Snowpiercer: The Artist As Historian
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2014
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"educated enough to think for themselves, yet comfortable enough to be highly susceptible to propaganda". Damn bro
+Joshy Song Very similar to one part of 1984 if I remember correctly
bars
+Joshy Song yes, we are the blind faceless oppressors :/
Are you meaning the part that says the wealthiest and most powerful in Oceania, the members of the Inner Party are the most loyal to the party and the most brainwashed by the party's propaganda. Eventhough they are the ones with most freedom in their dystopian world. Like they can turn off their "telescreens" .
lol... yeah I paused to think about that statement too. Succinct and heavy.
I like that Bong Joon-Ho makes his movies very blunt, yet still extremely layered, as I think having the obvious message makes it stick with people who don't like to read into movies all too much or who miss the point in satire films, whilst also relaying a similar message to those who think that blunt messages are "subtle" enough, as if subtlety is the pinnacle of profundity.
This is it. Some people say 'show don't tell' but I think director Bong is show AND tell- which is why both casual filmgoers and critics like his work.
his name is bong and his movies are blunt🤣
"They have no memory of what it’s like to be on the Earth. For them to procreate, it’s going to take a little time. So, for me, it’s a very hopeful ending … But those two kids will spread the human race … I don’t really feel everyone must die. I hope there were other survivors who lived through the avalanche, I just didn’t have the means to shoot that … You realize later on that the kids are the ones keeping this engine going, and this machinery intact. The engine is itself is on its way to extinction along with cigarettes, and other goods. Extinction is a repeated word throughout the film. But outside the train, life is actually returning. It’s nature that’s eternal, and not the train or the engine, as you see with the polar bear at the end" - Bong Joon-ho on Snowpiercer's ending
Who's here after Parasite? Bong Joon-Ho can do any movie on class divisions in any genre.
I think you should see some of Park-Chan Wook's work. He's quite the mastermind.
Humma Irshad yes, I must. Such good art out there....
i’m here after parasite and the host!!
I believe that the ending of this film is also extremely symbolic. Instead of ending the movie with Curtis taking over the train and potentially "fixing" the hierarchy, Bong Joon-ho decides to end the movie with destruction. This could be Joon-Ho's message. Consider this: the tail end of the train is just as corrupted as the head end. Even Curtis at the end of the movie was considering becoming corrupt once given power. If Curtis were to become the leader, the hierarchy of the train would be continued, except this time the tail end would be the top while the head end would end up suffering for their "sins". This is a reoccurring theme. The shoe on the head. Regardless of who ever is on top, hierarchy leads to suffering. It is interesting how a linear style of movie is used to present cyclic concept. The cyclical movement of the train around the world is the same cycle of oppression of those in power and those at the bottom of society. The only way out of this vicious cycle is to destroy the train. And even then that destruction has another layer to it. In the movie the train is compared to the world, and the people of the train to all of humanity. It can then be seen that the only solution to human oppression is the annihilation of the humans. The humans brought upon this global freezing in an attempt to correct the consequence of their global warming. Regardless of the class of capitalism humanity is the culprit for the destruction of the planet, except for the two lone survivors: the children, who were born into the world that was already broken and destroyed. The ending with the polar bear could signify that beyond all the human struggles and human conditions, there exists a world out there with different organisms.
I think there is even deeper meaning to be found there, with Evans as the false protagonist. As a culture, especially in film, we've become so indoctrinated to see the handsome, white male as the savior, that it gave Joon-ho an opportunity to question this assumption (belief?) and upend our expectations.
Such a brilliant film on so many levels, that the top level read of classist society is only the beginning.
Jeewoong Chang 송곳같은 명작이 더 많이 소개되야하는데 말입니다. 구 소장 말도 꽤 적절한 인용인것 같네요. 저쪽 사람들이 악마는 아니죠.
I agree with that every revolution literally ends with revolution of position. But there's really no way to escape this cycle unless we destroy human civilization, which is very simple rather brutal method, Ultron way so to say, but it is killing a patient to cure him. not a realistic or proper solution for modern society. What the movie shows is a novel perspective or option though.
