This is a frame from "Schizopolis" - a film by Steven Soderbergh. In it you can see a poem that is merely a recital of alphabet sequence. It is a throwaway sight gag that means nothing. It fits perfectly into the films nonsensical aesthetics but not much else. Or not?
This poem was written by the film protagonist (who also happened to be films director who moments prior to that delivered a master-class of making bizarre grimaces) while sitting in an office cubicle and "feeling strange" and "doing panic". Piece of paper on which the poem was written was subsequently crumpled and thrown away into the trash bucket. That led to another gag sequence which will not be described here. It was never mentioned again. It is also never mentioned in any film reviews because apparently people don't need poetry.
It is very strange poem. It is completely pointless. It is shown as a way of "killing time", needless false attempt to sort things out. But then it is literally thrown away - as if it was actually a horrifying expose and not an alphabet recital with some elaborate line breaks. But it sticks. Over time it became a personal highlight of a film. Why is was there? "Just because" is the reason. And it is wonderful that way.
This little poem is more than meets the eye. It is not the poem you can interpret. It is the very opposite. It is empty textual void. It's not like there were never an alphabet recital poems before - Ian Hamilton Finlay's and Louis Aragon's poems come to mind first - but its appearance in a film is perplexing slap bang. It is cathartic "crowning moment of awesome" of entire film. Its mere presence tells everything the film is attempting to do. Which is "blatant expression of flight of imagination indulged in pointless verbal contortionism complicated to point of utter absurd".
This poem reflects Steven Soderbergh's desire for complete liberation from traditional rules of narrative and techniques and absolute dissociation of skills. It is not condemnation of conventions - it is a personal rejection of its dogmatic nature. Ordinary ways of presenting concepts are inadequate to express something new. It is unable to create mysteries, to tackle something unknown without demystifying it. Experiment - successful or not - is necessary. The poem signified his will to articulate his vision the way he sees fitting. Because if used only in accepted (so-called "right") ways - creative potential of any idea can be seriously limited and trampled with possible end result of its pitiful demise by imposed constraints of generally accepted rules.
The whole "Schizopolis" experience is designed to impart new vigor - to clean the mind pathways and to make it capable of expressing anything without stuttering or fumbling. It it is more than merely an act of self-exorcism of "bad thoughts" (X). It is one of the greatest exercises in style ever put on film. It is a film filled with various ideas.
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