In some movies, philosophical messages are encoded for the audience.
The Fountainhead
The film is based on Ayn Rand’s novel, a melodrama about individualism, shot in a fascinating German Expressionist style. The movie portrays a metaphysical statement, an aesthetic manifesto, and a commentary on American architecture, ethics, and politics through Gary Cooper as an independent architect.
Despite corny dialogue and occasionally giving the best performances, the talented characters give the movie its charm. Due to the changes he undergoes throughout the film, Gail Wynard, played by Raymond Massey, is a compelling character in the story. At the same time, Gary Cooper as Roark is a tool, an egotistical man who has difficulty conforming to popular standards.
The Seventh Seal
A man’s apocalyptic quest for meaning is expressed in Bergman’s existentialism-inspired film The Seventh Seal, a cinematic model of the philosophical concept of existentialism. The story tells of a knight who challenges Death to a game of chess.
Despite the fact that this movie deals with metaphysical and philosophical questions, the Swedish director wants the audience to be able to relate to this film on the issue of evil, philosophy of religion, and existentialism. Bergman illustrates Bloch’s difficulty with his beliefs amazingly well, the existence of an omnipotent God in the world, for his audience to view and judge for themselves.
This movie raises a lot of questions; it does not preach nor belittle any particular demographic. It merely tastes different opinions and lets the audience discuss them.
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita was directed by Federico Fellini, known for films like 8 12, Amarcord, Roma, and Satyricon. It possesses a dark sense of humor about the lavish lifestyles of people in Rome.
Marcello Mastroianni plays a gossip journalist with no idea what to do next and feels trapped in a box. In this film, Fellini appears to be communicating with his audience about the seven deadly sins, which happen during seven deranged nights and seven dawns.
The entire movie takes place between the Seven Hills of Rome, in nightclubs and cafes. You can imagine it if you close your eyes and ponder Van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night. There are few movies that can give the viewers a grasp of philosophy, life, and death every time they watch, but La Dolce Vita is one of them. The good life may not exist, but the choices you make in your life will determine it.
My Night at Maud’s
In this film directed by Eric Rohmer, a young engineer (Jean) meets an attractive blonde woman who is, most importantly, a practicing Catholic. However, this entire mission is put on hold when he bumps into his friend (Pascal), who spends the entire evening discussing religion and philosophy.
They agree to meet at Maud’s house the next day to continue their discussion. Pascal placed a wager in the discussion, giving 100 to 1 odds against the existence of God. Everyone must bet on that one chance. In the event that GOD does not exist, they lose the bet, though the loss is insignificant. However, if GOD exists, then their lives have meaning and they will live forever.
In this movie, the characters are intelligent, assertive, communicative, masters of deception, and capable of self-deception.
Love and Death
Woody Allen has blended his Kafkian anxiety and Kierkegaard’s fearfulness into a nonstop comedy on war and peace, crime and punishment, and fathers and sons.
The actor plays Boris, who couldn’t sleep without the lights on until he was thirty years old. The man is about to be executed for a crime he didn’t commit. Allen’s movie spits out several gags from other visual media, such as a stylized parody of Persona, one-liners from Attila the Hun, and others.
Although, in the end, Allen tells us about love and death, what he as a human has discovered about life: our mind is great, but our body gets all the fun, and we think God is an underachiever, but death is somewhat a downer. The first shall be the last, and the last shall be the first, as Matthew 20:16 says.
Being There
Jerzy Kosinski’s novel of 1970 is the basis for “Being There.”. A simple gardener named Peter Sellers never leaves an estate until his boss, Ben, dies. When Ben’s funeral comes around, things really get interesting. Chauncey’s (Peter Sellers) name emerges as the favorite of the President and other political kingmakers as they discuss the next Presidential choice.
The movie embraces the moral and intellectual consequences of television and, in this sense, does not offend a television-weaned audience.
Hal Ashby’s flair lies in conveying something funny without ever losing the seriousness of the film or the humanity of the characters. While he had made great films such as Harold & Maude and The Last Detail, this is a satirical comedy film that will leave you with a lot of inspiration and ideas about Heidegger’s philosophy.