Nah
As long as groups need leaders, and there are citizens who covet what others have, there will be power struggles.
No leader, never makes a mistake, so there will always be someone who will be unhappy, or think they can do it better, or covet them he power.
And any group will have those who use more resources than others, or covet what is precious.
Then comes a rule, a law, etc. and it's cyclical, with more people, comes more problems.
The end of the movie isn't happy, or sad, it's just the end of a world, to step into a new one. Just as the Snowpiercer was for those who survived the freeze.
Anyone else realize the Namgoong is also the name of the architect who designs the Park’s house in Parasite?
Yes. I don't know what Joon-ho intended with this as in Snowpiercer Namgoong is the one who motivated her daughter to look for the world outside the train, hence escaping the hierarchy of class structure. On the other hand, in Parasite, Namgoong is the architect of the house of the rich family. In that movie class structure is represented through architecture and it's vertical nature, so Namgoong becomes in some sense the architect of capitalism itself. Feels like they represent opposite things in both films, and indeed, at times it feels that both movies have opposite outlooks on class mobility and the chances of a new socioeconomic system.
@@javiercortes814 in an interview Bong said he picked the name Namgoong for snowpircer because it was one of the hardest names he could think of for non koreans to pronounce, and he wanted to normalise korean/foreign languages and names in the western movie scene. he says a couple of times the actors even mispronounce Namgoong on purpose, as a little side joke for the koreans in the audience. i doubt thats the reason he named the architect that in parasite, since the whole movie is korean, but i thought maybe it was just a nice call back/reference to snowpirecer, or he wanted to test the western audience again. i dont think its supposed to represent the same character or anything like that
Namgoong is quite an unusual surname for Korean audience(we meet people with the surname from time to time, but not often). Most Korean surnames are One syllable, like Kim, Park, Lee etc. Hence, making the name unique. When we hear a name like Namgoong Hyunja(the architect in parasite), we immediately think of someone posh or eccentric.
@@kraftmann3660 that's really interesting to hear, thanks for sharing
@@javiercortes814 @Javier Cortés those two namgoong have a similarity. If I'm not mistaken, namgoong in snowpiercer is the one who designed the security features of the train(that's why he know how to open the door to each section of the train), while namgoong in parasite is the one who design the house. I don't know what that means but i feel like there's something symbolic about this or maybe i'm looking too deep into this???
God damn the guns underneath eggs metaphor is deep.
Here is a starting point.
Think eggs as the beginning of life, yet hidden behind this is the instrument of death.
Mad Max: Fury Road has a parallel analogy where one of the brides calls bullets anti-seeds because when you plant them in someone they bring death instead life.
The Gun is god! The Penis is evil! The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes new Life to poison the Earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the Gun shoots Death and purifies the Earth of the filth of Brutals. Go forth, and kill! Zardoz has spoken.
Admiral Ackbar what metaphor
yeah, i don't really get what he means by the "death in false birth", he failed to mention something to contextualize it in his previous points
Abybody noticed that the kids are wearing masks like the men in the train before them, showing they are on the way to becoming the oppressors?
+potempkey each mask has a clear identity (ethnicity+occupation), in other words, in the education cabin each kid receives the preset path in life.
yeah you just got that from the other guys video essay, phony!
@@Trazynn preordained*
@@ethanwashoe5868 not sure why you call this guy a phoney. Good ideas deserve to be spread around, and not just exclusively by the individual who first conjured it. Imagine if that's how society worked? We'd still be living in animal skin huts
@@woadblue Exactly! Good ideas need to spread.
Superb analysis. You not only give insight to a film's underlining themes and metaphors but you present them in such a way that can inspire other filmmakers to explore more of the fabric that makes movies great.
The polar bear exists to further prove that life has survived elsewhere. Bears are carnivorous, it must be getting food from somewhere (or somethings).
I never really loved the movie, but looking over what you pointed out here has given it a second chance... Perhaps watching late at night with friends wasn't the greatest environment to take in the subtle (or maybe not so much so) hints and metaphors. :)
movies such as this is always best to be viewed in a solemn setting. you experience everything ten times better.
the absurdism in this movie was indeed very interesting
yeah. and then the polar bear eat the two children left.
