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'Behind its dark mask lies an uplifting message of hope'

posted 12 years ago by Madmax56
14 replies | jump to latest

Ok, so I just watched this film today. Going through the reviews, I came across this tidbit:

"Make no mistake, Jacobs Ladder is a grim film but behind its dark mask lies an uplifting message of hope, freedom and mental release."

Now, if this is just in the context of talking about death, I can understand that (e.g. not being afraid to die). But what other context would that apply and how does the film convey "hope, freedom, and mental release?"

Also, does anyone really fully agree with the whole Eckhart quote? I think its a bit cruel for God to just plop each of us onto this earth, and once we die, all of our memories are wiped clean in order to get into heaven. Memories are precious and help establish our identity. Being God, I think he could have come up with a better way to have us transition.

I don't know, I'm probably reading into Eckhart's words too literally.

But if anyone knows what that reviewer was talking about please feel free to comment and discuss.

[–] rogerwatersfan3 12 years ago

Bruce Joel Rubin, the film's screenwriter, is a buddhist. And the screenplay is a loose interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Eckhart is talking about attachments, specifically attachments that people cling to. Clinging and attachment are two things a buddhist is tasked with releasing him/herself from during their lifetime. Many see identity as a mental construct... To put this into words, I guess you could say that you are not your idea of yourself, which is actually limiting. Jacob is forced, through the events of his death dream, to cast off the ideas that are limiting him. The guilt over his son's death, the regrets over his failed relationship with his wife, etc. At the end, he achieves a kind of liberation. Although, if the deleted scene near the end, when he saw Jezzie transform into his own image, had been retained, this message would have been a bit more clear, IMO.

The release from suffering comes from Jacob's acceptance of the reality of the situation. While he is resisting it, his suffering escalates. As soon as he accepts it, he can move on. He is no longer plagued by his memories. This doesn't mean they no longer exist...it just means he is no longer imprisoned by his past.

A very uplifting message, in my view! :)

[–] CasseroleWorshipper 11 years ago

Thanks for the cool information, rogerwatersfan3!
I don't mean to impose, but I am the Ocean.

[–] zharth 8 years ago

The elimination of suffering is an appealing goal, but what's never fully converted me to the Buddhist philosophy is that desire is what gives us our purpose and meaning in life. It's a struggle, but you can't have the good without the bad. It may hurt some of the time, but I don't want to be indifferent to the course my life takes. It might be a good strategy when it's time to die, or for closing specific chapters in your life (like the death of a loved one, or divorce, etc.). But you can't begin the next chapter until you become invested once more - in what comes next.

[–] rogerwatersfan3 8 years ago

That's the whole message of the movie...let go of what no longer serves the present moment. Say "yes" to now. The tragedy of Jacob is that he doesn't get this until he's at death's door. But he's lucky, as many never get it, and live mostly in the past (which only exists in the mind)or the future (which also only exists in the mind), never concentrating and being fully present in the moment.

[–] zharth 8 years ago

But beyond this movie - since we only get one moment to make peace with our deaths, and by that point, it's too late to be having discussions on an internet forum - saying yes to the present ignores the importance of one's hopes and dreams for the future, which may be inspired by regrets from the past. Those are among the things that make life worth living. So I don't understand how accepting the present as a means to release one's self from suffering is an entirely desirable approach to life. If your imminent death is inevitable, then you've no choice but to learn how to let go. But if you've still got time left on this mortal coil, then what is even the point of going on if you've nothing left to hold onto? If your life consists of meditating all day (so as not to be distracted by anything other than your awareness of the immediate present) and not being affected by anything whether positively or negatively, are you even really alive? And more importantly, would the answer to that question even matter to you? As I see it, that's where the limitation of Buddhist idealism lies.

[–] rogerwatersfan3 8 years ago

All it means is to acknowledge and be conscious of now. It doesn't mean the past never happened, and it doesn't mean emotions (positive and negative) won't arise because of past events. It doesn't mean you don't put stock in your future.

It means not getting lost in the "mind noise" of constantly trying to get to the next moment and trying to escape from this one. You actually have MORE access to the full range of aliveness and emotions when you are ALLOWING them to arise, rather than escaping unpleasant ones with thoughts of the future or guilt (or reminisences) about the past. By the way, I'm not someone who has all of this figured out. I've just noticed these patterns in my own life, and this is how I interpret the message of letting go. I struggle with it, frankly, but in the moments where I find myself fully present, it all makes sense. It's not about never allowing yourself to feel...that's a misunderstanding of what it's about, at least as far as I understand. It's about ALLOWING yourself to be fully present with what you feel, and putting your attention on it.

