The X-Files Lexicon Blog

Introducing a new blog...

2012-01-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

There was a new blog entry I had planned to run, but due to some advice, I opted to hold back running that entry until the ideal moment.

But I wanted to call attention to a new blog venture of mine that was just launched. For X-Files fans and people who follow this blog, "Music from the Big Chair" is a 90 degree departure, but for those who have an interest in articles, or personal testimonials about music, I hope this can get your undivided attention.

This does not mean that attention will be pulled away from the Lexicon Blog, we will be featuring a slate of interesting material, nor that the main site, The X-Files Lexicon, will be affected, we will continue to be adding a lot more material, as well as some potentially interesting and exciting interviews, and we hope to see a new wave of original reference content soon.

You might have noticed that we already added this blog to our "My Blog List", and I hope you'll be enticed to check in with it. I'm excited to have created this new venture, and I believe you might find it informative, hopefully insightful, and motivational.

Ever onward...

The Past Few Years in Review

2011-12-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

I just saw the new David Cronenberg film, A Dangerous Method on the 29th, and it was fortuitous as I had been re-reading Jung’s "Synchronicity" as well as Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious after a good many years of not visiting his work. I’d highly recommend A Dangerous Method, a fascinating character study about Jung, his relationship with Freud and the growing divide that develops between them, Jung’s affair with Sabrina Spielrein and the negative influence of Otto Gross.

It has become fairly obvious to me that I have to contend with C.G. Jung’s work in order to continue writing for the Lexicon Blog, and I am well aware there’s a broad enough swath of the public (that reads this Blog) that might be aware of Jung’s work, yet many X-Files fans might not be aware of Jung, and so we will have to spend time exploring his key theories in 2012.

I’m a big believer that life is about cycles, about growth changes that develop organically, and for those reasons I have stayed clear of allowing outside schools of thinking to influence the gut reactions that have driven many of the subjects within the blog for the last few years, but I have aspired to form my own insights, and not just regurgitate the insights of others. But you also need tools to develop and refine those insights. In the past, Joseph Campbell’s work has influenced my basic understanding of myths and hero archetypes, but one can also become shackled to such models when they no longer fill nor satisfy deeper questions. Therefore, it’s a time for reflection, research, and more personal meditation on what subjects to look into next year.

It occurred to me that some of my arguments over the past few years could be misconstrued to mean I am a ‘knee-jerk skeptic,’ in the view of some believers of the paranormal or esoteric fields of study. What has driven the tone of a certain number of topics had less to do with narrow skepticism, and more a concern with how such fields of study are depicted, and how those depictions can undermine legitimate areas of interest.

It has been apparent to me for a long time that while the skeptic community is a cottage industry (and as such an industry, they accuse the believer community of the same thing), proponents of the paranormal is also a cottage industry in its own right. In fairness, financial disclosure within various skeptical organizations has not been forthcoming, and yet as evidenced by this source, this , and this, such skeptical organizations will offer huge financial rewards to debunk psychics. So, the question remains; where do the source of their financial contributions come from? Individual donors? corporate donors? or black operations as some have surmised? This will be explored further.

The very problem with either skeptic / believer movements as cottage industries are the following: Both sides are so preoccupied with swaying public opinion that the truth--the Veritas--of any given subject, becomes the first casualty of these ideological divides.

I must have sensed the dilemma of these issues beginning in late January of 2009 with the following ‘skeptical’ piece. I still must maintain that while Richard C. Hoagland’s theories are fascinating, he also can undermine his arguments with shoddy scientific evidence, and he can be guilty of being inconsistent. While I can’t completely discount his hypotheses with various subjects, I also take a percentage of it with a grain of salt. There was a growing concern over taking UFO photos at face value when their legitimacy should have been questioned.

I followed that piece in February 2010 with a pair of fabrications to further expand through illustration on digitized depictions of UFO documentations.

In December 2010, I explored documented depictions within Cryptozoology from the past, their relationship to our deep-seated interest in pre-historic creatures, and contemporary video documentation of Cryptos.

My analysis of Steven Spielberg’s A.I. – Artificial Intelligence was used as a template for a new kind of deconstructionist / reconstructionist approach to depictions of unexplained events, from October and November of 2010. I plan to write more reconstructing articles about Urban Legends, as well as photographic and video depictions of spirit / poltergeist sightings this year.

Then there was an hypothesis put forth about H.P. Lovecraft this past February.

But these concerns have not been monochromatic, as I emphasized within these entries from December 2009 and August 2011, and furthered tackled Nostradamus and his Lost Book of symbols in late December 2009 and Early January 2010, as well as Ophiuchus, how they cycle, and in what way symbols could be interpreted.

Then there was the more contentious thread about James Randi from this October 2011. I feel it would be remiss for me not to clarify a point from that topic that wasn’t emphasized clearly enough. The Florida Federal authorities were investigating Jose Alvarez. James Randi at the time of the writing, wasn’t listed as a ‘person of interest’, nor were there any impending investigations on Randi’s personal conduct; therefore the weakness of Tim Bolan’s argument was that it consisted of inferences based on heresy, with insufficient corroborating evidence.

I’d like to close with some clarifications about my preoccupation concerning perception and the Paranormal, and hope to illustrate why this has remained such a central concern of mine for so long. One of my favorite rock documentaries of the past year was Martin Scorsese's George Harrison: Living In The Material World.

George made an observation about Catholicism and the notion of trusting a religious figure who argues to believe in God because they are told to. How can you believe in something intangible if you can’t perceive it? This was further expanded in an interview from 1982, conducted by Mukunda Goswami:

George: The word Hare is the word that calls upon the energy that's around the Lord. If you say the mantra enough, you build up an identification with God. God's all happiness, all bliss, and by chanting His names, we connect with Him. So, it's really a process of actually having a realization of God, which all becomes clear with the expanded state of consciousness that develops when you chant. Like I said in the introduction I wrote for Prabhupada's Krsna book some years ago, "If there's a God, I want to see Him. It's pointless to believe in something without proof, and Krishna consciousness and meditation are methods where you can actually obtain God perception."

Mukunda: Is it an instantaneous process, or gradual?

George: You don't get it in five minutes. It's something that takes time, but it works because it's a direct process of attaining God and will help us to have pure consciousness and good perception that is above the normal, everyday state of consciousness.

I feel that this argument about perceiving God in order to believe in God also applies to what is deemed “The Paranormal." simply believing in something because someone tells you isn’t enough, however much of an authority that person may be. To some degree, one’s beliefs are formed based on their point of reference in relationship to the rest of world, and their reality.

Therefore, I would have to come clean and admit to being a ‘borderline agnostic’ -– I don’t know what is true within the field of paranormal research, but my belief might be altered if I can perceive in something intangible.

Perhaps the point of Jung’s Synchronicity is to offer us a tool, a way to refine that perception of the intangible. Christopher Knowles commented that a tremendous amount of rigor must be applied to Synchronicity, to get past simple coincidences and happenstance, to discount minor occurrences to see the bigger picture.

Above all else, one should always seek the VERITAS of any field, and there should always be a kind of intellectual rigor, not so much to just reject a hypothesis and to not just accept something at face value, but to find a balance between skepticism and belief.

Very often intangibles might be more complex and stranger than the memes used to define them.

Glen Morgan, Willard, and "Ben"

2011-11-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

While working on prepping for our first interview with Glen Morgan, I had the pleasure of remembering, and rediscovering the promotional music video of Crispin Glover’s version of “Ben” for Glen Morgan's feature re-make of Willard. While Michael Jackson’s version was straight forward and sincere, but no less odd, being that it was a love song for a rodent, Glover’s interpretation focused on the creepy aspect of the idea, and his read is pitch perfect. I especially love his read in the "I used to say" bridge, a resigned trepidation.

Yet the video is one of the strangest, and more hysterical clips I have seen for a mass market release. It’s hard to say how much creative input Crispin Glover had in the concept, yet once one becomes familiar with Glover’s artistic work, his fascination with 'the other', outsiders, and fringe characters in the real world, then it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if he had a lot of input.

This video is a hodgepodge of decadent German theater, Dada surrealism, and German expressionism, with women who have a rodent fetish, coupled with cameo male archetypes that look like Sigmund Freud, Adolph Hitler, and others. It’s fascinating to look at, decipher away.

Please check out our exclusive interview with Glen Morgan.

X-Files Adjacent: The Mole People

2011-10-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

Many months ago, I began this series of pieces that I described as a Trifecta on a group of 50s horror and science fiction flicks that shared similarities with The X-Files, or might have influenced the people involved with the show, or older generations who influenced the producers--a sort of six degrees of separation, if you will. I have often argued that when it comes to story-telling, there are no accidents; other material can have a direct or indirect influence on an artist.

In the case of this analysis, it might seem like the most unlikely candidate, as far as influences, and yet The Mole People sticks out like a sore thumb and seemed like a real anomaly for the period. Released in 1956, at the height of the Atomic-age era of mutated giant insects and reptiles, The Mole People seems like a film that should have been produced and released a decade earlier. There’s a nostalgic and retro aspect to the film. It plays like a tribute to the 1920’s pulps of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A. Merritt, and Robert E Howard, and yet there’s a social injustice theme about instutionalized slavery sewn into the tale that left me suspecting there was more to the film.

The Mole People is essentially a ‘B’ movie released by Universal International at the zenith of the Bud Westmore era of Universal’s horror and science fiction franchise. Where the infamous title characters, the creatures themselves, are not the villains, but mutant slaves of the underground Sumerian race who have been oppressed by their masters. Thematically, the film shares similarities to A. Merritt’s The Moon Pool and countless other sources, which we’ll get into later.

The Story

The film was produced by William Alland, who initially made his name as an actor before producing, appearing as the unidentified reporter in Citizen Kane (1941), written by Laszlo Gorog, and was one of the early directing assignments at Universal Studios for Virgil W. Vogel. It starred John Agar, Hugh Beaumont, Cynthia Patrick, and Alan Napier. The film opens with an introduction by USC Professor, Dr. Frank C. Baxter, who speaks about man’s interest in what is inside the Earth. He cites Gilgamesh, the Greeks, Dante, and explains about the Hollow Earth theories of John Cleves Symmes’ and Cyrus Reed Teed’s in the 19th Century. Then he advises that the following film is "a fable, beyond fiction." This kind of introduction was a common device during this period of genre pictures; an expert or criminologist will offer a reassurance to the viewers. The device was even used in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space.

We are introduced to Dr. Roger Bentley (John Agar), an archeologist who is working on an excavation is Asia. He is working closely with his partner Dr. Jed Bellamin (Hugh Beaumont), as well as Prof. Etienne Lafarge (Nestor Paiva), and Dr. Paul Stuart (Phil Chambers). They find a stone tablet embedded in rock, which they determine is 5,000 years old and the writing is Sumerian in origin, Just as Dr. Bentley reads a warning about removing the tablet, an earthquake sets their efforts back when the tablet falls, but the quake also dislodges an oil lamp brought to them by a native boy, with symbols and references identical to the tablet. They learn that the ancient Sumerians of the Sharu dynasty sought refuge from the great flood cited in the epic of Gilgamesh, at the top of the mountain overlooking their camp site, Kuitara. After climbing the mountain, they reach the surface ruins of a temple.

When another earthquake triggers the mountain side to crumble, they lose one of their team members, Dr. Stuart, and with a rope, follow the man into the split earth. They make their way to what turns out to be The Temple of Ishtar, without the slightest warning of what is to come.

After finding Dr. Stuart dead from the fall and reaching the bowels of the Earth, the group discover a chamber lit by some kind of phosphorescence--"chemicals in the rocks," as Dr. Bentley calls it. Before them is an underground lake and a city of large, stone buildings. There is a fallen stone head that is identical to a sculpture found in the plateau on the surface. The team realize this city must be the surviving descendants of the Sharu dynasty. They establish camp, and they are grabbed, with their heads covered in bags, by a group of mutant creatures: The Mole People.

Bentley, Bellamin, and LaFarge awake in another chamber, a cave that features some kind of manacles set into the wall. Bentley and Bellamin can’t recall anything, but LaFarge has some scars from the hands of something not human. Two albino men appear, both armed and sporting attire of an ancient culture. The team is marched back through another part of the large chamber and they are escorted into a ritual in progress. They appear to have entered some kind of temple structure with a symbol that adorns the complex--an arrow that is pointed at a sixty degree angle. The high priest, Elinu, conducts some kind of ritual, uttering that he holds the magic eye of Ishtar. The priest warns King Sharu that these outsiders are ‘evil ones’ who were captured by the 'beasts of the dark.'

After the team offers themselves as friends, a kind of inverse mythology is presented by the high priest. After warning that there is no world but theirs’ and the king adds, there is only heaven, where they lived a long time ago until they were expelled for their sins, the priest explains that this underground realm is the world and they are its people. Above is heaven where only the gods dwell.

After conferring with King Sharu, the high priest orders that these men be placed into the "Fire of Ishtar." Just as the guards move in to grab them, Bentley, Bellamin, and LaFarge fight to make their escape. A squad of guards give chase, and LaFarge is nearly killed by a guard. Bentley and Bellamin discover that the albino Sumerian guards and citizens are hypersensitive to light--even flashlights.

While examining one of the dead guards and wondering how these people have managed to survive, the body of the guard vanishes; something unseen has taken it. LaFarge panics and runs. After Bentley and Bellamin reach LaFarge, he argues that the three of them have to find a way out, and that heading back to the city isn’t an option. Bentley and Bellamin agree. The three of them move further through the tunnels, with the temperature rising. They follow a series of strange sounds with LaFarge staying behind. Then they split up. Bentley and Bellamin reach a chamber to find the creatures, the Mole people, doing slave labor for the Sumerian albinos. Alerted to the presence of the scientists, the guards prompt several of the Mole people to give chase. LaFarge, in another panic, splits up from the team and is killed by one of the mutant slaves and mauled.

Bentley argues that they should make their escape from the caverns by swimming the river, but Bellamin points out that it runs underground for miles. Bentley argues that there must be a way out, as there is a constant supply of fresh air. Then the high priest surfaces and asks the scientist not to use "the burning light." The priest is unaware that the flashlight’s battery is nearly gone.

They have proven to the priest that they possess the 'divine fire of Ishtar' and the king has decided they are holy messengers. They are invited to a royal feast. The priest notes the absence of LaFarge, and Bentley replies he was called back to heaven by Ishtar. They play up the ruse of being messengers for Ishtar, and are introduced to female slaves with plates of food, fish, and mushrooms. Three of the women are albinos. The fourth woman isn’t, and has the same pigmentation as Bentley and Bellamin. But her service is clumsy and the king punishes her until Bentley stops him, brandishing the flashlight to keep them in line. King Sharu takes note of Bentley’s interest and gives the girl, Adel, to him.

While Bentley argues that the gods do not favor the trading of human beings, the priest regards Adel as a 'marked one.' Bentley learns that there are other non-albinos in the kingdom, and the priest explains that the albinos number "twice-and-a-half times sixty." This is their sacred number and that this is the highest number their food supply can sustain. When that number is exceeded, they are killed and sacrificed to the fire of Ishtar. A guard informs the high priest and the king that one of the beasts of the dark (The Mole People) have desecrated their dead--one of the guards that the beast had the flesh stripped off of--but creatures have been caught and the king orders them killed.

After the feast, Bentley and Bellamin, in a private moment, both agree they need to find the passage back to the surface, but doubts that the albinos or the beast themselves will help. The blond servant, Adad, enters and offers them refreshment. When alone, Adad lulls Bentley to sleep with music. After learning that Adad is now Bentley’s servant, he tries to explain to her the meaning of freedom, and convinces her there is a world beyond what she has been told. The high priest from a distance, overhears their conversation. Later, Bentley learns about this culture--the type of clothes they make, the type of weapons they forge, etc...

Elinu, the high priest, warns his followers that these men, Bentley and Bellamin, are not to be trusted, arguing that they are human, and not divine as the king believes. Later, while Bentley and Bellamin are searching the tunnels, unaware that they are being followed, a guard has been ordered to grab their flashlight--"the burning light." The pair learn more about how the beasts are treated--how the Mole People are starved by the guards and ordered to continue the practice, when one of the beasts--out of starvation--attempts to eat one of the harvested mushrooms. It is savagely beaten with sixty lashes, but Bentley and Bellamin intervene. The captain of the guard gives the beast a chance, but is killed after being dragged down a hole.

Back in the city, Bentley teaches Adad more about his world, and why what she has been told is wrong. During a romantic interlude, Bentley rationalizes to Adad that she is human, after admitting to not being a god. He invites her to come to his world, the surface.

Once the King learns of the death of the captain, he appeals to Bentley and Bellamin to use their fire cylinder to keep the beasts in line, but the pair refuses and walks away. The high priest uses this opportunity to convince the king that the newcomers are not to be trusted, but to no avail. Bentley and Bellamin use their flashlight to stop some guards from torturing some beasts, just as the battery in their flashlight gives out, thereby losing their one bit of leverage. Still, Bentley hopes that the creatures can reason, and will remember their kindness.

The king believes that Ishtar is punishing them for some kind of sin, but the high priest argues that the outsiders are the sinners, and that Bentley and Bellamin encourage rebellion with the beasts, who in turn cannot produce enough food to feed everyone. The king then decides that a sacrifice is required to his god. Later, the same ritual is conducted that Bentley and Bellamin encountered. Three albino woman (one assumes of lower status), after a ritual dance, are lured through the door of a narrow chamber. When the sunlight shines from above the surface, all three are burnt beyond recognition from "the fire of Ishtar."

The new captain of the guard makes a discovery, which he reveals to the high priest. It is the hidden body of LaFarge, which proves that Bentley and Bellamin aren’t gods from the heavens. While caught off-guard, Bentley and Bellamin relax with Adad, when the high priest enters their chambers with the guards. While they are subdued, Adad manages to escape through a tunnel.

Adad makes her way to a slave encampment for the beasts, and is dragged into one of the holes of the beasts. Back at the temple, the high priest orders the intruders to be placed in the chamber, falsely believing they will be harmed by the "fire of Ishtar," but before anything can happen, a horde of Mole people rise up from the earth. The high priest assures King Sharu there is nothing to fear, as Mole people descend into the temple, but he realizes too late that the flashlight is of no use. The beasts kill the king and the high priest.

As the carnage continues, Adad appears. She tries to open the chamber door where Bentley and Bellamin are trapped, but she ends up needing the aid of the beasts, who pry it open. But the bright light drives the Mole people back into the caves, after the Sumerian populace has been killed. Realizing that the bright light is sun from the surface, they climb the ragged walls of the chamber towards the surface. They eventually reach the top to find themselves back at the ruins of the ancient temple of the plateau.

Soon after they reach the plateau, several earthquakes collapse and seal the chasm to the sacrificial chamber, and Adad is killed from a falling statue. Bentley and Bellamin are left without any proof of the adventure they experienced.

Themes

The Mole People isn’t a great film. The acting is fairly wooden and nowhere on par with the aforementioned Curse of The Demon. In fact, it’s more on par with War of the Satellites. Furthermore, the film has other deep flaws; the production and sets seem to have been cannibalized from other productions. For instance, the Mole People costumes seem to be hand-me-downs from the Metaluna Mutant costumes from 1955’s This Island Earth, Universal’s tent pole Sci-Fi production from that year. The Mole People suffered from false advertising, as it wasn’t a horror tale, but more of an adventure fantasy, as well as an admittedly awful title. A better title might have been "The Sumerians" or "The Unearthed." Nevertheless, it touched on a number of themes that struck my curiosity. The film touches on, in a select fashion, the mysteries behind Sumeria, a culture that was believed to have vanished. Let’s address some of the ideas thrown around.

Let’s address Professor Baxter’s explanations about Hollow Earth Theory, which was popular in the late 18th Century. The hypothesis proposed that the planet earth was entirely hollow or otherwise contained a substantial interior space. The concept of subterranean lands inside the Earth is popular in folklore, mythology, legends, and various religions including elements of Christianity, Judaism, Greek, the Nordic svartalfheim, and with Tibetan Buddhism (Shamballa). Edmond Halley proposed the idea in 1692 that the Earth was composed of several hollow shells, two inner concentric shells (to explain the rotations of Mercury, Venus, and Mars,) and that each shell had it’s own atmosphere and magnetic pole, which he used to explain the Aurora Borealis. Leonhard Euler proposed a similar theory, but minus the shells, and proposed an inner sun with openings at the Poles. Around 1818 John Cleves Symmes Jr. and eventually Cyrus Reed Teed's in 1869, furthered their own variations of the theory, Teed became the founder of Koreshanity. William Reed wrote Phantom of the Poles in 1906, and he supported the idea of a hollow earth, but without interior shells, or an inner sun.

Map of the interior world, from the Goddess of Atvatabar (1892)

During the Nazi era of the 30s and 40s, The Thune society reported at great length about Tibetan myths of openings in the Earth. Yet conventional science argues that due to gravity, the theory would be improbable once you consider that massive objects tend to clump together gravitationally, creating non-hollow spherical objects that we know to be stars and planets. Visual evidence to support this can be found with the deepest hole drilled to date, the SG-3 borehole, which is 12.3 km (7.6 mi) deep, and part of the Soviet Kola Superdeep Borehole project. Nevertheless, considering the volcanic caverns that are known, the idea of life existing below the Earth, however improbable, can’t be fully ruled out when you consider that Marine Biologists have discovered species in the deep oceans in areas where the pressure was thought to be too great for anything to survive.

One of the first plot elements that struck me was the premise that the Sumerians sole food sources were fish, goats, and mushrooms, which, in some cases are known hallucinogens that have been used in rituals to invoke spirits, and while it might have been a convenient plot device of Lazlo Gorgo’s to explain how they survived, it seemed a telling choice to include mushrooms, when you consider how they have been used in ritual magic.

Then there is “The Fire of Ishtar,” represented as an arrowhead symbol that is used to depict the shaft of light. But, there’s another way at looking at the symbol. Could it represent a triangle space craft? Could these Sumerian albinos be the descendants of an alien race? When you consider their hypersensitivity to sunlight, could they have come from a planet where life adapted to a distant sun?

Who was Ishtar? In Sumerian mythology / theology, Ishtar was one of the seven gods who decreed the fates. Ishtar / Inanna was a goddess of love and war, and like the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades, who allowed his beloved Persephone to return to the surface in order to create spring, Inanna was the creator of seasons. Ishtar, as a goddess of sex, was a force that would bring mates together. One of Ishtar’s lovers was the grain-god, Tammuz, who died young, and some have implied that Ishtar had a hand in Tammuz’s death. Nevertheless, Ishtar was inconsolable and was determined to fetch Tammuz back from the Underworld. In the process of Ishtar’s efforts, she was imprisoned by her sister, Queen Ereshkigal, and her father, Sin the Moon god, sent an envoy with powerful magic to successfully free Ishtar, and return Tammuz back to the living. The decent of Ishtar was celebrated annually in Babylonian lands. So, elements of the film, The Mole People, such as the ritual sacrifice for the sake of a food supply, shares similarities to the far superior The Wicker Man (1973), written by Anthony Shaffer.

Furthermore the plot of the film reminded me of the Sumerian legend of the Anunnaki:

Who were the Anunnaki? There have been differing interpretations. The conventional thinking about the Anunnaki is that they represent the seven “nether Spheres” and guardians of the “Seven gates” through which the “Sun of God” passes into the netherworld of darkness. They were thought to be the “Tutelary spirits of the Earth.” One other theory was the following: According to Zecharia Sitchin, the Anunnaki were extra-terrestrials who came to Earth in antiquity and created or tampered with the genetic make-up of primitive man. The Anunnaki were related to the Nephilim from the Bible. These beings were from an alleged 12th planet of our solar system called Nibiru. Zecharia has proposed that the Sumerian capital of Ur was destroyed in 2000 BCE by an evil wind, the fallout from nuclear weapons, and recorded in the Lament for Ur. But here’s where it gets interesting, as cited below:

According to Sitchin, the "gods” of the Anunnaki were the rank and file workers of the colonial expedition to earth from the 12th planet, also known later, through the Babylonians, as Marduk. The Nephilim "gods” were the commanders of the operation. The Anunnaki performed the menial labor, mining ores and building bases, while the Nephilim issued the orders, setting these tasks into motion. It was only due to an uprising by the Anunnaki against the Nephilim in protest of these conditions that the Anunnaki 'workers’ revolted against their overseers. Because of this, the Nephilim and Anunnaki came together in a project to blend the DNA of Homo erectus with that of their own, thus giving rise to the Homo sapiens.

What is interesting to note is the narrative similarities between the final act of The Mole People and the alleged conflict between the Anunnaki and the Nephilim. Of course Sitchin’s work was not made popular until the mid seventies, so could screenwriter Laszlo Gorog have gleaned inspiration from other elements of the Sumerian Anunnaki mythos? Bear in mind that Leonard Wolley’s discovery of the Cemetery of Ur in 1927, opened up a lot of information about Sumer, that Gorgo probably had access to.

Regarding Elinu, the high priest, the meme of a religious leader creating a narrative to mask the reality, has remained popular subject in film and television. This plot element reminded me of a Star Trek episode from 1968, "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," which dealt with the Enterprise intercepting an artificial asteroid, on course with a planet it would collide with. When the crew disembark into the interior of Yonada, where there is a breathable atmosphere, they find in fact that it is a ship, designed to appear as a planet. Its inhabitants are unaware of this. Their religious leader, Natira consults an oracle, which is a computer under the guise of a deity. This race is the last of the Fabrini, a civilization that was wiped out 10,000 years ago. Those citizens who discover that Yonada isn’t a planet are punished by death. The oracle has promised its people they will reach a new destination that is lush and green, for which the computer has created a narrative construct.

The theme of secret subterranean civilizations has remained so potent, even H.G. Welles mired the idea within plot elements for The Time Machine, with the Morlock beasts who controlled the peaceful Eloi, all the way through to the ending of Clive Barker’s tale, The Midnight Meat Train. The subject has carried over in real world speculation within certain circles of ufology. Then there is "The Shaver Mystery," a series of stories published by Amazing Stories, starting in 1947, by an author named Richard Sharpe Shaver.

In 1943, Shaver began to send letters to the magazine claiming to have discovered an ancient language called "Mantong." When the editor, Ray Palmer, inquired, Shaver sent a manifesto titled, "A Warning to Future Man" that told the story of an ancient civilization that had been forced underground by the damaging rays of the sun, where they built vast underground cities. Due to growing radiation, they fled Earth for another planet, but would return. Yet some of the members of this race remained, called "Teros," who were benevolent beings, and other malevolent beings who degenerated, called "Deros," that would cause havoc on Earth and humans. These "Deros" had savage, robotic-like behavior. They would abduct humans for food or sport, and would use ancient technology on them, including a ray that could project thoughts into humans. The "Deros" would travel to other planets, as well. Shaver claimed that he had communicated with the "Deros" through a welding gun (somehow due to the attunements of its coil field) and then had been abducted by them and had been their prisoner in their subterranean cities. It should be noted Shaver was hospitalized for psychiatric problems in 1934, and the stories could have been a byproduct of mental illness. Nevertheless, Ray Palmer capitalized on the tales, even admitting to Harlan Ellison, when pressed, that the tales were "publicity grabbers" by the early fifties.

Ray Palmer even had connections to another name within ufologist circles, Fred Crisman, known for his role in the Murray Island incident. Crisman claimed to have encountered "Deros" during World War II.

In terms of how The Mole People shares similarities with The X-Files, the comparisons are tenuous. The most common similarity being the theme of scientists discovering something astonishing, only to end up with no proof for the outside world, a common issue with Mulder and Scully. Some peripheral similarities could be made with such X-Files episodes as "Teso Dos Bichos" or the volcanic subterranean caverns from "Firewalker," or the on-going themes of Ancient Astronaut theories explored on the series.

What is interesting to note is just how prevalent the subject of subterranean civilizations and Hollow Earth theories occur within myths and fiction. Does all of this have to do with man’s fascination with caves and caverns, or does it speak to a kind of collective DNA sense memory about our earliest Earthly histories?

It’s something to ponder.

This is the last of the ‘Adjacent’ series, but the intent has been to illustrate how nothing really works in a creative vacuum, and to demonstrate the cycle with past work having a direct / indirect influence on contemporary fiction, even when the connections seem remote. These exercises can be applied to countless other films. I welcome you to make your own connections.

Special thank you to XScribe for editorial work.

The Value of reasonable "Skepticism"

2011-10-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

(Some parts of the following blog might be disturbing for some people, but I hope it will not be misconstrued. This isn’t an attempt to rationalize certain behaviors, but is a call for objective assessment on a case-by-case basis.)

I was working on another blog post, when this recently came to my attention, and I felt compelled to address it. I found within a circle of peers a certain Schadenfreude over the bizarre developments with the "Amazing" James Randi. As well as some bile over Penn Jillette’s skeptical atheist screeds. I’m not a fan of Penn Jillette’s more scathing attacks on various subjects that deal with esoteric topics, the paranormal, conspiracy theories, and the like. I have thumbed through his recent book, and the fact that Glenn Beck is a major advocate, leaves one more example as to why Jillette’s credibility is suspect. But, while I find Jillette’s brand of "Skepticism" to be obnoxious, I can’t discount the possibility that informed skepticism can have real value. After all, Dana Scully was willing to meet Fox Mulder half-way in many cases.

Some of the following points might be uncomfortable for some readers, but I want to address them to illustrate how proponents of certain fields, in countering attacks on their detractors, can end up sinking to the level of the detractors they condemn. The "Amazing" James Randi is a former magician / illusionist, who is a professional skeptic known for being scathing, condescending, elite, and cruel to the people he targets. The latest real scandal about James Randi can be summarized in the following:

James Randi’s partner, Jose Luis Alvarez, is under investigation by South Florida Federal authorities for identity fraud. Jose Alvarez has been celebrated as a plantation artist who has been showcased in Florida galleries, but to Federal authorities, Alvarez is a cipher, a man who might have stolen the identity of a New York artist, and has been using it over the last twenty years. Authorities have been referring to him under the acronym "FNU LNU." Alvarez first began "channeling" the spirit of an ancient "seer" named "Carlos," in the late eighties, for the purpose of being exposed by James Randi. It was an elaborate hoax you could argue, that played out as performance art.

