“Nonhuman species obey only the law of vitality, but humanity in its distinctive features is through and through necrocratic.” — Robert Pogue Harrison, The Dominion of the Dead
One of my favourite scenes from one of my favourite films (Dead Man, directed by Jim Jarmusch). See also Kevin’s post on finding a dead fawn to see another way to mourn.
2 Comments
July 8, 2009 at 5:51 am
Thanks for this.
This was a film that my wife really loved – not one of mine, it felt a bit pretentious and music video’d for me – but as I went from the clip back to my post and saw my wife’s photos of the fawn I realized that through them she had something of the same response as Depp did, a “wanting to be close”. She said, when looking over my shoulder at the screen, “That deer was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen”, and I think she has seen a few beautiful things.
August 21, 2009 at 1:55 pm
So beautiful. I haven’t seen this, I’d like to know what Jarmusch was getting at.
Lot of Christianity in this, do you think? The blood of the deer as stigmata, and of course the deer, as with the lamb, a symbol of the purity of meekness, in man, humility. Rare, dangerous things. Symbolism you could find in other religious traditions as well, most likely.