In the story by Cortazar, the use of the binary, dreams/reality, is very prevalent throughout. The narrator often goes off into the world of his imagination and fuses this world together with the reality that is laid before his eyes. For example he says, “I imagined the possible ending, I saw their arrival at the house…I set the scene: teasing kisses, the woman mildly repelling the hands which were trying to undress her, like in novels, on a bed that would have lilac-colored comforter (123).” This man does not even know whether or not these two people are a couple and yet he is imagining a sex scene between the two as if that was truly what he was watching. This same sense of dreams vs reality is used by Antonio in the film by having the people with the white faces appear every once in a while running through the streets and they seem to go unnoticed by the normal people in the town. I believe Antonioni does this in an attempt to fuse together the parallel worlds of dreams and reality. The comforter’s that Michel imagines the couple he is viewing to be laying on is a lilac. This color lilac is also used a lot in Antonioni’s movie. It is seen on door to Thomas’ dark room, as well on one of his background posters in his studio.
Another device used by both Cortazar and Antonioni is cyclical time which fuses together the past with the present. In the story, the narrator refers to himself as the photographer, then refers to Michel as the photographer. This continual switch between the first and third person when referring to the photographer makes the reader assume that time is not a factor and life of a past photographer (the narrator) is now fused with, “Roberto Michel, French-Chilean translator and in his spare time an amateur photographer (116).” In the movie, I believe the Antique shop is also a device used to represent the binary of fusing the past with the present. The antique shop is a place that is filled with old objects that are waiting to be bought and put to use by a new person in a new life. For these antiques, time is cyclical because once the first owner used them, then sold them, then a new owner will buy them and this process repeats itself. Also, the first time Thomas went to the antique shop, there were two men standing outside of it. One was an old man, the other was young, but they were both dressed similarly and were walking the exact same dog. This represents another fusion of past with present.
Finally, I believe that title, Blow-Up, is also a device used to represent magical realism in the story and film. Both the story and the film use the title as a way to represent the pictures they took, which they chose to enlarge or Blow Up in size. If the pictures taken by Thomas had not been blown up then he never would have discovered that murder. In the story, I believe the title even has a second meaning as well. This second meaning is displayed when the women & the man in the grey suit run over to the narrator and begin yelling at him. Before they noticed he was taking pictures, the scene was quiet and serene. But when the woman began noticing Michel, and the man in the car noticed as well, the quiet that once was quickly blew up in Michel’s face and the scene had become a frantic fight for the pictures.
In the story by Cortazar, the use of the binary, dreams/reality, is very prevalent throughout. The narrator is constantly fusing together the world of his imagination with the reality that is laid before his eyes. He has a tendency to predict what is going to happen even before he has even spoken to the people he is watching. For example he says, “I imagined the possible ending, I saw their arrival at the house…I set the scene: teasing kisses, the woman mildly repelling the hands which were trying to undress her, like in novels, on a bed that would have lilac-colored comforter (123).”
ReplyDeleteThe photographer has never spoken a word to either of these people and yet he quickly assumes they are a couple but he still imagines a sex scene between the two as if that was truly viewing. This theme of dreams vs. reality is used by Antonio in the film by having the people with the white faces wildly running through the streets but they go unnoticed by the normal townspeople. I believe Antonioni does this in an attempt to fuse together the parallel worlds of dreams and reality. These white faced people go unnoticed by everyone until the very end when they are playing tennis and the photographer fetches a stray ball for them even though they were not using any balls or racquets. At this point, the fusion of what is real and what is imagined is now seen not only through the lens of the camera, but also through his own eyes as if it was truly real.
Another device used by both Cortazar and Antonioni is cyclical time which fuses together the past with the present. In the story, the narrator refers to himself as the photographer, then refers to Michel as the photographer. This continual switch between the first and third person when referring to the photographer makes the reader assume that time is not a factor and life of a past photographer (the narrator) is now fused with, “Roberto Michel, French-Chilean translator and in his spare time an amateur photographer (116).” In the movie, I believe the Antique shop is also a device used to represent the binary of fusing the past with the present. The antique shop is a place that is filled with old objects that are waiting to be bought and put to use by a new person in a new life. For these antiques, time is cyclical because once the first owner used them, then sold them, then a new owner will buy them and this process repeats itself.
Finally, I believe that title, Blow-Up, is another device used to represent magical realism in the story and film due to its double meaning. The story and the film use the title as a way to represent the pictures they took, which they chose to enlarge or Blow Up in size. If the pictures taken by Thomas had not been blown up then he never would have discovered that murder. In the story, the once quiet scene blows up when there is a fight for the pictures that were taken without consent. But luckily if this argument had not ensued then the boy who was being courted by the girl would have been kidnapped by the man in the grey suit who is assumed to be running a sex ring. So in both the film and the movie, the blowing up of a certain something reveals an intricate piece to the story.