A few more titles to add to the list...

I saw these DVDs at the used bookstore so I just decided I'd test them:

201 – Altered States (1980)
459 – A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (1999)

Also, here's another Hitchcock film to add to the list. I actually calibrated it before I saw it. They showed it on TCM and I recorded it to watch later, but as the credits were rolling before I turned it off I gave it a quick test. Here's what I got.

400 – Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Still haven't gotten around to watching the entire movie, but I did see the last few minutes which include a powerful scene. The film takes place in the few weeks before World War II breaks out. As the foreign correspondent is giving his radio broadcast from London to North America, an air raid begins. His final speech is a tad melodramatic but very stirring at the same time, calling on the last bastion of freedom left in the world to stand up and help Britain. It actually made my eyes tear up!

Michael

3 movies from director, Deepa Mehta:

420 - Fire
330 - Earth
440 - Water

I have not yet seen 'Fire' (going to watch it tonight though)...but I highly reccommend seeing 'Water', as it is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I've ever seen.

-Rob

Well, I've checked these numbers several times and gotten the same results each time. I think I've found four of the highest calibrating films besides "The Big Blue".

555 - Excalibur (1981)
565 - For All Mankind (1989)
595 - The Seventh Seal* (1957)
625 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

I guess that's why Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Excalibur always brought inexplicable tears to my eyes.

I remember seeing Crouching Tiger in the theatre with a friend of mine. We were both so stunned by the end that we couldn't speak for about 20 minutes.

Michael

* NO, not the Demi Moore film 'The Seventh Sign'! This is the 1957 Ingmar Bergman film with Max von Sydow. Everyone always gets them confused.

I get quite different numbers on a few of those, Michael.
Firstly, the surrealist, existential film, 'The Seventh Seal' comes in at about LoC 475 for me. It is fairly philosophical, and does not seem to have very much to do with love at all, which is what prompted me to run my own calibration. I watched it last year in a film studies class and found it fairly enjoyable, but not particularly profound...though it was certainly probing.


also, for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I get LoC 190. I am surprised that the film came up so low actually, as Ang Lee did a superb job at making the film appear mystical and beautiful...but at the same time, it really wasn't mystical at all (unless I'm missing some symbolism in there). On reflection, I can definitely identify some elements that would substantiate a 'Pride' calibration, but I have a much harder time identifying aspects that would indicate that its essence is higher than that of A Course in Miracles Workbook.

I did not check the others, but I sense that there is something creeping into your calibrations of things that is making them unusually high. Not sure if you agree or not...I just find it highly unusual that you are finding so much material (books, films and music) that calibrates at LoC 540+.
Any thoughts?

-Rob

Quote:

Rob and Michael,

Specifically with these movies, what was held in mind when each of you k-tested them?

Thanks,
Charity

"The film _______ calibrates at ___", nothing complicated. One might get very different results if one were to calibrate the art direction or the plot exclusively I suppose.

With regard to Crouching Tiger, I imagine the Matrix films...based on many of the ideas behind Eastern Mysticism, and how that had virtually no influence in raising the LoC of the films because the application was towards the fantasy of the film and not on the substance of it. Like having the powers of God, but without the responsibility of God.

-Rob

Quote:

The Matrix was all about conspiracy theory, though, which also has a lot to do with its low number, I imagine.

true. There are plenty of aspects of the Matrix films that quite clearly bring down their LoC...though that wasn't so apparent to folks around the time that the films were coming out. I remember a multi-page thread from back in the day when one poster was arguing that it was totally absurd for the films to calibrate below 200...

At any rate, it's been probably 5 or 6 years since I last saw Crouching Tiger...and back then I thought it was an absolutely brilliant film (and I still do!)...I just don't remember anything particular about it that would indicate that it was profoundly spiritual aside from the 'powers' that the warriors seemed to posess.
If it does indeed calibrate in the 600s though, I'd be curious just what makes it so high...

The Big Blue seems more obviously high calibrating I suppose...but it's possible that the Crouching Tiger film is ultra spiritual in perhaps a subtler way?

-Rob

Quote:

All this leads to the question "What makes a film calibrate at x level?"

What makes a film spiritual? integrous? etc. That is why I asked what was held in mind. If a person is thinking of an aspect of the movie when they are working the numbers, then they may only get the level that aspect falls within. But the other aspects combined (to make the whole movie) would change the number dramaticaly

For those arguing that The Matrix *had* to be over 200, positionality comes into play. That often messes with the numbers as well.

Rob,

Yes, exactly, what does make it calibrate at x level? I mean, look at the Big Blue. Why does it calibrate at 700? It's not exactly about anything spiritual, is it? It's not like everyone discusses how to obtain enlightenment! It's just a movie about a deep sea diver, right? I thought about this earlier. There is something in between the individual elements of the film that is making it calibrate higher as an overall message. Dr. Hawkins says that the keening of Irish ballads calibrates above 600. Why? It's not like they're singing about enlightenment, is it? The answer isn't knowable. I think you're looking at this too literally.

I don't know why those films calibrated so high. I've checked them several times over a course of a week. The results were slightly surprising to me but absolutely consistent. In fact, the reason I rechecked them several times was because I was slightly surprised with the results. But, this doesn't mean they are wrong.

As for calibrating a lot of movies and books in the 500s...

First of all, these are the very first movies that I have found in the 500s, please go back and look. Secondly, the books I've calibrated are frequently in the 500s because my bookshelf is crammed with a lot of very intensely spiritual text involving mysticism. Most of the books you have been calibrating don't seem to me to be as spiritual in content.

It gets very awkward trying to defend results, since all I can really say is 'this is what I'm getting'. I've gotten a lot of good results that have matched other peoples' results, so I know I'm generally on track.

I can't understand why we would get such disparate results on "Crouching Tiger...", but I would refer you to your own words about how brilliant you thought it was. Did it 'move' you or not? Do you really think something in the high 100s would 'move' you? "The Matrix" was a really well made movie but it contained violence for the sake of violence (like a video game), distorted spiritual themes, bleakness and sadness, etc. It didn't move me at all. In fact, it made me feel bad afterwards. There is a cold, dark, Godless feel to the movie.

"Crouching Tiger.." isn't about violence however. It contains violence but isn't about it. The whole point of the movie is that you have this immensely talented martial artist who is an arrogant petulant child that needs discipline. The two 'enlightened' monk-like, philosophical martial artists struggle to teach her and help her avoid becoming totally corrupt. In the end, she finally obtains 'enlightenment' (in a sense). It's been a long time since I saw it too, but that's the basic plotline. The message of the "The Matrix" is hopelessness, "Crouching Tiger" is hopefulness and finally bliss. That's a huge difference that transcends any amount of violence in the films. Regardless of whether 625 is accurate or not, looking at it that way, it certainly seems a closer result than 190. In fact, I'll go out on a limb here, and say that there is no way "Crouching Tiger" calibrates below 200.

You should think about the difference between content and context here. Just because a movie has violence, even a lot of violence, doesn't mean it calibrates low.

As for how I calibrate them, I look at the DVD cover and use the following statement: "The film x calibrates above x on the consciousness scale of 1 to 1000"

I specifically say 'the film x' to distinguish between the actual film and the total DVD content. Looking at the DVD cover simply helps me hold the film in mind and reminds me of what it's about.

Michael