Hidden

Which art form reigns supreme? That's a question I gave some thought to a while back. I decided that I probably agreed with those who ranked music above the other arts on the grounds that it tends to move people more often and more deeply than other art forms. It's certainly the art form I'd least like to go without.

However, I also rate film highly. The filmmaker's task involves creating an entire alternative universe that must be completely plausible if the film is to succeed. No small feat. And perhaps why so many film directors appear somewhat authoritarian if not downright megalomaniacal, especially when working on the set. Another reason why I rate film highly is that while famous musicians or contemporary artists, for example, sometimes come across as rather shallow or uninspiring when interviewed, in the same situation leading film directors usually come across as extremely articulate and knowledgeable in a wide range of subjects.

On Saturday I watched Michael Haneke's Hidden on DVD. Among the extras were an interview with the director, an excellent "making of" which was a cut above the kind of thing you usually find among the extras on DVDs peppered with interviews in which the actors and director gush about how wonderful they all are and how delighted they are to be working together, and a revealing documentary about Haneke. The impression I was left with after watching these was of an intelligent, thoughtful, rather mild-mannered individual who, while wary of media attention and aware of the need to control how he's presented in the media, is extremely open when discussing his work in public. On the set, however, he displays glimpses of the same authoritarian style employed by other directors. To be fair, no other art form involves coordinating as many resources, both human and non-human, as filmmaking. Perhaps a degree of authoritarianism is essential if a director is to handle all this and realize his artistic vision.

The film was excellent by the way. The plot involves a protagonist whose life starts to fall apart after he's forced to recall his vile treatment as a six-year-old of an Algerian boy who was orphaned as a result of the Paris massacre of 1961. Although mentioned only in passing, this massacre, in which up to 200 peaceful Algerian protestors were killed by French police, some drowning after being violently herded into the River Seine, is pivotal to the film, which on one level is an allegory of France's treatment of the incident. The same incident was mentioned in a book I read recently, although I can’t remember which one. It might have been The Game of War.

I'm currently reading Chalmers Johnson's Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire, which includes an account of the Kwangju massacre of 1980, in which a similar number of civilians were killed by South Korean troops. It's interesting how such incidents are quickly forgotten when they occur in Western countries or countries allied to the U.S., whereas we're constantly reminded by our media and politicians of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Distance walked today: 3km
Total distance walked since Tokaido training began: 42km
Days left until departure: 83