It's not about meditating all day. One moment with conscious attention is a meditation in itself.

[–] Drooch 12 years ago

^ ^ this.

Jacob's Ladder has an extremely uplifting and enlightening message. All suffering stems from resistance to what is. If you completely accept your circumstances, and in fact say 'thank you' for them, you will never suffer. Love your fate. If there is a dissatisfaction in your life then it comes from the tension of what is and what you want; want what is to be at peace.

The mind will always try to attach itself to things, and try to form an identity. Your identity is just your conditioning, it isn't ultimately real. Your past exists in your mind as memories, your future is all imagination, the present moment is the only thing that is real - it's always now. As in Jacob's Ladder, death will make this very clear to you.

This is a positive message that doesn't just apply to the dying. If you can take onboard the film's message while you're alive, and 'die before you die', then you will free yourself from suffering and live from a place of peace, and enjoy life as a game rather than feel threatened by it.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Lunatic_Constellations 11 years ago

I always thout it was a very Buddhist message. Release from material attachment means release from suffering.

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

[–] sumankey13 11 years ago

@ rogerwatersfan:

you hit the nail on the head

also, one of the more intelligent replies i've read on imdb ;-)

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

He climbs off the canvas in the hospital to ultimately shed his demons and literally rises to the occasion, when coming to peaceful terms with his own life existence.🐭

[–] Edward_de_Vere 9 years ago

Now, if this is just in the context of talking about death, I can understand that (e.g. not being afraid to die). But what other context would that apply and how does the film convey "hope, freedom, and mental release?"

I guess it depends on how you interpret the ending. It's clear that Jacob is dead at the end, but the film itself doesn't make clear whether (within its own universe, regardless of your belief) the final scenes of Jacob climbing upstairs actually represent his ascent to Heaven, or whether this vision of ascent was simply another vision created in Jacob's mind, one of peace (for the first time) rather than confusion and terror? Taken at face value, I think we see the latter, in which case it's only a hopeful message in the sense of Jacob accepting his death and not dying in a state of fear. If you take the scene for something other than a last glimmer in a dying man's mind and think that Jacob actually ascended to Heaven after Purgatory, I suppose it is a hopeful message. The latter was apparently the screenwriter's intent, though it seems to me that the content of the film lends itself equally well to a completely psychological, non-religious interpretation.

Also, does anyone really fully agree with the whole Eckhart quote? I think its a bit cruel for God to just plop each of us onto this earth, and once we die, all of our memories are wiped clean in order to get into heaven. Memories are precious and help establish our identity. Being God, I think he could have come up with a better way to have us transition.

Years ago, I read through a collection of Eckhart's sermons trying to find this quote and its context, and never found anything close, but that's an aside.

Regardless, the point is a psychological one: it isn't our memories and identities that need to be wiped clean in order for us to accept death, but our strong emotional attachments to the things of this Earth. Again, you don't even have to believe in Heaven, Hell or the afterlife for this to make sense. If you cling to life, you'll die in agony and terror, if you accept death and let go of the things in your life, you can die in peace. The last line in the film was "He looks kind of peaceful, the guy. Put up a Hell of a fight, though."

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

It's not about wiping our memories. It's about letting go of our attachment to them.

Being God, I think he could have come up with a better way to have us transition.

That's the whole point. It is a good transition. They're angels helping you move on to a better place. But if you're fighting and refusing, you see them as demons.

Like how a child might see a dentist as a monster even though the dentist is trying to help.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] Edward_de_Vere 8 years ago

If you take the ending literally (as apparently the screenwriter intended it) and believe in the afterlife, then yes, there is a message of hope.

However, the material we see on screen is open to a completely non-supernatural interpretation - i.e. Jacob's ascent into Heaven with his deceased son is as much a figment of his dying imagination as everything else that flashed through his mind. In which case we're left with the same cynical ending as the Ambrose Bierce story that allegedly/probably inspired the film.

Without the supernatural aspect, it's only uplifting insofar as a mortally injured man's suffering is finally over.