The film I investigated was Minority Report. My argument was that the modern technology in the film serves as a method of control over the body. The use of surveillance over society complicates the division between the freedom over one's body and one's predetermined destiny. I raised the argument that Precrime takes on a God-like power by changing destiny and that the film argues that humans have free will rather than a determined future.
Feel free to ask me questions!!
12 comments:
Good job on your project today! I thought the faith based issue is interesting. How they stated that they are more like clergy than cops because they are altering destiny was really a good point that you showed. Do you think that was what the director had in mind for the argument (that humans should not play god)? Or do you think that played a more minor role?
I remember early on in the film the main character meets a homeless man with no eyes. He mentions that in this world the 'blind man is king'. How do you feel about this ironic statement, as the man has a disabled body, but states he is more powerful than non-disabled bodies. Is he, in fact, more powerful, and why?
I noticed that your movie also played on the idea and you touched on the fact that the Precogs were playing god and the cops were acting as cleregy. What point do you think the writers/directors were trying to get at in this reference?
In response to both Aubrey and Ashley about religion, I do think that the filmmakers were intentionally making this reference. I think that it was clear that the argument was that humans were using technology to act as God. Because they are humans, and are imperfect sinners, they cannot act as such. They used Precrime to change destiny and it proved to be flawed just like them. I think this argument goes along with a lot of others we have seen. That there is a line, a limit, that we cannot cross with involving ourselves with technology.
In response to Julia, I believe the quote actually is, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." I think this gives it a completely different context. Its confusing because he actually does not have eyes. But right before that he calls John Anderton out, by calling him the Chief, to show that he knows who he is. He then says its okay, I could use some juice on my side. I think he is referring to John Anderton as the King because he has the eyes of the Precogs. This gives him the power over everybody else, the blind people. He can see what they are going to do or what other people are going to do to them. I could be completely wrong on this, but it seems to be the only interpretation I can come up with!
Megan Megan. In my movie all access to virtual reality seems to go through the eyes. The machines that allow access to this world hook up over the eyes. I noticed that some of your movie dealt with the eyes. I was wondering what role the eyes played in your movie and if they are in any way similar to my movie?
Megan, in my film it is seen that people are taken advantage of through the use of technology that is forced upon them secretly. However, in your film, technology is forced upon people but it is publicly known and accepted. Do you think this adds a fear factor that a government would condone this? It seems, especially with the spiders, that they even conduct raids of some sort. What do you think this argues about the people in power having power over technology and using that to control the rest of society, without their consent?
Good job with the presentation. I was just wondering if you noticed any other instances where religion played a part in the movie? I've seen it before, but it was a while ago, so I don't really remember.
I'm curious about how gender plays a role in the film. We didn't really turn to your film in discussion yesterday. The only women I can think of off the top of my head are the precogs themselves... again women being the tool or the technology itself. What do you think about this? Are there women in the movie elsewhere, do they have power or are they too used as tools or powerless?
Drew,
It is interesting that you bring that up. I didn't think about it when your film came up. However, in Minority Report I feel that the eyes were very significant. They served as the method of one's identity, but also as the means in which you were monitored by the government. It is kind of as if the government is taking your identity away from you through the way they treat you. Also, referring to what I said in response to the quote Julia brought up, I think they have a deeper meaning paralleling with the precogs. The idea of "seeing" the future plays on this idea of the power lying with one's eyes.
Katie,
I think it definitely raises fear among the public, probably more so than in your film. It seems that the public has to live always kind of paranoid of when they will show up with their guns and eye scans. They fly too which is kind of intimidating. Precrime tries to make it seem what they are doing is helping society, making them safer by getting rid of criminals. However, they can't live in peace because they know they are always being watched. It reminds me of "Big Brother," people constantly being watched by the Government and living in fear.
Mark,
The scene that I showed in class was the first time it was clearly brought up in the film. It kind of hints at it again throughout the film. When John Anderton goes to see Dr. Hineman, the woman who co-created Precrime, gave me the impression of religion. She calls herself and Lamar the "mother and father" of Precrime. She also was a scientist who grew lots of crazy plants and in the scene they are in her green house. This kind of plays on the idea of "Mother Nature" and Lamar is "God" and together they created these "beings," the Precogs.
We see kind of both women as weak and manipulated and powerful through this film. Agatha, the main precog, was manipulated by science and used as a technology. They even killed her mother just so she could be used. Then you have Dr. Hineman, who like I said in my last comment, was the "mother" of Precrime. She is powerful and helps John. Then you have John's ex-wife, who ends up helping him in the end, making her a powerful women in the film. And the fact that Agatha is the gifted one of all the Precogs, makes her powerful too. She is the one who sees the minority reports and the one that brings the three of them together. If I had to say the film was making an argument about gender, I would actually say that women are powerful, and smarter than the men.
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