MovieChat Forums > Suna no onna (1964) Discussion > Myth of sisyphus

Myth of sisyphus

posted 19 years ago by sgbenge
19 replies | jump to latest

This film is great allegory for the myth of sisyphus and also is a great example of the impact of existentialism on modern thought. The man is put into a pit to dig sand eternally by the village men, which parallels sisyphus being condemned to roll the stone up the hill by the gods. The scene in which the villagers with masks shout at the man and woman, saying "show us what you do with her" (or something like that i havent seen it in a while), is a great picture of what the greek gods acted like in myth. the motifs of sand, darkness, and subdued sexuality lend to a feeling of meaninglessness. The man continues to work in the sand even though it is meaningless because his other options are also meaningless (working in the city). So I think the ending is perfect. I could say so much more about this film, i think it is wonderful.

[–] anonymous-V 16 years ago

-=SOME SPOILERS IN MY RESPONSE=-

OKAY OKAY. Some people are confusing the Greek myth with Camus's book the Myth of Sisyphus. Everyone wants to look good after taking existentialist l01, hmm? I kid!

There is a stark difference with Camus's message and Suna no onna. Camus exposes the absurd which is the tension of reflection against experience, and he advocates for a commitment to passion. Suna no onna's ending doesn't fit Camus's message. It's not that the Japanese man gets used to his situation. Rather, the film suggests that a person's self-worth isn't as specific as the individual makes it out to be. The film doesn't suggest anything about meaningless in the grand sense that Camus deals with. The film instead deals with one's value of themselves.

The bug scientist goes out to the desert in search of a bug that will get his name published. That's his means of earning self-worth. Having found the bug but unable to present his discovery, the bug scientist no longer can pursue his goal. But, his discovery of a water source becomes a new means of winning his self-worth. The woman also is a character who seeks self-worth. There's a dialogue in which she believes the sand gives her value. She believes that if not for the sand, the scientist would not have ended up with her. I think the film doesn't go deeper than commenting on occupation - that is - what we intend to do with ourselves, which makes us valuable to society.

[–] staying_up_with_simon 16 years ago

antros wrote: "There's a dialogue in which she believes the sand gives her value. She believes that if not for the sand, the scientist would not have ended up with her."

i don't think that she believes the sand gives her value, as in distinguishing her from another. the sand is what keeps the village alive. in a sense, it would be "sacrilegious" to swear against the sand (theory of idolatry?).

the woman is not dumb. she knows her role and she is scrupulous in all village affairs that the teacher is not privy to (yet). consider her an "agent" of the village.

on the awesome video essay in the criterion edition, the question is posed whether his acquiescence to this form of domestication is embracing a worn, meaningful, enduring life-duty-mission (see taoism: "keep the carriage wheels in worn ruts") or if this resignation involves donning another mask in place of the "man of science/reason" one recently removed (i.e. village has its "head in the sand" and couldn't care less as to if the sale of the inferior sand, its employment of slave labor, is morally or ethically acceptable).

[–] anonymous-V 16 years ago

that would be the same thing. the village values the sand. the people value the village because of the sand. sand gives the people value.

she has pride of the village as a member, and she often distinguishes her culture against Tokyo culture. she definitely knows the sand gives her value. that's why she's devoted to it.

i don't think they idolize the sand. she occasionally points out all the negative effects it causes. symbolically, the sand is as replaceable as the bug scientist's pursuit for a specific bug. the movies suggest that it's the setting that dictates the how the person will seek value, but the gesture of securing one's self-worth is still the same.

i don't think the bug scientist abandoned his "man of science/reason" mentality. the movie last shows him invested in a rational pursuit, which is why he's able to be complacent.

[–] blue__yoshi 13 years ago

I loved that he was an entomologist trying to find an insect in the desert so that he could make a name for himself back in Tokyo.

[–] r-taylor13-848-416837 12 years ago

Very interesting ideas.
I always liked the 'work to live, or live to work' idea.
I find that line sums the film up quite well. Albeit, in a rather simplistic view.