Yeah definitly this is a movie you have to see alone
watched it stoned on a windy night, with headphones
This movie was based on a French graphic novel "Le transperceneige" by Lob & Rochette which you can find in English as "Snow piercer" and I highly recommend it!
This is the best analysis of the movie I have ever seen.
The real question in snow piercer Is: who maintains the rails?
+Tommy Rosendahl The Rails do not need to be maintain that´s why the train circles the entire world in a year time. That means that the train has travel over the same spot 18 times in 18 years...
How the tracks no freeze
SNOWPIERCER!!!! The tracks get freeze but the train pierce al the ice in it
I though the train's thing that sticks out in the front pierce through ice like in that one scene when they celebrated new years
It doesn't have to make physical sense.. It's not a pitch by an engineering firm. It's art that is saying something. Just imagine that there are heating systems under the tracks.
Or that there's a fungus that maintains them.
Or that the train casts an infared heat wave for 500 feet in front, instantly melting the ice.
It doesn't matter, doesn't change the message or meaning of the story.
I don't wanna be a train baby anymore
you never escape planet train earth, ride or die haha
joey4track SnowPiercer got thru then..for me it was ZeitGeist give that documentary a look
Then you'll have to give up your comfort and participate in revolution. The world can't change any other way.
Then it looks like you need to SEIZE THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION.
REDDIT link is here: bit.ly/1AOOPN3 If you enjoyed this video and want to help me keep doing this, upvote this video!
Amazing, just like all of your videos.
This is awesome. Thanks for explaining the film so brilliantly.
OMG This was amazing! Great Job
Nerdwriter1 I noticed something else: Animality is a major theme in Korean movies (cannibalism, incest...).
The train system prevents the back people to eat their own babies. From Curtis's point of view, technological advance is acceptable because he knows what men are capable of when the chips are down. That's why he was about to take Wilford's place.
But when he saw that kids were used to replace The Machine Gear, while the front people ate steaks (symbolically it's the same as eating babies -> so the same as crushing the soul purpose of the system: preventing human from acting as animals) he decided to destroy everything.
What do you thing about it?
PS: sorry for my English...
Ben Scorsese good point well noticed and your english is perfect!
"The best historian...is the artist"
...and im crying now....that was brilliant! Snowpiercer is a masterpiece!
To be fair though, artist make for very poor historians. They make for very good source material to actual historians, though. His statement at the end just shows how little he knows about what historians are.
@@OWnIshiiTrolling that is a good point...but it definitely has emotional resonance, even if it is somewhat inaccurate.
It seems like Snowpiercer's storytelling is identical to that of modern videogames.
You'll see _Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us_ and such establish a world in scenes like this: They design a *"showcase path"* and place NPCs, posters on the wall, lines of dialogue and objects along the "corridor".
As you walk through it, people talk about stuff, go on about their daily lives, do their jobs, music plays on the radio...
*By the end of this* 3 minute walk, *you got a world established.*
I think that's fine storytelling, but I've seen just a lot of it. And I guess am too aware of it now.
+Daniel Rosa I had a similar thought when I saw the movie. It reminded me a lot of Bioshock I due to being inside corridors (as well as the brutality and the creepy vaguely classical music).
The Last of Us leads into ambiguity of the main characters survival and the acceptance of a lie. Bioshock infinite prefers to just explain Elizabeth's abilities and even tie into the first.
its called a microcosm. A community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger.
Since when was storytelling about speed? Even this video was 7 minutes, I doubt it would have been better if it was half of that
Yeah, I noticed that, one of the biggest things I noticed was how much Chris Evan's character looked like a video game protagonist allot of the time.
Minor gripe: Bong Joon-ho's surname is Bong, not Joon-ho. Koreans place their surnames in front of their given names.
Gah, I know. I read that while researching for this and it just didn't stick in my mind. Sorry!
