The Owl's Legacy: Symposium, or Accepted Ideas
Chris Marker • 26m
Directed by Chris Marker • Documentary • 1989 • 26 minutes
“The wake of our dreams is Greek” --George Steiner
This episode sets the tone for the rest of the series, introducing the fundamental idea Marker and his participants explore: For centuries, we’ve used Greek civilization as a touchstone, but as John Winkler—classics scholar, queer historian, and one-time monk—says, looking at ancient Greece is like trying to determine what lies beneath a face covered in many layers of makeup.
The concept of the individual, calls to moderation, the value of knowing one’s self: classical Greek politics and culture have often been represented as models of rationality and order. But, as this episode makes clear, this is not because Greeks were particularly enlightened. On the contrary, order is the prize in a hard-fought battle against humanity’s dark, incestuous, and violent sides—as embodied in the story of Oedipus. Rather than embracing simple binaries, ancient Greece—like Oedipus standing at the spot where three roads meet, killing the man he will later learn is his father—embraced broader choices, including those that lead to the mysterious and unknown.
Up Next in Chris Marker
-
Bullfight in Okinawa
Directed by Chris Marker • Documentary • 1994 • 4 minutes
Two enormous black bulls engage in a contest of brute force, egged on by their screaming handlers, as they butt heads and lock horns in an attempt to rout their opponent. Part of Chris Marker's Bestiary.
-
Cat Listening to Music
Directed by Chris Marker • Documentary • 1994 • 3 minutes
Marker fans are familiar with the cartoon representation of Guillaume-en-Egypte, Marker's beloved pet cat, which has become the reclusive filmmaker's alter ego. In this charming short, Marker reveals the real-life Guillaume, stretched out...
-
An Owl is an Owl is an Owl
Directed by Chris Marker • Documentary • 1994 • 3 minutes
A visit to an aviary yields a rhythmically edited series of close-ups of the rapidly rotating or intently staring feathered heads of a colorful variety of owls, accompanied by an ambient electronic soundtrack. Part of Chris Marker's Besti...