It’s been surmised that Randi and Alvarez have been long-time lovers; Alvarez was a teen when they first met, and thus, it has been inferred by Skeptic debunker Tim Bolen that James Randi is a serial pedophile. There’s a problem here; in studying the evidence that Tim Bolan offers to tag Randi as a pedophile, Bolan cites other encounters with male teens, as well as includes an audio clip of a conversation with someone that sounds about sixteen or seventeen. What is supported by the evidence is that James Randi is by definition a ephebophile: Someone attracted to young teens. Do I condone his behavior? No. Do I suspect Randi has been guilty of statutory rape? Certainly. To counter the accusation that I am rationalizing such behavior, would I ever defend an organization like NAMBLA? Absolutely not.

But I’m a little uncomfortable with Tim Bolan’s angle in so much as that it has a distinct undercurrent of homophobia, and whether intended or unintended is unclear. Many anti-gay organizations have attempted to conflate or shoehorn the idea that all homosexuals are pedophiles, and the psychological data just doesn’t support it as demonstrated from here*. Homosexuality and pedophilia are very different behaviors. Often, people will hide under the guise of ‘protecting the children,’ while operating with a completely different agenda. The entire subject of pedophilia triggers such a visceral reaction, and rightly so, that I have personally observed people’s IQs drop by twenty points, when they accept an accusation based on something inferred at face value. Such accusations should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Obviously, the guilty parties who practice such behavior should be ostracized. But the term 'pedophile' has become so loaded and overused to the point of abuse, and the subject has become the witch hunt de jour of the past two decades, that the term itself has become the perfect tool for character assassinations, and there is little critical assessment by the public when the accusation is made. Interestingly enough, the Millennium episode, "Monster," illustrated the witch-hunt mentality I cited.

I realize that what I am arguing here is nit-picking semantics, but accurate definitions, for those who seek truth, should always matter. To those who believe in the paranormal or esoteric fields, it can devalue your cause if you sink to the level of your opposition. While this might be bordering on sacrilege to suggest, is Tim Bolan really all that different from James Randi?

One of the reasons why Bolan’s closing insinuations weaken his earlier arguments in the aforementioned piece, is that James Randi’s past history as a debunker should have been given enough ammunition to discredit him without delving into his personal life. I doubt that James Randi’s work as a professional skeptic has been sincere. There are other professional skeptics who are well-intended, sincere, and are driven by a concern to see that people don’t get exploited by frauds.

A colleague of Randi James, Joe Nickell, has managed to offer an approach to professional skepticism that isn’t condescending to the innocent bystanders of paranormal, unexplained events. While I don’t agree with him on many points, he seems willing to met people half-way on a subject-by-subject basis. Joe Nickell has espoused 'Humanistic Skepticism,' and has managed to define his brand of paranormal investigating as neither "mystery mongering" nor "debunking"” Unlike some armchair skeptics, Joe Nickell has traveled the world and has done field research in various areas, such as cryptozoology. He has been known to chide fellow skeptics who seem to not care to honor claimants with on-the-ground investigations, but as he has personally explained:

"I decry both a credulous and a close-minded approach, holding that mysteries should neither be fostered nor dismissed but rather carefully investigated with a view towards solving them."

While not a scientist, he has taken a forensic approach to his investigations, and interestingly he doesn’t make the mistake of dismissing the experiences of witnesses, and manages to respect their perception, and that their perception has validity:

"I've spoken with many witnesses, and they are sane, intelligent, sober, honest people who have seen something that, yes maybe they've mistaken for something else, but even skeptics have been mistaken."

Joe Nickell’s approach seems to work to his credit, as I haven't found much bile directed toward him. In other words, his approach differs from skeptics who adopt skepticism as an ideological faction as opposed to a method of inquiry.

Of peripheral, albeit fascinating note, many skeptics are former illusionists / magicians. Now it is hard to ascertain if this point is driven by the influence of the iconic illusionist Harry Houdini, or if these skeptics all share a similar mindset that would compel them into these areas.

Perhaps proponents of paranormal investigations should not be as reactive to well-intended skeptics, as they both seek the same objectives–to find the truth behind such mysteries.

For paranormal investigators, there needs to be a filter and a willingness to not just accept things at face value. While I personally might not agree with someone like Joe Nickell, his approach can challenge people to examine every possibility of a subject, even if the answers turn out to be mundane.

Special thank you for editorial assistance from XScribe... and for keeping me honest.

* The following cited represents one group of data that clarifies the debate over why homosexuals are not pedophiles, even legitimate Catholic psychologists cannot make a simplistic distinction on the subject. In the case of exceptions, the statistical evidence of homosexuals being pedophiles is below one percent.

Chris Carter: The Comeback King, perhaps?

2011-09-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

The end of the month sort of crept up on me, I have two blog entries and I just haven’t had time to finish them and I didn’t really want to rush them, but some exciting news came out of the Hollywood Reporter.

None other than Chris Carter has a show he’s developing that he is about to pitch to several studios titled Unique, you can read about it here:

Personally, I’m more optimistic than pessimistic about this. After all, this is the man who was ahead of the curb with The X-Files, Millennium and Harsh Realm, in retrospect, Millennium and Harsh Realm seemed years a head of their time.

Perhaps, he can take this type of genre and break the kind of ground that no one has considered before. Then odds are fifty / fifty or better. We shall see.

Again, apologies for being lax with publishing, these next two blog entries are impending.

Random Thoughts: Perception

2011-08-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across a clip from the following documentary, narrated by Gillian Anderson. Aside from the serious cultural and sociological themes inherent within the piece, the impending destruction of Amazon tribes that have never encountered modern ‘civilization’, and while this is a very serious subject that should not be trivialized, some strange observations popped into my mind while watching it.

I have written frequently about how we can only perceive something, we can’t process, if we have a point of reference. It occurred to me that from the perspective of this indigenous Amazonian tribe, in the same manner with how we view extra-terrestrial crafts, they would see this plane, controlled by human hands, as something extra-terrestrial or ultra-terrestrial.

A giant metal bird with living beings residing inside, how could such indigenous people not regard us as living Gods, from their own point of reference?

Sadly, the outcome of this documentary might have already had a tragic outcome, as militia might have already engaged in cultural euthanasia in this region.

To digress, I was watching the audio comments for the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” recently, a delightful adaptation of Douglas Adams’ book. Adams colleague Sean Salle observed the impact of Adams’ work on other filmmakers, and pointed out how ‘42’ has been referenced by others, citing that Mulder’s apartment number at his Alexandra, VA address is ‘42’. I can’t corroborate, nor confirm, nor deny, that Douglas Adams was an influence on Chris Carter or Frank Spotnitz, but I can’t say it would necessarily be much of a surprise if that was the case.

Douglas Adams’ wonderful brand of philosophical satire, has held a profound impact for many in pop culture, as well as scientists who’s theories on multiple dimensions, and string theory have been enhanced in their own work by Adam’s lop-sided sensibility and willingness to think outside of the box. This clip offers many dense ideas, many of which are the central thrust of the final half to the film. I realize many hard core fans of Douglas Adams had problems with the liberties in the film, but I loved it.

While I must admit to being a casual fan of the book, I love many of the conceits posed in the film. The belief in Ancient Astronaut Theory has become a common meme within esoteric circles. But I love the expansive, and broad approach taken by this material, I love the conceit that extra-terrestrial life could be filled with just as many eccentricities, and foibles, and could be stumbling about as much as us mere mortals. Often the portrayals of aliens in film has been so faceless, and neutral, that Adam’s absurdist sensibilities seemed so truthful to the mere state of existence.

Adams was known to be a stanch atheist, but it is difficult to reconcile that when you consider he was able to produce work that captured such a sense of wonder about the universe and existence.

Many hardcore fans of the books and radio programs had problems with the film adaptation, yet they seem to overlook the fact that Adams developed many of the new ideas in the film, the middle second act was all of his creation, the further development of the romance between Arthur and Trillian, and the ‘point of view’ gun. It should be added, it is a real testament to how elastic his material is that so many incarnations could have been developed, the radio programs, the books, T.V. adaptations, and the film.

While this sequence is dense with ideas, probably what remains a favorite, is also the most subtle, a couple of dialogue exchanges between Arthur Dent and Slartibartfast. The first dialogue cited would be Slartibartfast’s observations:

"Perhaps I’m old and tired, but I think the chances of finding out what’s actually going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is say, "hang the sense of it" and keep yourself busy, I’d much rather be happy than right any day."

When Arthur asks "Are you?”, he has to concede, “No, that’s where it all falls down of course.”

After Slartibartfast reveals that Earth was commissioned, paid for, and run by mice, who were pan-dimensional beings, that Earth is a giant computer, and humans are just programs all designed by an alien computer to answer the riddle about life, the universe, and everything. Arthur’s observation is priceless:

Arthur Dent: Actually this explains a lot, you know, all my life I’ve had this strange feeling that there’s something big and sinister going on the world.

Slartibartfast: No, that’s perfectly normal paranoia, everyone in the Universe get’s that.

In some respects Douglas Adam’s shares a similar world view to H.P. Lovecraft, but it is the inverse…while Lovecraft observes in mortal terror that mankind is a mere spec in the universe, that at best, these alien gods are indifferent to. Douglas Adams acknowledges the same point, but laughs at this realization, and with a dose of humility.

I suppose the connecting tissue to these two sources would be a kind of fatalism about mortality, and to a degree, The X-Files explored this same fatalism. Do we just accept this reality, and shriek from without, or do we carry on in spite of it?

While many might be preoccupied with esoteric subjects and the paranormal, and focused on intangibles, perhaps they should remind themselves to onto a sense of wonder about the natural world, there’s some astonishing things that exist if you keep your eyes open for them.

Curse of the Demon: A de-facto X-File?

2011-07-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Stories about Witchcraft and the power of suggestion are nothing new. Such tales have existed for centuries. The entire principle of Voodoo is built around the power of suggestion, and while The X-Files did explore such memes ("Fresh Bones," "Die Hand Die Verletzt," and "Sanguinarium" for example), this tradition as a narrative device can be traced as far back as the ’50s, and before then.

Curse of the Demon was a British production filmed in 1957 and released the following year, directed by Jacques Tourneur, scripted by Charles Bennett, and based on Montague R. James’ short tale, "Casting the Runes." The film also went under the title Night of the Demon. It starred Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, and Niall MacGinnis as Dr. Karswell. The film even featured the Production Design work of Ken Adam (pre James Bond). Director Tourneur had gained a great reputation in the ’40s with the iconic Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie, and this film was nearly on par with his earlier work.

The Story

The film opens with Dr. Harrington racing to the country estate of Dr. Julian Karswell, a self proclaimed Alchemist who heads a cult. Dr. Harrington pleadingly promises to call off an investigation of the cult, if Karswell will call off what he has started. Once Karswell learns that a parchment that had been given to Dr. Harrington has disintegrated, Karswell ushers the man out with false assurances. Afterwards, Dr. Harrington arrives at his own country home and parks his car. A demon materializes in the woods and approaches the doctor. In a panic, he flees to his car and drives into a power line, which falls on his vehicle. The man becomes entangled in the electrical cables, but not before the demon attacks and kills him.

Dr. John Holden, a scientist and skeptic of the occult, arrives in England, and by happenstance, the daughter of Dr. Harrington, Joanna is on the same flight. Dr. Holden learns of the death of Dr. Harrington, and that the only link between his death and Karswell’s cult is an accused murderer, Rand Hobart, a man who has fallen into a catatonic state after witnessing something unexplained. Dr. Holden rejects the speculation of his colleagues that supernatural forces might be at work.

After taking the lead on Harrington’s notes, Dr. Holden visits the British Museum’s library on Witchcraft. One book in particular that Dr. Harrington requested has gone missing, and the doctor is approached by Julian Karswell, who offers to show him his own copy at his mansion. Karswell slips something into Dr. Holden’s notes, then gives him a business card with a message that vanishes, but not before implying Dr. Holden’s demise within two weeks. A strange dizzy spell besets Holden as Karswell is seen walking away.

Later at the funeral for Dr. Harrington, the doctor again meets Joanna Harrington who provides him with her father’s diary. The book reveals Harrington’s increasing fear of Karswell’s occult power. Dr. Holden remains skeptical, but he visits Karswell’s mansion along with Joanna.

Dr. Holden is playing Dana Scully’s role, the classic objective, rational scientist, which was typical of the ’50s. It goes without saying that the genius of Chris Carter was to reverse these traits. Karswell and Dr. Holden have an interesting exchange, in essence mocking their beliefs, and yet it raises the key thrust of the story.

Karswell: You don’t believe in witchcraft?
Holden: Do you?
Karswell: Do I believe in witchcraft? What kind of witchcraft? The legendary witch that rides on the imaginary broom? The hex that tortures the thoughts of the victim? The pin stuck in the image that wastes away the mind and the body of the victim?
Holden: Also imaginary.
Karswell: But where does imagination end and reality begin? What is this twilight? This half world of the mind that you profess to know so much about? How can we differentiate between the powers of darkness and the powers of the mind?

The film quickly turns into a battle of wills between these two men. The dialogue could have been easily transitioned into many X-File episodes. Based on several reasons that support the following impression, it should become fairly evident that Karswell is modeled after none other than Aleister Crowley. As Holden continues his exchange, Karswell predicts he will die within three days.

Back at his hotel, Holden with his colleagues discuss Karswell, and further plans to study Rand Hobart. While studying Harrington’s diary, which mentions a parchment passed to him by Karswell, Dr. Holden finds a similar parchment with Runic symbols that Karswell secretly passed to him at the library. A gust of wind comes through the window blowing the parchment from his fingers. It’s nearly swept into the fireplace before he manages to rescue, and pocket it.

Holden becomes uneasy after a visit from Hobart’s family, who disown him as not a "true believer," but just as Holden is leaving, the parchment flies out of his hand again, and Hobert’s family becomes fearful, believing the doctor is marked. After a visit to Stonehenge, Holden compares the parchment’s runes to ones inscribed at the stone circle. After some persuasion, Joanna takes Holden to Karswell’s mother who has arranged a séance. The medium begins to channel Harrington, much to Holden’s skepticism, and informs Dr. Holden that Karswell has the key to the problem from his book; he dismissively leaves, but later that night Dr. Holden breaks into Karswell’s mansion to examine the book. In an elaborate mind game, Karswell catches him and permits the doctor to leave through the woods for Holden to be chased by a part of the demon apparition, a living ball of smoke with an incessant chirping sound, only for it to vanish. Joanna persuades Holden to go to the police, but much to the doctor’s embarrassment, they don’t believe him. The doctor fears that he is falling for Karswell’s mind games.

Mrs. Karswell phones Joanna, and implores her that she must tell Holden that Rand Hobart knows the secret of the parchment, which Karswell has managed to overhear. While Holden prepares an experiment to break Hobart from his stupor, Karswell kidnaps Joanna to prevent her reaching Holden with this knowledge, as well as giving Karswell some leverage. While under hypnosis, Hobart reveals that he was ‘chosen’ to die by having a cursed parchment passed to him, but avoided death by passing it to another person. When Holden shows Hobart the parchment he received from Karswell, he goes insane and falls from a window to his death.

Informed that Karswell is leaving London by train, Holden, convinced now that he must return the parchment to Karswell to lift his mark and save himself, races to catch it. He finds Joanna with Karswell, who has been placed in some hypnotic state to make her manageable. Karswell goes to great lengths to avoid direct contact with Dr. Holden to guard against the parchment being passed back to him, and Karswell grows fearful. When the train stops at the next station, Karswell tries to leave, after Dr. Holden has managed to slip the parchment into Karswell’s coat. Just as Karswell realizes this, the parchment flies from his hands and he chases it down the railroad tracks. Just before Karswell can reach it, the parchment burns away into ashes.

While an oncoming train approaches, the demon appears on the adjacent track. Karswell frantically tries to escape but the demon catches up with him, seizes him and tears his body in two. The station crew believe that Karswell’s mangled body was struck by the train. Pondering what they did or did not see, Joanna observes, “Maybe it’s better not to know,” a line that could have been uttered by Mulder or Scully, and then is repeated by Dr. Holden, his beliefs now shaken by the encounter.

Curse of the Demon manages to be fairly intelligent for a "B" genre picture. It’s greatest weakness is in fact that the demon, an obvious puppet, is shown, and the film’s power is diminished by this aspect. Director Jacques Tourneur and writer Charles Bennett intended the depiction of the demon not to be literal, but psychological. Fourteen minutes were cut from the British and American prints of the film, requiring that some of the gaps be filled in with narrative. Fortunately, those minutes were restored in home video editions.

Literary Origin

The Montague R. James tale, “Casting the Runes” had a few notable differences from the Charles Bennett script. The central protagonist’s name was not John Holden, but Edward Dunning, and the demise of Karswell, though far more mundane, was more realistic. The story’s structure uses tactics similar to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” a series of journal entries that build into a lengthy narrative. The demise of Dr. Harrington might have planted the seed for Tourneur’s intent, the power of suggestion, as evidenced by this conversational narrative:

"...What’s equally to the point, I knew the most incisive of the lot. So did you: you must remember John Harrington; he was at John's in our time."

"Oh, very well indeed, though I don't think I saw or heard anything of him between the time I went down and the day I read the account of the inquest on him."

"Inquest?” said one of the ladies. "What has happened to him?"

"Why, what happened was that he fell out of a tree and broke his neck. But the puzzle was, what could have induced him to get up there. It was a mysterious business, I must say. Here was this man--not an athletic fellow, was he? and with no eccentric twist about him that was ever noticed--walking home along a country road late in the evening--no tramps about--well known and liked in the place--and he suddenly begins to run like mad, loses his hat and stick, and finally shins up a tree--quite a difficult tree--growing in the hedgerow: a dead branch gives way, and he comes down with it and breaks his neck, and there he's found next morning with the most dreadful face of fear on him that could be imagined. It was pretty evident, of course, that he had been chased by something, and people talked of savage dogs, and beasts escaped out of menageries; but there was nothing to be made of that."

The other notable difference is the introduction of Henry Harrington, John’s brother, who plays a role in finding out the truth of his brother’s death. The introduction of Karswell is conversational, and supports some suspicions that the character was modeled after Crowley, but Mr. James’ impression of Crowley might have been built around the impressions created by the British press:

"Oh no, my dear: only a neighbour of ours in the country who bought Lufford Abbey a few years ago. His real name is Karswell."

"Is he a friend of yours?" asked Mr. Secretary, with a private wink to his wife. The question let loose a torrent of declamation. There was really nothing to be said for Mr. Karswell. Nobody knew what he did with himself: his servants were a horrible set of people; he had invented a new religion for himself, and practised no one could tell what appalling rites; he was very easily offended, and never forgave anybody: he had a dreadful face (so the lady insisted, her husband somewhat demurring); he never did a kind action, and whatever influence he did exert was mischievous.

The story, "Casting The Runes" was first published in More Ghost Stories (1911), but the tale might have been written circa between 1904-1911. H.P. Lovecraft was a great admirer of Montague R. James and cited him in his essay, "Supernatural Horror In Literature" Aleister Crowley had already begun to gain notoriety from the period between 1906 through 1909, during the period of the foundation of A.*.A.*. and so it is plausible that M.R. James might have already been aware of Crowley.

The Aleister Crowley connection

One of the puzzling plot elements of Curse of the Demon was the Stonehenge sequence. There’s no evidence of rune symbols to be found at the site, but a lot of focus has been placed on the mathematics of Stonehenge. The ancient order of the druids--or druid order--was founded in 1781, and they were known for their annual summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge. There seems to be a longstanding relationship between Druidry and Masonry. The Druid order studied Freemasonry. Three members of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, a project not dissimilar to the Druid Order, founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an organization that would introduce Crowley to the Occult.

There is no evidence that Tourneur and Bennett had much extensive knowledge of Aleister Crowley, Freemasons, or Druid rituals; these connections might have been happenstance, but there’s a general rule with writing: everything should be there for a reason. Crowley was a known provocateur of Christian and Catholic orthodoxy, and shared the sentiments of Friedrich Nietzsche-- that all Men are Gods, which probably explains the antagonistic characterizations of Crowley by the press.

Tourneur’s theme of the psychological power of suggestion implied a belief that Carl Jung and Aleister Crowley both shared–that consciousness was multidimensional. Or to offer another perspective as Crowley defined his definition of Magick: “The science and art of causing change in conformity with will.” A practice that one could argue is illustrated by Karswell’s actions, but it’s also a double-edged sword; perhaps Karswell’s personal convictions in such Magick drove him to delusional self destruction. Perhaps he was killed by the oncoming train, or perhaps something else. Karswell and Crowley share a similar belief in the theatrical power of occult rituals. Crowley once remarked:

"There is no more potent means than the art of calling forth true gods to visible appearance."

Should we accept occult rituals at face value, or are they a means to an end?

In this sense, Karswell’s entire actions in Curse of the Demon, could be seen as an artisitc performance to invoke gods, either psychologically, or metaphorically. Karswell goes through great pains with Holden to set up the climate for paranormal events. In fairness, it should be pointed out, in spite of his infamy within the Christian and catholic power elite, Crowley was not invoking gods for the destruction of others, but for enlightenment.

In the first chapter of his tomb, "Magick," Crowley defined the principle of rituals as "the object of all magical ritual" as "the uniting of Microcosm with the Macrocosm. The Supreme and Complete Ritual is therefore the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel." Crowley was personally convinced that human perfection required liberating the self from restriction and entering a state of child like energy, and that such perfected energy was at its essence ecstatic and artistic.

Crowley's history is rich and complex enough that it should be personally explored by the reader, it is simply too difficult to distill his work with generalizations.

To digress, when one ponders the séance sequence of Curse of the Demon, one is left with ambiguity. Was the séance a ruse? Or was Dr. Harrington legitimately communicating to Joanne? It reminded me of Mulder and Scully’s exchange at the end of “The Truth” from season nine:

Mulder: I want to believe that the dead are not lost to us. That they speak to us as part of something greater than us–greater than any alien force. And if you and I are powerless now, I want to believe that if we listen to what’s speaking, it can give us the power to save ourselves.
Scully: Then we believe the same thing.

Ultimately, perhaps evocation is self empowerment.

You can find M.R. James short story, "Casting the Runes", here.

Special thanks to Xscribe for editorial input.

Next: The Mole People (1958)

"One's Constant, one's touchstone."

2011-06-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Book review for "We Want To Believe: Faith and Gospel in The X-Files"

In 2008, a die was cast when Chris Carter publicly admitted that The X-Files was about the search for God. While the comment might have seemed a revelation for some Philes, in hindsight it shouldn’t have been, when you consider that a running theme throughout the series was a general exploration on spirituality and faith. A meditation on the meaning of faith itself. It is hard to access how the Christian / Catholic / Hebrew community views The X-Files. If it is seen as a proponent of the necessity for spirituality. For the most part, to the shows credit, it never seemed to reveal a preference for a certain denomination of faith, nor did it fall into the trappings of prophesy or feeding into the cultural warrior contingent. It also didn’t argue that one had to choose between science or religion. It maintained impartiality in the understanding that both fields were seeking the same objectives, finding truth, but coming at them from different ends. That one could strike a balance between science and religion.

There have been arguments that a lack of spiritual faith leads to a kind of emotional and intellectual bankruptcy. Still, one can’t fault the sentiments of agnostics and atheists when you consider how religious texts have been inverted and perverted to reflect the personal view of the prophesier over a religious text’s actual meaning. Many people might have the impression that many Philes share a agnostic or atheist perspective. Most religious texts aren’t intended to offer up easy answers, beyond the universal truth of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. Or the Buddhist sentiment on Karma, or the basic law of physics that for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. In the case of the scriptures, the Bible is said to offer universal moral guideposts and examples with how one could strengthen one’s faith.

Books have been written about the Science of The X-Files (Anne Simon), and the Philosophy of The X-Files (Dean Kowalski), but a full rendering on the spiritual aspects of The X-Files had not been explored until recently, which is rather stunning to consider.

One could draw a parallel to the initial reaction to the Harry Potter books in the late 90s by the evangelical movement that had dismissed the books as promoters of witchcraft, with few hardly noticing that R.K. Rowling was following in the tradition of such Inkling writers as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, an assumption that wasn’t contested until scholar John Granger bravely and correctly pointed that out, in what have should have been self-evident.

Scholar and author Amy Donaldson has just tackled the very subject of religion with her first book, "We Want To Believe: Faith and Gospel in The X-Files", published by Cascade books. It is a book that should satisfy those who have held a curiosity about the religious aspects of the series, and the origins of material cited in various episodes. In fairness, for those Philes who were expecting an across-the-board overview of all of the religions cited in the series, they may be disappointed to some degree. Still, the scholarship of the book should make it engrossing for all interested parties.

The entire thesis of the book is spelled out within the introduction, and it is made fairly clear that the focus will be on Christian and Hebrew writings. The issue becomes, does she build a compelling case with her arguments, and is she able to effectively expand on this thesis? I would have to qualify that answer as a ‘yes’. After the major points are spelled out in the introduction, they are expanded in the following chapters: I Want to Believe - Faith: The Evidence if Things Not Seen - Hope: "I Can’t Give Up" – Love: "My Constant, My Touchstone" – The Truth Is Out There – The Way of the Cross: Temptation, Death, and Resurrection. Amy is an excellent writer and there’s a real academic flare to the work that remains fairly accessible. There’s an in-depth appendix of episodes cited with basic production information, as well three indices related to episodes, scripture, and subject.

My only real criticism, and personal disappointment with the book was the absence of any real analysis of Buddhism or Native American shamanism, spiritual venues which were indeed addressed within the context of The X-Files. Then again, the objective of the focus on the memes explored might be to target the Christian publishing market; it’s inconclusive to speculate if that is the case either way.

Amy’s in-depth understanding of the series already places her book ahead of other publications that deal with the spiritual themes of The X-Files. Recommended.

Please check out the Lexicon's exclusive interview with Amy Donaldson, as well as details on an exclusive 30% discount on the book via the Lexicon.

Travel Log for LAX-Files Event

2011-05-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

A number of unfolding events had prompted a change of pace with the blog sequence. The hustle and bustle of preparations involved for the Lexicon’s coverage of the LAX-Files Book signing event in Los Angeles on May 7th, had thrown aside other priorities. While this blog ended up not being used to promote the event, it would have been remiss not to address one of the single most significant fan events to come along in 2011. But, while other sites, including ours, will feature plenty of coverage about it, I felt it might be more interesting to read between the lines and look at the entire experience as a whole. This entry fits more in line with a typical ‘blog’.

I have often been preoccupied with narrative arcs and mythologies, and while it might be difficult to see a narrative in the mundane of day-to-day life, the truth is, we wake up, breathe, and deal with a narrative arc each and every day. Of course the earliest and most potent arc was the Hero’s Journey, as broken down by Joseph Campbell. The origin of all story-telling began with individuals speaking about their travels. Motion and travel can be a great soothing balm, and can often allow for great introspection, when circumstances allow. One idea that spontaneously struck me was to write on my laptop computer on my way to and from Los Angeles, with various thoughts, observations, and armchair altruistic philosophies.

I would argue that you can find a narrative arc in something as commonplace as a road trip, and perhaps, in the most subtle of ways, you can capture a few fleeting moments of something metaphysical as well.

On Friday, May 6th, I was out the door an on my way by 4:30 AM. It seems to shock people that I am willing to travel to Los Angeles from the Bay Area at such an early hour, but I am able to avoid traffic by using this tactic, and it insures that I can arrive in LA at a reasonable hour. I had made arrangements to stay with my cousin and his wife in Santa Monica for that evening. I was on my way...

6:20 AM

Out of the bay area, another wonderful sunrise. The air is crisp and clean. A cavalcade of birds chirp at the first rest stop. There’s a group of insects that look like fire ants on the pavement, but I doubt they are. I managed to wake up by 3:20 AM. Seal is on the CD player as I continue...

7:45 AM

You know, it’s understandable why primitive man viewed sunrises to sunsets as commensurate to a life cycle. Seal’s Dreaming in Metaphors remains one of his best songs, “Trying to hold to something we couldn’t understand.” It becomes hard to define the distinctions between reality and metaphysics. I don’t mean psychosis, or hallucinations, I mean perhaps our dreams are a kind of parallel universe. Anyway, to continue, Amiee Mann on the player next…

There’s an owl hooting in a tree. I couldn’t find it, but could hear it. I wonder if that signifies anything?

If God exists, I suspect God expects us to appreciate the little things...

11:05 AM

It’s amazing, as a species, how we’re supposed to compartmentalize everything, put ourselves into different modes of thinking, depending upon the situations in which we find ourselves. In some respects, how we put on different masks, or personas to fit into a situation.

I had a bite to eat at a place that featured a novelty shop, most of which was junk, but they did have some nice dream catchers.

I’m feeling dazed after a long stretch on I5. There’s one part that is brutal.

I’m fairly certain X-Files fans could Identify with this idea: Have you ever seen an innocuous location and imagined it held a military secret? There’s my first X-Files contemplation of the day. As photographed.

I'm on my way again...

2:20 PM

I’m in Valencia, near an Art College I wanted to attend ages ago...The paths not taken. I got through the second stretch of I5.

While writing my previous blog entry at a rest stop (11:05), a woman passed me and made a snide joke. “Just can’t leave that computer alone.” It just amazes me how people presume. I could understand the comment on some level; I have been in enough Starbucks to see people on laptops just to surf the net, and not really work. I don’t have internet access on my laptop; I use it strictly for writing.

There’s a rumor that the special guest attending at the X-Files Book signing event is a male actor, last time I checked, everyone was speculating it was Nick Lea or David Duchovny. We shall see. The weather is what I expected. Hot. I’m recovering from the daze of the drive. Valencia is a lovely little town; if you’ve never passed through it, recommended.

Thirty-six miles to go. I’ll be on my way soon...

About an hour later, I arrived at my cousin’s place. Waited in the car for them to come home, got coffee, just relaxed. Friday evening, after settling, we went to a nice Italian/Americana restaurant. Had breakfast Saturday morning, at a 50s-flavored greasy spoon with them and then I was on my way to the AFI campus. Details of that can be found on the Lexicon. David nor Nick Lea ever made it.

