I should say that Memento has a plot that is completely incomprehensible if you stop to analyse it though the basic idea is clear enough. Someone on the internet has pieced it all painstakingly together in intricate jigsaw fashion, and you can probably find it easily enough by doing a search with google because that's how I came across it. After reading the article, it's patently obvious that no one could possibly understand the plot in detail without seeing the film some twenty times and taking notes.... Nonetheless, I would rate Memento very highly, together with the aforementioned Blow-Up and Performance. I wonder why... it seems that plots that hover tantalisingly close to incomprehension without slipping over the edge into sheer random meaninglessness have a particularly potent pull on the imagination. I imagine that this is because they communicate on an emotional level that goes beyond the narrative in much the same way that T.S. Eliot said that true poetry communicates even when it is not understood. Both painting and music affect us deeply though in a non-verbal and non-rational manner and I imagine that films that tap into archetypal and affective imagery act in much the same way... It seems that which is easily understood is easily disposed of by the mind. That to which one cannot relate at all is simply dismissed. But that which puzzles one lingers in the mind. At least that's the way it seems to me. Very interested to hear what others have to say about this.... on 13/3/02 4:21 PM, jane mills at [log in to unmask] wrote: > > Understanding the plot. > > Apologies for cross-listing > > Un chien Andalou, The Big Sleep, Seven, The Usual Suspects, The Matrix, Velvet > Goldmine, Gummo, Mulholland Drive all films that have incoherent or, to > some, incomprehensible plots and storylines. (For some reason I am always > completely baffled by films about counter espionage.) Does it matter? Do we > need to understand the plot of a movie to enjoy it? Could you let me know more > titles of incomprehensible films, any academic articles on the subject , and > your views on the subject? > > Jane Mills > Honorary Associate, The University of Sydney; > Senior Research Associate, Australian Film,Television & Radio School > 27 Dudley Street, Bondi, 2026 > Tel: 9300 8836 > [log in to unmask] > > ---- > Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the > University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu > ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu