’ve heard some complaints about the dialogue, which is clumsy, yes. But at the same time I do believe that every person on this earth has talked to someone who isn’t there (anymore) as if she or he was. I have no reason to assume that this behavior stops in space. And there is a very beautiful shot of the main character struggling to survive and the camera panning a bit, to catch the Aurora Borealis. I think you could call that Herzogian.
But I’m not here to tell you about a film you’ve probably already seen. In fact, *that* is what I want to talk about. Cause, you know, that one big thing that penetrates cultures and touches almost everyone – be it a film, a song or, G’d help us, a book – that is of course long dead and gone. And I guess that’s sad.
But “Gravity” was the first film in quite some time that many people seemed to really talk about – people around me, and not just people who are really into movies but civilians. People were excited to see it and were counting the days till it opened – a rare thing – and after they’d seen it they wanted to see it again and discuss it. An even rarer thing.
I don’t know when that happened last – maybe “Avatar” and before that “The Dark Knight”. I didn’t like those two films very much, and it wasn’t even for lack of trying. But I can certainly understand and appreciate how certain images and phrases and emotions of “The Dark Knight” became suddenly part of cultural atmosphere, whereas “Avatar” seems to be all but forgotten. Strange thing to happen to the most successful movie of all times or whatever.
Look, I don’t even know if what I’m seemingly bemoaning here even ever existed. There is a good chance that all that’s happened is that I once believed that “The Simpsons” and “Pulp Fiction” were the established cultural code of my generation (give or take a decade) and that I once made a Simpsons joke that nobody got, and that I’m now turning that fleeting feeling of drift into some theory on the decline of cultural communitas.
Which is a tradition with some history at least. When Elvis died (where were you?) Lester Bangs wrote: “We will continue to fragment in this manner, because solipsism holds all the cards at present; it is a king whose domain engulfs even Elvis’. But I can guarantee you one thing: we will never again agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis. So I won’t bother saying good-bye to his corpse. I will say good-bye to you.”
Well, maybe. Or maybe it just looked that way from the untidy desk of a guy who believed in the redeeming quality of loud noise. All I know is: “Gravity” is perfectly fine.