Review: The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema (2005)
A review I wrote back in 2020 for the Slavoj Zizek documentary.
I have a sort of complicated relationship with philosophy/critical theory and its application to cinema. As someone who still possesses a childish fascination with ‘the magic of the movies,’ a part of me just wants to sit back and enjoy the spectacle and the craft of a movie—to let myself just be entertained and not have to consider the sociopolitical ramifications of the story being told. I feel as though critical theory, with its collegiate-ness and institutionalism, over intellectualizes what is supposed to be a very accessible, popular, sensory based medium.
I love long-form video essays that go into the beauty of cinematography, the artistry of acting, or the ingenuity of special effects. When a long form video essay starts dissecting a vast selection of films to drive an idea that trashes and derides the films for their ‘bad messages’ and stuff, I feel like I’m getting lectured by a 10th grade English teacher that wants us to read some hidden meaning in meaningless coincidences. For example I both love and hate Los Angeles Plays Itself. I think this film is a beautiful montage of the different ways L.A. has appeared in movies. The history ranges from the silent era, all the way to Michael Mann’s and Quentin Tarantino’s stylish love letters to the city. But the voiceover narration and analysis is soooo grating and annoying, the dude is so smug and sanctimonious about the most inane things, like the use of modernist architecture as villain lairs. I nearly wanted to pull my hair out with some of the points he tries to make. The USC guy who made this movie even takes offense to something as benign as referring to Los Angeles by the initials of L.A.!!! I’m getting heated thinking about that movie again, but the point I’m trying to make is that Zizek is the total opposite of that!!
Zizek is as much a wonderful comedian as he is a prominent intellectual. Zizek is a provocateur, he is a critical analyst with a very eccentric perception of culture. Most importantly he is a good showman! He knows how to entertain you with his thoughts, he knows how to excite you, and he knows how to keep your attention. He knows what it is people love about movies, and he almost seems unwilling to admit that he loves them too. He knows what gimmicks and tricks filmmakers use to seduce and influence their audience, and he takes a very perverse joy in deconstructing memorable works of propaganda. He gives his opinion on movies, but they’re said with such a casual, comedic tone that he almost doesn’t seem to expect you to take him seriously. It’s like he’s saying: “yeah, movies have meaning and influence, but at the end of the day, they’re just movies, so whatever.” His thoughts on movies like The Piano Teacher, Blue Velvet, Vertigo, and The Matrix (among many others) provided me with a lot to consider, and most importantly, made me love and appreciate those movies way, way more than I already did. I can’t say whether I like this film better than his second video essay (Pervert’s Guide to Ideology). You kinda have to take them both as a whole and enjoy them together.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
