That's really fantastic, letting go of fear is something we all srive for. I thought ur movie was an inspiration and a gift to all the artists in the world. Un abrazo
 

That's a great quote, and perfectly summarizes the movie (that I have seen three times already, and I keep on finding new stuff in it.)
 

That is amazing how well it fits with the film.  It's fantastic!

(seen 5 times and counting!  can't express my thanks to you for creating such a wonderful experience.)

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.  And your wonderful film reflects that.  I plan on seeing the film multiple times.  Just to let you know that you have alot of support here. Bravo!
 

Right on.
 

I love you.
 

I've seen the film twice now, and its haunting me...

this quote as only added to that feeling.
 

Death is the high cost of living.
 

That quote sums up the message I interpreted and feeling I had after watching the film.

 

so....is it safe to say?

"death is only fearful to those that fear living?"


cause i think there might be some truth in that.  in simple form.

 

????????????????????????????????Google????????????Google??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 

I came to this philosophical conclusion almost ten years ago.  I say this because, it prepared me for my greatest physical loss - the sudden and tragic death of my sister. 
However, this interpretation or understanding of death allowed me to mourn [my physical loss] and rejoice in knowing that she is forever living and near by.
Thank you for having created an artistic expression [on film] that will always remind of this whenever I may forget the truth for just a second.

 

Your film also made me think of this:

"Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
though winning near the goal--yet, do not grieve;
she cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
for ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!"

--From Ode on a Grecian Urn, John Keats

Particularly if you go to the Keats museaum in Rome and read about how as he was dying of teburculosis his writings were totally obsessed with the themes of youth and immortality, it reminds me a little bit of your characters.
 

Thank you, Sir, for The Fountain and this quote.  I wish there were more artists in this world.  I hold you in league with Alex Grey.
 

It takes quite a man to quote Tolstoy.
 

An entire forest springs from a single seed...   all because birth and death work hand-in-hand for a single purpose which never dies.
 

The death of Ivan Ilyich is one of my favorite works by Tolstoy; not to mention, one of the few of his that I've had the patience to complete. I don't remember this excerpt outright but it seems rather optimistic as a prose for an existentialist, more or less, Tolstoy. What I'm currently fumbling over right now is the substantive connotation of "a better person" and the final aphorism in this excerpt, "you will never die." Reminiscent of romantic optimism (see candid); an occurrence we seldom incur, and often forget, on that "one day" of blissful epiphany. Perhaps this is just applicable to Tolstoy’s contrary regard to EVERYTHING not to mention War & Peace, Life & Death, Pride & Prejudice . He’s even got a moniker syndrome named after him over his publicized conduct as a conversational devil’s advocate. ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 Just was watching Requiem for the... 3rd time i think... and thought I’d shed some light on your page now that I know it exists. Sorry for the length, I was a classical literature major for a while and Tolstoy turns me on.       

 

Nice, reminds me of jacobs ladder.

Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.
 

exactly! death is the ultimate restoration to the garden of eden. it restores us to that place of perfection and completion - ultimate shalom. 
 

I guess not. Not all of us would experience that eternal bliss. I just hope we all would go there when we die. But am also afraid, the said reality dictates and sounded the alarm already, there would really be some who will not go there, to the perfect and complete eternal life but to the eternal damnation. What do you think Tina?
 

Apt, very apt.



 

I am so looking forward to indulging in this film and the themes it is laced with.

Big influence on my work, so have faith that this is a film that will not be dismissed easily.

Thanks for putting in the hours.

Tom.
 

Interesting - God is in the lower case. Quite ballsy on Leo's part, or it's a typo.

Very great passage. I'd like to see Tolstoy say that to someone in a hospital bed, when the doctor tells them that 'today is the best they are going to feel for the rest of their short life'...

Not because it's contradictory to the statement, or presumptuous on Tolstoy's part (I doubt he was on his death bed when he wrote such words). I'd just like to see it because Tolstoy has been dead for quite some time. So seeing him alive and quoting himself would be a very surreal experience.

But seriously, good post, and although it is western the philosophy is very eastern in theme.
 

Awesome quote.
 

fascinating, it's true we have that feeling we have always lived...
 

But cannot escape death, right? And who are we to know that after dying we would not realize taht we were not really born? I guess Leo Tolstoy mess up in this regard.
 

In light of the movie, it reminds me of Andrei's death in War & Peace. In his last few days, his love for the women in his life was eclipsed by a more eternal all-encompassing love - it was beautiful for him, but frustrating and uncomprehensible for the people in his life; like the difference between loving your wife and loving Jesus - sometimes it feels the same, but it's not. I thought this disconnect was beautifully done in the movie, with the hero of the earthy myth being buried in the ground, the hero of the heavenly myth ultimately ascending. Likewise, the latter's devotion to Izzy is more questionable, and at times he seems more connected to an idea, or like his fears are turned inward about himself - it seemed to be more like that heavenly love - just as you can love Jesus but you can't make love to him, same with a tree.

If I remember, Tolstoy also talked about how every woman just needs to marry to settle down and be sane (it was ok to not be PC back then). In Fountain, I the differences between male and female were great and wisely played. It's amazing that the more you love someone of the opposite sex, the more you two talk through each other - communication difficulties are deep: That's giving someone a pen to write a book, and they use it to make tatoos; that's seeking the cure of knowledge, while someone else wants the cure of life; that's sending someone to the tree of life, and tricking them by saying she'll be your eve.

Everywhere I read, it says that The Fountain is a love story. Perhaps it caught me in a cynical time, but I find it about breaking through the bonds of love, to reach a higher plain. The queen asks Jackman, "Will you deliver Spain from bondage?", but Jackman's real quest is to free himself from bondage. And he does it when Izzy dies. He says, "This is a breakthrough, but it's just a starting point." Sure the colleagues look at him skeptical, but I'm with him.