For the site, the outcome was a resounding success. I felt a little like a knight that vanquishes a dragon. I had another dinner with my cousin that evening, then we all crashed early. I got up about 6:00 AM, Sunday morning, and was on my way by 7:30.

May 8th, 9:05 AM

Back in Valencia again. Yesterday was a resounding success. In the mythos of the hero’s journey, he has to survive the skirmish, and that is how it feels today.

There’s the adage, Hope for the best, expect the worst. It seems to be second nature for me, but I was priming myself for several disappointments that never transpired. That mindset has become a reflex for me, the way I prime myself.

10:00 AM

The Misty Mountains of Gorman.

Green Day is on the play list, they seem to get a lot of flack about their street creed, but I have to give them credit, their last two albums captured the feelings of a percentage of disaffected youth, this sense of America in a slow decline, and the fact that many institutions are breaking down at this point, as well as the problem of being bound to religious dogma. I keep thinking about that verse from ‘See the Light’.

I crossed the River, fell into the sea,
Where the non-believers, go beyond belief
Then I scratched the surface, in the mouth of hell,
Running out of service, in the Blood I fell.

Perhaps that’s the best ideal, to be spiritual, and to go beyond belief…

12:43 PM

I’ve been pondering. Is one of the goals in life to become altruistic? What happens when you live in a society that doesn’t value altruism?

I write this at a rest stop, facing an orchard of apple trees. It’s cooled off on I5, and it’s been an overcast Sunday.

3:15 PM

I had a bite to eat earlier. Could this be any more bucolic? It reminds me of Clark Kent’s Smallville.

I arrived home at around 6:30, exhausted. I was reminded of the subtitle of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit–There And Back Again.

Then I had a lot of work to do. You can check out the reports and videos of the event at the Lexicon.

I have no idea if I achieved any greater insight through this experiment, but I suspect it’s a process, being mindful of your surroundings, looking out, keeping your eyes open for little transformative moments.

Special thanks for editorial help from XScribe, and belated thanks to her for the previous entry.

X-Files Adjacent: War of the Satellites

2011-04-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

Nothing exists in a vacuum as far as creative influences. The following is the first of a trifecta of critical reviews concerning a group of late-50s, low-budget Sci-Fi and horror films. Chris Carter, within the last few years, has acknowledged (aside from the Night Stalker TV movies) that The Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits, were an influence on him. Recently, I saw a series of films that might have possibly influenced the writers for such series as Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits.

Produced and directed by B-Movie king, Roger Corman, War of the Satellites (1958) capitalized on the satellite craze of the period, triggered by the launch of Sputnik 1. The story goes that Corman pitched the film to Allied Artists, strictly on the title alone, with no script and with the promise he would have the film finished and released in seven weeks. He made good on the promise. After being given a budget of 70,000 dollars, Corman along with writer Lawrence Louis Goldman and Irving Block, built a story after listing what sets would be needed to be built first, and then developed a script to fit around the logistics.

It is with little doubt that Roger Corman has become an icon in the industry and is probably responsible for launching more careers, in as much as potential filmmakers and actors through his ‘Corman school of filmmaking,’ than UCLA and USC combined.

While the film is flawed and typical of the kind of production values from that era (in spite of the fact it becomes apparent after watching for about ten minutes, that you must throw science completely out the window, and the film is so cheap that lounge recliner chairs were used for the seating aboard the spaceship), for everything this type of a film gets wrong, it’s interesting to see, thematically, what the film gets right.

Several sequences reminded me of something you might find in an episode of The Outer Limits, or Twilight Zone. This film ends up being an idea-driven film. Now whether that was by design or something the writers stumbled upon out of necessity is the real question.

It starred Dick Miller, Susan Cabot (a woman whose demise would be as tragic and bizarre as an X-File*), and Richard Devon. After the destruction of the latest spaceship of the Sigma project to pass through an energy barrier somewhere in the solar system, Dr. Van Ponder insists to his colleagues that he will continue. Two high school teens (in the most awkward and corny segment of the film), after seeing a falling star that crashes, discover an alien satellite with a message for the UN.

An alien race from the Spiral Nebula Gamma views the human race as an infection, further adding that they are displeased by our efforts to move into the stars, and explain that have created this space barrier to restrain humans from space exploration. Dr. Van Ponder announces to the press that he plans to captain his own ship in the next design. His friends Dave and Sybil agree to go with him. The doctors plans include building the ship to use photon propulsion to travel at the speed of light. After getting a call from UN Counsel Leader Hotchkiss about efforts of the UN to stop the project, Dr. Van Ponder’s car crashes as a result of alien beams from the skies. Once word has been received at the UN that Van Ponder has been killed, he miraculously appears, and funding moves forward.

Assurances are given to Hotchkiss he is fine, and we, the viewers have revealed to us that Van Ponder is an alien who can duplicate himself through astral means and convert his duplicate into matter. He briefly communicates with his alien superiors, advising stronger action, as the warning from alien beings have been ignored. Suddenly, global disasters are triggered around the world--floods, earthquakes, fires, and nuclear incidents--which cause the press to speculate the alien warning is connected to the episodes.

Dr. Van Ponder, under a ruse, has an unexpected change of heart, and plans to cancel the program, going so far as to write up a statement to issue to the UN, but Dave ignores his wishes, and while speaking at the UN, states they will continue, and he argues that it is precisely because the Gamma aliens do not wish humans to travel into space that the project must go forward, much to Dr. Van Ponder’s displeasure. Another scientist named Johnny swears he had seen Van Ponder in two places.

After a mishap with a blow torch to Van Ponder’s hand triggers Johnny’s suspicions that the doctor isn’t human (a sequence that one might see from The Outer Limits, or Twilight Zone), Dave grows suspicious. But Dr. Von Ponder convinces the project medical doctor, Lasar, that Johnny has been under too much pressure, and he is ordered to be grounded from the flight. Dave finds the actual remains at a junkyard of the car that crashed, but can’t warn Sybil, or the others that Dr. Van Ponder might be an imposter, before the launch countdown begins. Johnny has a change of heart, and due to a lack of astronomical engineers, is back on the flight. Dr. Van Ponder duplicates himself again, which Dave witnesses. Three ships are launched, each ship being part of the final space vehicle.

After the launch, separation, and assembly, Dr. Van Ponder confronts Johnny with an ultimatum, explaining his races’ intention, tells him that humans are mere children in the cosmos, and not ready for space travel, and that his race is acting on behalf of the best intentions for the human race. The impostor Van Ponder offers to give Johnny the same powers--beings that can convert energy into matter--but Johnny refuses, and is killed with a single touch (another sequence that one might expect to see on The Outer Limits or Twilight Zone). Sylvia walks in to find him dead, and the doctor explains that Johnny could not survive the stress of the launch.

Film Trailer - War of the Satellites (1958).divx by pogox

The doctor, as captain, announces to the crew his intention to build up enough solar energy to trigger the Photon drive and break through the barrier. If they were to reach the barrier before the build up, they wouldn’t be able to break through until they can reach such a velocity. Dave informs Sylvia that the doctor isn’t human, just as Dr. Van Ponder appears and warns him not to get out of line. After the space burial of Johnny, Dave speaks to Dr. Lasar in private and demonstrates evidence that Van Ponder is a carbon copy of the real man. Sylvia walks in and Dave persuades her. The doctor notes that Dr. Van Ponder hasn’t permitted a physical. Dave points out the doctor might not have a heartbeat. Dr. Lasar confronts Dr. Van Ponder about a physical, which he conveniently manages to avoid when the barrier appears. After speaking with the pilots, Van Ponder manages to change his physiology and create a heartbeat, but there’s a trade-off: He loses a number of his powers and becomes more human. After passing the exam, Van Ponder strangles Dr. Lazar, and it becomes a race against time for Dave and Sylvia to stop Van Ponder from destroying the ship, and allowing the Sigma crew to achieve deep space travel.

One of the first interesting memes is the idea of an alien race inducing natural disasters to retard the progress of the human race, as well as the idea that the aliens would view Earth as a potential threat. In some respects this film is the inverse of Robert Wise’s The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), an alien race that simply believes the human race must take responsibility with its use of atomic space travel. The further idea of an alien race passively intervening with the human race, short of invasion, isn’t new either.

Edward E. Smith, Ph.D or “Doc” Smith, as he is affectionately known, the father of the sweeping space opera, in his 1936 tale "Triplanetary," the first of his Lensmen series, deals with two alien races: The Arisians, human-like beings, and the Eddorians, transformative beings that are hard to describe. Both Arisians and Eddorians manipulate the development of the human race in a long-term breeding program with the intention that the human race create Lensmen and Boskone, men with higher powers who would play out an ancient struggle without their awareness of themselves as pawns. The long term struggle is focused on four solar systems: Sol III, Rigel IV, Velantia III, and Palain VII. Regarding Earth, both alien forces manipulate matters and play out the fall of Atlantis, the Fall of Rome, and the trigger of three major wars, 1918, 1941 (Smith’s prescient prediction about WWII), and a war sometime in the late 90s. Before these tales unfold in the far future. One interesting example could be cited here, from the end of chapter three:

Gharlane of Eddore looked upon ruined Earth, his handiwork, and found it good. Knowing that it would be many hundreds of Tellurian years before that planet would again require his personal attention, he went elsewhere; to Rigel Four, to Palain Seven, and to the solar system of Valantia, where he found that his creatures the Overlords were not progressing according to schedule. He spent quite a little time there, then searched minutely and fruitlessly for evidence of inimical activity within the Innermost Circle.

Of course The X-Files touched on the meme of rival alien factions within their own mythology. For example, the alien rebels who appeared, starting in season five, that were immune to the effects of black oil - and resisted the symbiotic / parasitical entity within.

Watching the film recently, and pondering the recent wave of current events, without the following point trivializing the tragedies in Japan, but considering the wave of earthquakes, tsunami’s, volcanic eruptions, tornados, and other global events, and while they might be the by-product of climate change, it would make sense for a powerful alien race to trigger such disasters to slow down our evolution as a species.

Bear in mind, that there have been claims by countless NASA astronauts, of information that has never been released for the sake of national security, by Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, former NASA chief Maurice Chatelain, Gordon Cooper, Edgar Mitchell (founder of Institute of Noetic Sciences), of UFO activity in space and an extra-terrestrial base on the Moon, (as argued by people like Richard C Hogland) with aliens that have made it very clear to NASA not to establish a lunar base or revisit the Moon. Certainly shades of the same themes / memes expressed in War of the Satellites.

UFO/AAT skeptics have pointed out that the above-listed themes have been so long running with Science Fiction literature and filmmaking, that these memes can give ammunition to such skeptics that genre pop culture influences shape belief systems of things that might not have a paranormal or unexplained basis.

What is interesting about these connections from a cultural standpoint and this ‘chicken or egg’ argument, is are these interests just random or part of a greater collective unconsciousness?

Indeed, what if truth is stranger than fiction.

Next up: Curse Of The Demon (1957)

*Susan Cabot died in 1986. Her son, who suffered from dwarfism and was on medication, bludgeoned her to death with a weight-lifting bar in her Encino home after years of psychological abuse, verbal abuse from the mother, coupled with an unhealthy relationship between them. He was arrested, charged with involuntary manslaughter and received a three-year suspended sentence.

The X-Files Truth Podcast interview...

2011-03-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

At the start of February, I was approached by this new, but terrific site, The X-Files Truth Podcast, and one of the team members, Agent Summer, wanted to do a profile piece about the site. From there it evolved into a phone interview.

It was a fun experience, and they cover a lot of ground with me. They were even gracious enough to feature snippets of my original music. This traces the origin of how it all began with the Lexicon, our role with The X-Files: I Want To Believe Blu Ray, as well as the launch of a new web network project.

The audio interview.

I have no idea, if, or when, I’ll ever do another interview such as this, Feel free to add your comments if this interest.

Under Pressure

2011-03-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

This isn’t a typical blog entry, as it doesn’t relate to The X-Files, nor does this deal with the meme explorations of past entries, but the events of the past week have compelled the following observations. Simply put, the tragic Earthquake and Tsunami disaster in Japan, as well as the Nuclear plant disasters, does leave one reflective. It’s difficult to escape the real world, or the harsh realities of life, it’s difficult to be altruistic, or inward thinking during periods such as this.

The following song has been running around in my mind over the last couple of days. While I have always been a fan of many Queen songs, this has always resonated with me, as I suspect it has for others, especially the last few lines. We do seem to be at a crossroads, especially since 2008, it does look like we have some choices to make as a collective society: will we treat each other far better than we have, and be our brother’s keeper? Or will be continue down destructive paths?

While I understand that the economy is bleak for many people, but if you can afford to do so, please give to the Red Cross, or any charity organizations that are sending relief to Japan.

IBG is another great resource to go to.

As Jordan Black once observed during the Millennium finale: "We are all shepherds."

Was H.P. Lovecraft an Alien Abductee?

2011-02-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

I realize that the above is a provocative title, but it is based on an interesting recent experience. Not too long ago I finally saw The Fourth Kind, an engrossing, albeit somewhat flawed film, based on a series of cases in Norm, Alaska in 2000. One of the most noteworthy aspects of it were several sequences in which abductees under hypnosis begin to utter statements in the Sumerian language. It was at this point that a few strange questions popped into my mind: "Was H.P. Lovecraft and alien abductee as a child? Or was he experiencing a walk-in scenario?"

Lovecraft circa 1934

My interest in Lovecraft began in junior high school, when I read one of his tales, but it began in earnest as a freshman in high school, where I obsessively read everything he wrote, including his poems and essays. Lovecraft had a vice grip hold on me that is hard to define when offering an answer as to "why". He was hardly a flawless writer. His prose style was a challenge, and felt antiquated compared to his contemporaries. There were also his phobias and prejudices to contend with. Yet there was an obsessive conviction and single-mindedness to the direction of his tales that often felt so distinct compared to his peers.

He is now regarded as the father of "cosmic terror," yet he lived much of his life in obscurity other than the publication of his tales in various pulps in the nineteen twenties and thirties. He is alleged to have been a recluse, and did devote a great deal of time in correspondence with friends via mail, he was allegedly homosexual, which is said to have been untrue by the accounts of his wife, and he was devoted to his residence in Providence. It should not escape anyone that an X-Files episode was given the title Providence.

The reasons why I made this leap thinking about H.P. Lovecraft while watching The Fourth Kind, will become clear in a moment. So much of Lovecraft’s classic work between 1925 to 1935 was so effective; it persuaded various enthusiasts that his tomb, the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore, was inspired by an actual historical source. This belief has remained so prevalent that various books have been published or discovered that claim it to be bona fide.

It is a testament to Lovecraft's work, like J.R.R. Tolkien's, that his writing was so immersive as to trigger a belief that it had to have come from a historical origin, with his unique ability to invent languages, invent printed sources and academic centers, and invent towns or cities of ancient alien origin. My nagging question has remained: What childhood events triggered such a rich, and distinct imagination? The more you learn about his childhood, the more questions are raised over the possibilities.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born in 1890, in Providence, Rhode Island, the only child of Winfield Scott Lovecraft and Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft, a woman who could trace her American ancestry back to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1631. When Lovecraft was three, his father became acutely psychotic while on a business trip and was placed in Butler Hospital where he remained until his death in 1898. It should be noted that both of his parents were married in their thirties, which was unusual for the time. After the hospitalization of his father, Howard was raised by his mother, his two aunts, Lillian Delora Phillips, and Annie Emeline Phillips, and his maternal grandfather, Whipple Van Buren Phillips. Lovecraft was a child prodigy, reciting poetry at age three and writing complete poems by age six. His grandfather had a profound influence with triggering his interest in gothic horror, by telling the boy his own original stories.

It has been noted by various accounts and biographies that Lovecraft was frequently ill as a child. Due to his sickly condition, he barely attended school until he was eight, but he was a voracious reader, and became enamored with chemistry and astronomy, going so far as to produce several hectographed publications that had a limited circulation, beginning in 1899 with The Scientific Gazette. Beginning in his early life, Lovecraft is believed to have suffered from night terrors, a rare parasomnic disorder. He believed he would be assaulted nightly by "Night Gaunts," beings he personified as devil-like creatures without faces.

Based on the perspective from the film, The Fourth Kind, which depicted such alien abduction scenarios in a highly negative light, could these "Night Gaunts" that Lovecraft experienced and described as a child tie into something that might have fit into our contemporary understanding of the alien abduction scenario? One hypothesis has been that such experiences are connected to some kind of sexual abuse in childhood. Another hypothesis is that children who suffer from high fevers, as a result of illness, are prone to hallucinations. Christopher Knowles, from the Secret Sun, has acknowledged suffering from such hallucinations as a child. Knowing that Lovecraft suffered from childhood illness, could he have been prone to hallucinations, especially considering his father’s history, or could such conditions have left him prone to outside influences? Could he have been more receptive in perceiving forces in the cosmos that the majority of people do not register? Or could he have been receptive to something in the collective unconscious? An argument that is often made about most inspired artists is that they channel their creativity from unconscious sources.

Which brings us to the question about the possibility that Lovecraft could have experienced something similar to a spiritual walk-in encounter. The basic definition of walk-ins is thought to be a person whose original soul has departed, and his or her soul has been replaced by a new soul. Could the inspiration behind Lovecraft’s visions have been inspired by an amalgamation of the two scenarios? Or could it have been something more practical? What drove the inspiration for the creation of the Necronomicon as a device in much of his classic fiction? One explanation might be practical, but no less fascinating. But we need to continue with his personal history.

In 1919, Lovecraft’s mother, suffering from hysteria and depression, was also committed to Butler hospital and she died in 1921 while institutionalized. Several weeks after her death, he met Sonja Green at an amateur journalists convention. Here’s where it gets interesting: There are accounts that Sonja Green met Aleister Crowley, the influential, and some consider notorious English occultist, in 1918 while he was in New York, trying to establish his literary reputation. It has been alleged that Crowley and Green had a brief relationship. Lovecraft first mentioned his tomb, The Necronomicon in “The Hound,” published in early 1922. The conjecture has been that Lovecraft was indirectly influenced by Crowley through Green’s association. It should be noted that this conjecture has been in dispute and that some of the dates that correlate these connections don’t match, as the source has been “Simon,” the finder of the “Necronomicon” publication from Avon books.

The alleged Elder Sign from the Simon Edition.

There has been further speculation that Crowley was reticent in not mentioning the alleged “Necronomicon” with his publication, “The Book of the Law,” due to the similarities between Crowley’s seminal book, and the Dr. John Dee / Edward Kelly Latin translation from circa 1586 that the Necronomicon source is most known for. The legend is that “Necronomicon” was written in 738 A.D. by Abdul Alhazred before being set upon by an invisible monster who devoured him in broad daylight. The book is also referred to as Al Azif, a reference to the nocturnal sounds of insects believed to be the howling of demons. The legend further adds that Al Azif was translated into Greek by Theodorus Philetas of Constantinople, and then Olaus Wormius produced a Latin translation in 1228. The book was said to be banned by Pope Gregory IX until the Dee / Kelly translation.

By all accounts, it is generally believed that the “Necronomicon” was a fictional device by H.P. Lovecraft. Although there are those that argue that the closest thing to an historical “Necronomicon” would be the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Other arguments include the belief that the lore of the “Necronomicon” is connected to Norse mythology, or that the great “Old Ones” mentioned in many Lovecraft tales are connected to the Jewish tradition of the Nephilum, a word which literally means “fallen ones”. The story of the Nephilum can be found in the Christian Book of Genesis, as well as the Book of Enoch. Such connections heighten speculation of the ancient astronaut theory of multi-dimensional gods school of thought, of gods who have been shunned from the Earth.

There have been various publications that have alleged to have been the bona fide source. In the aforementioned Simon edition, which has been mass marketed and released, it should be noted that Simon had speculated that the language used in his edition was Sumerian in origin, and this probably accounts for my mental speculation while watching The Fourth Kind of Lovecraft’s. For ultimately, Sumer is believed to be the oldest known civilization in existence, and that might help to explain why such speculation has a potent hold on many. It might be not relevant if the tomb itself even exists, as it might be the very idea of the book that compels such interest. The psychological / phantasmagorical impact of such a book, a book that holds ancient history or connections to multi-dimension entities, before registered time.

Lovecraft’s marriage was short lived and after a failed spell in New York, not securing proper employment, he moved back to Providence. It was during this period where he was most prolific, where he produced the bulk of his best known stories in the leading pulp publications of the day, primarily Weird Tales, such as The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and At The Mountains of Madness, The Cthulhu Mythos from 1925-1935, as well as his Dream Cycle series of stories from 1920-1927. Despite his best writing efforts, he was forced to move into more meager lodgings with his surviving aunt. In 1936, he was diagnosed with cancer of the intestine. He lived in constant pain until his death in March, 1937.

An illustration from the Arkham House publication of The Dunwich Horror and other Tales, depicting the unleashing of Cthulhu from R’lyeh

Lovecraft was personally influenced by Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Dunsany, and Arthur Machen. His correspondences with a number of writers like August Derleth, Robert E. Howard (whose own death by suicide had a profound impact on Lovecraft), Robert Bloch, Fritz Leiber, and Clark Ashton Smith had a profound impact on these writers in their own future work. August Derleth would devote the rest of his life, by the establishment of Arkham House publishing, to get the work of Lovecraft out to the masses. A great many contemporary writers and filmmakers were impacted by Lovecraft’s work; Steven King, Clive Barker (although he has downplayed the influence, he comes the closest to being a benefactor of furthering the tradition of Lovecraft’s "cosmic horror"), comic writers Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Mike Mignola, as well as directors John Carpenter (whose In The Mouth of Madness is an obvious homage), Stuart Gordon, and Guillermo Del Toro.

Published in Feb, 1936, a year before his death.

Perhaps Lovecraft’s sensibilities were just too ahead of his time in his day, with his pessimistic and cynical world views that challenged the orthodoxy of Christian humanism. Often the protagonist’s belief in scientific rationalism would be decimated by the revelations of such entities. These protagonists concluding that existence of such forces is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien, and we, the human race, should shun the outer spheres. While there has been a small percentage of direct adaptations of Lovecraft’s work in Hollywood, most have been low budget productions. Few have tackled his work with A-list production values. Perhaps the means of undertaking such ambitious projects was just too challenging technically, for far too many decades.

One of the few early faithful adaptations that comes to mind, for example, and one that effectively illustrates the Necronomicon’s use in the evocation of such powers, is Roger Corman’s The Haunted Palace, a 1963 horror film that was credited as a Edgar Allan Poe tale. It was in fact an adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, with its title coming from a poem from Poe, as the ending demonstrates below.

A film produced by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, a 47-minute silent adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu, released in 2006, was produced with the flavor of something from the 1920s, as well as a hint of German expressionism. It has generated critical raves at various genre film festivals. See Trailer:

Yet, in spite of the low ratio of proper adaptations, Lovecraft’s influence has remained profound. One could view Alien (1979), in its conceptualization and narrative, as the kind of tale that Lovecraft could have penned. There are rumors that Guillermo Del Toro will be going into production, on a proper A-list adaptation of At The Mountains of Madness.

A fan-created trailer, cobbled from various features, has gained some attention, and adds to the intrigue of what a Del Toro adaptation might have to offer:

Perhaps the inspiration for Lovecraft’s visions could simply be found in the circumstances of his life. After all, he did witness the mental decline of both parents, he spent his childhood in relative privilege, and was forced to live with meager means the bulk of his life. He often jokingly referred to himself as ‘grandfather’ in his written correspondence, and by many accounts did seem like an old soul, despite his age. All of the above factors likely played a role in shaping his point of view.

Lovecraft himself, as a man, has remained such an enigma, and contradiction of nature, that a feature biographical narrative of his life, phobias, and isolation would be as compelling indeed as any of his tales.

Just as long as Johnny Deep plays the cryptic figure himself, - Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

In closing, dare I utter the dreaded words that might unleash Cthulhu from his slumber in the ancient sunken city of R’lyeh:

"Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wganh’nagl fhtagn"

Would Fox Mulder be so bold as to stare into such an abyss? One could only speculate.

Special thanks to XScribe for further editorial assistance.

You can find his work published at the following site. You can also learn more about his personal history from this source.

Now For Something Completely Different

2011-01-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

To borrow the above phrase from Monty Python. This is pretty self explanatory. I shot this clip of interest, and my friend Mark Solario did the wonderful post work, and put it together.

I’m considering starting this as something new that fans can participate in, but that information will be appearing on the main Lexicon site.

Again, special thanks to Mark Solario.

Reconstructing: Cryptozoology

2010-12-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

The X-Files dealt with the theme of cryptozoology in various episodes throughout the history of the series. The term, at its most basic, from the Greek root, means study of hidden animals. There has been a rich history of documented accounts via film or photos, of alleged animals that fall in this category. The two of note that have remained the most iconic are the Loch Ness Monster, and Sasquatch (Big Foot). Yet like in all fields of research into the unexplained, one should be wary of taking any image documentation at face value, as I have previously argued here, and here, as well as in this piece: perception and the unexplained. As I previously stated:

According to present neurological scientific research, our receptors, i.e., our eyes, ears, and senses, receive four hundred billion bits of information per second, yet our brain only processes two thousand bits per second. Think about that. In other words our brain imprints the ability of what we can see. We can only see what we believe is possible.

In light of such information, while I’m not necessarily a believer, I can’t discount the possibility that events, and life forms, exist around us that we have no point of reference to be able to process. One of my great personal frustrations with websites that reference past cryptozoology documented accounts is the lack of context, or critical thought in explaining what has been documented.

The Thunderbird / Pterodactyl photos

One example I’d like to cite is a series of old and iconic photos from circa 1890 of the capture of "Thunderbirds,"-- large, bird like creatures that are usually identified with Native American traditions. Some researchers have drawn distinctions between the lizard-like features of the Native American legends with pterosaurs, the prehistoric pterodactyl, which are related to other breeds of pteranodon. It should be noted that "Thunderbirds" are described as incredibly large, feathered birds in Native American lore. Some cryptozoologists believe that "Thunderbirds"
were teratorns, presumably extinct birds, related to condors, and this distinction between small pterodactyls and teratorns was confused or blurred. It should be noted that pterodactyls are considered to be true reptiles, and not part of the dinosaur group. Teratorns were the largest flying birds accepted by scientists as real. Due to the fact that pterodactyls are considered reptiles, for some cryptozoologists, this leaves the possibility open that such creatures exist in isolated numbers. Yet there is a serious flaw in the reasoning of cryptozoologists; all living organisms on Earth leave some kind of evidence of their existence, such as bones, carcasses, droppings, nests, eggs, etc. For the scientific community, no credible evidence has been produced.

The following series of photos might have been inspired, or prompted by a story in April, 1890 of two cowboys in Arizona who killed a giant bird like creature with an enormous wingspan, that had smooth skin, featherless wings like a bat, as well as a face that resembled an alligator. It has been alleged the cowboys dragged the carcass back into town, where it was pinned with wings outstretched across the entire length of a barn. On April 26, 1890, a story was indeed published by The Epitaph, but considering that no further historic corroboration by eyewitness accounts has confirmed the incident, it is usually regarded as an urban legend. Yet what to make of this series of photos that seems to be from that period?

Again, historical context is important when accessing the background of such material. The late 1800s was ripe with Yellow Journalism or tabloid journalism. William Randolph Hearst, a mining heir, acquired the San Francisco Examiner in 1887. Hearst was a rival of Joseph Pulitzer, who purchased the New York World in 1883 after making the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the dominant daily of that city. This rivalry between Hearst and Pulitzer peaked between 1895 to 1898. Obviously there was a climate to circulate sensationalistic stories. One of the questions that needs to be raised is, was it possible for photographs to be included in newspaper prints from that period? Indeed, prior to the 1890s, the technology did not exist to economically publish photographs in newspapers. So, indeed due to the timeframe that these pterodactyl photos were created, it was possible for these images to have been published in newspapers to increase circulation, and to entice the curiosity factor of the public.

While I have no reason to believe that the time period of when these photos were shot is not authentic, the photos seem genuinely aged, and the dress of the figures in the photos fit that period. Various newspapers could have paid to have these pterodactyls sculpted and then staged.

One should also factor in that the notion of prehistoric creatures surviving in isolated areas, has had a strong psychological hold on the whims of the public. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, published in 1912, captivated the public with its adventures in a plateau of an Amazon basin of South America that includes dinosaurs, as well as a race of ape-like men. The RKO movie, King Kong (1931), of course, featured the mysterious Skull Island, which was populated by dinosaurs, pterodactyls, as well as the infamous, and deleted, giant insect sequence, and the mighty ape himself.

With the advent of digital technology, as I have previously commented, I suspect nothing has really changed all that much, and the same issues face individuals who are enthusiasts of the cryptozoology field now as they have in the past.

Reconstructing modern video examples

When looking at contemporary 'documentation' of unidentified animals, the same scrutiny should be applied. All professional illusionists / magicians understand there’s a process to deceiving the public; The Pledge (showing something ordinary, when it probably isn’t), The Turn (taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary, challenging spectators to look for an explanation that they won't find), and The Prestige (showing something shocking that has never been seen before), as brilliantly demonstrated in the Christopher Nolan film, The Prestige from 2006. There’s usually a narrative to the build up of unexplained events. Perhaps it is the reason why Magicians from Harry Houdini to Penn and Teller are often so scathing towards individuals whom call themselves professional experts in the field of paranormal research as well as experts into the unexplained. The first example is a video account of a large winged creature flying between scaffolding in Hamburg, Germany at some time in the 2000s.

Indeed odd, yet the video is the only source of this account. It could very likely be staged, and the winged figure added in via some animation software. What leaves this highly suspect is the fact that there’s no alternative footage from other sources to verify the event. Furthermore, I could find no published accounts from German newspapers, or news media of such an eyewitnessed sighting. It would seem strange in the hustle and bustle of a city such as Hamburg, that this would go unnoticed by others. Regarding the quality of the image, there’s a wispy, and transparent quality that seems suspect.

There’s another video of a Pterodactyl sighting, which is interesting, yet also suspect.

