Fusions

Below are approximately eight-hundred words. These words formed the opening section to my latest (and final) Fusions essay. They also formed the basis of André Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto. All the words are his and all the meaning is mine. I just simply took what he had written and put it in a new order.

General Andre Breton’s address to the French Surrealist Legion and some civilians at Les Invalides, Paris.
3^rd September, 1939.

The world is only very relatively in tune with thought. Incidents of this kind are only the most obvious episodes of war. In every period of history there are a series of events that run parallel to real events, and now, in the shadow we again see a precious terror; It is the whole world which, without realising it, is going to suffer the consequences.

We’re in bad, we’re in terrible shape when it comes to time. But the time lost in waiting to be able to confront them can still be made up. Everything remains to be done, every means must be worth trying. We must be ready to act with an unprecedented pride, to manifest among ourselves the greatest solidarity and say farewell to the dreams of dark abyss, the prolonged patience, the ramp of danger. And you may take my word for it that I will not rest a single day. Amid the bad taste of my time I strive to go further than anyone else. I shall waste no time in passing judgement. I shall not yield.

The persuasive power attributed solely to their strangeness, which up to now has been nothing but idle repartee, now clearly seems to me to be hostile. He has forced his way in, hostile to any intellectual or moral advancement. He is under the impression that he will make the bitterest enemies partake of a secret desire which will blow up the countries. And in this he will simply succeed by allowing himself to be moved by the immense word which dissolves into pity and revolves into hate. He demands to be heard. But if you would listen then he would usher you into death and claim it an artificial paradise. He is wholly consumed by and devoted to that sacred fever which aspires to leave the earth stripped, to reduce it to a state of slavery, to leave it in a state of anarchy. He operates under the pretence of civilisation and progress. He is under the impression of continuing something that is worthwhile. He believes events will not tolerate your interference.

But his profound indifference to the way in which we judge him, and even to the various punishments meted out to him, can push man to frightful revolts. There will be gatherings on the public squares, and movements you never dared hope participate in. Whatever you may attempt, very few people let themselves be guided by that unforgettable light. Remember: nothing is impossible for him who dares try.

We are all more or less aware of the road traveled. And since success is not dependent upon the more or less capricious paths that will be followed, since winning or losing is not in question, we must remain constantly and vigorously opposed to these insulting plays. The slightest loss of impetus  and we will sink back down into the immemorial. We must maintain our nobility of thought. We must survive the smallest particle of honour. We must embrace our incurable human restlessness to try and impose what we hold, and which will one day enable us to win out over our opponents and say; ‘Yes. I can believe my eyes, my ears, this great day has arrived, it has lost.’

Let us not mince words. Kill. Fly faster. Have unshakeable confidence in the principle of that activity. You are no longer trembling, carcass. And if you should die, are you not certain of reawaking among the dead? The time is coming when in my wake I raise up monsters that are lying in wait. We shall wage a victorious battle against them. Their unforgettable intensity to their torments, painfully afflicted by them, is part of man a kind of monstrous pride, which rages in certain men. It seems to me that they see their every act as its own justification. There is every reason to seize them.

I believe in the future resolution of these two states, that these two thoughts confront each other, in order to stop imposing this curious state of affairs, putting an end to this interminable quarrel. But for now there remains madness. And note how this madness has taken shape, and endured. It is not the fear of madness that will oblige us to leave the flag of imagination furled, but that we let the human adventure continue to take place with the minimum of risks.

Man proposes and disposes. He and he alone can determine whether he is completely master of himself. Isn’t what matters that we be masters of ourselves? Of reclaiming our rights from the depths of that dark night?

The mere word “freedom” is only one that still excites me. Among all the many misfortunes to which we are heir, it is only fair to admit that we are allowed the greatest degree of freedom of thought. It is up to us not to misuse it. 

Review: The Avengers

WARNING! HERE BE SPOILERS.

This review is based on my opinions of the film and all it portrays and thus will contain some spoilers. If you have not seen The Avengers yet…DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW! Ta.

Ladies and Gentleman, see this film and die. Perhaps that might be a little extreme, but seriously think about making this the last film you will ever see, because, quite frankly, we have reached the pinnacle of cinema. And I mean that in the purest sense of the word; cinema. At home, in a few months time, even on your 50-inch wall mounted HD TV with the latest 7.1 surround sound, you will not be able to fully comprehend the magnitude of this film. It was made for the cinema.

In part, that’s as much to do with the buzz surrounding it as the film itself. The subsequent collective reactions to the jokes (of which there are plenty), the action and the sorrow is the kind you’ll only get in the cinema. And I’ll tell you this now, see it with the fans. Don’t get me wrong, the general Joe Public cinema going audience will love it too, it has all the ingredients of your classic summer blockbuster but with more brain, heart and dialogue, but for the intricacies, the asides, the references and everything in between, you need to get your geek on.

Preparations aside, the film itself. Boasting arguably one of the finest ensemble casts of modern day cinema (count the BAFTA and Golden Globe wins and Oscar nominations, you’d be surprised) reading the script of one of America’s finest writers should prove a winning combination. And it does not disappoint. The dialogue keeps up with the action at a remarkable pace, both of which conspire to make to the ensuing two hours and twenty minutes fly by. As a comparison, take Steven Spielberg’s War Horse or David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and you’ll notice how the running time begins to drag, particularly towards the last twenty minutes.

