We recently posted about films that were "Flawed Masterpieces." That got me to thinking about movies which I can certainly proclaim masterpieces, but don't completely understand them.
That's a paradox. How can you say something is a masterpiece when you don't entirely get it?
I'd respond by pointing out certain examples in the worlds of creative art and music. I've been to a lot of art museums in the world and seen some art that I would consider masterpieces. But did I totally get it? Not unless someone came up to me and explained it. I've been a fan of the music of Pink Floyd for 40 years, and I've listened to some music they produced that I considered to be masterpieces, and without really understanding what they were about. ( I think it's possible even Pink Floyd didn't really know what they were about.)So, is it therefore possible to call a film a "masterpiece" when you don't really get it? Here are a couple of examples of what I'm talking about:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
This film was groundbreaking in so many ways. It had special effects that no one had ever attempted before (at least at that level). The movie went places no movie of its kind had ever gone. I first saw it when I was 17 years old, and was so transfixed that I sat there and watched it a second time. I've seen it so many times since that it's almost certainly the one film I've seen the most times in my life.
Yet ... I still don't completely understand it. But that doesn't detract from the fact that this is one of the best movies ever made. And it was made by the masterful Stanley Kubrick. His body of work is amazing. Not all his films were loved by everyone, and they weren't all commercial successes. But he never made one that wasn't interesting.
I've read many synopses, reviews, explanations and opinions of 2001, and no two are exactly alike. Simply put, this movie can mean different things to different people. And it obviously isn't for everbody. (If you like your movies tidily wrapped up and easily comprehended, go rent something else.)
But if you haven't seen this one from beginning to end, give it a try. Then maybe you can explain it to me.
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Big fan of David Lynch since the days of Blue Velvet and then the Twin Peaks series. Come to think of it, I don't think I completely understand anything he's ever done, with the possible exception of The Elephant Man (and of course The Straight Story, which is 180 degrees out of whack for a David Lynch film, given his bizarre oeuvre).
Indeed, not every one of Lynch's films are in the "good" category to me. He lost me totally with movies like Wild at Heart and Lost Highway. However, Mulholland Dr. is riveting and maddening and interesting and wildly entertaining. At the very end, as the woman in the balcony utters the word "Silencio" (don't worry, that doesn't give anything away), you realize you've just seen a masterpiece. Lynch was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director for this movie, although that was the only Academy Award recognition the film received.
If someone asked me to explain Mulholland Dr. to them, I couldn't do it. If I watched it again, I still couldn't do it. For a pretty brief and cogent explanation, go to the Movie Pooper site.
But not before watching the movie!
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