#IK THIS MOTIF IS ENCOUNTERED IN OTHER PLACES

[shkika]

Not to be a nerd about literally my own headcanons, but the theme "The Cycle", being the reverse of the game's entire motif "Pictures of the Past" is just so good in the context of Saint being SOS.

I interpret the "Pictures of the Past" as a theme representing helplessness- the very thing that connects the gods with the smallest and most insignificant of creatures in the world.

The struggle of a creature losing it's way, of a god trying to fight through his own incurable illness, of trying to stay alive.

With Survivor and Monk it's sad and small.

With Pebbles it's loud and angry.

With Moon it's resigned and tired.

But in the end it's the same motif! They are all connected.

So then "The Cycle", which is more or less Saint's theme, is in reverse not only to show him clawing his way back up through what should have been the point of no return, but also taking his fate in his own hands. Of Sliver refusing to let her story actually end- ever. The only iterator to save herself from the cycle, trapping herself in her own personal hell to save the others. It's like fighting the very rules of this world! So it's in reverse.

It's pretty neat I think...

[silverleafnightshade-blog]

Don’t Look Now

Happy Halloween! 45 years ago this month, Nicholas Roeg released his gothic horror about life’s big questions: does the spirit exist after death, or are we just reduced to dust and bone? And speaking of bone, did Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie actually get down and dirty on screen?

But we’ll get to that soon. The film’s locations were set primarily Venice, Italy but there’s a good bit shot in Hertfordshire, England, two spots a world apart in everything except beauty. The film opens in the English countryside, where John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) and his wife Laura (Julie Christie) live with their daughter Christine (Sharon Williams) and son Johnny (Nicholas Salter). Their house vibes on a particular ‘70s English manor artsy-hippie style, all leaded glass and stone fireplace, but modern furniture pieces mixed into a creative arrangement.

It’s a rather unusual looking house from the outside, I think, with the dual sidings of wood and brick. The location, Baas Hill, was the home of actor David Tree, who played a small role in the film. From what I’ve read, the building was added onto over the centuries and thus is an amalgamation of architectural periods ranging from 15th century to 18th century. But alas, daughter Christine drowns in the (incredibly scenic) pond, in a nightmarish scene that shows off Sutherland’s acting chops. The Baxters pack wee Johnny off to boarding school and head to Venice to... drown their sorrows? No, John is overseeing the restoration of a cathedral (San Nicolo dei Mendicoli, which was actually being restored at the time of the filming, and thus Roeg scored some free scaffolding props).

Laura is along for the ride, but doing the British stiff upper lip thing and barely holding it together, at least until she meets a strange pair of sisters. Wendy (Clelia Matania) is touristing through Venice with her blind sister Heather (Hilary Mason).

The sisters encounter Laura in a restaurant bathroom, where Heather tells the grieving mom that she can see the spirit of dead Christine between the Baxters. Laura politely processes the information, returns to her table, and passes out. Naturally, John refuses to believe this “mumbo-jumbo.” However, he is experiencing flashes of deja vu, and dealing with some very anti-OSHA work practices at the church restoration.

Yeee-ikes. Meanwhile, a serial killer is terrorizing Venice. Laura, though, is a new woman. She is cheerful, happy, and more than a bit randy, thus initiating the infamous love scene. I have to admit, I really don’t care if Christie and Sutherland had actual sex during the filming, just like I really don’t care that Ray Davies has denied that “Waterloo Sunset” was inspired by the romance between Julie Christie and Terence Stamp. Davies has now put out several conflicting stories about the subjects of his best song (arguably, one of rock’s best songs), and listen up, Ray, you crotchety man, me think you doth protest too much. I mean, look at these two :

Mr. Davies, it’s okay if you were besotted and wrote a great song about these gorgeous kids, who could blame you? And who could blame D-Suth if he was equally seduced? I mean, look at her, dressing for a post-coital dinner. She is amazing.

Anyway, the hotel where this sexy scene takes place was called Hotel Europa in the film but is actually a combination of two locations. The lobby was shot at the Hotel Gabrielli and the Baxter’s room was set in the Bauers Venezia. The lobby’s shrouded furniture (in anticipation of the hotel’s closure for the season) at once reflects and forebodes the death shroud of the serial killer’s victims.

There’s other recurring motifs, like glass breaking, the color red, and people falling, and they’re all woven together beautifully. Anyhoo, Laura has a seance with the sisters and believes that Christine has contacted her to warn that John is in danger. She is in the midst of trying to convince John to leave Venice when they get a troubling call. Laura has to rush back to England to see about their son Johnny, who has been injured in a fall. John puts her on the vaporetto to the airport, but later believes he sees Laura and the two sisters pass by on another water taxi. John sets off on a chase across beautiful crumbling Venice, searching for his wife. He goes to enlist the assistance of Bishop Barbarrigo (Massimo Serato) and visits the, um, church headquarters with a giant statue of the pope (?) and a nun receptionist in the lobby.

John also visits the Polizia to report Laura’s disappearance. Well, really, he’s reporting her reappearance, I guess, but check out this delirious hallway of offices!

John even gets blind sister Heather detained by the police, only to have Laura call him from England to report J2 is doing fine and she’s heading back to Italy. Boy, is his face is as red as the little figure he keeps spying from the corner of his eye, the one that reminds him of dear Christine. John can’t leave well enough alone, and he soon learns that these hallucinations he’s been having were in fact a psychic vision of his own death.

It might be worth it to die in Venice, though, judging from these hearse boats. This the height of the Roman Catholic funeral! It’s like an urn with an outboard motor.

But don’t look now, Venice might not be around by the time you die, at least not as we know it. When Roeg et crew were filming in the 1970s, the city had already sunk two inches from just the previous 15 years. The city continues to sink at a rate of two to three millimeters per year. On Monday, Venice got hammered again. The high tide was more than 61 inches above average sea levels in the lagoon. This is just another detail in the larger tale that is climate change, which really, is the greatest horror story of them all. There’s one important and easy thing you can do right now to counter this nightmare, and it is to vote. Vote for politicians who will address climate change (as well as the numerous other issues of racism, anti-Semitism, gender inequality, transphobia, and wage slavery). At the very least, vote against those who are gleefully destroying our planet for profit, and raise up candidates who care about something other than their personal stock portfolios. Everyone driving a Prius and composting will not offset the damages of unregulated industry.

Okay, my little rant here is done. Next month, we’ll be visiting another coastal setting, more “misty” than musty, though!