Recent Romantic-Realist Movies?

[theestevearnold]

Gangster Squad, starring Sean Penn. It's just a love story with a good versus evil theme.

[theestevearnold]

Wait...Can stories set in the past, like the 1920s, be considered romantic-realism?

[softwareNerd]

Wait...Can stories set in the past, like the 1920s, be considered romantic-realism?

Clearly, it can be romantic, so I guess you're wondering about the "realism" part. I'd say "yes". I would classify Atlas, Fountainhead and even Grapes of Wrath as realism in the Rand's sense. She did not expound too much on the "realism" aspect, since her stress was on the "romantic" part.

 

Interesting quote from Ms. Rand's intro to Night of Jan 16th:

If I were to classify Night of January 16th in conventional literary terms, I would say that it represents, not Romantic Realism, but Romantic Symbolism. For those acquainted with Objectivist aesthetics, I can name a more precise classification: Night of January 16th is not a philosophical, but a sense, of-life play.

 

[Repairman]

My understanding of Romantic-realism is the depiction of man/woman at his/her most idealized. I recently finished reading Romantic Manifesto. I was pleasantly surprised at some Ayn Rand's preferences: James Bond, Rod Serling's Twilight Zone. It seems that one of the prerequisites is that the hero(s) be somewhat larger than life. She dismissed 19th century Romanticism for its rebellion against the rationalism of Enlightenment values. I'm not exactly sure if a happy ending is required, but she seemed to favor victorious outcome for the heroic central character(s).

I have always had preference for Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, as a portrayal of human ingenuity and rationality applied to fantastical and futuristic threats. "The needs of the few or the one outweigh the needs of the many."-Capt. James T. Kirk

[Reidy]

You don't say what you count as "recent," but I loved The Aviator (2004).

 

I'm inclined to say that if a story takes place within living memory - its readers either remember the period personally or heard about it from their parents - it can be realistic.  Atlas Shrugged was a bit of a period piece when it came out.  High-level execs take cross-country business trips by train.  Network radio is the primary news and entertainment medium, and TV gets only passing mentions toward the end.  People say "rotter" and "sob sister."  Movie theaters show newsreels.  All of that was well over by 1957.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Reidy

[theestevearnold]

She dismissed 19th century Romanticism for its rebellion against the rationalism of Enlightenment values. 

I think I know what you meant, but in the interest of precision, AR's main qualm with 19th century romanticism (which she favored above all eras), was writers' explicit, altruism-based philosophies, which made it hard for them to portray a great hero.

 

Or in the case of Hugo, her favorite and mine, the beautiful sense-of-life that came out in his writing never matched up with his conscious beliefs, which made his soul have to hold contradictions.

 

Romantic-realism has the romanticism of larger than life characters and plot driven stories, with the realism of settings and events that can (and should) occur in reality. That's why I wondered if the realism part of romantic-realism is applicable to settings in the distant past (because the settings are so out-of-date, they can't occur). But I agree with SoftwareN that stories set in the past can be romantic-realism. And I'll add that what would qualify as romanticism, but not romantic-realism, is Star Trek and similar tales set in a place that couldn't have, or can't occur in reality.

 

I wouldn't consider the Three Musketeers romantic-realism because its characters and plot showed the highest elites rubbing elbows with a king and queen. AR's architect, and her woman running a railroad, and her scenes (which could occur in regular society), give AR's romanticism the realism of which she spoke.   

 

The 19th century romanticism of Hugo had grand themes with deep moral issues interwoven into the plot structure. AR pointed out that, nowadays, the grand themes and deep moral issues of 19th century romanticism have been reduced to the plain old romanticism of good versus evil.

 

P.S. Cyrano de Bergerac by Rostandt is the greatest romantic play ever and it's a short read.   

[Repairman]

Well, Steve, your clarifying description of Romantic-realism is quite right. As for the "realism" aspect, I gather Ayn Rand was applying the realism of popular, or "pulp" fiction, of early-20th century authors, often portraying the characters as distressed and conflicted, often with heroes as flawed as alcoholic detectives with ambiguous principles. In realistic films, we often see our heroes as extremely flawed. The realistic, or noir-style dramas drew the audience into a shadowy world of misfits. While the hero seems appropriate and triumphant, his animal instincts are matched by his animal viciousness and lust.

Furthermore, I don't believe the United States depicted in Atlas Shrugged was a realistic one. There seemed to no references to America's global hegemony; it was as if no World War 2 had been fought, and the President was the "National Leader," or something like that. It was as fictitious as Roddenberry's Star Trek.

