Time Regained: "Like Kissing Snow"

A detailed Summary of Time Regained: "Like Kissing Snow"

Confoundment would be too subtle a word to describe what my mind was traversing as I watched the movie, the whole and entire film that is. Had I read any Proust, watched any other work done by Ruiz beforehand, I may have had a clue of what to look for, what to expect or what to look out for - it was utterly perplexing, absolutely baffling to my virgin eyes and ears. By the time the movie was over I could only barely recall a couple of names and incidents.

Memories and dreams, delusions and episodes past flow by in diverse and uneven tones that mistify, at first, possibly, even the experienced: those acclimatized to the expedition the mind must navigate to reach a fair understanding of both the present and past in this intricate film, may be left dumbfounded at some point, or all - there is a chance. I, for one, was not one of the lucky individuals skilled enough to comprehend such elaborate, inexhaustible alterations; they did exhaust my patience and usually quite adapt awareness.

The warps and twists in time, going back and again possessed no organizing principles at all, even less it would seem to someone like me, unaccustomed to both Proust and Ruiz's work. Once over, even before, I deemed the film

count - as he only played other musicians' work; you remained shallow, with nothing much to do - maybe that was why so many resorted to adultery. These people were so extraordinarily carefree and oblivious, however, that this meant nothing to them (there is a scene where Proust and Gilberte are walking the streets. Gilberte sees a man pass them by, who she recognizes as the man her husband is supposedly doing business with in another city. She already knows "her" name is Rachel. She is hurt, and "tired of all these lies." Yet blames herself: "Women who wallow in their woe dig their own graves"). Rather, parties and gossip attained that space within their minds; their comprehensive thoughts became devoted to the mundane, the commonplace aspects of their fantasy world. The war never really reached them - the consequences never touched them. They were only sparsely aware of the curfew siren every night, which interrupted their dinners at posh restaurants (John Malkovich in the part of gay, fetishist Charlus says of the siren, "Doesn't it remind you of Wagner?" and laughs); and every once in a while they would hear about some soldier or other's grief when returning home to find all destroyed, his family gone. This is all they knew - all they chose to know. This was the elite of La Belle Epoque at its very best, no doubt.

wonder if they're in fact even worthy of presenting us with any sort of entertainment in the first place. For the ordinary it may be; for someone who has had the pleasure to witness and soak up such magnificent work as Ruiz's and Proust's all at once, nevertheless, it may be too offensive a thought. Insulting. Even if we must stress ourselves to understand the dense and difficult plot. But that's just me.

Yet another flaw may be the extremely anoma

Some common words found in the essay are:
Belle Epoque, Proust Ruiz's, Snow Confoundment, Proust Gilberte, Odette Charlie, John Malkovich, Ruiz's Proust's, Dr Cottard, cheating wife, woman odette,

Approximate Word count = 1219
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Movies