Thursday, February 21, 2008

what art can do for me

When Ms. Hatkoff asked us if we could talk about a play that really resonated with us (in relation to Tony Kushner's idea of art compelling an audience to bring out some sort of message into the greater world), I kept trying to think of the last time I was genuinely moved by a show or film, but couldn't really pinpoint anything. I've figured it out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ftiIPJky_Vs

This scene from Hannah and Her Sisters really struck me - particularly the way in which Woody Allen's character is able to use film as a refuge and escape. The brilliance of this scene is that while Allen's character is reveling in the power of art to allow him to temporarily abandon his profound troubles, a viewer of this scene undergoes a similar desire to extract joy from life.

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