The 4 Pillars of Idealism

(Chapter 6 of the book Idealism: The Forgotten Principles of American Cinema)

The fact that a movie pleases and entertains the viewer still doesn't prove that it is Idealist, after all people with opposite values will enjoy and be inspired by opposite things. Idealism is not a morally neutral theory, concerned only with technical issues. It is based on specific values and has a specific philosophical bias. There are four particular concepts, four values, four emotions or four mental experiences that form the basis of Idealism:

- Objectivity

- Self-esteem

- Benevolence

- Excitement

These concepts are directly linked to human happiness, and the best works of art are those that best manage to concretize these values and make them real in the viewer's consciousness, at least during the consumption of the work. Each of these terms is a kind of umbrella concept under which a series of other related ideas and values are grouped. Let's expand on each one so that we can understand them better:

1. OBJECTIVITY

It's the experience of understanding reality, of seeing order in the universe, stability, structure, coherence, of having confidence in our cognitive abilities, of seeing reality in a simplified way, of knowing the truth behind things, which gives us a sense of control and security (raw, unfiltered reality will always be too complex to generate a state of mental clarity in the viewer). It's the attitude of never accepting ignorance, confusion and incommunicability as the natural state of things. Of never accepting subjectivism as an answer, of having respect for reason and facts.

A work of art can provide Objectivity mainly through its style, by the way it presents its content: having a clear, logical plot, creating a believable, cohesive universe with well-established rules, characters who act consistently, events that respect the law of causality, through the precision with which the artist communicates with the audience, guides the viewer's attention, the clarity with which he presents ideas in his work, the objectivity of the techniques he uses to express values, create emotions, narrate the story, demonstrate his skills, through the way he portrays reality, man, making clear and orderly what is often chaotic and confusing in real life. But objectivity can also be conveyed through content, in stories where the essence of the plot is the search for knowledge, explanations, solutions - detective stories, mysteries, courtroom dramas, to name but a few.

This concept of Objectivity is the most basic value of Idealism, and is a precondition for the expression of all the other values. It's what makes the other three pillars possible and real. If you try to project Self-Esteem, for example, but have no respect for reality (the characters' actions aren't convincing, aren't communicated clearly), the emotion won't be real for the viewer. It's a more epistemological value, while the other three are more emotional.

Objectivity is something that tends to be naturally respected by mainstream cinema, being challenged mainly by art films, experimental films (or by filmmakers who simply aren't competent enough to communicate objectively).

It is because of this pillar that I will emphasize the importance of clarity in the director's style, in the storytelling, and this is why Idealism is incompatible with Experimentalism, for example, which aims to portray reality in an ambiguous, inconsistent way, or worse, to create a state of chaos in the viewer's mind, decreasing (rather than increasing) his confidence in his mental faculties.

2. SELF-ESTEEM

It's the experience of feeling important, special, capable, proud, of gaining respect and being recognized for your virtues, of being the best at something, of believing in your individual potential, of believing that life can be great, that man can be admirable, heroic. It's the attitude of not accepting impotence and fragility as the true essence of man. Banality as the essence of life. Of not accepting one's own flaws as natural and inevitable. Of always desiring virtue, progress, success, of never taking pride in one's own failures or being lenient with them.

A work of art can't actually give a person self-esteem, but it can simulate/encourage this emotion and, by example, give them the inspiration and confidence to achieve it in their personal life. An artist can create this emotion through content, showing heroes, admirable individuals, telling stories of achievements, success, great events, but also through style, through the virtues demonstrated by the artist himself in the creation of his work - virtues such as technical mastery, expertise, a pioneering spirit, originality, genius, ambition, which provoke a sense of admiration in the viewer towards the work before them (meaning that even a work of art portraying flawed characters can stimulate a sense of Self-Esteem in this sense).

It is because of this pillar that I will later criticize the current trend of anti-heroes in popular culture, and it is also why I am critical of Naturalistic films, which not only tend to portray ordinary characters, without great virtues, but also do not show great technical virtues on the part of the filmmaker, who is more interested in portraying reality as it is, conveying a social message, etc.