The creature in question seems to primarily glide, with a limited amount of motion, in spite of the disclaimers of the people posting the clip; this could have been achieved with a radio-controlled glider.

The next clip is from a documentary of the alleged Mokele-Mbembe, a small living dinosaur that exists in the Congo. Once again, the brief video is inconclusive, the brief blow-up reveals an elongated neck, and something that doesn’t look like a rhinoceros, yet there could have manipulation in post production.

The next clip is one of several Chupacabra videos that play on the stereotypes of the legend. The clip feels like something staged, and that the image manipulated with animation, again, manifests a wispy visual quality that reminds me of the Hamburg footage.

There is a possibility that the Chupacabra is a legitimate unknown breed related to a fox, wolf, or coyote that hasn’t been identified by scientists.

Lastly, there is the issue of Rods--also known as "Skyfish"--mysterious insects that people claim are invisible to the naked eye, shaped like rods, with multiple wings. This might be less a case of deceit, or a hoax, that drives belief in the phenomenon, then a misunderstanding of how insects can be depicted, when you are dealing with video, or photo cameras that run on slower shutter speeds. As demonstrated in this video below.

This streaking phenomenon can be seen in countless examples of nighttime photos, where the headlights of cars are seen as streaks.

I am well aware that some might perceive the tone of this piece to be knee-jerk skepticism on the subject of cryptozoology documentation. I feel that the field has legitimate merit, when you consider the estimate that six species become extinct each day, or 21,894 species per year. When you take into account that scientists keep discovering new species of sea life in parts of the oceans thought too deep for life to survive, and new species in isolated parts of the world, one cannot discount certain possibilities. But this field known as cryptozoology should be explored through proper scientific analysis, and executed through biologists, veterinarians, field researchers, animal behaviorists, and ecologists. To just accept all documentation and verbal eyewitness accounts without proper assessment, or verifiable proof just undermines a field with good intentions.

Regardless of the legitimacy, or lack of legitimacy of such documentation, perhaps it is irrelevant. Perhaps, from a psychological standpoint, the interaction between the viewer and images being viewed touches on our unconscious desire to believe in something greater to our existence – that this is the greater enigma that drives people to pursue real world monsters, or people who produce such media to help validate people’s hope that such creatures do exist.

Special thanks to Xscribe for some further, great, editorial work.

No Copyright infringement is intended with the above video sources, they are used for critical, and educational purposes.

A.I. and IWTB con’t (The Limits of Myths and Fables)

2010-11-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

In past pieces, I have written about Hero archetypes, and interpretations of prophecy, with part 1 and part 2 of The Ophiuchus Code. My nagging question has remained, to what degree to we just accept the narratives or memes we have been told? What role do genre fans play in the selection of the kind of commercial product that is released?

The reason why I drew parallels between the public’s reaction to both A.I. and I Want To Believe, was due to a larger picture concern I have, which I will explore further here. A few historical parallels can be made between Kubrick, The X-Files, and Chris Carter. Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey thematically dealt with Ancient Astronaut Theory, the meme that Extra-Terrestrials influenced our early development as a race. This meme was frequently explored within The X-Files, and especially in the later seasons. But, from a mythological standpoint, what the about the inverse of that meme? Once you take a look at the overall thematic arches of A.I. – Artificial Intelligence, is it possible that the humans that built the machines, might have inadvertently influenced the advanced mechas to develop a soul? If other races might have influenced our development, could we do the same with our own creations? An interesting thought. Kubrick was known to have a fondness for Robots, and he was known to comment that machines with Artificial Intelligence would replace humans, as humans hold an inability to evolve. As some would argue, if Religion is a human construct, if Mythology is a human construct, shouldn’t we think outside the box and admit that other species would create their mythological construct about us?

"If man merely sat back and thought about his impending termination, and his terrifying insignificance and aloneness in the cosmos, he would surely go mad, or succumb to a numbing sense of futility. Why, he might ask himself, should he bother to write a great symphony, or strive to make a living, or even to love another, when he is no more than a momentary microbe on a dust mote whirling through the unimaginable immensity of space?" – Stanley Kubrick

Again, an interesting thought, and one that parallels along the line of Chris Carter’s monologues from “Syzygy” 3x13

Which brings us back to some questions about Spielberg, what brought him to do A.I., and what developed afterwards. Setting aside his relationship with Stanley Kubrick, could Spielberg have sensed that there were limits to the commercial narrative of Fables, and wanted to dig a little deeper?

Spielberg: The Evolution of an Artist.

In 1991, Spielberg released Hook, a collaboration with James V Hart that addressed issues concerning Peter Pan. Admittedly entertaining, with its share of interesting moments, the film is flawed. One is left with the feeling that it takes only half measures on the issues it attempts to raise.

It should also be said in many respects that Hook embodied Spielberg’s desire to let go of childish things. Soon, his development, his maturation as an artist would make a radical shift. In 1991, Spielberg could have made Hook, but could not have made A.I.; his sensibilities had not matured enough to do so.

Following the commercial juggernaut that was Jurassic Park (1992), Spielberg created the Oscar winning Holocaust drama, Schindler’s List in 1993. With this film, Spielberg tackled more adult, and darker material, and was unflinching and unrelenting in his depiction of the subject. In 1997, he followed it with Amistad, a period film about an incident concerning the American slave trade that was just as unflinching. That same year, he created Jurassic Park: The Lost World, but his sensibility had already progressed, so the second Jurassic Park didn’t quite work; Spielberg could not sanitize some of the more darker aspects of the themes he was addressing. He followed this with his other Oscar winning film, Saving Private Ryan, another WW II film that was forthright in its recounting of the occupation of Germany.

In many respects A.I. was the culmination of Spielberg’s artistic growth. The potential of the film raised the question if Spielberg could delve back into the Science Fiction genre with a more mature outlook, and be as unflinching in his depictions, as he had been with Schindler’s List or Saving Private Ryan. The argument from the general public seemed to have been; ‘No’, considering the outcome of the film’s release. But fans, due to their assumptions, might have missed what was there. The ramifications have been steep in their way – there’s a personal feeling that Spielberg has artistically back peddled away from tackling more adult themes within escapist genres, after the mixed public reaction of the film. For actor Haley Joel Osment, the ramifications were a little more hard-hitting, regarding the public’s perception of him as a screen presence since 2001.

A number of his smaller independent films have not seen commercial release. For example, Edges of the Lord, a WW II drama about Jewish children who were hidden by Catholic families to be spared from the Nazi’s, was filmed in 2000 within Poland, and was a film whose distribution was bought by Miramax, then was shelved until it was released to DVD with little fanfare. The same problem faced Home of The Giants, another example from 2007, a high school sports drama that ran into distribution problems when the studio that financed the film ran into trouble. His last wide commercial release was 2003’s Secondhand Lions. In fairness, it should be noted that Haley Osment slowed down his acting career to finish high school, and attend NYU to study experimental theatre. His willingness to remain out of the spotlight was his choice, which allowed the opportunity for other young actors who grab the spotlight in his absence. Therefore, the perceived decline in his movie career might be less a reflection of a lack of box office appeal on his part.

Spielberg did follow up A.I. with Minority Report (2002), a science fiction thriller based on a Philip K. Dick story, which was a showcase for Tom Cruise. While the film is nearly on par with A.I., and the visual sensibility shares a lot with A.I., as well as hints at a Kubrick influence, there is an impression that Spielberg felt a need to pander to the audience, a pattern that would become more apparent with each new film. Spielberg then followed up this film with the more escapist fare of Catch Me If You Can (2003). Based on a true account of a conman who played with various identities in the 1960s, the film was a showcase for Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks. While enjoyable, and full of nostalgia, this felt like another step towards Spielberg’s artistic back peddling. In 2004, he followed that film with The Terminal, a film I cannot comment on as I have never seen it.

Yet the real nadir for Spielberg came in 2005 with his adaptation of H.G. Welles’s War Of The Worlds. A film that was the antithesis of A.I., it fails to offer any insight into the human condition, and just offers shallow spectacle. While I never had any issue with changing the setting from the Victorian era to contemporary times, Welles himself had commented in the 30s, that any adaptation of his book should reflect the era of its production. The script adaptation by Josh Friedman and David Koepp was riddled with so many plot holes and lapses of logic, as well as characterizations so poorly written they failed to evoke any credibility, that the script undermines whatever good intentions there might have been. The cast, while capable, had little to work with. Tom Cruise remains one note throughout, and Dakota Fanning’s character is so shrill as to render her almost unwatchable. Tim Robbins, an otherwise fine actor, is saddled with a character that likewise plays as one note insane. There is also the issue of pointless plot threads which do nothing for the story other than serve grim sensationalism. One example is that of the red vines. In Welles’ novel, the purpose of the Martian’s red vines is to change the atmosphere of the Earth for their own means. Here, the red vines are only used for more ghoulish and pointless effect. Yet the greatest disloyalty to Welles’ classic work has to be the end. While the film is effective in establishing a certain dark tone, that tone is betrayed by an ending that just panders to the audience, and one is left with an intellectually dishonest film that is inconsistent in tone. Ironically, some of the past accusations about A.I.’s intellectual dishonesty applied less to A.I. and more to this film.

Spielberg followed this film with Munich (2005). Based on true accounts after the assassination of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics of 1972--Black September--of the black box operation to hunt down and kill the terrorists involved, it was closer in form to Spielberg’s late 90s work. Yet the film was highly controversial, as it presented moral gray areas between the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Spielberg reteamed with George Lucas for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls (2008), a film that indeed does deal with aspects of the Ancient Astronauts theory, yet is many years late in exploring the subject, after The X-Files explored the same memes. It should be noted that David Koepp was the co-writer, and the film does suffer from some of the same structural narrative issues as WOTW. It is difficult to access Crystal Skulls as a true reflection of Spielberg’s interests, when you consider the heavy influence of George Lucas on the story, except to add that again, one is left with the impression at this point that Spielberg had creatively back peddled, and had just about reverted to his escapist inclinations of the late 80s, while producing work that hasn’t really satisfied many demographics over the last decade.

Some fans have steadfastly insisted that Spielberg re-create the kind of work he was producing in the 80s, yet this has created a conundrum. Spielberg, like all artists, has grown, and it has become impossible for him to replicate a sensibility he no longer shares. When he tries to pander to these demands, or second guesses his artistic needs verses the demands of commerce, it feels half-hearted in a subliminal fashion. This inclination is within most people, to expect an artist to turn out what is comfortable. Many of us as genre fans, myself included, do suffer from our own Peter Pan Syndrome.

The Peter Pan Syndrome

Over the summer, I had the fortune of seeing a faithful staged production of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, and I was left with a few impressions. I was surprised by the very dark aspects that could be found in the production. There was a higher ratio of death than I expected, Pan’s avoidance with growing up, at moments, was disturbing, and the ending is truly a tragedy. Despite his adventures, Pan must suffer eternally because he refused adulthood, whereas, Wendy decides to come back and produce children and dream of the Never land and die. This aspect is made clear in the play, and perhaps while Barrie celebrated childhood, he understood that the idealized notion of Pan, a boy who never grows up, indeed had great limits.

Production still from 360 Productions, "Peter Pan" 2010

Indeed, Peter Pan as a fable has a real bite that has gone missing with the more Walt Disney flavored interpretations. When Spielberg and James Hart attempted to tackle head on the theme of “Pan” with Hook, they adhered too closely to the themes already touched on in the play, and did not take it far enough, emotionally, to offer a way out of the dilemma that the story presented. Yet in 1993, horror maven, fabulist, and dark fantasy author, Clive Barker, did find a way to invert the subject with his children’s tale The Thief of Always.

The story involves Harvey Swick, a ten-year-old who is living in a Middle American town, suffering from post Holiday doldrums. He is enticed by Rictus, and is lured away through a threshold to a place called Holiday House, run by the mysterious Mr. Hood. Harvey befriends two other children at the house: Wendell, and the melancholy Lulu. Within this wonderland of childhood delights, each season is cycled through an entire day, and a nearby lake is inhabited with swarms of mysterious fishes. Harvey soon begins to see there’s a price to be paid for such delights. Lulu disappears within the lake, and Harvey with Wendell escape back into the real world, only to be faced with a cruel discovery. In what appeared to be a one-month escape, it has in fact been thirty-one years since Harvey left his home. His parents are old and decades have been robbed from him. Harvey and Wendell find their way back into Holiday House, defeat Mr. Hood’s deceptive minions, battle Mr. Hood, who we learn is a psychic Vampire King, an entity who feeds on the youth of children, and Harvey outwits him, destroys him and frees the souls of past captive children, or brings back the children in human form from the Lake. Harvey becomes a good thief, a boy whose stolen years are back in his possession.

Illustrations by Clive Barker

As pointed out by Clive Barker’s official biographer, Douglas Winter, from his book The Dark Fantastic, Clive’s story inverts Peter Pan with The Thief of Always.

“It stands for me,’ Barker says, ‘at the crux of the problem of fantasy, because a great deal of fantasy is adolescent, reductionist, misinformed about the human condition, and masturbatory. I don’t mean that in a sexual sense; I mean it’s unproductive, sterile…The beautiful pain of that story (Peter Pan) is at the basis of what I want to do in fantasy. I want to examine how we deal with that problem. How do we deal with the problem that, if we embrace Neverland too strongly, we are forever sucking our thumbs, but if we die without knowing Neverland, we’ve lost our power to dream…If you merely write to escape, you are not interpreting the world, and true fantasy is a way of interpreting the world.”

One could argue that The Thief of Always is also taking a deconstructionist approach to an aspect of Fables and Myths: The child hero archetype. The above concern is a fundamental problem with some genre fans. Great Myths, Fables, Science Fiction and Horror should have an edge; they should have some emotional truth about the human condition. If genre fans as consumers, just embrace the surface aspects of their interests, there is no growth, no real insight.

"deconstructionism".

We have freely used the term “Deconstructionist” and we really should clarify its origin and how this applies to genre film and television and offer a working definition. The term often applies to the field of literature, and as an approach, was introduced by French Philosopher Jacques Derrida, which seeks to rigorously pursue the meaning of a text to the point of exposing the supposed contradictions and internal oppositions upon which it is founded – thereby showing that those foundations are complex, unstable, or impossible. This approach can be deployed in philosophy, literary analysis, or other fields. The sources for this approach that influenced Derrida’s work can be found with Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche, Andre Leroi-Gourhan, and Ferdinand de Saussure. Deconstructionism was a partial reaction to Structuralism.

It should be noted that the Deconstructionist approach is very open ended. It should also be noted, in forewarning, that due to some of the work of Paul de Man, Deconstuctionism has been viewed as fascist in nature. The theory in its purest form, admittedly, can be elitist, and inaccessible to the public. Opponents will often accuse Deconstructionism of being a threat to traditional values, while proponents will often argue that this approach encourages originality, and an ability to think outside the box. But for our purposes, should this approach, in a more direct form, be used to examine the narrative of Myths, Fables, and genres within film? The deconstructionist approached has already been applied within the Comic book field, once you consider Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s masterpiece Watchmen. Some have argued we are already in a post deconstructionist phase, and have entered a Reconstructionist phase.

Joseph Campbell’s seminal "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" has had such a profound impact with the commercial television and film industry, since George Lucas applied Campbell’s work for Star Wars (1977). Campbell followed the work of Sigmund Freud, and especially Carl Jung, and it should be noted that Campbell’s conception of Myth is closely related to the Jungian method of dream interpretation, which, of course is heavily reliant on symbolic interpretation. It is interesting to note that author James Joyce had a great influence on Campbell’s work. There seems to be an overwhelming consensus about Campbell’s work, and little, if any dissent about his interpretations. But the problem may lie within a selectivity of his breakdowns about myths and archetypes.

Screenwriter Christopher Vogler created a seven-page memo based on Campbell’s work, "A practical guide to The Hero with a Thousand Faces," which lead to the development of Disney’s 1994 film, The Lion King, and was later developed into the late 90s book, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers. But there is a fundamental problem when Myths are commoditized, commercialized, and so distilled that they lose their rough edges. Not everyone had adhered to the structures of Campbell’s work. Author Neil Gaiman has stated he started reading "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," then refused to finish it, and finding himself thinking that if it’s true, he would rather not know, but do it because it’s true, and because he accidentally winds up creating something that falls into the pattern, then be told what the pattern is. The problem might have less to do with Campbell’s work, than with how other’s interpret the work and how to use the symbols. In this respect, Deconstructionism and Reconstructionism might hold constructive tools to bring back more emotional meat and weight to genres that have fallen stagnant.

The Limits of fables and myths

Come away O Human Child,
To the Waters and the Wild,
with a fairy, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping,
than you can understand.

- William Butler Yeats, used in A.I. from "The Stolen Child"

We live in a world full of potential pain and peril for children. Even for a well adjusted child, they can face setbacks, and disappointments. The original constructive use of Myths and fables, as told to children, was to offer roadmaps to understand the world, and to help them find their place in the world, and in a best sense to lay a groundwork for growth, both spiritual and emotional. But what happens, as one gets older, when the symbols and archetypes that are so deeply conditioned in us as children, begin to ring hollow? When we recognize that the world is full of far more gray areas, then the idealism of Myths, fables, and genres, that have become sanitized?

An interesting revelation was found at the following site:

Kubrick's final collaborator on the 'A.I' script was English novelist Sara Maitland whom he felt was necessary in shaping the story into a cohesive whole. "By the time I came to the project it had become enormous, unwieldy and unfocused," said Ms. Maitland. Upon perusing the piles of unfinished scripts, she concluded that the story needed to make emotional sense as a myth or fairy tale does, and believes that Kubrick realized this. In fact Kubrick also was adamant that the story should work in terms of myth. "He never referred to the film as 'A.I.'; he always called it 'Pinocchio.' "

It is interesting to wonder why Kubrick viewed A.I. as a Fable. I won’t claim to have any greater insight into Kubrick’s intentions, for I would be no better than others that claim to be an authority on Kubrick. We are only left to speculate. Within Philosophy, the field of Deconstructionism and Reconstructionism took hold in the early eighties. There’s no evidence that Kubrick was adopting these theories, so therefore, we can only speculate that, from an intuitive level, if Kubrick sensed a new void had to be filled in addressing fables as one of the most potent, and deep-seated, forms of storytelling.

To reiterate, all story telling is about exploring the human condition and making sense of the world. If it is just about escapism for the genre fan, for the consumer, then there can be no real insight, no real depth of meaning. Fables, Mythologies, and genres like Science Fiction, and Horror, should be allowed to address themes, memes, and subjects that are uncomfortable on some level, that touch on deeper philosophical issues, or aspects of the psyche, to overcome, or embrace the shadow self. Incredible strides have been made within Science Fiction and Horror literature, thanks to writers like Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Ramsey Campbell, and the afore mentioned Clive Barker. But if the genre fan of genre television and film just embraces the surface aspect of such genres, if they reject material that is difficult to absorb, they will miss out on opportunities that could truly be personally transformative.

While this appeal might seem presumptive on my behalf, I am hoping this will not be misunderstood. To address the issue of how this concerns the future of Chris Carter’s work, at present, it cannot be determined if the box office for The X-Files: I Want To Believe has stifled Mr. Carter’s willingness to take risks in furthering the narrative of The X-Files mythology. While the outcome of Spielberg’s artistic trajectory has become evident over the past decade. That outcome remains unclear for Mr. Carter. Let’s hope he will continue to listen to his inner muse, and produce the kind of work that remains truthful to himself first, and foremost, and then will feel truthful to fans of his past work.

Addendum

The following above points are directed at adult genre fans. In an age where the celebration of childhood has been diminished, where children are oversaturated with information that seems to be leaving a segment of this generation jaded, where children are being compelled to ‘act above their age’, and at time when children are being conditioned to accept things, they should not be asked to accept by society. I do find great value in the fables, myths, and fairy tales, that are shared between a parent and child, my hope is that such tales, when told, are explained contextually by a parent to such children, on their own terms, and with clarity.

Special thanks to XScribe for some great editorial work.

I would highly recommend reading The Thief Of Always.

Please check out 'Come Away O Human Child', an exceptional tribute and archive site about 'A.I. - Artificial Intelligence', and thanks to Daniel Chia for his years of great work.

I also must acknowledge the brilliant analytical work of Bryan Harrison, Dave Corcoran, and Bill Coronel, regarding 'A.I.'

AI and IWTB part 1

2010-10-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Back in 2001, I was involved in a fan site that was helping to promote Steven Spielberg’s new film, A.I. – Artificial Intelligence. I even went to Los Angeles, met the webmaster of this site, and got to check out a screening of the film, which left me floored, and satisfied, as the film was one of my most anticipated of that year. In some respects, 2008 felt like déjà vu, but on a larger scale, when I got to see the debut screening of The X-Files: I Want To Believe in Los Angeles, as well as The Lexicon’s behind the scenes participation with the Blu Ray disc. While following the public reaction to IWTB, I found myself having a feeling of déjà vu all over again.

While both films are very different, I found one parallel with A.I and IWTB; the public built up their anticipation for both films based on perceived assumptions, and when both films ended up being nothing like what the public expected, the reaction was indeed sour. Yet, to those segments within the public that were paying attention, there were ample clues that neither film was going meet assumed expectations. Both films had a marketing strategy that built up mystique, and both films had the baggage of a certain kind of history. In the case of I Want To Believe, it was the past history of The X-Files.
In the case of A.I. – Artificial Intelligence, it was the past history of Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg. In the case of A.I., the promotion strategy included an innovative on-line viral campaign independent of the film, with a complex narrative set fifty years after the domestic events depicted in the Spielberg film. The history of this viral campaign can be found here and here.

Another parallel could be found with the kind of films that were competing with. In 2008, I Want to Believe was competing with the juggernaut The Dark Knight, in 2001, A.I. was competing with two juggernauts, Jackson’s LOTR: The Fellowship Of The Ring, as well as the first Harry Potter film.

The astonishing teaser trailer can be seen here, a trailer that reminded me of the more abstract teaser trailers for Alien and The Exorcist in the 70s.

As well as the other trailer:

In the case of both films – they deconstruct past mythologies, and force us to look at parts of our human condition that we find uncomfortable to examine. I won’t go into a synopsis for ITWB, for which X-Philes are already well versed, but for anyone not familiar with the plot and background of A.I. – Artificial Intelligence, I will offer an analysis.

Background

The origin of A.I can be found in a short story by novelist Brian Aldiss: “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” from 1969, concerning a robot child that doesn’t realize it isn’t human, and therefore, cannot connect with its mother. Director Stanley Kubrick liked the story and bought the rights to develop it in 1982. Brian Aldiss was brought in to adapt it into a screenplay, with the mutual hope the collaboration would be on par with Kubrick’s creative relationship with Arthur C. Clarke. While Kubrick and Aldiss had a friendly relationship, Aldiss had trouble developing the short story into something substantial, and wasn’t able to satisfy Kubrick’s intentions. From 1982 until the mid 90s, a number of writers were brought in: Bob Shaw, Sara Maitland, and primarily Ian Watson, who did the bulk of the work that Steven Spielberg used when he drafted his own script. At one point Warner Bros. was close to green lighting the project in the early 90s with the intent to cast Joseph Mazzello as the robot boy. During this same period, Kubrick dropped the project to work on Wartime Lies. In 1995, Kubrick handed the project to Spielberg with the feeling it was more in line with his sensibilities. The intention was for Kubrick to act as the producer, and Spielberg to direct it, but that was not to be. Kubrick died in 1999. In the 90s Kubrick brought in director Chris Cunningham to do some conceptual work on the project, and one can see his influence in this trailer:

After the director’s death, Jan Harlin and Christine Kubrick approached Spielberg to helm the director’s chair. By November 1999, Spielberg began to write own his script, based on a 90-page treatment by Ian Watson. Meanwhile, Brian Aldiss revisited his old story and wrote two sequels--Supertoys When Winter Comes and Supertoys In Other Seasons. Aldiss sold the rights to Warner Bros, and many of the plot points from these tales made it into Spielberg’s script. The film went into production August 2000, and was rounded out by a top tier cast. Child actor Haley Joel Osment as David Swinton, Francis O’Connor as Monica Swinton, Jude Law as Gigolo Joe, William Hurt as Professor Allen Hobby, Sam Robards as Henry Swinton, Jake Thomas as Martin Swinton, and Brendan Gleeson as Lord Johnson-Johnson. The voiceover talent was just as prodigious; Ben Kingsley as the voice narrator and advanced mecha leader, Jack Angel as David’s companion Teddy, Robin Williams as Dr. Know, Meryl Steep as the Blue Fairy, and Chris Rock as a mecha victim.

Many of the technicians involved with the film essentially brought their ‘A’ game. The musical score, written by John Williams, harkens back to his work on Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Others included were Editor Michael Kahn, Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, Costume Designer Bob Ringwood, Production Designer Rick Carter, and sound designer Gary Rydstrom. The visual effects were created by the Stan Winston Studios and ILM with Dennis Muren. Producers Katherine Kennedy and Bonnie Curtis were also on board.

The story, a post modern deconstructionist fable.

The story is set in the future, and the tale is narrated by Ben Kingsley explaining that catastrophic global warming-induced floods have ravaged the continents, and exacerbated population pressures. Millions have already died in the poorer countries. The Kingsley narration is key in understanding the context of the film, for the story is told as a fable from the far future, about our past. Couples are required to secure licenses to have children, and are allowed only one child. Professor Allen Hobby, the genius behind Cybertronic, a company that produces human-like robots, proposes a robot child that has unconditional love for its assigned parent, and has the capacity to transcend its initial programming, but a question is raised--a conundrum; could a human feel the same unconditional love? Twenty months later, an employee of Cybertronic, Henry Swinton, brings home the prototype, David. His wife, Monica, is reluctant to this arrangement, and is initially frightened of David. Henry and Monica have a son that is suffering from a rare disease, and has been placed into suspended animation until a cure can be found. Monica warms to David after activating his imprinting protocol, which irreversibly causes David to love her, as a child would have unconditional love for its mother. Monica reads to David The Adventures of Pinocchio, which includes a key plot point that will act as a catalyst for the rest of the film. As David continues to live in the Swinton home, he is introduced to Teddy, a supertoy, robotic bear who takes upon himself the responsibility of David’s well being.

Unexpectedly Martin is cured of his disease, although disabled, and is brought home. Triggering a sibling rivalry, and bringing about a series of taunts, one challenge by Martin is for David to cut a lock of Monica’s hair while sleeping, which will bring about a major future plot development, but Martin’s scheming behavior backfires, when Martin and his friends trigger David’s self protection programming at a pool party. While Martin is saved from drowning in the pool, it is decided for David to be sent back to the Cybertronic’s factory to be destroyed. But Monica, after arranging a ruse that David believes is an outdoor picnic, has a change of heart, and leaves David and Teddy in a forest. It is an emotionally harrowing scene, that has led to accusations of child abuse by the public. We are then introduced to Gigolo Joe, a male prostitute mecha, who is framed for murder by a jealous husband, and is left unregistered and on the run.

The Rising Moon sequence is the inverse of the light ships from “Close Encounters;” it’s not a harbinger of enlightenment, but destruction.

Joe and David converge, as David stumbles upon a village of abandoned mechas looking for scrap parts. But David, Joe, and others are captured by vigilante anti–mecha humans that run Flesh Fair events where abandoned, useless mechas, are destroyed in a coliseum / gladiator fashion. A technician at the event, believing David is human, realizes he is one of a kind, but the figurehead, Lord Johnson Johnson, wants to make David an example, arguing that this new mecha child is now supplanting their biological children. But the intent backfires. Just as David and Joe are about to be destroyed, David pleads for his life, and the public turns on the organizers. David, Joe, and Teddy escape. The trio set out to find The Blue Fairy, from the Pinocchio fable, with David making the intuitive connection that if he is made real, Monica will have to love him and take him back.

They travel to Rouge City, and extract information from a holographic volumetric display answer engine called “Dr. Know.” When David and Joe cross a flat fact with a fairy tale, they are given a cryptic clue, a quote from William Butler Yeats, that leads them to the flooded ruins of New York, Manhattan, using a stolen police amphibi-copter. Reaching the headquarters of Cybertronic, after David destroys a replica of himself that he fears will supplant him with Monica--another harrowing, disturbing scene--David meets his real father, Professor Hobby, whom through his detached, academic inclinations tells David he was tested to see where his leaps of faith would take him. We also learn that Professor Hobby had a son who died at a young age, and that David is modeled after the boy. But David learns, he is the first of many Davids. When the professor abandons him, David has a breakdown, and leaps off the top of Rockefeller Center on a ledge, where Cybertronic is headquartered, to the oceans below. But Joe, accompanied by Teddy, rescues him, just as David sees his objective, a sculpture of the Blue Fairy. Moments after Joe has saved David on the surface, the authorities capture Joe from another amphibi-copter using an electromagnet, but Joe programs the amphibi-copter to submerge, sparing David.

David and Tebby take the amphibi-copter to the Blue Fairy statue, which turns out to be an attraction from Coney Island, deep in the oceans. David becomes trapped when a rusted Wonder Wheel falls on their vehicle. Believing the statue to be real, David asks to be turned into a real boy, repeating this wish without end until the oceans freezes, and all remaining life dies.

Two thousand years pass, and Manhattan is buried under hundreds of feet of glacial ice, and humans are extinct. Mechas have evolved into an alien-humanoid form and silicone-based life has replaced carbon-based life. They find David and Teddy, the only two functioning mechas who knew living humans. After David is reactivated, he retrieves his memories, and touches the Blue Fairy statue. It crumbles and he realizes it was not real. But the advanced mechas reconstruct the Swinton home, and they explain, with their desire to do what is best for David, that while they have a way to create a clone of humans, their lifespan is only a day, and the process cannot be repeated. Using a lock of hair from Monica that Teddy had faithfully saved, a clone of her is made. David and Monica are together for a day, and it is the happiest day of his life. Monica tells David she loves him, and has always loved him as she drifts to sleep for the final time. This is the “everlasting moment” that David had always been looking for. As she drifts to sleep for the final time, he closes his eyes with her, and achieves his desire to be a real boy by finding the one common trait of all humans, our mortality. David simply chooses to cease to exist, and goes to that place where dreams are born. Teddy survives and becomes the keeper of David’s memory.