Is it me or did anyone catch the clever play on words for Wilford's name so as to decipher the character's symbolic importance? Its an obvious allusion to Henry Ford.
1.) Like Ford, Wilford was a maverick capitalist industrialist who bucked popular opinion with very ambitious social engineering projects. Ford built Fordlandia, a now abandoned industrial town in Brazil while Wilford designed the very social hierarchy on the Rattling Ark.
2.) Like Henry Ford, Wilford innovated a form of mass production designed to harmonize an unstable and volatile social system. In Ford's case he perfected Fordist techniques of production and consumption designed to create a harmony within American capitalism between labor and capital while in Wilford's case he perfected a system of social control which allowed for the continued operation of Great Engine.
3.) In both cases you see the logic of the assembly line - where each worker does one task over and over and over again - which Henry Ford popularized. In Ford's case it was an automobile plant, in Wilford's case it was with the manual replacement of the Great Engine gear.
Bong Joon Ho is a cinematic genius. In Snowpiercer, the social ladder is shown horizontally (behind-front), while in Parasite it is shown vertically (below-above). The “tail” class had to move forward to overthrow the “head” class in Snowpiercer, while in Parasite they had to climb the stairs to blend in with the elite. Which goes to show the old saying “If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.”
your review got me crying. I just watched Snowpiercer again for about 7 times, more I watch more I understand the message hidden behind visual clues in storytelling. I've been so struggle to tell friends what I felt about this movie bur not making sure my points in literal form. after watching video I feel like I just took a huge shit. thanks for sharing your video. Thank you.
+Sang Jin Lee The cabin of your friends lacks windows.
Man, I absolutely loved this movie the first time I saw it. And the second time. And the third. . . This analysis not only confirmed a lot about what I already believed Snowpiercer to be about, but it also gave me some extra insight that I hadn't even considered. Great job, Nerdwriter1
TBoess85 AGREED and I also think narratively is great !!! think about it people tend to put in how the situation is "now" and they view everything in the movie to be "stupid" or "wierd" but this is large commentary as well as said by nerdwriter that this is their "world" they developed this wierd culture or more so forced to have it. The world building was on a whole other scale in that movie we knew everything from the "past revolutions" to Wilford being seen and portrayed as almost a prophet and the engine as "god" they even teach the kids that it is the "eternal engine" amazing film !!!
I seen two videos now, absolutely amazing, great work.
Probably going to binge all your videos now.
I wrote my film thesis on this movie, and even now, you introduced something new to it that I had not picked up on before until now. Thank you so much. Snowpiercer is by far one of my favorite films, and you gave me all the more reason to continue loving it.
out of all the videos i watch of people analysing film this channel probably has the best production. really great quality.
One of the best video essays I have seen. Wow, I am simply stunned
Thank you so much ! Never a movie set me in such a position of "not understanding, yet fascination and first clues helps to get a start of a comprehension", and your incredibly well done video gave me a strong and clear interpretation. I didn't catch all the filming technics and all the methods used to extend the director's point, and some moments kept me hesitating on what to understand, so thank you for your lights ! I now know that I watched an incredible movie :)
this is by far one of your very best videos - thank you for articulating what i felt but could not express
Hello Hello, had a thought, could you give us a heads up on the movie you are going to do the 'case study' on? could be a non-traditional movie club review type scenario. want to watch the movie before i delve into your piece.
YES! Sorry, I should do this. I notified people on tumblr, but from now on I'll try to put it in the endscreen of a prior video. Thanks for the suggestion
Nerdwriter1
No problem, your content is thought provoking, always enjoy watching, this will cut out a speed bump in my ability to do so.
minky1331 Also, if you have any suggestions on what you would like me to analyze next (this is for everyone), I'd love to hear them.
Nerdwriter1
Reign Over Me. Into the Wild. Finding Neverland. The United States of Leland. Driving Lessons. These may or may not be big hitters in the film industry but I personally would love to hear what you have to say about them. Even if it was simply a comment.
