 |
Something about 'Doctor Zhivago'
The movie, "Doctor Zhivago", is a movie that opposes communism. Moreover, the message it conveys to us is not only opposing communism; but opposing political revolution. For example, the leading character, Dr. Zhivago, is a medical doctor. The vocation of being a medical doctor is the most neutral job and is immune from any political arguments. Medical doctors can survive in any countries of any political systems. They don’t have to schmooze with any authorities and can still make a good living. In this film, Dr. Zhivago doesn’t side with any political party. He is not interested in politics at all. Even though his country is suffering political turmoil, even though he is rich enough to stand out to make influence on the society; Dr. Zhivago chooses to be indifferent to the society. He believes that his neutral career would not be affected by any political changes. He enjoys the privilege of having an eternal neutral and wealthy guaranteed job. It seems that as long as your job is so good that can be aloof from the mundane things, you no longer have to worry about being labeled as a patriot or a traitor. His indifferent attitude toward politics also reflects in the way he manages his family: the guilt-free affair he keeps behind his wife. Above all, the most direct example in this film to demonstrate anti-political revolution is his art ?his beautiful poems that are banned by the authority because the poems do not help the authority to promote their political issue. Unfortunately, violence often takes shape by the persistent pursuit for ideals, by the formidable belief in truth; in another words, violence often takes shapes in the name of social improvement or revolution. Therefore, Zhivago inevitably loses his family, his money, and his job in this political turmoil that he never intended to get involved. The other character who is in contrast with Zhivago is his paramour’s fianc??a young man who is so enthusiastic about revolution. He is willing to give up his money, his family, and even his lover for revolution. However, after this young man gaining the triumph of his revolution, he turns into another cold blood political machine. This character doesn’t appear in the whole film too much; however, his role is very important in the whole film and is the strongest gesture of this film’s idea about opposing political revolution. Nonetheless, why does this film oppose political revolution? We can try to respond to this question according to the banning on Zhivago’s poems. That is to say the conflict between art and politics and this is what I try to talk about in this article.
I would like to start this with an allegory of Eugène Ionesco: There was a prince who owned all the power. Power corrupts people, therefore he was inexorable, cruel, and brutal. Another prince who was young, handsome, brave, and of integrity, stood out to fight against the bad prince for the people. The people had suffered the bad prince’s brutality for a long time, so they welcomed the young prince to defeat the bad prince for them. The young prince easily beat the bad prince and took over his regime because of the people’s overwhelming support. Not long after the young prince taking over the regime, power corrupted him. And he became inexorable, cruel, and brutal, too. Therefore, another young, handsome, and brave prince stood out to fight against this new bad prince. He killed the new bad prince and got the regime. Power also corrupted him. And he became inexorable, cruel, and brutal, too. Then another young, handsome, and brave prince stood out ?(1)
Power cannot be separated from politics; however, power corrupts heroes. Michel Foucault’s theory of decentralization and Jacques Derrida’s theory of dichotomies both strongly criticize on the corruption caused by power. (2) It is pessimistic to expect political revolution to change society. Because the problems of society are not just the problems of its political system. It makes a society very vulnerable if only the society’s political system changes but its ideology remains the same. The change of a society’s ideology takes time. It cannot just happen over night, and what it will change to be is unpredictable. However, a society would not need a political revolution once its ideology changes by itself. The opinions that are against the authority of a society is a side effect of social transformation, not the facilitators. Especially, a radical protest easily turns into violence. It fulfills what Foucault condemned: centralization of power. It repeats Ionesco’s allegory and the tragedy of Doctor Zhivago. Politics affects everyone’s life. We should all feel responsible and care about politics. However, we can have different political opinions. We are entitled to speak out our different political opinions. But don’t lose the patience for mutual understanding and mutual respect. Be careful about not crossing the line to be of bigotry and violence. Even art can be a weapons. Even art can be violent.
Political opinion should be only one of the millions of opinions that we want to express through art. The spirit of art should be the procedure how we express our opinions, but not the purpose we express our opinions. It is ridiculous to judge a function beautiful or not. But art is the way how a function works, and this is what we appreciate. Whenever an art works knows only to serve politics and is anxious about pushing people to follow its opinion. The art works becomes only laborious and dull. One euphemistic way to criticize an art work lacking political opinion is to say the art work does not have a profound meaning or ideology. Once an art works only considers itself as a political weapons, it would thus lose the title of art. The early Italian Neorealism did not last too long, because it also tried to impose political responsibility to its art creation. Fortunately, Italian movies then took off its political burdens and achieved great artistic success. In Taiwan, there were some criticism on Ho Hsiao-Hsien’s films, saying that there is an absence of meaning in his films. (3) Maybe Ho was affected by this kind of criticism. In his new film, Dust in the Wind, the first time Ho made political comments in his works. It is some old, illiterate mine workers planning a strike in a rural country village. However, this scenario looks ironic in the contrast with the meek reaction of some young and intelligent workers to their employer’s exploitation in a big city. That is, the old and illiterate workers in a rural village are more progressed than the young and intelligent workers in a big city. This kind of scenario is not impossible, but might need more explanation to support. There is also a scene about politics in Ho’s another film, The Time to Live and the Time to Die. In that scene, the radio is reporting China’s bombing Taiwan’s Kimen Island; while we see Ah Ho, the leading character, is playing pool and indifferent to what is seriously going on in his country. This scene in The Time to Live and The Time to Die conveys more political messages to the audience than the scene in Dust in the Wind does; however, it looks more spontaneous and more acceptable. The most important thing in art is honesty. Some art works take advantage of political events only because opposite opinions draw more attention; and this therefore makes their works provocative and famous. However, before the artists made the art works, they might have never participated the political activities that their art works are about; and they might not be going to participate the political activities after they finish the art works. As long as one’s attitude is sincere, one can still create so many different art works on one single subject. Such as Ingmar Bergman on the subject of religion or Yasujiro Ozu on the subject of traditional Japanese family. As long as Ho Hsiao-Hsien's films stay same rural, same non-ornamented as his old films are, these great film masters all guarantee Ho Hsiao-Hsien is going to be as successful as them.
by Tung-Wang Wu
June, 1987
*Your feedback is very much appreciated!
Notes
(1) Contemporary Literature, the 3rd issue. (translated title)
(2) Contemporary Literature, the 1st and 4th issues. (translated title)
(3) Mundane World, the 15th issue. (translated title)
More Articles
HOME
Send E-Mail to: tungwang@hotmail.com
Copyright © 2009 Tung-Wang Wu. All Rights Reserved