As aforementioned, the script is laden with jokes, making this far and away the funniest Marvel film to date. Satisfactorily, it’s not just RDJ’s Tony Stark/Iron Man who gets all the best lines either. Whilst our resident genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist does get his fare share of the comedy as befits his character, the rest of the cast are not left without laughs - in particular, keep an ear open Chris Hemsworth’s excellent comic timing and delivery. Many fans believed there was a danger that this could simply become ‘Iron Man and Friends’ - but that’s simply not the case. The laughs even go so far as to extend to Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, though his finest hour is without doubt the release of one of the most venomous speeches this side of cinema, replete with crowning insult so vile the only possible reason it snuck past the censors is because it is as archaic as it is foul. It is as much a credit to Whedon’s vocabulary as it is to Hiddleston’s vitriolic delivery.

Hiddleston’s portrayal of Loki is thankfully non-regressive and has developed in the interim period since Thor. In interview, Hiddleston has stated that Loki has changed from the lost prince of Thor to a god who has seen the abyss and gazed into the gaping maw of space, and this has changed him. Believe me, these aren’t just fanboy platitudes, when you see Loki for the first time in this film, you better believe he’s changed.

And in amongst The Avengers themselves, the group dynamic is perfectly attuned. Though these are five people (eventually) working together, that unity does not come at the expense of the other relationships. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) share perhaps the most interesting and complex connection, one that actually gives me a great deal of hope for a proposed Black Widow spin-off; I’d very much like to get to know these two characters more after what is revealed. As expected, Thor and Iron Man clash for the biggest ego in the room, and equally Captain America weighs in with his hefty moral compass against Stark’s seemingly self-serving attitude. Thankfully, it seems RDJ wasn’t left totally friendless, his rapport with Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk feeling ridiculously genuine. An aside to Ruffalo here, never has one man so perfectly captured both sides of the Hulk. Aided by some outstanding CGI, the decision to motion capture Ruffalo’s performance has really paid dividends, and perfectly complements his restrained, nervous and yet humorous Banner. As a great fan myself, however, I was personally most pleased to see the relationship established between Hulk and Thor, not least because it weighs in with arguably the joint funniest moment of physical comedy in the entire film. They share a fight scene half way through (that, by-the-by, has one of those perfect little moments for all fans, where even Hulk can’t lift Mjolnir - it’s the small things), but come the awe-inspiring climax, their teamwork in taking down a Leviathan is just perfection, and really the icing on the cake of this pairing.

Individually, the characters are very well realised. RDJ continues playing himself, blurring the line between the man, the character and the superhero (I really do believe he has a Mk1 hidden somewhere by now, surely), Hemsworth oozes superiority (hell, even his biceps do) and Renner coolly embodies Clint Barton. If there was any doubt over Evans’ Captain America, those have been neatly assuaged. The danger was that amidst the charisma of Iron Man, the power of Thor and the sheer presence of Hulk, the remaining ‘super’ superhero (no offence to the very talented and very dangerous humans that are Hawkeye and Black Widow) might just seem a bit, well, wet. Come the final fight, he more than earns his pay. As near omnipotent combatants we can often forget that The Avengers are not soldiers. Stark ferociously reminds Cap’ of this after a massive emotional sledgehammer, but it serves to remind the audience as well that these are still people too. When the fight comes, Cap’s military know how proves to be a major boon for the troupe.

One criticism that has been levelled at the film is that Loki’s army are somewhat faceless. I can’t argue with that. What I do take umbrage with is the logic behind this criticism. The Chitauri, as we discover they are, are not really given a back story, and for all intents and purposes, are simply Avengers fodder. The reasons for this are both varied and justified. To embellish the Chitauri would not only add length to film, but that length would also be superfluous, as the Chitauri don’t seem like they’ll be hanging around for many future instalments. Secondly, It would detract from Loki. He is the big bad in this film. The Chitauri are as much his minions as anything else, his playthings. And finally, and most importantly, this is The Avengers. We have waited for this and paid for this to see the group dynamic of this extraordinary collection of people. We have experienced their backstories and all the moments that have lead to this, and all that time we have invested in them is now being paid off in what is currently the pinnacle of their combined cinematic existence. We are there to see Iron Man, Thor, CaptainAmerica, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, even Nick Fury. HELL, even Phil ‘his first name’s Agent’ Coulson.

Boasting the best cast, the biggest action, the wittiest dialogue, a web of complex relationships, six huge egos, seven if you count Loki (and you should), Sam Jackson, Stellan Skaarsgaard, one massive, flawless CGI job, five films’ worth of history and context and just about anything else you can think of, you can hype this film up all you want, and I promise you, it will exceed your every expectation. If, as planned, the film is expanded into a trilogy or franchise of its own or whatever, I can guarantee you that as big commercially, critically, and culturally successful as the original Star Wars was, The Avengers has given this generation its biggest chance of emulating that.