Nerdwriter1 Boyhood, Evangelion Series, .hack, Berserk. (Most of these are anime Series also made into movies but they are thought provoking for sure)
the reasons that people used to hate or dislike the movie show that western cinema (meaning hollywood and classic way of filmmaking) has fucked up some minds. Suddenly its all about logic...those people then better not watch a david lynch movie
I clicked expecting to see a break down of a film,i left with tears in my eyes and a thought of changing the way we learn to see things and think of them as being normal,thank you.
These videos exploring film's beauty are so beautiful
It's called the "escape of the seven" or something but I can only see 5. 6:33
Either two survived mainly the innuits or the last missing two were the girl and child who escaped at the end of the movie.
there's 1 underneath one of them, like they were bundling up to keep warmth.
Brilliant film. Evans blew my mind with his performance, that monologue at the end broke me.
Totally love your essay on the subject. I felt it all while watching it, but you explained it so nice. Thanks
4:28 It's not "NEMgoong", it's "NAMgoong". I love how the korean cast even throws a shade in the movie at the way americans say his name
Bravo! I am a huge fan of film commentary, and there is plenty of brilliant film commentary on RUclips, and I have watched a great deal of it. So I don't say this lightly, but your analysis of Snowpiercer, along with the other commentaries that I have seen on your channel, surpasses all other movie commentaries that I have ever seen. I had to subscribe to your channel immediately. Thank you for putting in all the hard work in producing these eloquently articulated videos. Your work is much appreciated, and quite enriching to your audience.
Seriously.. I did the exact same thing. Once the video was done... I subscribed... I also already watched this video 5 times...... I dont even understand why.. but it is SOOO GOOOOOD
alexandrumic I understand the allure of this commentary, as well as the other ones on Nerdwriter1's channel. So it doesn't surprise me that you watched this 5 times. Eloquence and deep insight are a rarity in this day and age where the terse superficial sound bite or superficial tweet reigns supreme. So it is a breath of fresh air to see commentary that is so in depth and so well substantiated.
This encouraged me to go out and watch it. Thoroughly enjoyed it as well, thanks.
Sweet!
I found this channel through a Reddit link to your In Bruge analysis. I was fascinated and instantly hooked.
Your analysis of Snowpiercer allowed me to understand the poetry of a film I had previously seen and enjoyed on a much more superficial level. It nearly moved me to tears.
I've subscribed to your channel and am eagerly looking forward to viewing all of your content.
Hello, I am a very passionate follower of your videos for almost a year now. I actually watched this movie so I can see your video analysis for it. You used the Egyptian revolution as an example to illustrate a point and while it is heartbreaking for me, it is yet, very true. I salute you for your knowledge and I wish you the best. Your number 1 fan from Egypt.
you, my good man- have just gotten yourself a subscriber.
make that two
+51gan788 Four, and who knows how many more?
I love this movie, and I love it's transparency. Thank you for making an analyzation, it's helpful for me to explain better why I love the movie.
What a brilliant analysis to an equally brilliant film! Probably like many, I focused on the battle and journey from back to front - what I completely missed and what you so eloquently articulated - is the 2 S.Korean characters who step into the outside world and its significance. This makes me want to watch the film yet again. Thank you!
i just found about you and man you are good. Snowpiercer is one of my favorite movies and i didn't even notice the linear of the train and he only choosing to go forward or backward. Thanks for that and for the mother movie.
Cheers, Ahmed, and welcome. Any film you wanna see me analyze?
Nerdwriter1 Cheers, man. and Hey i don't know if these movies can be analyzed but i would love to see your spin on The Divide (2011) or All is lost (2013). I love both of those films, if you didn't see them,i highly recommend them.
"You may not have noticed it, but your brain did."
really enjoyed this, and Snowpiercer! i'd love to see one for "Holy Motors" and "The Congress" - thanks!
Oooooooh Holy Motors. That's a great idea.
Wow. wow. wow. I wish I had wider vocabulary to express how much I love your content. Every time I re-watch your video, I find something new and it makes me think more and more. This is rare. Never stop doing this.
Your finest work, NW1. A truly deep and on point analysis of this fine film. Your climax had me...nodding my head with respect. Thank you for sharing this.