3. BENEVOLENCE

It's the experience of believing that the universe is a suitable place for human beings, where happiness is possible and our values can be achieved. Believing that men can be perfectly moral, happy, and that their interests need not be in conflict. That conflicts, pain and evil are not to be accepted as normal, but things to be fought against and overcome. It's a certain respect for the innocence of childhood, for the vision of what the world could be (even a film with a sad ending or a movie about a corrupt character can respect the value of Benevolence, as long as the blame for the tragic results falls on the characters' wrong choices, and not on life itself, on human nature, as if it were something natural and inescapable).

Benevolence can be experienced through content - in stories where good is portrayed positively and evil negatively, where characters have free will and the power to achieve their goals, where we see positive and harmonious relationships between characters (rather than relationships full of cynicism, distrust, mutual contempt, incompatibility, which is what predominates today), where heroes are morally pure (they don't accept evil and corruption in themselves), never wish for evil or do anything to harm innocent people. But Benevolence can also be felt through the artist's style, in their general attitude towards the audience: in their choice to show beauty, in their desire to communicate, to talk about subjects that interest them, in their desire to provoke positive and inspiring emotions, to please the senses, etc.

It is on this basis that Idealism opposes films with a Malevolent Sense of Life, films that glamorize violence, suffering, that show only conflict-ridden relationships, unpleasant situations, that glorify corrupt and immoral characters, that insinuate that man is perverse by nature, that life is essentially tragic, films that are made to externalize the artist's destructive feelings, etc.

4. EXCITEMENT

It's the desire for entertainment, escapism, fun, pleasure, variety, stimulation, intense emotions. It is the experience of escaping boredom, the monotony of everyday life and normal states of consciousness, rules and irrational duties imposed by others and society. It's the desire to make life interesting and enjoyable. It's what makes us seek laughter, adventure, catharsis, fantasy, ecstasy, adrenaline, awe, astonishment, surprises. It's the attitude of not accepting boredom, duty, monotony or melancholy as natural and unavoidable states of existence. To consider happiness the highest and most desirable state of consciousness. To not consider it a virtue the ability to repress one's desires, to sacrifice one's pleasures.

Excitement can be provided by the content of an artwork - for example, in films where the characters go through great adventures, extraordinary situations, experience exciting, unusual events; but also by the style, the method with which the story is told: whether there is suspense, an engaging plot, surprises, intense emotions, whether the pace of the story is exciting, whether there is a satisfying climax (meaning that even a tragic story or a monologue can be Exciting depending on how they are executed).

It's from the pillar of Excitement that arises the need for a good narrative, a well-constructed plot, climaxes, Set Pieces and Ascension (a principle I will discuss later), and this is also why Idealism opposes Naturalistic, Experimental films with no plot, or films that put the social/educational function of art above the enjoyment of the audience.

Thus, when I say a movie is Idealist, it's because it has succeeded in projecting these four values, all of which are indispensable. It's acceptable for some of these values to be more dominant, and others less dominant in a particular work, or in a particular genre, but they all need to be present on some level. If one pillar is completely overturned and rejected by the artist, the others will start to crumble too - all these ideas are interconnected, so it's impossible to provide one of these experiences without starting to provide some of the others. For example: in order to create an admirable character and inspire Self-esteem in the viewer, there must first be the value of Objectivity in the story (you can only feel inspired by actions and values that you can observe, believe in, and that are being communicated rationally by the artist). And by stimulating this feeling of Self-esteem in the audience, there will also be an element of Benevolence in the intention of the artist.

EXAMPLE OF THE 4 PILLARS IN ACTION

In Pretty Woman (1990), one of the most touching moments is when Vivian (Julia Roberts) and Edward (Richard Gere) share their first kiss. As Vivian is a prostitute and Edward a successful businessman, there is a sense of mistrust and hopelessness throughout the story, because despite their mutual affection and Vivian proving to be a woman of good character, social differences become a significant obstacle, making a relationship between them seem highly unlikely. So, when the two finally break the taboo of the kiss (not kissing on the mouth had been a rule established by Vivian at the beginning of the story), it is the pillar of Benevolence that is realized and makes the scene emotional - the sense that despite all the obstacles and conflicts, happiness will be possible and the characters' goals can be achieved. Note that if the kissing rule hadn't been clearly established beforehand, and if the social obstacle didn't seem serious enough to the audience, the scene wouldn't cause any emotion - it's in this sense that Objectivity is indispensable for projecting any kind of value.