Direct and indirect themes of preservation, or being frozen in time, can be found in both films.

The film is propelled by human characters so doused in their own pain, that they are driven to make poor decisions. Professor Hobby acts as the great, passive protagonist in the film, and a truly tragic figure, one could liken to Victor Frankenstein. He is so deep in pain over the death of his son, he creates a living replica, yet is driven by so much hubris, he becomes too wrapped up in an intellectual exercise, and detached from all else, that he fails to see the tragic flaw. Monica is so driven by grief at the belief that her biological son is gone, she uses David as a surrogate, and Henry, is left trying to do his best to hang onto his wife. Lord Johnson-Johnson represents an unscrupulous opportunist, that is playing on the public’s fears.

As a side note, one should mention the visual design of the machines by the end of the film harkens back to the more stylized, surreal magazine cover art work of Science Fiction trades from the mid 1960s.

More examples of this sensibility can be seen in this astonishing fan video, that features segments from the ending. It is also fitting that the music used is Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song,” as Haley Joel Osment is known to be a fan of the band, it should be also noted this track was released within the same year of A.I.s release. One could view Radiohead as a band with a deconstuctionist approach.

Even the industrial band, Ministry, contributed a track for the film, "What About Us", The band also made a cameo in the Flesh Fair sequence. The video can be found here:

Ministry - What About Us
Uploaded by Pzychofreak. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

The Aftermath

A.I. is a complicated, layered, moving, poetic, yet disturbing film that doesn’t pander to genre movie conventions. A.I. works less as a linear film, but works more effectively as an episodic film. It is broken into four sections, and one could liken it to the four movements of a Symphony. The film is more concerned with exploring ideas than maintaining a perfectly threaded storyline, and one should bear that in mind when watching the film. There’s a bottomless sadness to the film, and I suspect there’s a thematic subtext that the public unconsciously picked up on, but couldn’t articulate, that helps to explain the strong reactions. The outlook concerning the human race is indeed, bleak, the film predates the growing concerns about climate change, and predates the popularist spectacle of The Day After Tomorrow, regarding the David and Monica relationship, the Oedipus complex themes are played out, and some have seen religious allegories regarding death, rebirth and transformation. While A.I. received a majority of positive reviews, some reactions were greatly divided, and most importantly, there was a sharp divide between the public’s reaction about the film, many holding a visceral dislike for it, while other’s praised, or appreciated it. The film’s gross revenue earned $235,925,552.

The mixed reactions were not at all surprising when you consider that the bulk of Stanley Kubrick’s films were often seen as polarizing for the public. But the reactions were based on certain assumptions; some key movie news fan sites were expecting another E.T. after the years of Spielberg producing more mature and grim dramas in the 90s, and this lament that the film wasn’t following the conventions of his 80s work, was a frequent mantra of the aforementioned fan sites. Spielberg commented on the public’s reaction to the end of the film in the TCM program "Spielberg on Spielberg" in 2007, and the assumptions of where Kubrick would have taken the film.

“People assume that Stanley ended A.I. with David and Teddy underwater trapped by the ferris wheel, and then end credits role, and they are going to be down there until their batteries run out. That's where they assume Stanley ended it, and I of course get criticized for carrying the film two thousand years into an advanced future where the robots that we created have replaced us, and super-mechas rule the world. It has become a silicon-based society, no longer a carbon-based society, and they certainly assume that's how I wrecked Stanley's movie. When in fact Stanley's treatment, along with Ian Watson, went right into the two thousand year future. This was where Stanley was going to take the movie had he lived to direct it. This is where I was obligated to take the picture, and even if I didn't feel such an obligation to fulfill Stanley's vision, that would have been my vision as well."

I would like to corroborate Mr. Spielberg’s above point, as I have seen many of the storyboards that Kubrick commissioned in the 90s, which does confirm that the ending with the advanced mechas was not a tagged-on afterthought, but very much a part of Kubrick’s intent. But most importantly, most of the key story elements were already sketched out by Stanley Kubrick. Spielberg merely filled in some gaps. Another key reason why many in the public failed to understand the intent of the ending, was perhaps because the intent was too subtle. Again, the Ben Kingsley narration is a key element, for he plays the advanced mecha we see at the end of the film. This film is a Fable, told from the point of view of this lead mecha. In fact, the film’s tale is directed at fellow machines; we the public, are merely eavesdropping, a rather disturbing conceit. We humans are a part of past history, and this makes the film truly a post modern, deconstructionist fable.

One key can be found with Kubrick’s interest in including the Pinocchio subplot; I suspect that Kubrick had a key interest in creating a deconstructionist fable, using Science Fiction as a means to an end. For Kubrick already understood that the Science Fiction genre had already supplanted itself from our classic fable, mythology archetype, and Kubrick saw Science Fiction as our contemporary fable, fairy tale, and mythology. Perhaps Kubrick recognized the limits of the Fable to address the human condition, and wanted to address it.

A second comment from the "Spielberg on Spielberg" program was of interest.

"I found when I looked at Stanley's two thousand storyboards on the unscripted part of that treatment he did, which was the Flesh Fair where David is abandoned by his mother and has to fend for himself, meets Gigolo Joe, and starts having a series of very dark Alice in Wonderland / Into the Looking Glass type adventures that Stanley Kubrick detailed the Flesh Fair. It looked like a concentration camp; it looked like a death camp with all the sub-human mechas being utterly destroyed by the bushel by a very terrified human race. It was so afraid of losing their identities and losing their jobs, first and foremost, to a race of serving men and women, that they just delighted in the inventiveness of decapitation, chainsaw massacring, draw-and-quartering, all of these poor helpless mecha. Stanley's storyboards did not disguise the fact that this all looked like a kind of 24th century holocaust."

This is a second interesting point. While the issue of the holocaust has always been a concern for Spielberg, when you consider his interest in Schindler’s List, as well as the use of Nazis in several Indiana Jones movies, the closest Kubrick ever came to addressing the issue from an official standpoint was the abandoned Wartime Lies project. Yet this correlation is not so far fetched, when you consider human nature. We have always used others as scapegoats for our problems, and unscrupulous figureheads and politicians have always used fear to distract from legitimate woes. It is interesting to note class issues are only passingly addressed in the film as an afterthought.

Regarding Chris Carter’s The X-Files: I Want To Believe, one must ask one’s self if this definition of a deconstructionist film applies to IWTB as well, and the answer is yes and no. Chris Knowles’ brilliant analysis of I Want To Believe, which can be found here, here and here, concluded that the film was exploring the key elements of the alien mythology, but was doing so in a symbolic, allegorical fashion. That the film was about aliens, but does a reversal of mythology and sets it back in the real world. The dying boy Christian Fearon, is a stand-in for their child, William, and Father Joe represents the state-sanctioned institutionalization of the mythology on one hand, as Chris Knowles argues, and the systematic perpetration of child abuse on the other. It is interesting to note that Father Joe and Gigolo Joe both have an odious background related to sex.

Both A.I. and I Want To Believe, thematically deal with abuse on a subconscious level, and to a certain degree.

Chris Carter is using classic myth archetypes, of the Eleusinian Mysteries – Persephone, Hades, Cerberus, and Demeter. Chris Carter might have been taking, to a degree, a deconstructionist approach to the known X-Files mythology narrative, as well as a sub textual approach to deeper belief systems. The problem with the Deconstructionist approach in film story telling, is that it tends to alienate the ticket paying public, further added by the fact that both films were so subtle in their approach that these key elements are missed in the public’s understanding, to help the public appreciate the overall intended context.

We will discuss this further, as well as Deconstructionism, and the Peter Pan Syndrome, in the next section.

Special beyond the call assistance from Xscribe, as well as some assistance from Chris Knowles.

Please check out the film: A.I. – Artificial Intelligence, highly recommended.

Promo for LAX-Files...

2010-09-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

While the following is a little unusual for here:

Erica Fraga, also known as Raskolnikov, has kindly asked that we post her new promo for her upcoming book, LAX-Files.

Facebook promo

This is a fan made book dedicated to the memory of the late and great television director, Kim Manners.

Kim is known for his prolific and emotionally captivating work on Booker, 21 Jump St., Brisco County Jr, Simon and Simon, The X-Files, and Supernatural.

Since its inception in 1993, The X-Files has opened up our minds to government conspiracies, alien life, and unexplained phenomena. Nine seasons and two feature films later, The X-Files is still considered one of the most iconic television shows of the 20th century.

Join over 40 Los Angeles fans, cast, and crew members, including Chris Carter, Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, R.W. Goodwin, and Laurie Holden, as they share their behind the scenes memories - some never before told - of working on The X-Files: Fight the Future and Seasons 6 - 9.

Interested in visiting actual filming locations used for the series?

LAX-Files details the most popular Southern California X-Files locations, including William’s birth place, the mansion from How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, and the Federal Building from Fight the Future.

All of the books profits will go to the American Cancer Society, the charity of the Manner's Family choosing.

Thanks for all your support

Erica Fraga
Author, LAX-Files

This looks to be a worthwhile read.

Time Jesum Transeumtum Et Non Rivertentum

2010-09-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

While recently working on a CD review for "Songs in the Key of X", and while appreciating Nick Cave’s contributions, I came across an astonishing piece of video media. Someone had compiled a piece for "Dread the Passage of Jesus, For He Will Not Return." or "Time Jesum Transeumtum Et Non Rivertentum". While I don’t agree with some of the visual selections, as I feel they are misleading, and complicate the interpretation. This musical tone poem isn’t a celebration of faith, or resurrection, but a lament, but it is unclear what it is a lament of.

The origin of the line: "Dread the Passage of Jesus, For He Will Not Return" was a line repeated by Monks in the middle ages, and interpreted to mean that when Jesus comes, you need to seek the chance, as well as a reference to a comment from St. Augustine. But the line is spoken by Demon’s, and so it could be interpreted as a warning to not be fooled by the Demon’s deception. One way of interpreting Nick Cave’s recital - and one more in line with the intent of the piece - is that this is a Lament over our disconnect with the universe, or our disconnect with spirituality. Dogmatic religions will often complain about our secular society, yet it is often driven by their own agenda, perhaps the complaint really should be about our disconnect with spirituality.

A friend recently commented to me that one can consider themselves 'Religious', yet that doesn’t necessarily mean they are 'spiritual'. This disconnect with the universe was a fairly regular, implicit, theme within The X-Files, and Millennium. The music manages to be full of implication, as well as Nick Cave’s reading, to support the idea of a lament. Our modern crisis, might have to do with this spiritual disconnect, and I don’t mean within any kind of religious dogma, but a disconnect nevertheless, from what ancient civilizations understood, that all things are indeed connected, and that we are connected to everything and each other. By the season final of Millennium in the third season, Jordan Black points out that ‘we are all shepherds’, and perhaps, by extension, we all are shepherds in our relationship to the Universe. It should be noted that the track is open to all kinds of interpretations.

Chris Carter, at one point, promised that the tracks off of "Songs In the Key of X" would make an appearance on the show. It is indeed a shame that this track never made an appearance on either The X-Files or Millennium, as it would have fitted in well.

Office Paranormal?

2010-08-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was directed to a potentially interesting project that is ramping up, Office Paranormal, and is in the process of potentially casting a stellar circle of acting talent. While not completely official, the casting includes Nicholas Cage, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Haley Joel Osment, Christopher Walken, and Michael Madsen. A friend commented that the premise sounds like a knockoff of Ghostbusters, nevertheless, this sounds interesting and might reflect on the continuing market for Paranormal subjects, and while I suspect this has to do with the commercial success of Paranormal Activity, one has to wonder if the success of “The X-Files”, so many years back, was the template to illustrate that such subjects could be commercially marketable. Fittingly, this film is supposed to be released in 2012, a year that is considered an equinox for a lot of esoteric subjects.

Office Paranormal

I know almost nothing about the team of Joseph Guinan, and Chelsea Zotta, and I have to admit that Nic Cage’s commercial and critical track record has been hit and miss. Yet considering that Mickey Rourke has enjoyed such a successful streak as of late, it might be a good sign of Rourke’s involvement, in a sense, this is all Monday Night Quarterbacking on my part, so all one can do is be hopeful. I might as well come clean and admit to being a major advocate of actor Haley Joel Osment, since 1999, and his impressive turn in The Sixth Sense, and regard him as being deserving of the label given as one the best young actors of this past decade. Now that he has gone the Jodie Foster route, and graduated from NYU, I hope is able to make the successful transition as an adult actor.

I can’t really say if HJO might be able to maintain his commercial appeal as a lead actor, but I could see him as a solid, and excellent character actor, and Hollywood has had a rich tradition of supporting character actors whose careers are just as remembered and beloved as their known counterparts. After a phenomenal streak with The Sixth Sense, and A.I. – Artificial Intelligence, Haley dropped out of the limelight after 2003, to finish school and pursue NYU, and while he continued making smaller, independent films, most of these have yet to see the light of day, or have not been picked up by major distributors unfortunately. I suspect this is largely due to a shifting marketplace that hasn’t been friendly towards independents. For myself, it has been frustrating to watch Haley’s peers gain momentum, and this isn’t to take anything away from other acting talents, but there is no other young actor that matches his unique persona and talent, and none of his peers remind me of the great actors of the past, Jimmy Stewart, or Spencer Tracy.

So, I am naturally hoping, selfishly, that this film helps to put him back in the deserved limelight. We shall see.

Staying connected with the public...

2010-08-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I had an interesting and unforgettable experience, a friend of mine, who belongs to the Producer’s Guild, will frequently invite me to free industry screenings of Hollywood features. He asked me to join him for a screening of "Toy Story 3" in 3-D, and naturally I brought along my mother, who is an avid fan of animation. What neither of us realized was that the screening was at, none other, than Pixar Studios in Emeryville. So, it was quite an experience to have access to the secure complex for a few hours, the grounds of the complex are laid out like a very sleek, 21st Century university, and the very history of the studio is laid out within the massive lobby.

Another perk of this screening, after the film, was an industry Q&A with Producer Darla K. Anderson, while I won’t reveal the bulk of the exchange; she did have some interesting answers regarding how Pixar stays connected with the Public. One of the general points she raised was that while an animated film is in production, it will be screened for family members of employees, as well as selectively screened for segments of the general public, and the film will be adjusted according to reactions. It is known that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas will go to movies along with the paying public, which I have always considered a very wise decision. After all, the public is spending their hard earned cash to attend a feature film at a Theatre, or Multiplex, and they have a right to expect value for their dollar.

Within Hollywood, it is common for industry people at attend free screenings, and it is an understandable perk: but it is also a two edged sword as well. Producer’s run the risk of becoming so insulated, and by doing so, losing touch with what a paying audience is connecting to. Often the entertainment media, and Hollywood is obsessed with the 'secret' to Pixar’s success - and the answers might be rather simple. Many Studios will, and can, cynically sound the notes without playing the music, of the Pixar formula, that is, to digress, if there is such a thing as a formula, which I personally doubt. The various production teams for Pixar have stressed the quality of the stories, as well as the care, and investment that goes into the characters they create, but a third secret to their success might be a willingness to stay connected with the paying public. In essence, they have found a way to follow the example of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, through their low key screenings, while astonishingly avoiding the scoops of on-line spoilers, that is, to my general knowledge, I don’t recall any revelations from the countless on-line movie news sites that exist, and circulate spoilers at a heavy rate in many cases these days.

So, how is this relevant to The X-Files, you might ask, The producers at 1013 Productions shared a similar savvy, in the mid nineties, of staying connected with the fans, and were accessible in a way, thus setting up a template that other television series use today, that was unusual for the time. One can still find examples of the forward thinking approach that Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter took with the public, while managing to not reveal plot points for the series. It was, indeed, a delicate balance. These are lessons that industry people need to continue to apply when considering the commercial material they release to the public.

The X-Files Lexicon's 5th Anniversary celebrations

2010-06-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

When I launched The X-Files Lexicon in May of 2005, all I really had were several pipe dreams, a vision and mission statement, and about a dozen pages. I could not have imagined what would develop, and I mean, I had no idea that we would have so much luck and be so fortunate, but we have been so. I have always felt like this website is the little engine that could, steady and slow, but it has reached or surpassed its objectives. Such fortune only drives myself, and other staffers, to produce better material. Red Scully, Robin and David will always be in my debt for starting on this journey with me. There’s more to come, rest assured, but it’s nice to step back for a moment, breath and look at what has been accomplished. Now onto all of the other goodies to come in 2010! – Matt Allair, webmaster and founder.

A while before I was asked to join The X-Files Lexicon staff as the editor, I used to have vivid dreams about working behind the scenes for The X-Files series. Being part of this significant website is a real privilege. I’m very, very thankful first to Red for recommending me and then to Matt for giving me this great opportunity. – Xscribe

When Matt told me that the X-Files Lexicon had reached its 5th anniversary my first thought was: "Has it only been 5 years?" In some ways it feels like the site has been around forever, always delivering quality content and interesting reads. I'm happy to be a part of it :) Congratulations, Matt - here's to another 5 years! – Jill

With its professional articles and interviews, the whole thing orchestrated by the ever-gracious Matt, the X-Files Lexicon has become a must for all Ten Thirteen fans! Five years is a long time in the internet world, but there's no end in sight: congratulations and long live the Lexicon! – Kimon - EatTheCorn.com

I'm very happy to contribute to this wonderful website because Matt is a very dedicated and efficient person that you automatically want to help. That's because he's also generous, incredibly patient and his passion is just positively contagious! It's been a pleasure to share a few pictures and artwork to add a bit of color to this amazing work. And all those interviews Matt keeps surprising us with are just little cherries on top of a delicious cake. :) – Polly

Congratulations on the Fifth Anniversary of the X-Files Lexicon. It's a great resource and a wonderful commemoration of a television series that meant so much to so many people. – Howard Gordon,
(Producer and Writer, “24” and “The X-Files”.)

Millennium fans were once described as being more restrained in their support of their franchise than X-Files fans. I would concur that this is true. When I began working on the Millennium Movie Campaign I realized the need for the Millennium Fan Community to put its head above the parapet and reach out to our brothers and sisters in the wider Ten Thirteen Fan Community for support. The first webmaster to respond with enthusiasm was Matt Allair. Though my time has come to an end on that score, the Millennium Fan Community continues to enjoy his support and we are grateful to the hand of friendship he has extended to us. I am grateful to the hand of friendship he has extended to me.

I am of the opinion that the output of Ten Thirteen encourages the support of tenacious, creative and intelligent folk who relish the sense of community our enjoyment of the shows encourages. Matt is a fine example of that opinion. Though our show has been off air for over a decade and we do not enjoy new material as our X-Files friends do, our continued efforts to support and celebrate our show is made all the easier thanks to the support of people like Matt. I am sure I speak on the behalf of the whole of Millennium Fan Community as I wish him, and The X-Files Lexicon, many more years of success and prominence. Here's to Matt!

This is who we are!

- Mark Hayden
www.tiwwa.info
www.lancehenriksen.info

When XF2 became a reality, one thing I knew I wanted to do this time around, was see the production up close and personal. When I had a chance to do this very thing in February of 2008, and wanted to share the experience with other fans, there was only one place I considered--The Lexicon. Matt has always been fair, generous and gracious in any correspondence, and so it was with delight that I offered him my synopsis of my Pemberton visit to the X Files set. In the ensuing time, the Lexicon has only gotten better. Congratulations, Matt, on making it to year five, and doing so with such integrity. I look forward to the next five years.
- Angie

X-Files Lexicon is a fantastic resource for any X-Files fan. A good place to call home for all Philes. Congratulations on reaching your own Season 5! – Matt Hurwitz (co-author of “The Complete X-Files”)

Congrats to Matt and crew on the fifth anniversary of XFL. Can't wait to see what's cooking for the tenth anniversary! Keep rocking. – Chris Knowles (co-author of “The Complete X-Files”, and creator of The Secret Sun Blog

I had no idea that I would end up as a writer for The X-Files Lexicon. It was a mere suggestion from a friend of mine, Mark Hayden, that told me that Matt Allair could use my useless knowledge of paranormal information for his website. Well, being an X-Files fan I couldn't pass this up. I am so happy being a part of the X-Files Lexicon Family - Joe McBrayer

Congratulations to Matt Allair and X-Files Lexicon on your 5th anniversary! Your ability to survive and thrive in this ever evolving digital world is due to one thing. Relevancy. Your site has remained an incredibly entertaining and informative resource to philes all around the globe. I personally poke around the site just for fun every now and then and smile when I realize we all share this site and this fandom in common. Congrats. – Jana Fain

Happy 5th Anniversary X-Files Lexicon! Congratulations for five years of quality X-Files news and information. I look forward to offering tenth anniversary congrats! - Maurisa - XfilesUniverse.com and XFilesUltimate.com

XFilesNews would like to wish the X-Files Lexicon a very happy 5th birthday! Congratulations on 5 years and here's to many, many more and an XF3 greenlight over the horizon! Thanks for Believing in the Future with us, Tiffany, Avi and the whole XFN Crew. – X-Files News

As a newish contributor to the Lexicon, writing articles for the site has been a fantastic experience for me. The sheer volume of knowledge on display, and the dedication of Matt and the entire staff, is astounding. As we see more and more authors leaving the community for various reasons, and long-time XF sites going down, it's heartening to have a place like The Lexicon holding strong and continuing to provide their readers with fresh material.

Just because the show is no longer on the air, that doesn't mean the fans are less interested. New people are watching the episodes on DVD every day, then heading out onto the Net to find sites and Philes with whom they can share their new-found interest. It's good to know The Lexicon will be there for them. Congratulations on your 5th anniversary! Five-times-five more years may you reign! – Mimic

Many congratulations on five years of the Lexicon! It's a terrific site, and does The X-Files proud. The series may be out of production, and its future still uncertain - but you all keep it alive. – Robert Shearman (author of “I Want To Believe: a critical guide to The X-Files, Millennium, & The Lone Gunmen”)

It has been a pleasure working with Matt and all the staff at The X-Files Lexicon. I enjoy contributing articles and sharing my memories with Phile alike.

Happy 5th Anniversary and here's to many more. – EF (Raskolnikov)

It's been a pleasure to be part of the X Files Lexicon universe and to help out the indefatigable Matt in his quest to provide the definitive guide to one of TV's most seminal shows on the net. It's remarkable (and highly gratifying) to me that a show that has been off air for quite some time now still commands such enormous affection and fervent feelings and I would like to think that the sterling work of Matt and my co-contributors has contributed a tiny part to that. Five years, eh? I'll have to celebrate with a marathon session of my favourite episodes. Let me see, "Beyond the Sea", "Irresistible", "Bad Blood", "Small Potatoes", "Tempus Fugit".... – Robin England

The Bava influence continued...

2010-05-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

"Movies are a magician’s forge; they allow you to build a story with your hands. Who knows... at least, that's what it means to me. What attracts me in movies is to be presented with a problem and be able to solve it. Nothing else; just to create an illusion, and effect, with almost nothing. That's the best thing about it." – Mario Bava

As I mentioned in my previous entry regarding Nicholas Meyer’s comment about "art thriving on limitations," that the production teams of The X-Files and Millennium share traits that are similar to the work and approach of Mario Bava. This great director thrived with working on low budget pictures. To a degree this was a conscious choice on his part, as he seemed to feel that by working on low budget pictures, he was allowed a freedom to craft his films to his vision without the interference of larger studios. While many might question why he never made his way to the United States to direct features for Hollywood, one reason was his preference to exclusively work in Italy, as well as this desire to have the creative freedom that low budget productions afforded him. This also drove him to be highly inventive. One classic example of his preference to work within limitations can be found in a story about the production budget of Danger: Diabolik. Dino De Laurentis had budgeted the film for three million dollars, and in an unprecedented outcome, Bava completed the film for around four-hundred thousand dollars, leaving enough to spare to direct a sequel! One of the reasons why I have a fondness for the early seasons of The X-Files was that due to limited budgets, they too were often forced to be inventive. The need to be inventive is a dying trait in a business that is offering younger directors every bell and whistle before it is truly earned.

When Bob Goodwin was interviewed in 2009, he did offer up that the visual look for The X-Files was inspired by Italian painter Caravaggio (1571-1610), which is interesting when you consider Bava’s initial interest in being a painter. One could speculate that the 1013 Productions team and Bava shared similar inspirations. When I interviewed cinematographer John S. Bartley in 2008, I questioned from a list of cinematographers who influenced him, and I asked about Mario Bava, and he did not cite Bava as a personal influence for the show. As of this writing, I have not interviewed Jon Coffin, Ron Stannett, Joel Ransom, or Bill Roe, and so I cannot cite any concrete evidence of Mario Brava’s visual work as an influence on The X-Files. This also holds true in regards to Millennium. I have not been in contact with Robert McLachlan, and hold no concrete evidence of a Bava influence on that series.

Possible Visual Influences

While The X-Files application of lighting for a shot tended to be more subtle, certain patterns reflecting the techniques of the Maestro Bava become hard to ignore. As cited below:

Black Sabbath – The Wurdulak / The X-Files – Firewalker

Bay of Blood (Twitch of the Death Nerve) / The X-Files – Conduit

Mario Bava, as well as the production teams for The X-Files and Millennium used locations as a key element of establishing a sense of place, atmosphere, and mood. In fact, horror films depend greatly on location to establish, psychologically, this sense of dread, or entering into another reality. Locations can also establish a sense of decay, Bay of Blood (1971), or something amiss, "Conduit."

The X-Files – The Post-Modern Prometheus / The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Chris Carter’s use of black and white in "Post-Modern Prometheus," as well as his framing may have been inspired by Frankenstein (1931), but they also share a striking similarity to Bava’s approach to compositional framing in The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1962). Could it have been an unconscious choice or influence?

Danger: Diabolik / The X-Files – Fight The Future

The use of back lighting, which is a common technique and does help to create depth, still does depend on the cinematographer having a psychological understanding of how best to create tension. Again, one could see a possible influence between this sequence from Diabolik (1968) and Fight The Future.

Hercules in The Haunted World / Millennium – The Time is Now

While this sequence from "The Time Is Now" might evoke the flavor of Dario Argento’s approach, Bava would utilize colors to create a psychological mood or a descent. For example, the descent into Hades from Hercules in the Haunted World (1961).

Rabid Dogs (Kidnapped) / The X-Files – Drive

Rabid Dogs (1974) has a visual directness, a dry and gritty feel; such an episode as "Drive" shares a similar sensibility.

Lisa and The Devil / Millennium – Force Manjure

Bava was known for using bold, innovative camera angles. Aside from the beautiful composition of this shot of Telly Savalas in Lisa and the Devil (1973), one could see the same sensibility of low angle camera blocking in this Millennium episode with Brad Dourif. As a matter of fact, this shot would not be out of place in the film, Bay of Blood.

Hercules In the Haunted World / Planet of the Vampires / The X-Files – Fight The Future

The use of artificial color schemes in many of Bava’s films, through the use of colored gels in the lighting rig, the heavy use of green to create an otherworldly atmosphere, as demonstrated in Hercules in the Haunted World (1961) and Planet of the Vampires (1965), could be seen in the ending sequence of Fight The Future.

The X-Files – The Post Modern Prometheus / The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Often, it was not only in the lighting that helped to create a mood or flavor, but the compositional choices; the floral patterns in the window light from The Girl Who Knew Too Much added additional textures. This sequence from The X-Files’ "Post-Modern Prometheus" would not be too out of place in Bava’s film from 1962.

Black Sabbath (The Drop of Water) / The X-Files – Dod Kalm

Two stills: The Whip and the Body (1963) / Millennium – The Fourth Horseman

The use of colors to evoke a sense of isolation, especially blue, could be seen in the Drop of Water sequence from Bava’s masterpiece Black Sabbath (1963), the pulsating neon light through the window adding tension. Or the light from the decaying ship in The X-Files’ "Dod Kalm", or the isolation of Daliah Lavi, or the ghostly hand of Christopher Lee from The Whip and The Body (1963), as well as the quarantine segment from Millennium’s "The Fourth Horsemen."

While all of the above examples cannot cite proof of an influence, one could be left to speculate that a second or third generation influence impacted the choices of many of the cinematographers who worked on The X-Files or Millennium.

I would strongly recommend to not just rely on viewing clips of Bava’s work on YouTube, but to invest in many of the titles now available on DVD. Bava’s films have to be fully experienced. Anchor Bay has re-released a number of titles, including two box sets that feature the bulk if his important films. Volume 1 includes, Black Sunday, Black Sabbath, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Knives of the Avenger, and Kill, Baby...Kill. Volume 2 includes, Four Times That Night, Five Dolls for An August Moon, Roy Colt & Winchester Jack, Bay of Blood, Baron Blood, both versions of Lisa and the Devil, and both versions of Rabid Dogs. Anchor Bay has also re-issued Erik The Conqueror. The quality of all of these packages is excellent. Fantoma has released an excellent DVD print of Hercules In The Haunted World. Paramount Video has re-issued an excellent copy of Danger: Diabolik. VCI Entertainment has issued excellent prints of The Whip and The Body, and Blood and Black Lace, packed with extras. MGM / Midnight Movies has a basic print of Planet of the Vampires still available. Blue Underground has re-issued Shock. Image Entertainment did have a sizable catalogue of Bava films available, before they were discontinued, and some of the titles can still be found.

Special thanks to Xscribe for her assistance. X-Files and Millennium still images courtesy of Chrisnu, Most stills from Bava films were primarily taken from this site, as well various sources.

The X-Files, Millennium, and Mario Bava?

2010-04-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

It might not be much of a secret to people who have followed the work I do with The X-Files Lexicon, of my obsessional passion for Italian genre director Mario Bava. I regard Bava with rather high esteem, and his work reflects an example, a philosophy in action, of another favorite film director, who happens to have an exceptional intellect and fascinating mind, Nicholas Meyer, director of Star Trek II and VI, as well as the terrific genre film, Time After Time. Meyer has often argued that "art thrives on limitations," and I feel that this philosophy is equally demonstrated throughout The X-Files, Millennium, as well as the overall body of work of the Maestro himself, Bava.