Such a brilliant analysis of a brilliant film.
Could of been alot better
Most underrated movie on Netflix.
meh, more like most overrated movie on earth...
CJ Vz Did you even watch the video?
@@CamiluchaVz No, you're thinking of Arrival
@@CamiluchaVz 3 years later your comment disgust me
Nathan Also, The Road
Great analysis. I'd held off on watching this since I'd heard mixed things, but there's some beautiful moments in this film that I couldn't help but smile at.
Best analysis video of Snowpiercer i've seen. This greatly helped with my film analysis project, thank you so much!
This movie shook me to my core and i questioned myself is this what we are is this what we are heading towards.... and if i don't want to make myself the part of this system , where shall I Go??....
That is the question, my friend.
Your comment reminds me of a short story, "The ones who walk away from Omelas"
Deep question and I truly wonder what the answer would be
wow.... i need to go and see this movie now...
Wow, just wow. This was a fantastic look into the deeper meanings of this film, almost to much to digest in one viewing. Im going to have to watch the movie again and watch this video after. Excellent work!
Oh man, so happy you brought up Every Frame A Painting. That channel doesn't get the love it deserves.
Also another wonderful analysis Mr. 1!
Thanks.
Oh jeez thanks so much for this. I wasn't seeing the movie as something symbolic to that of the real world, but just as a struggle for the low class to take over the system and run it better, which is why I was thoroughly disappointed in the ending. But now that you've explained this movie and shown that it goes MUCH deeper than what I thought I appreciate it a lot more. Great review!
The point is that ghey can try, but it is a perpetuation of the system. The only way to escape it is to destroy the train itself, because it has to run fundamentally on exploitation and death - the children needed to sustain and die within the engine
I love the narration. I bump into your channel from that ghost in the shell video, and i sure glad i check the others.
"Middle class: intelligent enough to think for themselves yet comfortable enough to be highly susceptible to propaganda"
I've rewatched this particular video of yours maybe 3 or 4 times now.
Your videos are incredible man. Thank you for making RUclips a place to be proud of. Now I don't just have Every Frame a Painting to fall back on :-)
While I believe that Mother is Bong Joon Ho's masterpiece, I really dug Snowpiercer. The SFX aren't that good in spots and some of the dialogue is clunky but that doesn't take away from the human elements of the film which are exceptional. The color palette is fascinating, and each car the go into is like another world. I hope the set designers get recognized come Oacar time, but probably won't.
I've heard the SFX criticism a few times now. I have to say, it doesn't bother me so much. It does the job. The real important set pieces, as you mentioned, are in the train. The unreality of the outer landscapes (until the final scene) actually fits into the theme of my analysis, in a way. But maybe that's just an excuse for cheap effects. Anyway thanks for the comment!
It had a sense of 1984, and the guy who played Gilliam also played Winston soooo
I have watched this video two years after originally watching 'Snowpiercer' - I was taken aback by this interpretation. I can barely believe I missed such obvious clues, ones that were so tangible at the moment of watching (the class struggle, upper class hedonism, ideological education) and not bring it further (the windows trick, last-first train carts' parallelism). I still have lots of educating to do in terms of liberal arts, but you, Mr. Nerdwriter1, are helping me tremendously.
For which I am very grateful.
I remember when this came out, I said to myself that I would save the video until after I watch the movie to avoid the spoilers. Well, 8 years later here we are!
Holy hell, that was worth the wait
Great analysis! I especially loved your thoughts on the visual side of the movie. Can I ask what is the background music? Thanks!
First video that I watched on your channel. Thanks a lot!
Cheers, Felipe, and welcome.
Always so good. Constantly looking forward to new content from you. Congrats on all the success thus far.
I often come back to this and I always get chills
I saw the film once so far, and going to see it again. But I formed this question and I think you're the best to answer it.. and it might seem far fetched but please give it a thought.
during the "faceless murderers" scene, they start cutting a fish, from its side. by the end of the first sequence and before the fighting commences, the film cuts to the side of the train, where there is a cut (the gab between two carts). the firsh and the train are similar in color and in abstract the cut on their side is extremely similar?
is it just me or there really is something there?
also, i am glad I discovered your channel. great stuff. I am an "arthouse" fan from Sudan.
much love
`Hmmm, after four videos I think I'm sold on this channel. And not because I agree with your point of view always but your insights are great.
