I originally titled this post Ego, but for two reasons I changed it. (Actually three - the third being, as I proof read this, that I dislike the word. I can't think of one moment in casual conversation it has been used positively... unless your talking to a prick who in turns takes it as a compliment)
Firstly, for me, it was bland and when asking if I, myself, would click on something titled Ego, I wasn't entirely convinced I would.
Secondly, and far more importantly, I wanted the title to evoke a specific type of feeling, for this is no mean feat. A war against your ego is a war against your world and everything you think you know to be true. Your spider phobia? That's ego my friend.
Now, I've always known the importance of this subject, but the more I research it the more interesting and in depth the subject reveals itself to be. {Click here for an impressive article on higher consciousness - tip - scroll down to yellow speech marks]
and the more I realised that, although prevalent in the book, It's prevalence is unintentional - for example you could refer to ego in every speech. feeling, action, etc.
… So
where to start?
How about a dictionary definition?
Ego
ˈiːɡəʊ,ˈɛːɡəʊ/ (Whatever that means)
noun
A person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
PSYCHOANALYSIS
The part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.
PHILOSOPHY
(in metaphysics) a conscious thinking subject.
So
let’s get into the meat.
(And some casual ALDI advertising)
what, where, how, Who am I going to lean on to give a strong learning example of
disassociating from
and
destroying the
ego?
Is there such a thing in mainstream cinema?
You could argue it's present in the matrix, but I have a far better, probably equally as stylish, AND less metaphorical (an unexpected bonus) example.
what? Revolver
WHo? Guy Ritchie
I know what you're thinking... (well after 'What happened to where and how')
guy ritchie?
The legend who brought us lock stock and snatch? He does deep, metaphysical stuff too?
A film about defeating the ego is subject to intense and immediate scrutiny, under the familiar caption 'it makes no sense'.
let me pull a random quote from the consensus
“The plot isn't intellectually challenging as much as it is confusing, and yet the big twist is completely telegraphed. Ritchie has created a movie that is patronizingly obvious one minute and impenetrable the next.”
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
OK, some of you right now are saying ‘YES’ and, to be frank, most people I’ve debated this film with love it, like attracts like I guess.
Most of you have probably never heard of it. I envy you. enjoy.
And, considering my audience, a very very few number, I'm thinking one guy, with similiar attributes to the priest played by stephen fry in blackadder, is blinking wide eyed at his screen and re-reading the sentence to make sure he's understood correctly. Did Michael Just call this drivel good?
I did.
And
I’m not crazy, well, only medically, let’s not get scientific.
Just do yourself a favour #freeyourmind and watch this film thinking about 'the ego' throughout.
let’s get back to the San Fran critic's quote - which turned out to be brilliant material
SanFran,
“The plot isn't intellectually challenging as much as it is confusing”
aka
I’m not stupid, the plots stupid, it’s Mr Ritchie’s fault I didn’t get it
Fair enough. Then...
And this line is hilarious
“Ritchie has created a movie that is patronizingly obvious one minute and impenetrable the next”
I didn’t realise how funny this was until I re-read it a couple of times... you should probably do the same.
So, in nut shell, what you’re saying is… you understood the whole joke up until the punchline?
Fanboys – you don’t get it.
Sceptics – there’s nothing to get.
So, what is the film about?
Why should you add it to your watch list (except for the clip above) and why is it relevant to ego, consciousness and my book.
Before I delve into the why behind what makes this a masterpiece I felt it only fair to give a positive ‘critic’ for balance.
Literally picked at random.
(Well, Almost at random, the first pick was at random but written by some Russian woman who loved the film wayyyy too much, it felt like the whole piece was in emoticons, she was next next level, so I replaced her review with the more measured piece below)
“First of all, when people hear 'GUY RITCHIE', they immediately think of SNATCH. Yes, Snatch was a good movie, but the problem is that everyone associates Guy Ritchie to Snatch. They don't expect him to explore new frontiers. This movie REVOLVER is different than snatch; it's much darker and is very complex. The reason I gave a rating of 10 is because I've had to watch Revolver 3 times to understand everything. So this movie toys with your head. It's very cleverly written. This movie is different than Snatch. It was done wonderfully, the cinematography is beautiful, and you can recognize Guy Ritchie's personal touch (style of directing) in it. What won me over was the complexity of the protagonist and how we are left with more questions than answers."
-
So,
The film…
This entire film is (of course) about ego.
Right from the off.
Left is Ego - Right is Self. This picture is A snapshot from a defining scene. (No wonder people were scratching their head.)
What’s funny is, after multiple viewings, you realise this is being thrown in your face, but when you’re not looking for it...
Side BAr (If we're not looking for it fuck it. Right? we’re lazy and there's nothing wrong with that - its business. Big Business. everything successful in today’s society facilitates laziness - convenience sounds nicer. It’s why I enjoyed the Disney film Wall-E or ideas like the Eloi from HG Wells' Time Machine. in 1895 hg wells could see a society where everything was just handed to you. Uber. Just Eat. urban massage. thankfully the health fad is strong but... a chair that floats from a to b (wall-e) sounds pretty rad, I'll admit that)
So the film starts with The main character, Jake Greene (Jasan Statham), being released from prison, but he isn't aware that the actual prison is in his mind and until he is able to conquer that, (his mind/his ego) he will never be truly free.
Jake Greene unwittingly quotes:
“The greatest enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look.”
Not knowing the truth.
The last place you'll ever look?
is inside your own head.
Every irrational fear.
Every erratic outburst.
The hate.
The Jealousy.
The American Psycho in you.
But
If you can fight...
Fight Back into the light... #howtobecomeagod
otherwise
we lose to our ego
A man, one who had broken free of 'the ego',
cites
...as another,
desperately imprisoned by it,
helplessly raises a gun to his head
“The greatest con, that he ever pulled... was making you believe... that he is you.”
*Gunshot*