" A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea...."
I first saw beautiful stills from this movie in 2008 (Esopus 10---thanks Michele!) so I was very excited to see the entire running film online to share here. If you only have minutes, be sure to catch the rain at 20:00. Around 25:00 the horizon and the ship's guard rail play together and leave the viewer with sea legs. The black and white shots are pretty and terrifying. In the interview about the making of this film, Hutton (used to old school sailing) said something to the effect of the container ship being like crossing the ocean on a big, flat "quilt".
Here's the full Joseph Conrad quote:
"'Yes! Very funny this terrible thing is. A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea. If he tries to climb out into the air as inexperienced people endeavour to do, he drowns- nicht wahr?... No! I tell you! The way is to the destructive element submit yourself, and with the exertions of your hands and feet in the water make the deep, deep sea keep you up. So if you ask me-how to be?'" Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad
The book Lord Jim is about a man who at the last possible minute jumps into a life boat (one of seven) instead of going down with a wrecked ship (and 800 men). It is a story about a man who survives physically only to emotionally struggle with the morality of his decision. This story recognizes the validity of human experience, right or wrong. It encourages us to consider Lord Jim's experience though it is far outside our own. Careful. Is it really so far off?
In the closing notes of the book, Conrad says, “One morning in the commonplace surroundings of an Eastern roadstead, I saw his form pass by—appealing—significant—under a cloud—perfectly silent. Which is as it should be. It was for me, with all the sympathy of which I was capable, to seek fit words for his meaning. He was ‘one of us.’”
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