Reidy, The Aviator was an excellent film, but the hero suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, and, in the end, wasted away in delusional solitude, paranoid and alone. It's very rare that modern films or television dramas create heroes without some sort of Achilles' Heel. While I haven't seen all of the revived Sherlock Holmes films, the original Arthur Conan Doyle character had a cocaine habit. Holmes gets "cleaned up" by Hollywood, fortunately. And I would hardly consider Holmes a modern story. But otherwise, it is difficult for me, with all of the films I've seen, to identify a "modern" film that meets the the qualifications of Romantic-realism. This might explain why our generation seems to have such a Machiavellian perspective on life, pardon me for the broad generalization. Realism, of the "dark" nature, is pervasive throughout our culture. I still find it appealing.

While it is not a recent film, you may want to look for Tucker, starring Jeff Bridges. That is as close as I can get to thinking of something that meets the criterion.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Repairman

[Repairman]

I just remembered: 42: the Jackie Robinson Story. I am not a sport-fan, but it is an excellent example, based on a true-story, recent (2013), and by coincidence, set in the post-WW2 age.

[Jonathan13]

My understanding of Romantic-realism is the depiction of man/woman at his/her most idealized.

 

No, idealization is not the Objectivist concept of Romantic Realism. The essence of the concept is that it presents mankind as volitional, and that it shows him striving to achieve his goals. A character in a Romantic Realist work of art need not be "idealized" in order to be presented as exercising volition.

 

J

[Repairman]

Well, I may have also gotten "realistic" confused with "naturalistic," but I'm not a liberal arts expert. So, J, what's your pick for a movie?

Edited January 4, 2014 by Repairman

[Jonathan13]

Recent movies that I've seen which qualify as Romanic Realism according to Objectivism?

Okay:

Django Unchained

Inglourious Basterds (relatively recent)

The Hunger Games movies

One's that I haven't seen yet, but would like to, and which look like they qualify based on plot descriptions and previews:

Gravity

Rush

12 Years a Slave

Saving Mr. Banks

Now You See Me

Much Ado About Nothing

Star Trek Into Darkness

The Impossible

All is Lost

[theestevearnold]

Star Trek Into Darkness is great romanticism, without the realism due to all the aliens, which requires a willful suspension of disbelief, not to be confused with faith. It begins with a moral dilemma and includes other moral issues throughout, which is what seperates great romanticism from the simple good versus evil romanticism.

That brings me to another film mentioned: Gravity.

Before seeing this, you might still have thought romanticism in this era had already been reduced to its lowest form (good v evil). Nope. Like Castaway with Tom Hanks, it's the desert island all over again. one person trying to stay alive.

But it's worth it; especially in 3-D. And you should watch the first JJ Abrams Star Trek film before Into Darkness.

[Jonathan13]

Star Trek Into Darkness is great romanticism, without the realism due to all the aliens, which requires a willful suspension of disbelief, not to be confused with faith.

I disagree. The possibility of lifeforms existing elsewhere in the universe is no less realistic than Galt's making a motor which runs on atmospheric static electricity. The inclusion of aliens in a work of art does not necessarily remove it from the realm of realism.

 

 

That brings me to another film mentioned: Gravity.

Before seeing this, you might still have thought romanticism in this era had already been reduced to its lowest form (good v evil). Nope. Like Castaway with Tom Hanks, it's the desert island all over again. one person trying to stay alive.

But it's worth it; especially in 3-D. And you should watch the first JJ Abrams Star Trek film before Into Darkness.

Thanks for the tips.

J

[theestevearnold]

Romanticism is plot-driven. Everything that occurs has relevancy in later events. That's why Smokin' Aces is a great display of the use of plot. There's no grand theme or deep moral issues, but it's worth watchin. You'll dig it (unless you're a commie sympathiser).

[theestevearnold]

Correction: Smokin' Aces does have an attempt at a deep moral issue (@ the very end)!!!!!!

The choice of throwin out one's virtue of justice to serve the greater good....or not....

[theestevearnold]

Smokin' Aces had another lesser moral issue in it too...regarding snitching on someone who never wronged you...the storyequated it with dog loyalty (which isn't a correct portayal of the immorality of betrayal, but it's great that a romantic-realist film included morality issues).

Mixing up bad guys as good guys is common in contemporary screenplays, but the moral dilemmas make Smokin' Aces better than the plain old good verses evil themes.

It's similar to Tarantino's work, in violence and plot drive, & all-star casting. But surpasses him due to the moral issues involved.

[theestevearnold]

And there's a tiny love story in a stairwell.

I won't say another word.