the spotted blog

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

From The Dreamers (2003) by Bernando Bertolucci


Theo:
You're a big movie buff, right?
Matthew: Oui.

Theo:
Then why don't you think of Mao as a great director... making a movie with a cast of millions. All those millions of Red Guards... marching together... into the future...with the Little Red Book in their hands.
Books, not guns. Culture, not violence. Can't you see what a beautiful, epic movie that would make?

Matthew:
I guess, but... it's easy to say,"Books, not guns." But it's not true. It's not books.
It's "book." A book. Just one book.

Theo: Shut up. You sound just like my father.

Matthew: No, no. No, listen to me. The Red Guards... that you admire... they all carry the same book... they all sing the same songs... they all parrot the same slogans. So in this big, epic movie... everybody...
is an extra. That's scary to me. That gives me the creeps.

-=-=-=-=-


Isa: Why haven't you dazzled us with these philosophical speculations of yours?

Matthew: I didn't know I was being philosophical.

Isa: Papa was awfully impressed.

Theo: Papa's full of shit.

Matthew: I think you're lucky. . I wish my parents were that nice.

Isa: Other people's parents are always nicer than our own. And yet for some reason, our own grandparents... are always nicer than other people's.

Matthew: You know, that's true.

Isa: That's... That's absolutely true.

Matthew: I never thought about it before, but it's... it's true.

Isa: Well, I'm for bed.

[Isa leaves]

Matthew: Are you okay?

Theo: Yeah, I'm okay. Good night, Matthew.

Matthew: Everybody's got a father.

Theo: Yes. But the fact that God doesn't exist... doesn't mean he can take his place.