Wittgenstein [VHS]

The more I come to understand the thought of Wittgenstein the more I see it as entangled with his own lived life and the more I appreciate the challenges of what he was attempting to do. This film is a touching and humorous tribute to a brilliant but very difficult path..... I am grateful this film was made and made as well as it was. I am only sorry I did not see it when it first came out.

I was delighted to discover this film, doubly so when I realized it was based on a script written by the leading British literary critic, Terry Eagleton, and starring one of my favorite actors, Tilda Swinton. All those things may have had the effect of making it too rich to take in a single sitting. I had to stop midway, not because I was bored or unhappy with the film. It was like drinking 120 proof bourbon straight. I could take just so much at a time. Before I go on to explore that thought, I must say that Karl Johnson, a long time Jarman collaborator, was made up to be a dead ringer for all the Wittgenstein pictures we have, and his acting is a good fit to what we know about the man. Tilda Swinton was hardly recognizable, compared to her snow queen persona in the Narnia film. Her part, as Russell's paramour, is relatively small. Michael Gough was quite good as Wittgenstein's mentor, Bertrand Russell. John Quentin came across quite well as John Maynard Keynes, although I know him less well than I do Wittgenstein and Russell. Derek Jarman, for those who don't know, has a style off to the left of Ken Russell and Peter Greenaway, both of whose works I enjoy. So why was it so hard to watch it through in one sitting. I must attribute it to the fact that I know Wittgenstein's philosophy quite well, far better than 99% of the people who are inclined to watch this movie. Therefore, the script held no secrets from me, as it quoted from Wittgenstein's two major works, and used that to depict the kind of dispair Wittgenstein felt about doing philosophy, which, at its roots, he considered a study which should disappear, once we understand what it is all about. Aside from Wittgenstein and his philosophy, the primary topic of the film is his relations with Russell, Keynes, and an unknown male lover. If you know even a bit about Wittgenstein or his thought, I recommend you see the movie. If you have little patience for "thought movies" (Woody Allen, for example) I suggest you stay away, and go see the film of a Shakespeare play instead.

If you introduce students to Wittgenstein you may also find this movie a fascinating way to introduce him. While the movie is strange - of course - for more ways than one - and there are parts you may not want minors to see unless they have waivers from their parents, they do find this a great way to get to know Wittgenstein along with reading some of his texts.

Films about philosophers are incredibly rare, and Jarman's arthouse biopic about early 20th century analytic philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein exceeds the viewer's expectations. In parts surreal and always cerebral, Wittgenstein lingers with the viewer long after the film has ended - it begs to be seen again and again. A rare gem that should be seen by anyone who is fascinated by genius and loves ideas and good filmmaking.

An amusing existentialist movie. Not sure what it meant, but I enjoyed the experience.

The philosopher Wittgenstein is notable for his attempt, in the Tractatus, to create a formally logical philosophy. Trying to delineate and characterize those objects and ideas in the universe that can be described via language, he proceeded to enumerate the requisite foundational ideas in a hierarchy to reveal their relationships to each other. But, as he later clarified, he thought that the most important aspect of this was the complement of his endeavor, that is, the portion of the universe that cannot be described. The unnameable and unknowable are far more important than the trivialities encompassed by mere words.Or course Wittgenstein later rejected the Tractatus as a failure and adopted a theory centered around language games. He considered the collection of possible games one that is impossible to describe because of its complexity. He supported this using the analogy of "family resemblance" that relates one game to another. His illustrations, unfortunately, all fall within the set of mathematical objects covered by mathematical game theory (including everything from hopscotch to poker, Go to quantum games). While that does not mean that his insights cannot be useful, it does imply that his pronouncements must be considered with some care.This film, with its minimal dialogue and sets, bare and black backgrounds and short scenes, is imitative of the structure of the Tractatus. And it relates to the life of Wittgenstein just as the Tractatus does to the world. The film is a minimalist work of art whose subject is Wittgenstein, not a documentary. It focuses on the kind of tales that a student in philosophy learns in the hallway during the first year in graduate school. It's campy, fun and filled with humor and social critique. By the end, the missing backgrounds have come to symbolize the depth of missing information needed to understand Wittgenstein's philosophical views.I enjoyed it as a work of art. It might be an interesting way to expose a rebellious or inquisitive person to some philosophical ideas and people in an entertaining way. Perhaps such a viewer will be tempted to fill in those missing backgrounds.

An astonishingly good film for those with even the slightest knowledge of the works of Wittgenstein.

This movie is a masterpiece of the highest cinematic level!

My error? A region 2 DVD--not stated in the ad. Opened it too late for a refund; be aware.

When this came I was amazed I had purchased it. I gave it a watch and its amusingly good.I'd never heard of the guy and yes he was a bit weird to be polite.As a play come dvd it works well. Not in the least hi brow.It was over and I learned a lot about the chap and how Cambridge University works with the old school tie.Buy it for sure and I will keep it on my middle shelf,which is a good place to be.

Esta película esta bueno pero puedo ser mejor esta mi opinión, visto lo muchas veces. Bien Bien Bien Bien Bien

E' un capolavoro. Peccato che non sia piu' disponibile in negozi o in rete...

Theatre as film - film as theatre, an art not to everyone's taste. In the case of this play, I showed it to several people and the reactions were unanimously "Wow!". To turn philosophy of all topics into a piece of art as witty, humane and full of spirit is Jarman's groundbreaking merit here. High mind and soul in a perfect marriage, achieved by superb matchmaker Jarman - please, give this theatre/film a try!Oh, let me not forget the acting: It is first class.