2008 : Movies & Politics [bottom]

Wilderness as a State of Mind : ...

... "Minus 148°" by Art Davidson (Norton, 1969) : In February 1967, Art Davidson, Ray Genet and Dave Johnston completed the first winter ascent of Mount McKinley in Alaska, but on descent a monster storm trapped them at 18,500 feet. For six days they survived--barely--in a coffin-size ice cave, enduring 150-mph winds and temperatures that reached minus 148 degrees--hence the title of Davidson's subsequent account. This finely crafted adventure tale runs on adrenaline but also something else: brutal honesty. Given access to all seven expedition members' journals, Davidson revealed that every "men vs. nature" tale has another dimension: men vs. themselves. His story of extreme mountaineering's good, bad and ugly spares no one--especially himself. At one desperate point he volunteers to descend alone to "send in help." But: "I knew my reasons for a solo descent were flimsily constructed excuses to conceal my desire to save Art Davidson above all else." Before "Minus 148°," mountain tales glowed with heroism and self-sacrifice. Davidson's was the first to show the darker aspects as well.

Movies and American Idols Popculture and pop-history

film.vtheatre.net/3 : Theory & Case Study

lessons [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]

... Every generation moved further west and became more American, and the settlers became more democratic and less tolerant of hierarchy. They became more violent, more individualistic, more distrustful of authority, less artistic, less scientific, and more dependent on ad-hoc organizations they formed themselves. In broad terms, the further west, the more American the community. [ Frontier Principle. Turner ]

and

Manifest Destiny is a 19th-century belief that the United States had a mission to expand, spreading its form of democracy and freedom.

... alaska everything2.com : State Motto: "North to the Future" + State Nickname: "The Last Frontier"

The Call of the Wild Syndrome impacts on specific personality disorders, every year when the sun enters Taurus. It is an intense need for freedom, to answer to no one, especially after the nesting months of the fall and winter. The weather gets warm. They need to go back to patterns of playtime and laziness, as something in their brain chemistry alters. The soul needs to be get out, just as many animals of the wild. It is an impulsive behavior pattern, which seems to impact on the same people year after year as if instinctual.

The Call of the Wild Syndrome shows itself in many ways, most of which are about rebelling and running away from things that do not work or make the soul feel confined.

It is about someone just suddenly walking out of a relationship for no apparent reason and never coming back.

This syndrome usually involves souls with issues of commitment, moods swings, and other emotional issues such as depression.

The souls just leave relationships, families, jobs, responsibility and need to be free in the 'jungle of life' at least until the next nesting season (autumn) when they will repeat the pattern once again.

2007 Into the Wild (Class Project)

2008 :

Film & Movies [playlist] --

final paper conferences

film for teacher : samples : cuckoo's nest