Martin McDonagh's In Bruges
1) One thing we see in McDonagh's In Bruges is the effects of globalization and the lack of national "boundaries" within the European context. Several cultures are brought together in In Bruges--the Belgian people, naturally, but also Irish, English, American, and Canadian. Describe some of the interactions you see and how McDonagh's film analyzes and breaks down national boundaries.
2) In one seen, Ken and Ray examine a painting called The Last Judgment by Hieronymus Bosch (circa 1450–1516). You can examine the painting here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bosch_laatste_oordeel_drieluik.jpg What is the significance of this painting in context with the film?
3) Many characters in In Bruges describe the city as looking like a "fairy tale." Given our discussions in class, what is the significance of this description?
4) In an article from The Guardian, the author writes,
Growing up with a childhood dominated across the Irish Sea by the
Troubles, McDonagh was innately suspicious of the IRA's armed campaign.
He later told the Irish critic and columnist Fintan O'Toole that "I was
always coming from a leftwing or pacifist or anarchist angle that
started with punk, and which was against all nationalisms."
"McDonagh's
work in the theatre and now on film has been powerful, legitimate and
relevant," said Damien Smyth, one of Northern Ireland's leading poets.
"When
JM Synge wrote Playboy of the Western World there was more outrage in
Ireland over a woman coming on to the stage in her nightdress than the
murder of the father by the son. McDonagh has made people think about
the reality of violence. It is all the more relevant because although he
sets some of the plays in a traditional setting, the rural west, the
violence he portrays is a very true picture of parts of modern urban
Ireland today."
As violent as McDonagh's work may be, do we see a pacifist message emerging from the film In Bruges? Where? Explain your answer.
By:Kate Bruegmann
ReplyDeleteThe fairytale part of Bruges is how everything is medieval and romantic in its environment. It is a place that you would pick out of a romantic movie and brought forth into real life. Bruges had the canal that had boats that would bring couples down the stream, and swans in the water to make it that picture perfect moment. I think this “fairytale” showed the new life that Ray was trying to seek, but knew he never could get. That is the fairy part of Bruges, as trying to tease Ray on what he may not be able to have.
The painting “The Last Judgment” is a struggle to define if you are going to hell or heaven. It relates to Ray on the contemplation on which side he is going to end up on. Also if he could ever be forgiven, even by himself, for killing the little boy. The struggle is between him and the obstacles Ray has to face, and if from now on he is going to make the right choices. The middle picture resembles how we act on earth, it is kind of the in between stage of heaven or hell. The outcome depends on your actions in this stage, and what you become of it. As Henry points out his principle, that there are no second chances in life, how are we to even be forgiven of our actions? We need to make those mistakes to know how to fix them. I am most defiantly am not saying to do what Ray did, but Ray did find what he did wrong in life, and tried to change his life.
By: Lukas Wagner
ReplyDeleteTo me Bruges resembled a fairy tale in many was with all of its old buildings and medieval looks. Bruges is also a place that in some way reminds me of old Ireland. Bruges reminds me of old Ireland because the town does not seem to be that modernized yet like the rest of the country. Bruges also reminds me a more of a romantic place somewhere where you would take someone that you were in love with, because of all the beautiful sites along with the river ride they did. To Bruges was a place where Ray had a change of starting a new life and forgetting what he had done, along with Ken because I think he also wanted to quite a doing for a job. To me the interactions between the different cultures were not good. They now many all sit there and try to act like they like each other but in reality we can still see there is still some hate there between them. We can see this when the Canadian man gets mad at Ray and Ray ends up standing up and knocking him out. In the end I found this movie very good with a lot of interesting points and a lot of relations to the fairy tales that we have read.