Black Sunday (The Mask of Satan)

Since the time that I posted a thread on the Lexicon Forum recommending Bava websites, interest in that thread has remained high which just validates that others must share a curiosity about Bava’s work. While Italian genre directors Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci tend to be more celebrated, and were more commercially successful than the great director, Bava laid the groundwork that allowed for their later success. While I can’t argue that Bava’s visual sensibilities influenced the cinematographers that worked on The X-Files and Millennium, I can speculate that there was a second or third generation of influence.

The X-Files – Gender Bender

Having just made that point, I realize that comparisons could be made with any filmmaker. Chris Carter has cited Silence of the Lambs as an inspiration for the series, and of course, Tak Fujimoto’s visual sensibility in Demme’s classic cannot be ignored, but it becomes difficult to just gloss over or ignore, the visual sensibility and style of Bava’s work in subsequent film artists. No one creatively lives in a vacuum, and unconscious influences come into play.

About Mario Bava

Throughout his career, Bava embodied the philosophy of art thriving on limitations. He is now seen by many as the Italian Hitchcock of his generation. Mario Bava was born on July 30, 1914 in San Remo, Italy. He was the son of cinematographer and visual effects technician Eugenio Bava. The boy was so entrenched within the Italian film industry, and the influence of his father was so profound, that Mario gave up his initial desire to become a painter to pursue a career as a cinematographer. Bava started as an assistant, working alongside such cinematographers as Massimo Terzano and Jacquez Tourneur. Bava became a cinematographer in his own right by 1939. In 1956, after director Riccardo Freda left the project he was working on, I, Vampiri (The Devil’s Commandment), due to a dispute with the producers, Bava was forced to finish the film. Delivering the project on time and finished, Bava gained enough of a good reputation for saving pictures, that by the time Freda abandoned another project, 1959’s Caltiki, The Immortal Monster, Bava finished that film as well. It was during this period that Bava was the cinematographer of the Hercules films that starred Steve Reeves. Due to his impressive work, Galatea Films offered him to direct a film of his choice. That film, The Mask of Satan (Black Sunday) (1960), became of one the most groundbreaking debuts in the history of genre cinema, and made a star out of Barbara Steele. The film itself which was loosely inspired by Russian writer, Nikolai Gogol’s 19th Century short story, "Viy", was one of the most unique tales about vampirism and witchcraft ever produced. It demonstrated his mastery of filming in black and white, as well as crafting the template for the kind of period gothic horror films he was known for.

Clip from Black Sunday

Yet Bava was never a one-note filmmaker. He followed Black Sunday with a pair of sword and sandal adventures, Hercules in the Haunted World with Christopher Lee, and Erik The Conqueror with Cameron Mitchell (1961). He then produced one of the first Giallo thrillers, The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1962), starring a young John Saxon. In 1963, Bava directed his horror anthology The Three Faces of Fear (Black Sabbath) with Boris Karloff in one segment. This film is often considered his next masterpiece, and considered one of the best anthologies produced. The lesser known The Whip and The Body is regarded as one of the most darkly romantic horror tales produced, a ghostly psychological tale that starred Christopher Lee as a sadistic aristocrat, tormenting the stunning Daliah Lavi. Lee’s character, Kurt, had been engaged to Nevenka (Lavi) but was cast out by the family, when his affairs and sadistic desires drove another girl to suicide. Kurt returns, along with his sadistic ways, until he is murdered by unseen forces. Nevenka is driven to madness by sightings of Kurt’s ghost which builds to its darkly ironic ending.

In 1964, Bava tackled his first Western, Road to Fort Alamo, and his next Giallo thriller Blood and Black Lace (Six Women for the Murderer), which set the template for future slasher films, yet the fundamental difference between this film, aside from a wonderful visual flare, is the fact that there’s a dark, ironic, fatalism that separates it from later fare. In 1965, Bava directed his first Science Fiction horror film, Planet of the Vampires (The Demon Planet), a film whose influence could be very much seen in the first half of Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979). 1966 was a very prolific year, seeing another Western produced, Savage Gringo, a comedy sequel, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, another sword and sandal adventure, Knives of the Avenger, which manages to be more reflective than his previous sword and sandal epics, as well as another gothic horror film that is regarded highly by Bava enthusiasts, Kill, Baby... Kill (Operation Fear), a film that even Martin Scorsese has cited as an influence. In 1967, Producer Dino De Laurentis brought in Bava to direct Diabolik (Danger: Diabolik), which was based on an Italian comic book, co-starring John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell, Adolfo Celi, and Terry Thomas, as well as the only time that Bava worked with composer Ennio Morricone. The film was released at the start of 1968. Many comic book enthusiasts regard the film as one of the best adaptations ever, in part due to Bava’s understanding as to why the comic book format works. Diabolik is an anti-hero, and technically a terrorist, and yet outwits the authorities throughout most of the film, and considered by many to be one of the most enjoyable films he directed.

Clip from Diabolik

The general consensus is that Bava’s work started to go into a gradual decline from this period onward, in part due to struggles with securing financial backers, as well as having to pander to the type of exploitation fare that was marketable. In 1969, Bava directed another Giallo thriller with a clever psychological twist, Hatchet for the Honeymoon, as well as a sex comedy with a Rashomon theme, Four Times That Night. In 1970, he tackled a comedy western Roy Colt & Winchester Jack, as well as another thriller, Five Dolls for an August Moon. 1971 saw a film that would have a great influence, Bay of Blood (Twist of the Death Nerve). Filmmakers Sean Cunningham and Steve Miner admitted borrowing heavily from Bava’s film for Friday the 13th and its sequel. Yet, in spite of the fact that the film featured some brutal murders, there was a dark irony and fatalism to the film that distinguished it from the usual slasher film, therefore the various characters committing the mayhem are driven to do so out of greed.

Bava went back to a gothic horror film in 1972 with Baron Blood, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek film that co-starred Joseph Cotton and Elke Sommer. That next year, due to the commercial success of Baron Blood, he produced one of his best films, Lisa and the Devil in 1973, a Euro art house film that starred Telly Salvalas, and again Elke Sommer in a film that played like an extended dream or nightmare. In what should have been a triumph for Bava turned into a humiliation when the film was re-cut and new footage added to pander to the Exorcism craze, with the inferior House of Exorcism. 1974 saw the production of Rabid Dogs (Kidnapped), a taut crime thriller whose sensibilities predate the work of Quentin Tarantino. The film is more grounded in reality than his previous work, with one of the most bitterly ironic statements about human nature he was to make throughout the body of his work, but the film ran into trouble when its financial backer died, and the film was put on hold, not to be fully realized until it finally saw the light of day in 1996. His last film, co-directed with his son Lamberto Bava, Shock in 1977, was another contemporary horror film touching on the same themes of The Whip and the Body. That involved an uneasy relationship between a mother and her very young son, and the death of the father who was a criminal. Mario Bava died on April 25, 1980 due to a heart attack, just after providing visual effects to his contemporary, Dario Argento, for the film Inferno.

Bava once commented about his work and what drives his interests:

"My fantasies are always horrible. For example, I love my young daughter more than anything else in the world, but when I dream of her it’s always frightening. Do you want to know what character is haunting my subconscious? A violinist who serenades the woman he loves by playing on the tendons of his arms. Everyday life works on my imagination. Just this morning I found a letter--still sealed--from a friend who has since died, written to me ten years ago. It was like receiving a letter from a dead person. What would you do in my place? I burned it..."

Bava’s films were often criticized for the artificial aspects of their visuals, and yet the ends did justify the means. Many critics missed the point; there was a dream-like, heightened reality to his best work. Due to his background as second generation filmmaker, he had such a profound understanding of the medium of his craft, and this could be no better illustrated than in the black and white photographic work of The Mask of Satan. Nearly all old school cinematographers understood that color registers differently in the emulsion of black and white photography. The old masters understood this and used it to their advantage. For example, the work of photographer Authur Edeson, and make-up artist Jack Pierce in Frankenstein (1931). For the ending sequence where Princess Asa tries to take the life-force of Katia, the effect of her rapid emaciation was done with special make-up and a light dimming switcher with different color gels, one of countless examples of his mastery, as well with using glass-mattes, cutouts, and miniatures to create photo realistic visuals.

For a long time Bava’s work was dismissed as exploitation fare, and it was due to the acknowledged influences on Bava from directors like Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante, and Quentin Tarantino, as well as the life long and tireless advocacy of critics like Tim Lucas and Troy Howarth, that his films have been reexamined. We will continue with examples of the Bava influence on The X-Files and Millennium.

To be continued...

Special thanks to Xscribe for her assistance. X-Files and Millennium still images courtesy of Chrisnu, Most stills from Bava films were primarily taken from this site, as well various sources, You Tube clips courtesy of Giantfish2, and Monster4josh.

The 'M' Word

2010-04-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Script review of unpublished Darin Morgan script for The Night Stalker – "The ‘M’ Word"

The seminal early 70s series, The Night Stalker, which had a profound impact on Chris Carter during his development of The X-Files, was a show that involved Carl Kolchak’s pursuits into the unknown, usually this involved a Monster of the week, To anyone who is unaware, Frank Spotnitz developed a new retooling of the series for ABC in 2005, that lasted only a half season unfortunately. The obligatory Monster was a major component of both versions of this series, and so it was inevitable that someone would tackle this conceit head on. That person would be none other than Darin Morgan.

One of the greatest misfortunes within the cancellation of Frank Spotnitz's take on the classic series that originally starred Darin McGavin, The Night Stalker, was the missed opportunity of seeing another Morgan script get produced. That script, "The 'M' Word", examines elements behind the mythology of the Monster. One of the more insightful comments that Robert Shearman offered in his interview was the following:

"I think that Darin Morgan is a brilliant iconoclast. I think that what Darin Morgan liked doing was sort of destroying stuff. He does it very, very well in Millennium actually. There's that great episode, Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense, but that's wonderful because actually, what it really does, it looks at Millennium: The series, and it holds up to the light and Darin Morgan points out everything that he thinks is wrong with it."

With this script, Darin took the same approach with The Night Stalker, held it up to the light and pointed out it's absurdities, as well as the absurdities in life. Yet, Morgan was not just riffing, out of disrespect, on the genres he satires, he has pointed out in past interviews that he is not intending to write satire, but like Mark Twain, he points out the ironies and tragedies found in many people’s lives.

The script begins with a full moon, a pair of stoned kids, on a mountain trail, are talking about Werewolves, when upon hearing a scream, they find a Park Ranger being attacked by something that can’t be described. After the creature escapes, the kids and the ranger discover a body that’s half devoured. Reed inquires to the ranger about what happened, who explains he was warning the victim about wandering the trails at night, before they are both attacked. Reed assumes it was a mountain Lion, but the pair of stoner kids insists that wasn’t the case. Enter in Carl Kolchak, who takes them at face value that something other than a mountain lion was responsible.

This begins one of the brilliant themes in the first couple of acts in the script, differing points of view about what was perceived, everyone describes the creature differently, again this Rashomon theme has played out before with The X-Files, “Bad Blood”, for example. Reed and Kolchak have an incredulous exchange before the stoners arrive at a description that what they saw was reptilian. While Reed is questioning the grieving mother, an older man observes Reed and Kolchak, while, muttering "Why?"

Already the script seems to be making a reference towards a phrase from Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’ – "This is not happening!" Even the Sherriff is annoyed with Kolchak until they stumble on a lair in a secluded area that is piled with half eaten human remains. At the Beacon, Kolchak asks illustrator Whitley to sketch a description of the creature. Reed manages the assistance of a Beacon staffer with a contact for an animal expert, while Kolchak uses the same staffer to identify the creature sketch as something resembling a horny toad. The staffer further explains that these reptiles shoot blood out of their eye sockets as a form of defense. Then, Kolchak is dismissed by his editor, Vincenzo, about the monster story.

After the Monster has terrorized a hooker named Babycat, whom has escaped, Kolchak interviews her, Babycat adds that the Monster was wearing underwear. After another encounter with Vincenzo, Reed reveals evidence that personal effects were found with another victim, and that the monster is quite human after-all. Kolchak follows McManus to the result of another attack, here is where there is another example of Darin’s brilliant abilities as a writer in destroying the very structure of a show he is writing. During Kolchak’s monologue, there’s a montage of Kolchak and McManus walking through alley way’s, they stop at a hot dog stand, and the monologue stops as they eat, then continues when they walk, thus poking fun at the monologue technique of the series. McManus and Kolchak debate over if they can call this creature a monster, or if that work was already taken in Frankenstein, another post modern reexamining of pop culture. McManus suggests "Lizardo", which again harkens back to the circus freak / Barnum theme of "Humbug", or could be a nod to Chris Carter’s own “Mutato” from "The Post-Modern Prometheus" episode.

McManus and Kolchak find another body, and while taking pictures, give chase to the "Lizardo" suspect, they lose the creature, but it reaches McManus and sprays him with blood, after McManus collects himself they continue the chase to find a man in a port-a-potty, the same man who was mumbling "Why?", and he reveals himself to be Guy Mann. Back at the Beacon, they can’t identify anything in the roll of pictures they have taken, but the sequence deftly illustrates an aspect of what happens with people who read into anything concerning with photo evidence of the paranormal, seeing something that isn't there. Kolchak suggests to McManus to not wash the blood off of his soiled shirt, so that it can be analised for evidence. After an exchange of catch-up with Reed, they re-visit the Ranger with further questions, as well as to identify the character known as Guy Mann, at this point, normally this should be the red-herring to the reader of something amiss regarding the Ranger. Kolchak manages to "borrow" the Ranger's bloody shirt from the first attack.

After another police report, they visit the manager of a seedy hotel, with facial cuts and a destroyed room from the suspect they have been pursuing. The man is clearly upset about something, and there’s an exchange that has Darin’s typical ironic humor.

KOLCHAK:
There was mention of a “Monster”?

MANAGER:
He had the nerve to call me that, right before he
conks me on the head with a chair. I only asked
him to pay his bill. That makes me a monster?

KOLCHAK:
Of course not.

MANAGER:
Obviously. Now, please – go away, or I’ll kill you.

Kolchak heads to his car, but after finding a hotel room open, investigates, finds a pill bottle on a night table prescribed to “Guy Mann” from a Dr. Rumanovich. It’s hard to say if this is a word play on Rumination, but this character does just that, as he explains to Kolchak, one of countless Dragon slaying mythologies, and points out to Kolchak that it is easier to believe in monsters, then to believe monsters are within us, in a later scene. Kolchak finds a crawlspace in the hotel that leads him back to the manager’s office, Kolchak manipulates the manager into telling his story, of finding this lizard like creature residing in one of his rooms, who sees the thing transform into Guy Mann.

Reed finds “Lizardo”, Guy at a Monster Donut, which Kolchak races to, only to find Guy has escaped again, after trashing the shop. She also reveals that the police have just arrested the murderer. Kolchak finds Guy Mann at a cemetery, studying a sculpture of Saint George slaying the Dragon. Guy asks Kolchak “Why?” in a touching scene.

KOLCHAK:
Why?

GUY:
Because I don’t understand, We go through all
of the drudgery and heartbreak in life…just to
end up here?

KOLCHAK:
It doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it?

GUY:
It doesn’t make any sense, nothing will ever make
sense to me again.

Guy reveals he learned a few days earlier that everyone dies. This is where the story takes a brilliant 90 degree turn, and twists the monster mythology, as well as a reverse of the Werewolf origin. After a failed attempt by Guy to try and have Kolchak kill him, in the fabled manner of Saint George, Guy explains that his natural state is as a giant horned lizard, but he was attacked by a human, and bitten several days earlier, he was attacked by the Park Ranger, who has been responsible for the, what could only be described as psychotic cannibal attacks, terrible murders. That these transformations are not only physical but mental as well, Guy becomes self-aware and Guy has been appalled at the state of being human.

The character is baffled by clothing, or having a job, which he manages to secure a job through B.S., or feelings of lust, or infatuation, in this case the hooker, Babycat, who in actuality is a Transvestite, as well as Guy explaining his version on the assault of the hotel manager.

Daily, mundane things we take for granted, Guy looks at with horror.

Guy even wants to take revenge on the person who did this to him, which he realizes isn’t healthy, and which is why he went to Dr. Rumanovich, but the doctor offered no solutions. When Guy does find the Park ranger, it is to his horror that he sees another attack. Noting that the attack by a human was far more savage than anything he’s witnessed by his fellow animal companions.

The Script offers several clever twists, and while I won’t elaborate on the final, it manages to have us reexamine our assumptions. While I can’t say “The ‘M’ Word” is completely on par with Darin’s other X-Files and Millennium opus’s, it does have countless moments of brilliance. You can download a PDF file of the script from the interactive material on The Night Stalker: Complete Series DVD.

To close, from the reoccurring gag line: "Did it have one eye, or three?"

Belief From A Third Eye

2010-03-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

"Belief From A Third Eye."

A review of Robert Shearman’s critical guide to The X-Files, by Matt Allair

Episode guides, as well as reviews, seem to be a common aspect of fandom, as well as the product made available to fans. Why we are drawn to this material is an interesting question to ponder; it might have to with this desire to connect with others, and this search for validation, to seek a confirmation that others share the same opinion about any given episode. Perhaps it has to do with gauging others’ reaction to collectively shared material, and perhaps that by gauging that reaction, it confirms our own thoughts about specific episodes. That’s one of the reasons why such a site like The X-Files Lexicon was created. Whatever the case, there seems to be a continuing market for product that deals with analysis and criticism. Robert Shearman has aimed to appeal to such a market with his newest book and first piece of work critiquing a series he wasn’t directly involved with: "Wanting to Believe: a critical guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen," published by Mad Norwegian Press.

The trend of established authors writing critical pieces is nothing new of course, and this also applies to reviews of genres. Stephen King wrote his critical work Danse Macabre at the start of the 80s, and then there is H.P. Lovecraft’s famous piece, Supernatural Horror in Literature. In a sense, Robert Shearman is following in that tradition by honoring his attention to the productions of Chris Carter. The book is unauthorized, and Mr. Shearman had no connection with anyone from Twentieth-century Fox and Ten-Thirteen productions, which naturally allowed him an objective freedom to access the shows and episodes on their own merits. The book is structured in a chronological order based on air date. In other words, Seasons one through four of The X-Files is reviewed, and then season one of Millennium, season five of The X-Files and then the second season of Millennium, then The X-Files feature, and so on…The intent of doing this seems to be to lay out the progression of the shows in the order in which they were produced by Ten-Thirteen Productions during this period.

The book is laid out, after a very personable introduction that really captures the anticipation that was building up, prior to the release of the film, "I Want To Believe," with a brief synopsis of the episodes for both shows, as well as synopsis of the X-Files films, written by Lars Pearson, and then a critique from Mr. Shearman. The usual information of the writer, director, and air date is provided, however, from a technical standpoint, this is my biggest complaint about the book, as I would have preferred the inclusion of each episode’s editor and cinematographer, as I have always felt that those technical areas were equally as important in shaping key aspects for both The X-Files, and Millennium, as were the writers and directors that told the stories.

This brings us to the most fundamental point about this book, the critiques. Do they achieve their intended aim and are they engrossing to read? The answer is yes. While I personally might fundamentally disagree with some of the critiques, and I do, that is beside the point. Critiques are objective, after all. It is Mr. Shearman’s prose style, his sense of humor, as well as a kind of lightness to his writing, that approaches the reader in a way that is relatable and that manages to not condensed to the reader, even when he is being scathing about his lowest review markings of episodes. While he is candid, he doesn’t strike me as malicious, and he does clarify his arguments frequently.

I should obviously concede a point that some might raise--if this judgment is based on the merits of the book or colored by an awareness of his high regard within the British critical community? My reaction is based on the fact that it is a well written, engaging, and entertaining read, which fans might enjoy, or appreciate, even in cases where they don’t necessarily agree with every critique. I hope that his forthrightness will not a stumbling block for which to give fans to a fair opportunity to judge “Wanting To Believe” on their own, as many might find the book quite valuable as a casual resource.

A recommended read.

Special Thank you to XScribe for editing this piece.

Please check out our exclusive interview with Robert Shearman

"Seeing is Believing" Continued...

2010-02-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

Last January, I wrote a piece warning about taking photo and video documentation at face value. To reiterate, for Ufologists, or believers in the Paranormal, or alternative theories, should allow a degree of skepticism, in any visual documentation – again, "Seeing is Believing" isn’t often true or prudent.

The following photograph is interesting, isn't it? A friend from Oregon might have taken this picture.

Recently, I took the following video on a fairly early morning.

Strange, and a little creepy, indeed.

Let’s go back to that photo…

I have to confess, I created this photo as a fabrication, while the sources were from other UFO images, this was created using Photoshop and Illustrator. Special thank you must go out to BJ Booth, for his gracious permission.

And while I did indeed take the video, it was on a stormy day, with heavy winds that were pounding the window’s of an apartment above me, and during a moment when the sun had broken out to cast a light reflection on the adjacent window. The light reflection throbbed, a hint of a human shape could be seen. But I have a very talented, old friend named Mark Solario, adept with such film software as After Effects and Final Cut, who manipulated the image to make an otherwise mundane image look paranormal.

There was a time, in the early history of UFO and Paranormal documentation, up through the 70s where it was more difficult to create Hoaxes, but with the advent of photo-realistic digital technology in the 90s, as illustrated above, it is all too easy to pull from sources and create any scenario.

Which brings us to the event in Norway last December 2009, the photos and videos, I admit, looked strange, and while I have doubts it was a failed Russian rocket test, as some have claimed, I also have been left wondering if this was an artificial event?

While this clearly doesn’t qualify as sharing any similarities to the manufactured photo and video I illustrated above, as there were countless video and film documentations of the event from various locations in that region, My first thought, my first impression, the actual image reminded me of the Spiral Galaxy animations that could be found at a Planetarium / Lazarium.

Could this have been an image projected into the Nordic skies, using a powerful Lazar Holographic projection system? If this was a staged hoax, it was a rather expensive one, as such a projection systems, from what I understand, and even if they exist, are cost prohibitive. Then there is the question as to why someone would stage something so elaborate without it being connected to some promotion campaign? I can’t say, perhaps to remind people that there is more to this planet than we have been conditioned to accept.

To those who do want to believe, the best advice is to not believe so fervently that you become blind to the fact when something isn’t there. Or to paraphrase Mr. Sherlock Holmes: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Ultimately, finding the truth, that should the aim of such a journey.

Special thank you must go to BJ Booth for his permission of using the following photos here and here from his site.

A great thank you must go to Mark Solario for his incredible work in the production of that video clip. If you are interested Mark’s other work, you can reach him at the following E-mail: marksolario@me.com

Spiral Norway UFO image pulled from Chris Knowles' Secret Sun Blog site.

UK Print Blast from the Past

2010-01-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

Does anyone really remember the 90s? To paraphrase Robert Plant's quip "Does anybody remember laughter?" from early 70s live versions of Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven". It’s funny how nostalgic one can already feel about the culture from over a decade ago, when paranoia and conspiracy was a form of entertainment, and you didn't have grounds to feel that such ideas could be legitimate. What a difference a decade has made. Lexicon Staff contributor Robin England came across some interesting material, and it has been decided to include it here on the Lexicon Blog, Robin posted the following comments, as well as forwarded scans of the magazine pages, which are included below.

So, I was just rummaging through some old editions of Empire magazine - a movie magazine we have over here in the UK - this one dated February 1996 when they reviewed "The Unopened File" - which was the first video release of TXF in the UK, a feature edit of Anasazi, The Blessing Way and Paper Clip. Made for quite a fun read. I was thinking of putting it on the blog but I don't know how! Anyway, here it is: - Robin

With runs on Sky and BBC2, the investigations of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully have become compulsory viewing for all those who like their thrillers tight, witty and with weirdness off the scale. So this, the first of four special video releases planned for '96, is an absolute must, as it begins with the cliffhanger ending of series two, and concludes the story with the start of series three - not yet broadcast in this country. As a package, it's near faultless: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have already achieved a compelling chemistry in the lead roles, and they're well served here by a sharply written script from series creator Chris Carter. All this in a tale that encompasses the X-Files staples: Indian mysticism, extra-terrestrials, human experimentation, and a global governmental conspiracy that makes JFK's assassination look like a picnic on a grassy knoll. For nail-biting suspense, pacey storytelling and top drawer sci-fi entertainment, it doesn't get any better than this. Trust no one, but enjoy. (5 stars)

In my humble opinion, anything that includes reviews of The Stone Roses, or the Human League can’t be all that bad in my book.

The Ophiuchus Code, Pt 2

2010-01-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

(The following is pure speculation and observations, possible true and false assumptions, there's nothing definitive in the following points. -MA)

The Lost Book images continued

One of the problems with contemporary interpretations of Nostradamus's work, from my estimate, is the failure to contextualize his work. I have often argued in my own approach in interviewing artists for the X-Files Lexicon, that one's personal experience, will impact one's creative output. Therefore it stands to reason that Nostradamus’s personal experience colored his work as a prophet. It's bound to, he lived to see his wife and children die, he was ostracized,
he lived during one of the bleakest periods in human history; with the black plague running rampant in Europe, as well as the iron will of the church, or various monarchies that waged a kind of tribal war.

It stands to reason that he would interpret his visions as dire, and that some of the coded messages could be wish fulfillment, especially in light of the oppressive rule of the Pope and the Catholic church. He was obviously a shrewd enough man to avoid arrest, which we'll get to in a moment. It is also likely that most of the prophecies related to his time, more than ours. It is with irony to point out, some have observed, Nostradamus himself did tell astrologers to stay away from his quatrains, knowing that astrologers would interpret certain symbols as relating to specific time and dates.

I have also commented recently about having a point of reference in order to process what we cannot comprehend. Therefore, how do we know, if we take at face value Nostradamus's abilities as a seer, that he could interpret visions he could have no point of reference for? After all, mechanized birds, or horseless carriages were centuries away from being invented. From an astrological standpoint, he had no knowledge of the existence of Galaxies. A great many of his quatrains are filled with references that would make sense in his day, but to the majority of contemporary eyes, these references are lost.

While many of the watercolor panels found in the lost book depict various events, the overthrow of governments, mass slaughters, as well as the decline of religious institutions, The last handful of Images are symbolic, and problematic, as they are open to endless interpretations.

One group of images has been interpreted to represent the end of male (hierarchical) Consciousness, as the rebirth of the feminine.

Another group of images have been interpreted as female energies through the passage of time, and humanity coming full circle and moving into the heart.

There's a dozen watercolor images, which are purely symbolic, and are open to a swath of interpretations. While the History channel program, Nostradamus: The Lost Book offered it's own interpretations, blogger Seven Star Hand has offered a scathing critique and counter interpretation to conventional thinking.

Posted is a general collection of these images, Plate 66 has been interpreted as a Christian reference to the Messiah, Plate 67 has been interpreted as a celestial alignment at the time of 2012. On the text of the book, one can read two lines that can be read as "One Male", and this has been interpreted as a consciousness program created by one male. Other's see, adjacent to the text, a mushroom cloud, and they argue our future could go either way, self destruction or self preservation. Plate 68 has been interpreted as the fact that the ribbon is set in motion, change, the old tree of life being defeated, and a new tale is spun. Now, Plate 69 has been interpreted as a reference to the Middle East, but the half moon, could mean many things, this plate could be a conflict between male and female hierarchy, and the scale could represent an eventual balance between this conflict. Plate 70 could represent the female archetype who must now recreate, example Isis, Mary, Mother, the Phoenix. Plate 71 could represent the seven spoked wheel of Karma moving into an 8, The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The End.

Plate 72 could represent no more pages in the book, a clean slate, the stag is a well known medieval allegory for Christ, it also represents rejuvenation, re-birth, and the passage of time.

The Millennium and Ophiuchus

Now let's get back to Ophiuchus, Nostradamus practiced Astrology as a means to an end and used a 13 Zodiac system. Ophiuchus is known as the 13th sign and is known as the lost sign, and it falls between Sagittarius and Scorpio, from a Greek mythological standpoint Ophiuchus is known as the Snake Holder, Ophiuchus represents the healer Asclepius, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs, Under protest from Hades of Asclepius, Zeus killed him with a bolt of lightening, but later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works. It has been noted that the constellation Ophiuchus is placed in close proximity to Sagittarius, which at various points has been believed to represent Chiron, who was the mentor to Asclepius and other Demigods. Chiron was a great healer and the last of the Centaurs in Greek mythology, he was wise, kind and noble. Chiron’s nobility is reflected in his death as he sacrificed his life, allowing mankind to obtain the use of fire.

From a astronomical standpoint, Ophiuchus is a large constellation around the celestial equator, it is located between Aquila, Serpens, and Hercules, northwest of the center of the Milky Way, The Interposition of his body divides the snake constellation into two parts, Serpens Caput, Serpens Cauda, which are nonetheless counted as one constellation (personal observation, could this divide represent duality? Self Destruction / Self Preservation?) If you draw a line from Sagittarius’s arrow, to the top of Scorpios' tail, and draw a line, it would go through the exact center of the galaxy, or dark riff. It is believed there will be an alignment between our sun and the dark rift, an alignment that hasn’t occurred for thirteen thousand years, and the next alignment us believed to be ready to occur by 2012.

Panel 35 might be the most crucial watercolor to interpret. Again, a Rorschach test could be applied to how this kind of symbolism is interpreted, of course I have commented on this point about the interpretation of symbols before. Much of this panel might be referencing Astrological signs, Leo, sign known for being wrapped in certainty and absolutes, a possible reference to Virgo, a sign this is known for being self questioning and sometime lacking confidence, in other words, doubt. As well as a possible rending of Ophiuchus in the left corner. There seems to be a deity that has stopped the center wheel, or could be controlling the center wheel, as well as a Phoenix beside the hand, again a symbol of re-birth. There is an image of an eagle, in which during Nostradamus's time represented Scorpio.

Ellie's interpretation, the person who consulted on the History channel, comes from a more Christian scholar perspective, and is more ominous, The seven spoke wheel / wheel of time – Karma, moves to eight – infinity as yet unwritten. The wheel of time and Karma comes to a halt, the hourglass empty, and the tale of the Lion complete. The peacock goes to ascension through the eye at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Eye, The hand of God, the scribe and the peacock control time. There’s the problems of the images in the center of the wheel, three look like sleek birds, and the other image looks like a modern city, and Ellie has interpreted this to be a reference to the attack on New York, 9/11. It is hard to ignore these images as a historical flashpoint, to a pivotal moment on earth. Yet our actions can always determine the outcome, bear in mind, freewill and choice might play a large part that possible outcome. Blogger, ta2025, offered another interpretation which can be found here.

