This afternoon after I got home from an all-nighter at work on a stupid music video (someone needs to show me a music video set that is not full of shit because I'm starting to think they don't exist) I was bitching and tired. My wonderful cinephile girlfriend was watching a DVD of shorts that various filmmakers made with the Lumiere Camera invented by the Lumiere Brothers in 1895. In between the shorts they were asking filmmakers various questions that were all answered very seriously. One of the questions they asked was "Why do you film?" -or something close to that- people responded with "There's nothing else" and things like that. But one filmmaker said "I like subversion."
a bleary eyed and weary Alex exclaims, "Hell Yeah!"
My girlfriend responded by asking what exactly that means and I said, "Basically sticking it to the man, but let's look it up."
My little widget dictionary on my computer defines it as:
sub·vert undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution)
Later I got some much needed sleep and when I woke up started watching Hal Ashby's Bound for Glory. It is about Woody Guthrie who also liked to subvert or be subversive. The movie was great (Hal Ashby + Randy Quaid= life changing cinema) and it got me thinking about why I enjoy subversion so much. Why do I get so excited about people saying that they aren't having this shit anymore and doing something about it? When I see movies like Z, Reds, Battle of Algiers, Ghandi, Dr. Strangelove or docs that attempt social change, I go nuts. I love the idea of undermining authority in the hopes of reassessing things and changing them for the better. Questioning the guys in charge to see if things can be done a better way should be done constantly.
I was first a history major in college partly because the subject of people in revolt so interested me. The other part is that you can't understand the present without a grasp on the past which means I like to argue about politics with old people.
I sometimes wonder how everyone can't see things that get them angry, or read about injustice and want to make a few molotov cocktails and attack a drive in. I guess my generation for the most part is more like the generation of the 50's. We don't care about anything really except for consumerism and self obsession. We like to blindly think everything is fine (except progressive opinions) and don't really rattle the cage- most of us that is. And even though I enjoy the ideas of civil disobedience and all things subversive and constantly having contempt for contentment I am really just am armchair activist.
I'm just a big jerk. I like to talk about this and that but I don't really do too much. I'll email or call a state representative and vote. I recycle and try not to waste gasoline because of some beliefs I have but really- who am i kidding? I don't try to talk to other people, get people to vote or any other things that involve actually striving for something bigger than knowing, at least I do my part. I'd be doing y part if I got other people to care enough to do their's. Someone got me to care, why can't I get other people to. I'm a filmmaker but I really don't use that to subvert either. I'm probably just another self obsessed person. (I do assume someone wants to read my rantings) I don't really want to make film because I love subversion, although I really want to believe that. I probably agree more with another filmmaker's answer to the question, "Why do you film?"
"I make movies because I want people to love me."- he responded.
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