Although this particular scene focuses on the value of Benevolence, the other pillars are still present in the background: the fact that Vivian is a beautiful woman and Edward is an extremely successful, charming man reinforces the value of Self-esteem (contrast this with Naturalistic films that show love affairs between ordinary people). The intensity of the passion between them and the fact that the kiss scene is an important moment in the story, built as a small climax - a well-orchestrated sequence, with a beginning, middle and end, with an effective score - also generates an experience of Excitement. At other key moments in the movie, different pillars will be in the foreground, such as the classic "revenge" scene in which Vivian goes shopping on Rodeo Drive full of money, and decides to stop by the store where she had previously been rejected by the clerk for appearing underdressed. The idea of her being extremely elegant on Rodeo Drive, shopping with no spending limit, and getting back at the rude clerk creates a perfect combination of Excitement and Self-Esteem that makes the scene one of the highlights of the film (always with the help of music: if, in the kissing scene, the calm and romantic theme by James Newton Howard stimulated the feeling of Benevolence, in the shopping scene, the song "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison is used to reinforce Excitement and Self-Esteem).

It is always through concrete elements (specific actions, events, objects, words, sounds, attitudes) that these pillars are realized in a story. "Self-esteem" cannot exist in a vacuum; only through specific things that will convey this idea and generate the corresponding emotion in the viewer. As Ayn Rand says in The Art of Fiction, a writer needs to learn how to "concretize abstractions" so that he can build a plot and express the themes of the story. He has to become fluent in this language: look at a concrete element and know how to identify the abstract values it projects, and at the same time be able to take an abstract concept like "Self-esteem" and know what concrete elements he can use to materialize it in his work.

Recently on my blog, a reader was intrigued by a comment I had made in my review of the film The Intouchables (2011), in which I noted that the film used "flight", "joyful music" and the "power of healing" strategically in the story, and that although The Intouchables doesn't reflect Idealism 100%, these elements were present in many films I like. The Intouchables is not a fantasy, an explicitly escapist movie, but in a way it is very close to movies like Mary Poppins (1964) or E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), stories in which "magical" figures appear to transform the protagonist's life, bringing fun, magic, adventure, and helping him solve his problems. This type of figure always provokes experiences related to Benevolence and Excitement, and it is very common for these three ingredients to be present in the story:

- Joyful music: creates a sense of optimism, happiness, fun (Benevolence + Excitement).

- Flight: projects a sense of freedom, hope and fantasy (Benevolence + Excitement, remembering that fantasy always falls under the umbrella of Excitement).

- Healing power: creates a sense of hope, overcoming problems, as well as fantasy in the case of supernatural powers (Benevolence + Excitement).

In The Intouchables, Omar Sy's character is a nurse who comes to take care of a quadriplegic, so the theme of healing is the most obvious here (he even uses marijuana as a tool for his healing power). Joyful music comes into play in scenes such as Sy dancing to "Boogie Wonderland" to entertain Philippe, and flight is carried out in the paraglider scene. In a movie like E.T., the character literally has magical healing powers, and literally makes the protagonist fly. He doesn't bring music to Elliott, but John Williams' amazing "Flying Theme" is directly associated with E.T.'s powers, so from the audience's point of view, E.T. is indeed a vector for joyful music (deep down, it's the audience, not Elliott, that E.T. has come to "heal"). Mary Poppins brings music to the children - she's singing throughout the entire movie - and appears flying in the very first scene. She doesn't have a magical healing power like E.T., but by giving the children a "spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down", she ends up evoking this theme a bit. These elements don't always appear together, and this is not a rule, just a curious pattern that illustrates how the pillars of Idealism manifest themselves through concrete elements in a story. In Titanic (1997), for example, Jack is the "magical" figure who comes to solve Rose's problems. He begins by saving her from suicide: healing power. Later, he takes her to dance and have fun with the irresistible music of the third class. And when he leads her to the bow of the ship and spreads her arms like wings, Rose exclaims: "Jack, I'm flying!". In The Sound of Music (1965), Maria brings joyful music into a house where music had been explicitly banned. She doesn't heal physical wounds, but she heals the emotional wounds of various characters: Captain Von Trapp's traumas related to the death of his wife, the sorrow of the children who feel rejected and oppressed by their father, Liesl's pain when her heart is broken. Maria doesn't fly, but she is always "climbing mountains", hills, and in the end the family is saved precisely because of Maria's mountains - the movie ends with everyone reaching the summit of a mountain, approaching the sky, and the camera keeps going up and up, taking the viewer towards the clouds.