Descartes

I saw it more than a good film but as magnificent trip. Not across a rich, beautiful life or great work of a remarkable director, but as a wise try to explore the meanings of life. It is more than beautiful, right or fair portrait of rene Descartes. It is one of films for who the term memorable has so many significances. So, just a profound useful experience.

Part of Roberto Rossellini's Italian TV series on philosophers in history (other titles: Socrates, Blaise Pascal), this three hour chunk of television is, like the other titles, riveting in its own unique way. Granted it is a talk fest, but imagine listening to the leading lights of Renaissance Italy, Holland, and France talking for three hours on the subject dearest to their hearts: scientific investigation and its relation to the Church (which meant only one thing at the time, of course: the Roman Catholic church). It is an edifying three hours, but, this may surprise you, a very entertaining three hours as well. Negative points, however, to the rather annoying Mario Nascimbene score (though annoying in a way that doesn't really distract from the action). Rossellini's attention to quotidian detail is always fascinating. (In "Socrates," for example, Socrates goes to market, and his fish is wrapped to go -- in a piece of lettuce!) Shown at the Cinematheque Francaise in a Rossellini complete retrospective, in a print that was, unfortunately, badly faded. But that's videotape for you. FOLLOW-UP, summer 2009: My title is no longer valid, now that the Criterion Eclipse series has released this in a pristine print. The score (now that I have recognized that all the Nascimbene scores for Rossellini are rather interesting wallpaper) annoyed me not at all. While less well-sustained than "Blaise Pascal" (a major masterpiece), "Cartesius" is still quite interesting, though maybe not exactly riveting, for Descartes, it would seem, was not as fully integrated a personality as was Pascal. This is nicely summed up in a scene where Descartes is about to abandon (for work) his child and her mother. "She is beautiful because she is perfect," he says. "For me she is a miracle," says Helene, the mother. "No, she is not a miracle. She is a perfect machine of nature."

I rented this because I found it on a list of impressive foreign films. As far as any attempt at adventure or cinematography, other than a still camera, there is very little. When the woman tries to dump the wash water one of Descartes' friends, that's about as much action as one gets. Still, it is really cerebral and it's a way of putting forth the ideas of one of the world's great thinkers. I believe that when one embraced science, it could be very risky. Yet, rather than being executed, this man had options; mostly to find a place that accepted him or at least tolerated him. The church has been the biggest enemy to intellect throughout time and here it is no exception. I did plot through this, but I felt that it taught me something.

It's a deep sorrow when I saw meager votes and seven reviews concerning so prominent thinker that the world ever had, the French René Descartes is the father of modern philosophy and mathematics as well, dared bring the lights over the outdated scholastic system from Greece and developing later the Cartesian Method which comprises in the doubt and skepticism under the analytical thinking about everything.

The outstanding and prolific director Robert Rossellini already previously made others biographic movies over Socrates, Blaise Pascal and Agostino d"Ippona, on Descartes he had a broad scope of source materials to build up a best screenplay to make a movie with utmost genuineness, also embellished by so magnificent thoughts from their books.

The storyline spans since his final days at Jesuit School at La Fleche around twenty years old and moves to Paris, in this point the director skips Descartes on Universities that he attended, maybe by lack of source material probably, then he headed to Holland that period of time a most advanced place on the Europe in every facet, meeting with Isaac Beeckman who really aroused its interesting in Mathematics, therefore the fidgety Descartes soon travelled to Bohemia where gains the fondness of Princess Elizabeth, wherever he goes he found a shelter from the scholars and sages, due his wisdom whose preceded himself opening countless dors.

Meanwhile finishing his works and starting printing he was very concerned over the Church's reaction, due what had happened with Galileo arrested by the Pope, advised by his former Jesuit teacher, during this time he gets sexual involving with his servant Helena, who gave a girl named Francine, he never married her, nevertheless never drop out her, sadly the child died five years later, further the movies doesn't display his life at Sweden and his relation with Queen Christina, neither his remaining days at Stockholm and his death.

I consider Descartes a man from another world, someone which was born time after time with a regular gap until was born another genius, then we shall see how the mankind will drives along in steady progress, Descartes quite sure is one my favorite Philosopher, until unknown by the majority of the human race, as shown at IMDB where gathered one best brainy people which consist in this planet, the numbers of votes spoke for themselves!!

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2021 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.25

Extremely good value for folks interested in the history of science, history of rationalism, or mid-renaissance thinkers and culture. Rossellini's very sober Cartesius is a chronicle of Descartes' life and times, following him through Europe as he develops his ideas about science and existence. Rossellini shows us the genius Descartes, but also shows us quietly that he could get things wrong and that he was a product of his times.

The production has some weaknesses as well as some strengths. The music, as another reviewer has mentioned, is odd and over-used. The acting is adequate but never more than that. There is a tableau quality to scenes throughout the film – the people are stiff and come across as conduits of the dialogue rather than actually speaking. There are some real pluses too. During the entirety of one scene in which Descartes is describing his philosophy to a printer, two men work a printing press – one placing the blank pages on the type set that he has daubed with ink, and the other turning the screw a half turn, then back. There are several other scenes that show craftspeople engaged in their work. Finally, I found it refreshing that everyone, French, Dutch, and English, spoke Italian - leaving me to figure out nationality by clothing styles and names.

If Cartesius turns out to be your cup of tea, you may like Potop (The Deluge), directed by Jerzy Hoffman, set in Poland around the time of Descartes (and Gustav Adolph). While a very different approach to filmed history, it is a colourful and interesting story.