We need more analysis like this. Good job, Nerdwriter!
Thanks, Joe.
thank you for this case study ! never thought so deep that the colour scheme affects the story or that namgong was teaching yona ,so that how to survive out the in the world !
what you just did this is nothing less than art itself
I don't think this movie is about classes of society. It's one of the themes of Snowpiercer, but I think this movie's ultimate theme is balance and order. Tilda Swinton's character explains the whole "closed ecosystem" and Wilford explains that there needs to be balance and order to avoid chaos. The division of classes exist because there needs to be order and if everyone got everything they want in the train, as Wilford said, "We would be hideously overpopulated and starving". The population culling of tail section supports this. Also, the fact that Gilliam and Wilford worked together to keep the balance of order between front and back relates to this.
I didn't go into this in the video because I didn't want to bog it down with too many tangents, but yes, you're right, there are plenty of other ways to read this film. This is mine, and it is decidedly political. It's what I saw as the most prominent function of the film, but your comment on balance and order is well taken (if a little grim and conservative for my personal worldview).
Nerdwriter1 I thought the balance and order theme was presented as the opposing view. It was supposed to be the lie the front of the train tell themselves in order to retain power. IIRC the balance and order theme was sold while eating a fancy dinner. Then, the balance and order narrative was overcome when the train was derailed and the train babies escaped.
If you're interested, here's part of an interview with BJH:
Do you keep returning to social allegories because you’re trying to express this feeling that’s in Korean society?
I think Snowpiercer is a bit of a different case. I have social commentary in all my films, but because here it’s in the context of sci-fi, it’s more direct and open and the ideas are about capitalism, which is relatable to people from many countries, not just Korea.
This sense of a capitalistic system where there’s no moral direction whatsoever is incredibly palpable in the movie, almost to the point where it could be off-putting, which is the reason it’s so welcome in an action picture, a work of spectacle.
Ultimately, this is a sci-fi action film on a train, and that’s what I wanted. But I wanted to create action that was unique and different from what you see in standard Hollywood fare. Just in terms of the physical space, the action sequences take place in the long and narrow environment of a moving train, and characters are having head-on collisions with each other, and I wanted to work a lot with that, the torch scene being one example. The political message comes afterwards, when you’re falling asleep at night or think about it for a few seconds-that’s enough. The film is about experiencing this unique setting of the train and enjoying the thrilling action, the cinematic tension.
www.filmcomment.com/entry/interview-bong-joon-ho
Nerdwriter1
To me, the fact that the film can provide arguments for both sides as a natural component of the story (or at least people can find arguments for both sides) is where its real strength lies, especially since these opposing views are exactly what fuel real situations.
Im new to your channel, found it today on reddit. and since then i've watched 20+ of your videos. You do incredible work. I must say this series is by far my favorite. knowledge bomb after knowledge bomb. Keep it up man. amazing stuff.
This is so insightful! This movie is a lot deeper than I originally realized. Thank you and I love your channel.
@6:37 Plato's Allegory of the Cave?
I was thinking about this allegory when I saw the ending of the movie!
Such a good video on such a good movie
Hey man, this is a great analysis. As a sociology student, this movie really captivated me in so much ways. Of course, you brought out the words my mind was trying to implicate in this move..
Hey, I'm going to be 100% honest here: I NEVER leave comments on youtube but I feel the need to, now that I watched dozens of your excellent videos. Thank you very much for this one in particular, considering this movie from the point of view that you expose here makes the movie much more deeper and beautiful and philosofically rich and ontop of that, the way of connecting it to our society and our system makes so much sense and adds a whole other dimension to it, wow!
I don't want to expand this too much so Thank you very much!
Fran
I'm going to have to watch this film tomorrow, then i shall watch the video!