The Wheel is the Grand Alignment, the intersection of the Divine Cross and the Mundane Cross. It appears that God is still being given the credit for setting the "Wheel in motion". Ophiuchus is pictured in the lower left. Many of the other symbols are probably astrological as well. It might be showing a star map, showing the proper placement and orientation for an event.

Not, once again, to be flip, but men have always interpreted Eclipses as well as Galactic alignments to be significant, perhaps it's intrinsic to human nature to do so. Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey" makes countless references to alignments, and note the Monolith, a harbinger and sentinel guide to evolution.

Let's look at the Mayan Calendar, there's been a lot of misconception regarding an ancient system, that really requires some investigation to fully absorb, in essence, December 21, 2012 is simply the last day of the 13th b'ak'tun, a long count period. For the Mayan's it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a cycle. There’s no evidence the Mayan's believed the world would end, I'd suggest reviewing this subject here and here.

I do have a fundamental problem with the way the History channel program attempts to shoehorn the Mayan calendar, with Nostradamus and the Revelation of John. Nostradamus predicted the end of the world would be 3786 or 3797, and even the Mayan Calendar, based on the Long Count cycle, estimates a final cycle of October, 4772

Let's go back and review the opening composite image from part 1.

The Ouroboros often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, cycles that begin anew as soon as they end, example the Phoenix. To reference a thread from Ron Moore’s "Battlestar: Galactica", "Everything that has happened before will happen again." – The Alpha and Omega

Here's another way of looking at Ophiuchus, the Snake Holder and The Ouroboros, if the Ouroboros represents cycles, perhaps Ophiuchus is showing us how to control or change those cycles? Could Ophiuchus be illustrating to us a way to hold destruction at bay? Again to reference a thread from "Terminator 2" – No Fate But What We Make.

Or from the season three final of Millennium, - We are all shepherds.

Cycles (Some Possible ways out)

Nostradamus himself might have set an example with his how to view his work, by his own actions. During the period, Circa 1555 / 1566, while he advised Catherine De Medicis, many of his detractors called for his arrest as a heretic for his Prophetic visions. He foresaw a two week period where he was vulnerable to arrest and execution during the Inquisition, he took great pains to stay in isolation, and this window of vulnerability passed. Perhaps he demonstrated, with this example, the best approach to interpret his work, to view it as an educational tool of possible future events, driven by an understanding of human nature. Perhaps his quatrains should be view as poetic parables, illustrating not set events, but several options. Perhaps Nostradamus was all too aware of the endless cycles in human history, not withstanding cosmic of natural catastrophes, of wars driven by religion or property, poverty as a social means towards control, and the abuse of natural resources. One component of Buddhist philosophy is the idea that we create our own heaven and hell.

X-Files alumni music contributors, Foo Fighters wrote a song in 2004, titled "End Over End", that seems to be about reincarnation, yet the theme could apply metaphorically as well, be it the personal theme of death and rebirth, or globally.

Burn all the candles out,
Make a wish but not aloud,
Relive the here and now,
The "see you now and then",

I'm a revolving door,
I've seen it all before,
I will begin again,
But I can't start until I've seen the end.

There has been an observation: "the person I am at 20 is not the person I am at 40". Perhaps, metaphorically if we look at each person's life cycle, in 10 year intervals, as a kind of birth, death, rebirth, than we can always reset the clock with each decade, we can always correct whatever mistakes we've made, and perhaps this idea could apply globally as well.

Karma has been understood as Cause and effect, and the word Karma means action. Every time that a person acts there is some quality of intention at the base of the mind, and it is that quality rather the outward appearance of the action that determines the effect. Or as Takashi Tsjui has noted, that human beings are constantly giving off physical and spiritual forces in all directions, that in Physics it has been learned that no energy is ever lost, that it simply changes form, Thus Karma is the law of the conversion of moral energy. Another idea being that cycles repeat until something has been learned to break that cycle. Perhaps, in a strictly metaphorical sense, there's a way to apply this view to the breaking of cycles in history, with how one could interpret the parables and symbolism of Nostradamus's quatrains?

Personally, I am leery of anyone who offers definitive interpretations of any work built of symbolism. I feel the most important aspect of symbolism is working through an understanding of human nature, and I would be falling into the same trap if I did offer anything definitive - perhaps I am.

The great danger of reading any work - that is built around metaphor or parable - and interpreting it as literal, is that you miss its greater lessons about human nature.

Perhaps the Enigma, the Gordian Knot of Nostradamus' Code, is the following question.

Can we break this cycle of social conflicts that are driven by the self interests of governments, religious institutions, economic interests, or fundamentalist ideology?

Perhaps the most fundamental action each individual can take between now and 2012, is to formulate their own definition of what "Fate" means, for that definition might color one’s interpretation of the metaphors found in prophecy, religious scriptures, or mythology.

While the time might be near, as referenced in Millennium, that 'time' might be determined by how we interpret the message - Fate through self fulfilling action.

(Special thanks must go to the following sites, Ellie’s Lost Book of Nostradamus page, as well as The History Channel, Seven Star Hand’s work, as well as Takashi Tsjui’s work and an image from this page.)

The Ophiuchus Code, Part 1

2009-12-26T17:39:00.000-08:00

(The following is pure speculation and observations, possible true and false assumptions, there’s nothing definitive in the following points. -MA)

"All modern thought is permeated by the idea of thinking the unthinkable." – Michel Foucault

Recently there was a documentary on the History channel about sixteenth century Seer Nostradamus and the alleged Lost Book. It would be an understatement, but Nostradamus is more in fashion now then he has ever been, everything, including such as speculative shows like "The Nostradamus Effect" which explores prophecy, to the Heavy Metal act Judas Priest, releasing an epic two disc concept Opera about Nostradamus’s life, is in circulation. It is rather interesting that Chris Carter would so shrewdly reference Nostradamus in the first season and the pilot of Millennium. Fittingly and by random chance, in 1994, at the height of the momentum of The X-Files, Italian Journalist Enza Massa, while visiting the Italian National Library in Rome, stumbled onto an unusual find, a manuscript dating to 1629, titled: Nostradamus Vatican Code, the author’s name was inside, Michel de Nostradame, and was handed down by the prophet’s son and was later donated by him to Pope Urban VIII, thus began a wave of controversy that remained little noticed by the general public for a long time.

About Nostradamus

Michel De Nostradame was born in December between the 14th and 21st, 1503, in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, The south of France. While little is known about his childhood, at 15, he studied at the University of Avignon until it closed a year later due to the outbreak of the Plague, after eight years of traveling and studying herbal medicines, he entered the University of Montpellier, yet soon was expelled after his years of being an apothecary, a manual trade forbidden by the university. After which, his fame rose after he created a "Rose Pill" that supposedly protected against the plague. His first wife and two children died of the plague in 1534. After having pursued a spell of travel including alleged visits to France and Italy, he returned to his place of origin, and assisted prominent physician Louis Serre in his battle with a plague outbreak in Marseille and Salon-de-Provence.

He met his second wife, a rich widower and had six children with her, three daughters and three sons, in 1547. By 1550 he began writing his first almanac. These Almanacs, taken together, is believed to have included at least 6,338 prophecies as well as eleven annual calendars, his fame grew as a seer, and Medieval Astrologer, and it brought him to the attention of various noblemen and prominent figures. Around this period, he began taking on his most famous project, and published his book of one thousand quatrains titled Les Propheties (The Prophecies), written in a cryptic stylized hybrid, incorporating Greek, Italian, Latin and Provencal. By 1555 he offered counsel to Catherine De Medicis, the queen consort of King Henri II of France. Such access gives him protection from a court that would have otherwise executed him for heresy at the height of the Inquisition. Nostradamus died by June 1566 due to Odema. It is believed that the lost book, Vaticinia Nostradami were watercolor drawings created by his first son Cesar de Nostredame, probably when Cesar was a boy of twelve, the dates of these images could not be determined accurately, but there is a postscript dated 1629. The reason why some believe this book of images has a bonfire connection to Nostradamus has to do with the fact that several images correspond with several known Quatrains that some believe have already come to pass.

The Lost Book and Quatrains

The following article isn't really interested in regurgitating interpretations about Nostradamus's Quatrains or the collection of watercolors that are tied into his work. It's really more of the general Longview perspective about the symbolism of his work. There has always been wide controversy about the legitimacy of Nostradamus's work, and his ability as a psychic prophet. Often proponents of Nostradamus will site various 'hits' within his quatrains, the most famous being of predictions of three anti-Christ's, one being Napoleon, the second being Adolph Hitler.

From the deepest part of Western Europe,
A young child will be born to poor people,
Who will by his speech seduce a great multitude,
His reputation will increase in the Kingdom of the East. – Century 3, Quatrain 35

Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers,
The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister.
Into a cage of iron will the great one be drawn,
When the child of Germany observes nothing. – Century 2, Quatrain 24

There has always been a number of serious issues with Nostradamus's work, all of his quatrains operate within a random order, none of his quatrains are sequential, and are open to wild interpretations. While at a superficial glance this would appear to be a hit, skeptics have pointed out problems with translations as well as the mere coincidence of his Quatrains, at the time of Nostradamus's life, "Hister" referred to a geographical location near the Danube river, most of his quatrains were written in a vague, cyclical, cryptic style, and therefore they are prone to interpretation and assumption, that over the course of hundred of years, that some historical events would line up with his predictions, just by coincidence.

Another example of am argued ‘hit’ would be the following Quatrain:

Earthshaking fire from the center of the earth
will cause tremors around the New City.
Two great rocks will war for a long time,
then Arethusa will redden a new river. – Century 1, Quatrain 87

Which many believe is a reference to 9/11. A parallel to that Quatrain is the following watercolor sketch, Plate 46

There's a fundamental problem here, first with that Quatrain, Atethusa, in Greek mythology is a nymph and the daughter of Nereus, a Titan who is referenced as the old man of the sea, who was said to be a shapeshifter with the power of prophecy, the symbolic mythology of Atethusa, is one of transformation. Unless the last line references this as a transformative event, there’s no geographical reference that would connect this line to the middle east or Iraq war. Then there’s the problem of the image, a burning medieval tower could have any connection, aside from 9/11.

While the following point may seem flip, one could read Book of Revelation prophecy in some of Salvador Dali's surrealist work, if one was inclined to do so, as could be illustrated here, in his work The Temptation of Saint. Anthony;

The Millennium episode, "The Sound of Snow", referenced the following Quatrain 70, Century Six,

Chief of the world will the great "Chyren" be,
Plus Ultra behind, loved, feared, dreaded:
His fame and praise will go beyond the heavens,
And with the sole title of Victor will he be quite satisfied.

Now, what do we make of the word, "Chyren"? In this episode "Chyren" would usher in the end of the world and Judgment for all. The episode dealt with cassette tapes containing white noise that would make the listener hear the things they fear the most and this would triggers deadly hallucinations. One character comments, after comparing the ability of whales to hear for a thousand miles, that humans don’t hear very well, perhaps, an implication that most of us fail to observe the coded messages, and symbolism that surrounds us? The episode also references Saint Peter's gate, and the theological Christian view that not everyone will pass through, "Our pasts are what we are," One character explains, "Every choice has it's consequences."

It has been suggested, by some, the word Chyren, references an associate of Nostradamus, Pierre Plantard, who was known to use the pseudonym, Chyren, and is believed to have authored an unpublished manuscript, "Le fabuleux Tresor de Razes" under the name Louis Chyren. Now here’s where it get’s interesting. Chyren could be interpreted as Cheiron, the famous Centaur in Greek mythology, who taught the Hermetic sciences to Ophiuchus, The Serpent Holder. We'll get back to this in a moment. This Quatrain has been interpreted as relating to the future Anti-Christ. Cheiron is known for having a duel nature, and so this could be interpreted in two fashions as a prediction of destruction, or a new era of enlightenment, we’ll get back to this later.

To be continued...

Special thanks must go to the following sites, Ellie's Lost Book of Nostradamus page, The History Channel, as well as Seven Star Hand's work.

Perception and the Unexplained...

2009-12-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

Recently, I’ve seen a lot more discussion about aspects of the UFO phenomenon,
namely what these extra-terrestrial, or ultra-terrestrials could be. I have no more answers then anyone else on the credibility and speculation of these issues. I have recently revisited a fascinating documentary from 2004 that I highly recommend, "What the Bleep Do We Know?", which mostly deals with physics, religion, and, in part, perception. There’s one fascinating segment that deals with an account of what indigenous people of America, in the Caribbean saw when Columbus was arriving in the new world. The natives could not see the approaching ships, it was the Shaman who for many days, watched the changing patterns in the water until finally they saw the on-coming clippers, it was the shaman who the natives believed and trusted that caused them to see the ships themselves. Due to present neurological scientific research, our receptors, our eyes, ears, and senses, receive four hundred billion bits of information per second, yet our brain only process two thousand bits per second, think about that. In other words our brain imprints the ability of what we can see. We can only see what we believe is possible.

A second point in this documentary touches on an experiment conducted in Japan, with the notion that ideas, words, and thoughts could alter the molecules of water, the point being that if an idea can alter the nature of water, what could it do to our own bodies? That’s a pretty astounding notion. If we create our own reality, isn’t it possible we create our own inhibitors to what we can perceive?

Now, taking a leap with what is going on with the UFO phenomenon or our exposure to ET / UT’s. Chris Knowles recently disclosed his thoughts on aspects of the UFO phenomenon, and theories about Ultra-Terrestrials.

November entry

Past July Entry

I won’t reiterate here all of his points, but I welcome everyone to take a look. The only point I will add is, what if these Ultra Terrestrials are more evolved variations of ourselves, humans that have mastered time travel, and are visiting us to influence, shape our present to insure our future? Which brings us to the main point cited, perhaps what has been referred to in the past as Angels, Demon’s, Farries, or at present Greys, are all part and partial of the same thing? Even that idea, that our future race, perhaps not even from earth anymore has traveled back to our present would boggle the mind, and operate beyond all of our point of reference, but perhaps this entire issue is far more Terrestrial then we’d like to accept.

Connecting this idea with the framework of that documentary, if we only have a framework, or a point of reference, wouldn’t it make sense we interpret these visitations as Extra-Terrestrial?

On the day we are able to open the floodgates and able to widen our perception, taking in closer to that Four hundred Billion bits of information we presently cannot process, will the construct we operate under be radically altered? Could we have contemporary shaman’s that are helping to alter the reality we presently create?

Maybe H.P. Lovecraft was right when he spoke of elder gods that would drive mortal men to madness upon seeing, and grasping. Perhaps it will all depend on the kind of personal heaven and hell we bring into that processing. Just something to ponder.

Something fun...

2009-11-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

Not much to comment on, but I finally had access to a Blu Ray player and found the special thanks credit that’s hidden as an Easter egg feature of “I Want To Believe”, And so I took this picture.

It’s a long story, but enough time has gone by that perhaps this is fitting to do this. Blu ray players will probably rule the world before too long.

For anyone interested in finding this on your own: You can go to the Complete X-Files Timeline, Goto season 8, episode “Alone”, where you see an “X” beside the title. After you watch the video clip, replay the clip, and play around with the top / bottom / right / left buttons and that should trigger the page. My profound thanks as always to Mike Marek, I hope to make it up to him someday.

The Truth and How to Hide It

2009-10-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: Introducing Diego's fantastic article, enjoy! - Matt

(The following post will be full of inherent contradictions, half-truths, right out lies, and rushed conclusions. I hope the generous reader will kindly point them out so that we can together clear up the weak or obscure assertions.)

Mysteries
If someone makes a mystery of something, we assume that the ‘something’ is important. The more convoluted the mystery, the deeper the recesses in which the key is hidden, the more essential and revealing we expect the truth to be.
This seems to apply to individuals and groups alike. We realize someone is hiding something from us, and our curiosity is instantly piqued. What is hidden becomes of absolute importance. All the other information we may have about that person suddenly hinges on that one fact that can put everything we know in a new perspective.
(For some of us this becomes a way of life – we set out on a constant search for glimpses of truth that will make who we were obsolete. Shedding layers of skin. Melting frozen postures of mind and body. “Beyond a certain point there is no return. That point has to be reached.”)
The problem with us is that our reasons for hiding something about ourselves are usually vanity, shame, or fear. Our secret is a trifle, a speck of dust, and we make of it a mountain. If we were at peace with ourselves we would have no secrets. In our complete openness to the world we would not need to keep things behind closed doors, for the world would not be a threat to us.
But sects, cults, secret societies and schools like to introduce a mystery where there was nothing. They literally build up a mystery surrounded by impenetrable walls. If we want to reveal the secret, we need to play their game. That means time and effort (everything does). But we spend or waste our time and effort because we feel that the secret we will gain access to is worth it. The irony of the whole quest is that we don’t know if it was worth it until the moment of discovery –if we ever reach that moment.
When the search is for esoteric knowledge, the road is dangerous, especially if it becomes long and winding. You never know who to trust. And since you are trying to find your real self, by definition you cannot even fully trust yourself (the one you are at present and whom you hope to leave behind).
Literature can also become a fatal adventure. We risk becoming entangled in the story and forsaking real life. Stories are sometimes so much more beautiful than life. And the danger is higher when storytellers deal with mysteries, puzzles, enigmas. When they can say, even after nine years of weaving a tale of tales, “What have they seen? Of the whole, they’ve seen but pieces.” And we are left to wonder.

Philosophy?
Sadly, “The Philosophy of The X-Files” does little to reveal the mystery. The essays in books such as this one many times read like scholarly papers, and I don’t mean this in a good sense. One gets the feeling that all the references to the show could be replaced by references to some other work, and the main argument would not be significantly altered; that the argument is not based on the show but, on the contrary, the show is being used to illustrate a presupposed argument. “Even though Radford’s comments are here focused on the fictional character of Anna Karenina, they apply just as well to Agent Scully,” says one of the writers. And that’s just the problem here. Isn’t Scully worthy of a unique analysis? Doesn’t her character force us to think of things in new terms, to reconsider old concepts under a new light or to create new ones? Doesn’t philosophy at its best work that way, creatively, much like poetry? The “philosophy” of this book is not the creative act that guides us to uncharted regions of the mind, but merely a tracing of The X-Files onto weary systems of thought. The task is quite sterile and we are left with a dry taste in our mouths, after being fed too many summaries of old philosophies and too little X-Files.
Having said that… at least every chapter offers one or two valuable insights, and there are several fascinating pieces among the bunch. And, after all, spurred by my reading of the book, I am writing, though randomly, about The X-Files.
Anyway, out of all the chapters, the one that really stands out is “Musings on a Cigarette Smoking Man” by Timothy Dunn and Joseph Froy. The book is worth buying just for this brilliant piece, which tackles what I unoriginally believe to be the show’s core issue: the truth and how, why, and when to hide it or reveal it. Surprisingly, this question is not given as much thought as it deserves. Metaphysical and ontological discussions surrounding “the truth” are rare among the critics and the fandom. Our basic tenet is that “The truth is out there,” but there is someone who hides it from the seekers. So what could be more important than examining, first of all, the phrase itself –e.g. In what sense is “truth” to be understood? What does it mean for the truth to be located somewhere?–, and secondly, the person who hides the truth? CSM is, like it or not, the keeper of the key. We may be on Mulder and Scully’s side, but within the story’s general structure, it is CSM who holds the most power and has access to more information. As it is presumably better to examine an issue with more facts at hand and the widest perspective possible, we should stand in CSM’s shoes if we want to come closer to the truth (understood here as “the facts”), and see the story with his eyes.
I urge you to read Dunn and Froy’s essay, so I’d rather not discuss it at length here. Instead, I will try to outline some questions I had before coming across the piece, precisely because after reading it most of these questions (and others) had found, for me, a satisfactory answer.

Questions
For the sake of argument, what if Mulder’s quest is “wrong” and CSM is right? William B. Davis has repeatedly stated he believes CSM to be the actual hero of the show, and he has always played the character with that idea in mind. Well then, to what extent can Davis’s presentation of the conflict be correct?
This hypothesis would force us to leave aside the “hero’s journey” aspect of the myth. Or to see it from the point of view of the “enemy.” According to Duchovny, who has cited Joseph Campbell among his inspirations, the show would be another (excellent) example of the archetypal hero's journey.
To simplify things terribly: in the beginning, it is (seemingly!) only Mulder's journey. But with time Scully’s path gains importance and we finally realize it was Mulder and Scully’s journey all along. But ironically, CSM was in control, pulling the strings, all the time. It was he who “created” Mulder, he who assigned Scully to Mulder, and he who time and time again directed, redirected, blocked, and diverted their path(s). In this sense, can CSM be seen as an Olympian God? Are Mulder and Scully free, or only pawns in his game?
CSM’s rationale for keeping the facts from the public is that “If people knew the things I know, it would all go to hell.” That is, aliens would take over immediately. Regardless of how people react to the news, the aliens would know we knew. And the invasion would be imminent. In this light, Cancer Man is a humanitarian, a protector of the human race. He simply has no choice but to act as a guardian of a fatal secret, the ultimate threat.
(But what about the non-UFO X-Files, which in fact make up the majority of the cases investigated? Is a coverup ever justified? This question needs to be examined in detail.)
According to some esoteric lines of thought, knowledge is material, and as such, some knowledge is precious, and not for everyone (!). Certain knowledge, certain ideas, would be better left hidden, known only to a few, because the mass of people would not understand them and would therefore corrupt them, distort them. In fact, “hidden” is the wrong word, because that knowledge is already out there. It is simply hidden in plain sight, and those who have eyes see it, those who have ears hear it. (For all this and more, see Millennium, season 2.)
So if CSM has come by certain knowledge, we must assume it is because he did what was necessary for gaining it, that he has made the required sacrifices. No one enters a closed circle by chance, but only through long, sustained effort.
Mulder and Scully must, in turn, be “initiated.” They must make their own way into the circle. Notice how in the show arriving at a minor or major truth often involves going inside a place, entering a closed territory. Again, the truth about the world is located somewhere, so for finding it the seeker needs to acquire access. In this world, power is access.
Just as importantly, the truth about ourselves requires we look inside. “Know thyself.” For we are aliens to our own selves. We are not who we are. The truth must set us free before we can pierce through the smoke of deception and finally read the writing on the wall.
CSM, as someone who has already climbed the ladder of initiation, is in charge of leading Mulder and Scully. But neither our heroes nor us can judge CSM’s actions until the end, simply because we don’t have the knowledge he has. We cannot judge, especially, his sense of timing, of when to show and hide, give and take, confess and deceive. Only he knows when they are prepared for a certain truth, a certain experience.
The main ojection to this point of view is, Does he have the right, does anyone have the right to guide and direct someone else’s life, let alone the destiny of the entire world? The list of CSM’s “methods” includes subjecting people to cancer and barrenness, abducting and murdering family members, political assassinations, and a long etcetera. Can all or any of this ever be justified?
The utilitarian answer depends on what is at risk. What is to be gained after these sacrifices? Continuing the esoteric line of thought, What knowledge will be gained and at what level of being or consciousness will one be left after these experiences? Must knowledge always come at a price? And who is to set the price?
On a side note, there are unexpected parallels between the “villain” of the 1990s and one of the “heroes” of the 2000s – Jack Bauer. Both resort to ruthless actions in the name of the greater good. They sacrifice themselves and become corrupted by the evil they fight because the abyss has also looked into them. And both, the first much more than the latter, allow themselves moments of sadistic violence. The main difference perhaps is that Bauer is not concerned with power, while power in itself is everything for CSM (in one view). It would be interesting to explore the lines of continuity between these two emblematic figures, for at first sight, one decade’s villain is another decade’s hero. Is it only a question of how the characters are presented? Or do they reflect changes in our attitude towards world issues?
Going back to the conflict at the heart of The X-Files: Mulder starts out as an idealist, believing he can spread the word and everyone will take heed. That the truth can be spoken aloud, to thousands, to billions. But if we are to believe CSM, as "The Truth" clearly demonstrates we should, the truth is inherently esoteric, mysterious, dangerous, and difficult to understand. If you are not strong enough to face its otherworldly light, it will crush you. So finding the inner truth, from which to derive an unflinching strength of spirit, is a task that must be undertaken before or as one sets out to find any truth(s) “out there”. It is a lesson Mulder and Scully have learned, “the truth we both know” – that there is no greater fortitude than the fortitude of trust, love, and true faith.
Had this romantic duo not fought the battle with trust as their shield, their decade-long search together would have been the crusade of two blind fools! Even so, from the first scene in the Pilot to the last scene of “The Truth,” who could say that it didn’t feel like a vain pursuit? The sense of pointlessness was there right from the start. CSM, in the shadows, knew it all, and he was not telling. Thankfully he didn’t, for if he had, there would probably have been no quest. “Allow [Mulder] his ignorance. It’s what gives him hope.” CSM, in feeding that innocence, was the real hero. (Mulder will end up adopting the same attitude towards Scully, “protecting” her from the inevitable truth of the end of the world. What makes that an act of love, and CSM’s approach egoistic?) It is obvious CSM’s story matters as much as Mulder and Scully’s.
Another side note, in relation to this: Was “Musings…” successful in terms of portraying the “true hero’s” journey? It’s certainly a magnificent episode, but it would have been nice to have one more episode like “Musings…” that contradicted this backstory. (But perhaps the greatest shame is that there was no Krycek episode. Alex Krycek is the other complex key figure who begs to be examined in depth.) Yet, if there is one thing The X-Files does extremely well is presenting contradictory versions of events. Fans often complain about this “lack of continuity”; I think it is a wonderful example of The X-Files’ ‘Rashomonic’ nature. We see events as Mulder and Scully see them. Facts, dates, events are conflicting, and reality appears inscrutable. Fortunately a wise man once told them a heartwarming truth, on which they learn to base their convictions: “Memory, like fire, is radiant and immutable.”
So as regards the Syndicate, what can they do? Are they fascist or not? Did they ever have an option? In what measure are they heroes and/or villains?
What were our chances of being saved? Wasn't humanity doomed already? So what we should judge are the Syndicate's means. But anyway, doomed to what? Aren’t we aliens already? What is this fear of becoming-other but a fear of becoming who we really are? The great fear of dying in order to really live.
If the myth of The X-Files is, in the end, about the end of the world, then what is its philosophy in the face of this final destruction? For anyone interested in Deleuze, I would argue the ending of the series is in a way completely Deleuzian: M&S in flight, M&S the creative line of flight of love. Much more on this question on a later post!

CCSM
A final turn of the screw. Chris Carter is, above all, CSM…. He has said in interviews that Mulder and Scully are the two sides of himself. But what Carter is not telling us, because it is plain to see, is that he is as much CSM as he is Mulder and Scully. In practical terms, regardless of how much he depends on the rest of the crew, he will always have the last word. There is always something the rest don’t know. And the way he deals with this knowledge is exactly like CSM’s. Take for example the way he handled the secrecy around “I Want to Believe.” “There's as much good information as there's misinformation.” Half-truths, lies, truths. “As I've always said, Deny everything.” (I’ve always said? Shouldn't that be CSM always says?) “Trust no one.” And so on. In interviews, Carter uses the same phrases he put in CSM’s mouth, he hides behind the same philosophy CSM hides. Of course, we love him because, when all is said and done, he is just an entertainer… right?

We have only been skiing over the deep waters of philosophical enquiry into the X-Files. By now, I’m thinking that the only thing that could satisfy my appetite for X-Phileosophy is a university course on “The Philosophy of The X-Files”!

Diego

Remembering past genre late night television...

2009-10-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Technically, this ties in with my previous blog about remembering past genres, while this isn’t relevant to The X-Files, I have little doubt the host(s) of the following local television show would have interviewed people connected to The X-Files or Millennium, back in the 90s, had this show still existed.

Recently there was an event at a local theatre that was special. A evening and a special projected broadcast re-run of a 1973 episode of a local horror TV show that aired double features of old horror and science fiction movies, and was hosted by an unassuming, and unlikely chap named Bob Wilkins. "Creature Feature's" was locally produced at Oakland, CA TV station KTVU channel 2 from 1971 until 1984. The following Trailer should give you an idea:

Back in the 1970s, as a child, I distinctly remember staying up late to watch this show from 11 to 1, on Fridays or Saturday nights, as I was permitted to (encouraged by my Dad, another lover of these genres), and usually fell asleep before the movies ended. But Bob Wilkins and his eventual replacement John Stanley, were the personalities who exposed me to a great many horror and science fiction genre shows, before the advent of the VCR, DVD, Digital Cable, Tivo, Blu Ray, or iMovie.

While this show might not have been nationally syndicated, for residents of the greater bay area, Northern California, and who came of age in the 70’s and early 80’s, Bob Wilkin’s was truly beloved. As well as his benefactor, John Stanley, who continued the show from 1979 to 1984. Stanley went on to write a great collection of genre movie guides titled "Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide”, published by Boulevard Books, and highly recommended if you can find it. This show became so popular locally that it was beating the ratings of network shows like Saturday Night Live, much to the incredulous feelings of network executives.

Wilkin’s in the seventies interviewed an amazing pool of talent that was connected to these genres. Christopher Lee, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Forest J. Ackerman, William Marshall, Larry "Buster" Crabbe of Universal serials, "Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers" fame, John Landis, Ray Harryhausen, and countless others. George Lucas was a fan of the show and has acknowledged watching Wilkins when he had a show in Sacramento in the 1960s. The Creature Features set was cheep and cheesy, but that never mattered.

You can get a further taste of Wilkin’s here:

Bob Wilkins had a certain dry humor in the way he hosted, he didn’t take himself too seriously, nor the film's he showed too seriously, he wasn’t a fan of horror or science fiction, but most importantly he respected the fans that enjoyed these genres. He had an unassuming quality that made him a very unlikely person to host such a show, and he never depended on gimmicks, he never talked down to his audience, either adults or children. He didn’t need to. While he featured many truly awful B genre movies, he once commented: "I knew that if I told people to watch this film, they wouldn’t. I told them to not watch it. I had a TV guide and told them what was on the other stations at the time." Of course, it worked like a charm, people would stay and watch the movie. Bob was smart enough to surround himself with people who understood these genres, and he respected the fans when they would write back and correct him when his information was incorrect.

