The question of spectre is one that has been bothering me ever since the town's appearance in the film Big Fish ...what exactly is Tim Burton trying to represent with this somewhat paradise-like town? Is the inclusion of the town some type of allusion to some sort of heaven/afterlife. The scene where the Mayor of the town greets Edward Bloom with a clipboard in his hand on which lies Edward's name certainly suggests so. However, there are some concepts that seem to contradict this view of Spectre. For example, there is the appearance of the naked siren-like woman in the river, which seems to suggest that the town could be some sort of trap. Yet another view could possibly be that Spectre represents a utopian society that later becomes ruined by the introduction of the "outside world" by way of the financial market and shady business dealings.This could possibly be the directors way of commenting on the corrupting ability of money. There is also the the concept that everything is never as good as it seems. For example, though spectre seemed to be a paradise on the surface, the overall goodness of the place stifled the creative ability of the poet. Which seems to suggest that maybe too much of a good thing is bad. After leaving the town, the poet went on to do great things, which goes back to the whlole goldfish in a small bowl metaphor expressed earlier in the film.With all this being said I have come to the unsatisfying conclusion that there is no clear cut reference or allusion that spectre represents. The different metaphorical concepts signified by the wonderous town of Spectre are simply left to interpretation.
Hakim R.
Hakim R.
Oh wow, you have put quite a bit of thought into this. Another idea that came up was that the whole story may have been a remake of Homer's Odyssey [sorry I do not know how to underline here]. Spectre could represent the island with the fruit that was too good. This would tie into your idea of too much of a good thing and also the idea the it is a form of confinement. The soldiers would have stayed on the island just like the poet may have stayed in Spectre (even though the poet did not always go on to better things, like robbing a bank). I think part of the meaning of the movie was about making your mark on the world last after you die. Spectre may represent the good thing that he could have settled for but never would have made the fame he did. When he goes back to repair the town, it might represent the thing in life that may hold one back but is still cherished.
ReplyDeletei was actually going to mention the whole odyssey thing but couldnt quite remember how that whole thing went.And the poet actually did go on to do better things. After robbing the bank, the main character (whose name escapes me at the moment) explained to him how the market works and the poet subsequently got rich. But i agree that your idea is a valid representation of spectre
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