Cool. I'll wait here.
zerr0ww how was it
This movie has all the subtility of a sledgehammer... I don't understand how we give it such an easy pass...
I agree. It's not meant to be subtle though, and it doesn't have to be in order to be a good movie. I enjoyed it.
This drastically improved my opinion of the movie singlehandedly. Now I'll have to watch it again to truly appreciate it. Great analysis. Earned yourself a new subscriber; I look forward to your upcoming content :)
Loved what you said in the end, 'Sometimes the best historian is the painter'. So true. I feel like anyone who hated this movie should watch this video and then realize how great it is.
"Marx says the revolutions are the locomotives of world history, but perhaps this is completely different, perhaps the revolutions are the grip of the human race traveling in the train of the emergency brake." Walter Benjamin
Well now I DEFINITELY need to go see this movie.
I should get promotional royalties from the Weinstein company (actually I'd just settle for them not getting angry at me for using their footage).
Nerdwriter1
Color it fair use. Though I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where sharing spoilers is somehow a copyright violation ...
I am so glad that I've come across your RUclips channel! I loved your interpretation and thank you for making these videos! :)
This is awesome. Thank you so much, I subscribed just for this. Loved this movie and your analysis just deepened my appreciation for it.
Can you explain the fish?
My guess is the fish is used to announce the idea of tradition. The fish is used in a ceremonial tradition where all the ax men dip their blades into the guts of the fish, and pass it back. I believe this is to show tradition- meaning this isn't the first time there has been an ax battle in the same place. The fish also is a shock to the tail sectiononers who believe that many animals are extinct. They have been fed protein blocks all their life, and seeing a fish means that they have been fed the scraps while others have been fed "extinct" foods. The fish is simply used as a poetic tool.
@@xy6302 they covered the blades with fish blood beacuse the blood is infectious and those that are wounded by those weapons will bleed faster and die
This is the western version of Parasite, and the sequel of Willy Wonka.
Fun fact: Snowpiercer is a Korean movie, not a "western" movie. Besides being written and directed by a Korean, it was produced and financed by Koreans. Its only affiliation to the west is with the company that distributed the movie in the US.
As a sociology teacher, it is a real pleasure to watch and learn from your videos! Keep them up
Brilliant! Just watched the film and came right here. This channel is fast becoming my "get a piece of pie and talk about the movie" destination
He need to do one for the movie Enemy.
+THE ONAC EXPERIENCE chris stuckmann already did one. You should watch it
Slater Green I will.
Please do one of these to understand Denis Villeneuve's Enemy
I have to refer you to Chris Stuckmann's wonderful analysis of Enemy: Enemy EXPLAINED - Movie Review (SPOILERS)
I can't top that.
I watched this right after finishing the film and have to say it helped me appreciate Snowpiercer that much more.
Keep these videos coming. I don't know how this movie slipped under my radar. Been watching your vids all night thanks to Arrival. :)
i dont understand why the film being "so transparent" in its exploration of the reality of the-structured-violence-that-is class was taken as a bad thing. well i do. class society, hence exploitation, is an integral part of capitalism and the powers that be dont like this pointed out. it still feels odd. i wonder how many average people voiced the same non-criticism. guess its better to stick with sitcoms and war movies and all that mainstream culture stuff that glorifies class violence by making you think the violence isnt there
Anyone after parasite??
티피오디 ✌🏼
u are making me sooo curious to watch or rewatch all the movies that u explain! ur amazing, im gonna subscribe
As good as coffee on a Tuesday is, these are amazing. Whatever you choose to make, keep making it. (Maybe both . . . or something new?)
So if the tail people on the train can't see anything but death when they see out the window, does that make the train a metaphor for life itself? They can only see backwards and forwards. And when the two people escape at the end does that mean they died and went to an afterlife?
+Julia Caro OH DANG! Good catch. People love to argue about the ambiguity of the ending, and whether Yona and Timmy survive or get eaten by that polar bear, but maybe it's totally irrelevant because they are, literally or figuratively, already dead. That's a cool interpretation.
its like Plato's cave