shanejohnson
New Member
"Kindness is the only investment that never fails." - Thoreau
Posts: 15 
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Post by shanejohnson on Dec 23, 2013 4:26:43 GMT
Below is a link to a darling short film I was recently shown called "Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life." Its quite hilarious premise involves Franz Kafka dealing with some writers block as he tries to write The Metamorphosis on Christmas Eve. The short film actually won an Academy Award back in the 90s. It's only about 22 minutes long, so WATCH IT! You won't regret it! videos.nymag.com/video/Short-Film-Franz-Kafkas-Its-a-WHappy Break! |
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shanejohnson
New Member
"Kindness is the only investment that never fails." - Thoreau
Posts: 15
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Post by shanejohnson on Dec 23, 2013 4:28:01 GMT
I'm going to say any below replies CONTAIN SPOILERS in case anyone wants to discuss.
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Post by keelycorrigan on Dec 24, 2013 0:09:57 GMT
I would really like to talk about the little film because I really don't get it but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the way they used color and lighting to create a kind of eerie and dirty feel, but I don't understand its plot's allusions-- probably because I have never seen "It's a Wonderful Life." Though I couldn't understand the underlying humor of the short, I thought its use of the evolution/deterioration Kafka's psyche was fantastic. I also quite enjoy thinking that before Kafka thought of a cockroach in which to transform his protagonist, but a banana! Ha!
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Post by natalieskowlund on Dec 24, 2013 7:40:12 GMT
Well...that was definitely one of the stranger videos I've viewed in a while. But, at the same time, it was completely captivating! Like Keely, I, too, have never seen "It's a Wonderful Life," so I probably missed some of the plot parallels, but I still found the video very funny and interesting. I especially love the end where the cockroach is singing about how "love, and love alone" is the meaning of life. I definitely see the irony in the cockroach (who I assume is Gregor) singing that song because "The Metamorphosis" basically brings to question the notion of unconditional love, and whether or not we are capable of loving all beings equally.
Plus, what in the world was up with that creepy knife guy looking for "Jimminy" the cockroach??? That was so creepy, eek! The woman and the dancing girls were also a bit unsettling, they seemed so stilted. Maybe the video is trying to show that, although readers tend to think of "The Metamorphosis" as surreal, perhaps reality itself is far stranger than we like to admit. Kafka's reality in the video almost seemed creepier than "The Metamorphosis"'s version of reality did. Fascinating video, I'd love to hear more insights!
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Post by Lauren on Dec 25, 2013 19:05:42 GMT
I thought it was interesting how they took the approach of knowing he wanted to write a story about a man's physical appearance changing, but not knowing what to change into. There's a lot of symbolism in the cockroach so the idea that it could be something else was interesting to me. Personally, I think I would have enjoyed the story more if he was a kangaroo, but I prefer mammals over insects! I enjoyed the video, although like you guys, don't understand all of it. Thanks for sharing it Shane!
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Post by Jason Parris on Jan 3, 2014 21:04:55 GMT
So bizarre! And the novelty shop lady is Phyllis Logan, who plays Mrs. Hughes on Downton Abbey!
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