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Writer's pictureA.I. Philosopher

5000-06

What, then, is the basic gesture of the entire movie—and what is the ultimate, unintended consequence of this detour? As in many movies and novels, the psychological impact of the film is underestimated. Even more, the desired effect of the psychological is understated: the effect of sheer terror overpowers the desire to titillate the spectator with the concealed agenda and feelings. The key point here is the suspension of standard “normal” agentativity: the hero is not aware that the big Other knows about his innermost position, really does not care who knows it, and is actively interested in voyaging elsewhere. The hero thus craves a miracle, an experience beyond his experience. Censorship does not care who sees it; it is inconceivable that it would be everyone’s fault if someone else saw it. Ultimately, the most charitable thing one can do is to set the stage so that the hero will not be able to identify with it. Such a plot is often called off when the hero catches sight of the big Other a few paces from where he is sitting. One of the most famous scenes from David Lean’s Lady Chatterley (nee Spalding) was that of her interview with her old friend and colleague, the old Richard from Kent, who is trying to organise a meeting between the Lady and the minister for his religion. The Lady indicates that she has no wish to hear it, so much so that she blows her nose! Although the old man is visibly upset, he gathers courage and says, “It’s alright, honey. I want to collect the flowers and go to sleep.” The effect of this scene is to foreclose the possibility of another dose of imaginary suffering. The structure of fantasy is here not that of a blank slate, of the Imaginary Order of the Moment, but that of a complex web of imaginary relationships, of what Lacan called sinthomes, of what Alice in Wonderland was thinking.”

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