Even the cheesy 70s funk theme that opened the show’s credits, had a certain charm to it, and still can make me smile:

Once Star Wars broke in 1977, Bob Wilkins created an afternoon program for kids titled Captain Cosmic, while he was hidden in a superhero costume with a helmet, everyone knew it was Bob. The show ran Japanese kids shows, like Ultraman, Spectraman, Star Blazers, and Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot. Thus, predating the rise of Japanese Anima that is common today. Again, the sets were cheesy, as well as the prop boxed robot, 2T2. But it was popular and remembered to a certain generation.

Back in the 70’s, there was a latitude with local programming to allow production of such quirky shows. Before the advent of media consolidation, or specialized network programming like CNN or HBO, or a sophisticated audience that has become somewhat jaded to such niche programming. This kind of a show wasn’t uncommon; there were other similar programs throughout the United States in the 1960s and 1970s at local stations. Of course some of the profile names that come to mind, as far as nationally syndicated programs are concerned, would be Elvira and Joe Bob Briggs, as well as Mystery Science Theatre 3000. But I do tend to feel with everything that has changed, something has been lost. In this day and age, on-line sites, and genre bloggers are the people who are substituting for this gap, but it hasn’t compared really.

You can find out more about Bob Wilkin’s at the following site:

Bob Wilkins site

Bob Died in January 2009 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s.

Most important, John Stanley’s site covers a lot of current information, as well as some fairly significant news.

John Stanley official site

A 75 minute documentary about the history of Wilkins and Stanley’s "Creature Features" is available on DVD to purchase, and that can be found of Stanley’s site.

I am certain there might be others who visit this Blog who had similar experiences as children, either in the States, UK or Europe with similar shows, and I’d like to hear about them. Everyone is welcome to comment about their own shared experience.

I’d like to close with a favorite, humorous, Americana Slogan of Bob’s:

"Watch Horror Movies – Keep America Strong!"

What's coming up....

2009-09-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

This might be not the most exciting blog, as it is update business, but we're going to shake things up a little soon. Around the time of my last publication, I was pondering the concern that this blog had turned into "Matt's vanity project", and so I decided to do something about it. There always seems to be these gaps where I don't write anything here, and it's for the simple reason that the muse doesn't always strike me, or I am too busy with website issues usually. So, I invited several Lexicon staffers to write blogs / articles to be featured here. Soon Diego, one of our good fellows who works strictly behind the scenes, will be posting an interesting article that I suspect people will be fascinated with. Stay tuned!

Who is ‘seeing you’, thoughts on The Prisoner...

2009-07-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Making a connection between Patrick McGoohan's seminal late 60s BBC show, "The Prisoner" and "The X-Files" may seem a stretch. Yet from a thematic standpoint, there are general connections to be made. I should add, I can't claim there's any evidence that Mr. Carter, and Mr. Spotnitz, or any other writers who worked on "The X-Files", were influenced by "The Prisoner". Yet it would be difficult to believe that "The Prisoner" hadn’t left an impression with some of the regular writers that worked on "The X-Files".

For anyone who is not familiar with this series, and there are many, "The Prisoner" has remained one of the most critically praised series by fans and critics alike, as well as being the most misunderstood series to come out of the UK in the 60s. The show, which only ran for a specific number of 17 episodes, was first broadcast in Britain from September 29, 1967 until February 1, 1968. It used elements of science fiction, the spy thriller genre, surrealism and allegory, and the counterculture environment of the time as a vehicle to comment on the nature of modern society. The opening teaser brilliantly set up the premise. A British spy resigns his position in outrage, arrives at his residence to pack, is rendered unconscious by a gas, and wakes up in a strange residence, an island that is a resort-like prison and is only referred to as 'The Village'.

clips download by docwertham

Indeed, a number of shows owe a great debt to "The Prisoner", David Lynch’s "Twin Peaks" probably would not have been given as much latitude had it not been for the template established within "The Prisoner's" use of surreal dream imagery. Many of the themes in "The X-Files" were touched upon on "The Prisoner". A mistrust of government or corporate institutions, a criticism of social conditioning via mind control or drugs, comments on education being used as a social conditioning tool, comments on politics and the election process. Yet while these themes played themselves out in a subtle manner on "The X-Files" and over the stretch of 202 episodes. "The Prisoner" was very pointed and focused on these themes in the span of 17 episodes.

Clip download by 9umber6ix

This man, who is never identified with a personal name, is referred to as Number 6, and is told by the village authority, Number 2, that the reason why he has been detained is they are seeking "information" as to why he resigned. This task of getting the information and breaking him down is carried out by the ever changing circles of Number 2’s, who act as the village’ chief administrator as well as proxy to the unseen Number 1. Per episode each attempt to break Number 2 fails, and Number 6’s initial attempts to escape the island of the Village fail with dismal results. The village is secured by various monitoring systems, and security forces, as well as a device or entities called Rovers: bubbles that rise from the oceans, they can chase escapees at high speeds, and kill through suffocation.

Still pulled from AMC tv.

Slowly, Number 6 begins to figure out how to achieve his goals by integrating himself, to a degree, into the village. He begins to turn the tables on his captors. The various number 2’s become so desperate for number 6’s information that they take drastic measures. During the second to last episode, “Once upon a time”, extreme social conditioning under the name ‘Degree absolute’ is employed. The exchange between Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern became so intensely emotionally that McKern had to be hospitalized upon finishing shooting. The final episode, ‘Fall Out’ triggered the greatest controversy and left many viewers outraged. All of the allegorical themes of the series play out in the final.

Still pulled from AMC tv.

An excellent interview was conducted by Warner Troyer in 1977, broken in four parts. McGoohan’s comments about individuals being conditioned to be ciphers is an interesting observation. McGoohan was an interesting man, he was approached by the James Bond producers in early 60s to play Bond, but declined. He had charming leading man qualities, but he had a fierce intensity and a strong rebellious streak, as well as intelligence that perhaps made him not fit in well with the more shallow aspects of the industry.

Clips downloaded by Dougo13.

Not every episode was flawless; such episodes as "Living in Harmony" and "Do Not Forsake me, Oh my darling" did feel like filler for my tastes. Yet there are few shows that have remained so interesting, has aged well, and manages to remain very relevant.

So, exactly how do I see thematic parallels between both shows? These parallels are general, but can be made.

Mulder, like Number 6, is a renegade within his field, you could argue that once Mulder abandons Bureau mainstream to work on The X-Files, he, in effect, resigns from a promising career track. Mulder, like Number 6 begins as a lone wolf. Unlike Number 6, he becomes dependent on Scully, thus she will go on to be his salvation. Of course his salvation plays out over 200 episodes, whereas the role of the renegade in played out in 17 episodes on "The Prisoner."

It should be noted, a better parallel can be made that The Lone Gunmen, throughout the series and their spin off show, follow the template of Number 6. Three non conformists who have confrontational, and cynical temperaments at some moments are closer to fitting Number 6’s renegade nature. I could see Langly, Frohike, and Byers having a real affinity for the show and McGoohan’s character

It’s true that while an organization seeks out "Information" from Number 6, thematically, it is played out in reverse on "The X-Files", Mulder seeks out information about broad government conspiracies. On the other hand, since the series works within allegories, once could make a broader connection. If the Village represents social conditioning to accept a certain fate, then the agenda’s of the Syndicate in "The X-Files", as well as the Millennium Group in "Millennium" tie in well globally with this theme. In the X-Files universe, we are imprisoned by the agendas of others.

Both shows included iconic slogans or phrases, "Be seeing you" has as much of a multiple meaning as does "The Truth is out there".

I’m certain others could find more parallels.

In essence, this series dealt with breaking out of the prisons and situations we entrap ourselves in. As well as the cyclical or Sisyphus subtext of breaking out of one entrapment to soon be ensnared in another.

For X-Files and Millennium fans who seek out shows than can entertain while remaining altruistic, and while realizing "The Prisoner" can be an acquired taste, the un-initiated will find a great deal of riches.

Not only must you not trust anyone, you might want to be weary of the phrase: "Be Seeing you."

The Problem of the ‘Designated’ Hero Archetype...

2009-06-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to apologize for the delays in writing anything here at the Lexicon Blog, I’ve been overwhelmed with 'behind the scenes' projects with the proper Lexicon site, as well as some personal, and creative projects.

Last February, Past Lexicon contributor Chris Knowles was interviewed by Aeolus Kephas of the site, Stormy Weather, for a fascinating discussion, that can be archived here in two parts.

Stormy Weather pt. 1 interview

Stormy Weather pt. 2 interview

Aspects of this interview touched on some issues that I have been pondering and have been preoccupied with for years, the skeptical deconstruction of the Hero Archetype. Chris’s own site, The Secret Sun, is preoccupied with finding connections between contemporary symbolism and ancient symbolism. My personal preoccupations have always been how the hero archetype has evolved from classic Greek mythologies, as well as the mythologies around the world, into the kind of serialized notion of the hero.

Of course, all of the following points have been discussed without end, by others who are far more altruistic and intelligent than myself, but these are my gut observations about these issues.

The Hero archetype has been examined at length through the work and writings of Joseph Campbell. The classic hero archetype, the journey of the hero to find his place in the world, is ancient, potent, I believe is deep seeded in our consciousness, or to reference Jung, our collective unconsciousness. The development of what I coin, the "Designated" hero has evolved with the trend of the superhero over the last hundred years. Elements of the Superhero have always existed, but have become more narrowly defined within pop culture

Here’s my dilemma, once you think about, and analyze the role of "Designated" Hero, you forced to the see the flaw in the very notion, of the very nature is of this type of specific character archetype. That there is a diminishing return to the role of an individual saving others, or a city, or community, or the world on a regular basis, and this is what made the movie version of The Watchmen so fascinating. There has been accusations by some comic book fans that author Alan Moore hates Heroes. It is my observation that some of these accusations are similar to the types of accusations leveled at filmmaker Stanley Kubrick over his entire body of work. Both men have been dismissed for their cynicism; I would argue that Moore and Kubrick were less 'cynics' than realists about human nature.

It's one of the reasons why I found Christopher Nolan's Batman films to be so interesting, exactly for their insight into human nature. I have observed, from his past observations, that Secret Sun webmaster, Chris Knowles has been disillusioned about Nolan’s interpretation of the Batman character, and that we share a different reaction to these films. I have always felt that Chris Nolan is building up a point by point argument and illustrating that Batman's brand of vigilantism would never work in the real world, it is a flawed ideal to begin with, and only could lead to diminishing returns, in spite of good intentions. This is why I predict the final film of Nolan's trilogy will be the bleakest, and why it will lead to the self destruction of Bruce Wayne, it's already set in the cards.

One of the interesting things about the character "Dr. Manhattan" from The Watchmen was in fact that he was omnipotent, wise, and detached from other humans. It is hard to not see that Superman displays the same traits; the fundamental difference that prevents Superman from holding that same kind of detachment for humanity is the fact that he was raised on a farm by a mortal couple, the Kents. Thus, he has retained a connection. It’s one of the things I found interesting about the hero deconstructionist approach of Superman Returns, I predict Superman must die so that the son, a kind of alien / human hybrid, can lead his fellow mortals through example, though his son's own connection to humanity, and that his son’s diminished abilities will bring about a greater connection and sense of responsibility.

For myself, I find it much more interesting to find out what happens to Harry Potter after his daring feats of heroism, what price must be paid, what toll it will take on Harry to have the expectation of his friends that he can find a solution to every crisis, and what will happen when an older Harry can't find a solution to every crisis. A lot of my unpublished writing has been concerned with the very price to be paid for such heroes, when the nature of being a hero no longer works, I have found this an ongoing preoccupation as well as puzzle. When does the good example set by heroes become a self destructive obsession?

Billie Joe Armstrong, and the rock band Green Day, has focused on the issue of patriotic jingoism, as well as American mythic ideology, on their last two albums. The lyrics to the song "See The Light", from 21st Century Breakdown raises a very valid idea. And I’d argue, in their own way, Green Day is questioning the American hero archetype.

"I just want to see the Light, I don’t want to lose my sight, I need to know what’s worth the fight."

What happens when a hero is no longer clear about what he is fighting for?

Songwriter, Stephen Sondheim, brilliantly examined how fables, and by extension, certain archetypes, are interpreted and understood in the song, "Children Will Listen" from the musical Into The Woods.

"Careful the wish you make, Wishes are children, Careful the path they take, Wishes come true, not free. Careful the spell you cast, not just on children, Sometimes the spell may last, past what you can see, and turn against you, Careful the tale you tell, that is the spell, Children will Listen."

The tales we tell can have a potent impact on how we view the world and yet isn’t this the essence of why stories are told? Should the teller of such tales operate with greater care? If we cling too tightly to the conventions of our hero archetypes, don’t we risk having it working against us in real life?

A side preoccupation, brilliantly illustrated in Chris Carter’s Fox series Millennium, has been the danger of prophecy, which I have also become increasingly skeptical toward. The problem of Prophecies is not in their existence, Prophecies on their own are harmless, but the danger lies in their interpretation, and the willingness of men to take action and make them happen. Thus, the very fabric of the notion of 'Fate', does fate exist, or do we create out own fate? This is why I always identified in one of the key sentiments and phrases of Terminator 2: Judgment Day – "No fate but what we make."

In other words, will we take the final chapter of the Christian Scriptures to heart? Is the Book of Revelations a kind of wish fulfillment? Will we interpret those signs correctly? Or,... for example, the multitude of other religions that believe in Armageddon and reinforce the idea of a global fate in their own contructs? If prophecy is the construct of mortal men to begin with, then don’t we have the choice to reject those constructs?

I realize the following prior point is very loaded indeed, and touches on a very Nietzscheian notion. Should we spit in the eye of such beliefs, such constructs as fate and destiny? What if all of the scriptures of the world’s religions, which were interpreted by mortal men, no less, what if those interpretations strayed from the real intention of a higher power? Historically, there is ample evidence to the negative outcome of religions to cling to rigid dogmas. To tie this together with the issue of mythic archetypes, what does it mean if the accepted archetype of the hero itself has been misinterpreted?

Which brings me now to Mulder and Scully, (did you not think I’d bring this up?), relates to this question. Mulder falls into the same example of the "Designated" hero, and we have witnessed the same diminishing returns as well as the cost illustrated throughout his history and his actions. While Mulder’s instincts have nearly always been correct, and his obsessions might have brought about great good, it came at a terrible cost for himself, Scully, his parents, and associates. Was Mulder's decade long efforts worth the final outcome? I guess it would depend on understanding what was at stake, of knowing what was worth the fight, and what wasn’t. With a destination that hasn't been reached in the X-Files mythos.

This isn't to say the message and the meaning of the hero is inherently wrong. During this period of our history, we do need heroic examples. The central point has always been the same and will always remain true, that everyone is capable of being heroic, and it doesn’t have to result in grand sweeping gestures, or the ultimate in self sacrifice. Heroism can be found in daily little gestures, as well as the bravery of holding true to ones convictions. If we have the choice to reject the constructs that drive the belief in destiny, then the "Designated" hero can simply choose to walk away, and let others set the example.

This isn't a bad thing. To hold into this skepticism of the traditional role of the hero archetype, it is indeed healthy, and it might be needed as we move into the 21st Century.

Ultimately, perhaps the role of the hero is no longer needed if we can learn to stop being passive in our interactions with the world around us, or dependent on others to guide our lives. If we can keep things in perspective, with a clear and objective view about how to live our lives, and use as an example the best qualities of what makes someone heroic, as a template for how to deal with real world challenges, then we can move into something that I see as hopeful.

There is a lot of wisdom in the concluding point: You can't save others, until you can save yourself.

The show's title inspired by a music video?

2009-04-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

I came across something interesting last night while watching the music video for Jon Bon Jovi's 1983 single, "Runaway". On the opening montage, there's a series of newspaper clips about some kind of nuclear fallout and exposure. There might even be a reference to Pyrokinesis. There's a piece of paper with the following: FILE X-8026, check it out.

Bon Jovi music video, "Runaway"

The video, directed by Phil Griffin, seems to have a loose paranormal theme, it's really inspired more by Steven King's book "Firestarter" than anything else. Nevertheless, this is interesting, people should be reminded that "X" in mathematical terms represents the unknown. Yet, could the video have been an indirect influence on Chris Carter when he came up the title of the show? I'm looking into this through direct sources, and so stay tuned for more on this....

Remembering Past Genres...

2009-03-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

First off, my apologies for taking so long to update here.

One of the interesting outcomes of my recent interview with Bob Goodwin, was the connection I felt with our shared liking of old 50s genre films. I was very much tickled to look at the posters and lobby cards for “Alien Trespass”, it triggered memories of my avid interest in 40s and 50s Science Fiction and Horror posters, I had an huge interest in the subject when I was younger. I share many of the same favorites that Mr. Goodwin mentioned. Some include War of The Worlds, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, It Came from Outer Space, Howard Hawk’s The Thing, invaders From Mars, the iconic The Day The Earth Stood Still, as well as such interstellar epics as Forbidden Planet, This Island Earth, and George Pal’s Destination Moon. Unfortunately, with today’s contemporary eyes, and due to the sophistication and production values that Sci Fi genre fans have become accustomed to, many of these films probably seem quaint or crude. By fans dismissing them, they miss out on an important part of pop culture history, and most importantly, many of these films for their time, successfully captured that sense of wonder that a 10-year-old holds.

Much in the same way that, by the mid thirties, the Flash Gordon / Buck Rogers Universal serials with Buster Crabbe captivated children, and those serials were upholding the tradition of the Science Fiction Pulp magazines of that era. There’s something to be said for the naive exuberance of that era, before astronomical science had caught up to the point of changing the sensibilities of genre writers. One of my great collecting obsessions has been the premiere Science Fiction Pulp magazine of the 20s and 30s: "Amazing Stories." Before Steven Spielberg co-opted the title for his 80s anthology. "Amazing Stories" was a ground breaking publication in the mid 20s. below is a copy of the one of editions I have.

Yes, I’ll admit the aliens with the huge ears is hokey, but there was again a charm in the naïve exuberance to the magazine, the artwork, and the stories. Its publisher, Hugo Gernsback had as an interesting and compelling story, as compelling as the personal life of H.P. Lovecraft, or Edgar Rice Burroughs. Gernsback was an entrepreneur who was born in 1884 in Luxembourg, Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1905. He founded radio station WRNY in 1925, and was involved in the first television broadcasts and is considered a pioneer in amateur radio. He published "Modern Electronics" in 1909, as well as founded the Wireless Association of America. He created "Amazing Stories" in 1926, and it is generally considered that he founded modern science fiction by creating a magazine dedicated to the genre. He even founded the phrase "Science Fiction", although it was awkwardly dubbed "Scientifiction" in the beginning. He also wrote Science Fiction in 1911, "Ralph 124C 41+", although, it should be noted, it was an awkwardly written book filled with interesting ideas. The magazine depended on reprints of H.G. Welles, Jules Verne, and Edgar Rice Burroughs in the beginning, yet talented writers did start their publishing careers from the magazine, such as A. Merrit, and E.E. "Doc" Smith or eventually John W. Campbell. It could be argued that editor Farnsworth Wright for "Weird Tales", did recruit a more important and influential pool of talent for that magazine. But Gernsback’s important role should not be ignored. The "Hugo" award, given out by the World Science Fiction Society, is named after him. He died in 1967 in New York City.

I mention all of this, to remind fans, that is it important to be aware of the past history of certain genres, both on film and in print, as such knowledge can only enrich your appreciation of it.

The Danger of "Seeing is believing"

2009-01-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

One of the problems and dangers for ufologists, or people who believe in alternative theories, is taking certain photographic evidence at face value. The adage, "Seeing is believing" isn't necessarily true concerning photographic evidence, and for those who do believe, or who are open to the extreme possibilities, they should allow for a degree of skepticism. There are two examples I will site, to illustrate my point. The first is a controversy that brewed in the summer of 2007, in various locations throughout California, the alien "Drone" ship(s) flap.

Photos were taken of various drone objects between April and May 2007, the most circulated were from Capitola in May 2007.

As well as evening photo’s in Lake Tahoe May 2007, and Big Basin.

To complicate matters, there were earlier reports of similar objects in Birmingham, Alabama in 2006, and allegedly Georgia (Russia, assumed) in 1996.

There we’re also claims in a disclosure from someone named "Issac", who worked in Palo Alto, California in the eighties. That he was working on a project to reverse engineer UFO technology. And had documentation to prove these "drone" ships were real.

Mufon has investigated the "Drone" issue and issued a report, determining is was an elaborate hoax, as well as the claims from "Issac" and this can be found at the following PDF file (you will need Adobe Reader to pull).

Mufon report

To any objective eye, the photos should have looked suspect. They looked a little too pristine, and looked like the construction of CGI modeling. It was probably due to some on-line viral marketing campaign. Yet, as I recall, some of these pictures went out to the national media. The problem lies with Ufologists who mistakenly took this at face value.

The second example of the problem of "seeing is believing" has to with Richard C. Hoagland, a former science curator and advisor to CBS news during the Apollo missions of the 60s and 70s. This is problematic for a great many who follow his work. He has argued that advanced civilizations exist or once existed on the Moon, as well as Mars, and some of the Moons of Jupiter. That the American government and NASA collaborated to keep these facts a secret, he has published a book titled "Dark Mission: The Secret History of NASA."

He was interviewed in a program titled: "Project Camelot", which featured his claims that the Apollo NASA missions were executed to secretly uncover evidence of ancient glass domes on the surface of the moon, as well as evidence of the head of an android that can be seen in one of the landscape photos. Mr. Hoagland makes the standard argument that the discovery of extra-terrestrial life would trigger a crisis of global faith. An argument I never personally understood for the following reason: Why couldn’t God create life on this world and life in other worlds in the universe? and why would such a possibility be a conflict?

Indeed, is it hard to know what to accept with Mr. Hoagland. He seemed founded in the principle of scientific research, yet it is possible somewhere along the line, he went astray in his scientific pursuits. Regarding his claim of a droid face on the moon? It is human nature to find patterns in nature and objects. Examples would be shapes found in a cloudy day, or a face that can be found in the shrubs of a tree: "Seeing isn't always believing".

Then there is his other assertions later in the interview, that NASA astronauts photographed evidence of glass domes, and that these domes we’re twenty times stronger than steel, he argued generally, if you mix the glass with various minerals and metals, there are various things that could be done with glass.

He basically argues that if you turn up the brightness of certain photos from the Apollo missions, you find various hidden patterns, grid work, structures, scaffolding and buttresses, as well as evidence that support the argument for glass domes because of light prisms in some of the photos. These discoveries were made based on image processing that was analyzed by architect Robert Fritech, where a model grid was created. He also asserts that after these photos were taken the negatives were tampered with. My issue is, my question is, was an outside, objected party brought in, and recreated exactly the methods behind Hoagland’s image processing analysis? It would add to the credibility of his argument, and would demonstrate an example of proper scientific method. There’s no known evidence of such an effort being made.

It should be noted, based on arguments from detractors, that Mr. Hoagland once argued the lunar landings were fake, and has done a reversal to support his present arguments, which can be found here (although the tone seems needlessly hostile):

Bad Astronomy argument

I asked a friend with a fairly solid background in structural engineering if Glass could be stronger than steel in outer space. He concluded it's not possible in theory. The other point that should be questioned is the possibility that light distortions are being misinterpreted in the photographs. Unless someone can come forward with a credible explanation, can anyone claim or fully conclude that video and film imagery reacts in outer space exactly as it would in our atmosphere?

The issues concerning Richard C. Hoagland are more complicated, but no less problematic. For those who believe, or are open to the possibility of extra-terrestrial life, they should be careful to take at face value Mr. Hoagland's conclusions: "seeing isn't always believing", and for those who want to believe, that there are truths out there, they should allow themselves to be discriminating in the pursuit of such truth.

Special thanks to UFO casebook and Mufon.

Obama and real X-Files Intelligence

2009-01-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

There's a long spell where I haven't added anything to here. It's really hard to believe that with this election, we have officially entered the 21st Century. We'll soon see how things develop, both pro and con. My deepest hope is that we will no longer be bound and shackled to 20th Century thinking. There was an interesting article about Obama's appointment for Director of National Intelligence, retired Admiral Dennis Blair.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2383-Honolulu-Exopolitics-Examiner~y2009m1d16-US-Navy-XFiles-known-to-Obamas-Intelligence-Chief

Blair will have limited access to the intelligence communities classified files on UFO's and Extra Terrestrial life. On a side note, a random thought, there's a rumor that CIA Director, Leon Panetta's associate, John Podesta is a big X-Files Fan, As well as being known for advocating for the declassification of Government documents.

Something from Chris Knowles....

2008-12-30T19:21:00.000-08:00

They're isn't much I need to comment on about the following Link. Chris, who's contributed to the Lexicon in the past, has his own blog and his approach to myth and pop culture is taken from a deep influence from Jung. Therefore his take on "I Want To Believe" is interesting.

http://secretsun.blogspot.com/2008/12/looking-for-signs-at-end-of-age.html

Regarding Those Public Service banners....

2008-12-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

First off, I hope everyone who visit here will consider entering our contest.

For those who have visited the new redesigned site, you probably have noticed the two public service banners. Both are subjects that I have a passionate concern for and, ideally, if I can get others involved, then I’ll be quite content. Let me try and explain why the issue of Internet Neutrality and Cyberbullying is such a concern and why it should be important to others.

All webmasters, especially in America, should be far more invested in the issue of Internet Neutrality. To put this as simply as possible, to quote from the site: Net neutrality prevents Internet providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down Web content based on it’s source, ownership or destination. Various corporate telephone and cable companies want to tax content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data, to discriminate in favor of their own search engines, while blocking or slowing down their competitors, to limit the bandwidth, and no longer have a level playing field. In truth, this issue is something I could envision The Lone Gunmen being involved with….and this isn’t a conspiracy theory. The legislation for Internet Neutrality already exists, it just needs to be reinforced and strengthened. While many on-line users and webmasters may think: "This will never affect me," such thinking is incorrect and I’d advise everyone to visit the website we have a banner for and research this for yourself.

Now Cyberbullying is another issue that seems to be overlooked, or off the radar of most users. Yet it is a very real problem which people should educate themselves on. Now, I have never been affected by the kind of Cyberbullying that some teens experience, but I can sympathize. I had an internet experience that indirectly related to the issue, during the period of 2000 through late 2001, I was involved with another website and met a person that eventually put me into a situation that was similar to the book and the film of “The Night Listener”. This person would invent crisis after crisis and invent people who didn’t exist. This ended badly for me, damaging my reputation with the site I was involved with, only for me to find out the truth after the fact, and the experience was so devastating for me, that I nearly swore of all internet activity for a period. You live and learn.

I hope this will compel users and webmasters to look into these issues.

On-Line "Fair Use", and why fans should care...

2008-12-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

Being a webmaster of a website, that is devoted to a subject you love, can drive fans to such exuberance, that they tend to not pay attention to such details as the copyright, or "Fair use" of the subjects they write about. To be ignorant of these areas can put webmasters at risk, and they should really educate themselves.

I have been fortune to never have faced a cease and desist order from 20th Century Fox for the work that's done at the XF Lexicon. Crossing fingers I'm never faced with that situation. But I have been indirectly touched by the issue. At one time, years ago, I was a forum moderator and contributor to The Harry Potter Lexicon, who's owner, after getting involved with the publisher RDR, faced a lawsuit from J.K. Rowling's legal team and Warner Bros to stop publication of a print version of that website, J.K. Rowling's argument being that such a publication would be detrimental to the eventual publication of her own reference Encyclopedia about the HP world. The RDR publishers argued "Fair Use" in publishing their unauthorized edition, without the approval of the text from JKR's circle or WB. That "Fair Use" has applied to reference books in the past.

While I am not thrilled with the legal team of RDR, and feel that Steve Vander Ark was not advised or served well by them, I have also not been thrilled with the legal team of JKR or WB either. I have a lot more to say personally on the issue, but that's neither here nor there. The point being is that fellow webmasters of X-Files sites, should pay closer attention to this issue, in light of the outcome of the JKR vrs RDR case. Here's a couple of web addresses to educate anyone interested.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/fairuse/

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/fairuse-explain.html

I do want to make it clear, as a writer of original fiction, I do believe that an author's work should be copyright protected, and others should not profit off of their work. Even if that author's work has become a cultural, and corporate, juggernaut, and I have personal doubts that the publication of a reference book from a small publisher could have much effect on that author's fortunes. But fans should respect the intellectual property of the author or creator. The precedent from this decision could affect on-line fandom in numerous areas, and webmasters should be wary of their actions, especially if it edges into the publication of their on-line work in print.

Hopefully, the relationship between corporate entertainment franchises and on-line fans will not become adversarial.

Fandom and Charity events...

2008-12-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

I'd like to congratulate everyone behind the "all things inspired by Gillian" team for their December 6th Charity drive to cure Neurofibromatosis, a disease that has been known to lead to cancer.

http://allthings.inspiredbygillian.com/

As well as I'd like to acknowledge X-Files News for their reporting of the event.

http://www.xfilesnews.com/

The outcome bodes well for the character of those Philes who could attend, and across the board, it illustrates just how generous and caring X-Philes tend to be. Frank's appearance was very generous, and his sentiment of "I am one of you." will be appreciated by many.

Chris Carter is known for establishing "The Chris Carter Foundation", providing scholarships for students in the Sciences, so, this event on Dec 6th makes sense in a way. Chris, Frank and many Philes seem to be like minded with their view of not approaching medical scientific research as an adversary. As of this writing, I have no idea if Chris's foundation is still running, but I hope Mr. Carter continues with that avenue. It is always great to see such an example set for the belief in medical research, as has been demonstrated with Mrs. Anderson, Mr. Carter, and Mr. Spotnitz.

I hope that all X-Philes will continue to follow their example.