Iconoclasts: The Matrix And Its Influences – Episode 42
December 2nd, 2009
As part of The Iconoclasts series: Matrix Memes: The Matrix and Influences.
A look into the mind of the Warchowski brothers before they created the Matrix: Anime (Ghost in the Shell), Manga, Hong Kong Action,Kung Fu, Cyberpunk, Cybergoth, William Gibson (Neuromancer), Philip K. Dick (Ubik), Myth, Religion from the Greeks to Judeo-Christian Tradition, Music from Minimalist to Atonal, Philosophy from Plato to Postmodernism…In short - from John Woo to Philip Glass, from Megazone 23 to Don Davis, this short episode looking Matrix and its influences is action packed.
Second part of Iconoclasts series. The first part Iconoclasts: Films that Influenced Star Wars – Episode 39 is here.
List of Film/Movies/Books featured to follow here.
Tags: anime, cyberpunk, don davis, ghost in the shell, hong kong action, john woo, kung fu, matrix influences, megazone 23, neuromancer, philip glass, ubik, wachowski brothers
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Woah.
Good job! Really liked this one, not surprisingly. That’s a lot of stuff for 6 minutes and 25 seconds. I got a kick out of it not dissimilar to the one I get from the insane everythingness of the film itself. (Even if my first reaction was ‘OH MY GOD WHY IS HE SHOUTING?!’
)
Akira is a fantastic film–I think it even tops Ghost in the Shell for me–but I can’t seem to get a hold of the DVD at the moment. The manga seems pretty good so far, too (I’m only on the second volume), but as GitS and The Matrix also show, there is an awesome kind of energy produced when so much material is compressed into just a couple of audiovisual hours.
Neuromancer is also excellent. One on my favourite books. In the words of Gibson himself, though, Philip K. Dick was not one of his influences: http://bit.ly/4Vvtme
From the same blog, here’s Gibson’s thoughts on The Matrix and ‘influences’ generally: http://bit.ly/5qkPha A good evaluation of the whole process, I think. And if you look at some of the GitS/Matrix comparisons you can find online, for example, you’ll see that The Matrix too has some of that ‘embarrasingly undigested gristle’.
I also really liked the fact that you looked at the music score. Most pop culture evaluations of the film tend to miss that out. Don Davis’ score for the Wachowskis’ earlier film Bound is also good, as is the film itself. It has the same tightness and noir-ish aesthetic as the first Matrix film, two things their stuff has generally lacked since.
P.S. Serial Experiments Lain was very interesting, but it gets very weird and I kind of lost track. You should really watch Texhnolyze, by the same team. Very different, though.
Wow you really packed alot in there! Very Interesting. I’d seen some of the Anime but the Gun Fu was new to me. Thanks for another great episode.
Great clip and look back on the Matrix. Loved this movie when it came out and reminds me that I haven’t watched it in a while. Time to fix that… or maybe I should get the Ultimate Blu-Ray version?
For real.. great clipping! thanks man! looking forward for the next episodes..
Really really cool clip T, I am getting addicted to your show!
overwhelmed! great episode! maybe there is even enough content, just in this one episode, to expand a bit more on several future episodes. you should do a matrx series.
Solid coverage of ‘The Matrix’ Tomas.
And Justice in the soundtrack too!!
I still think it’s unspeakably brilliant and deep. These films come along every few years and blow it all up.
It’s testament to everyone involved in the project that, since it’s release, you see elements or eh.. “rip-off’s”, throughout cinema.
Flamin’ ‘eck, my Lovefilm account’s fit to burst after these film recomms.
Got me in the mood now, I’m watching it tonight.
It always seems to work well on a Friday night.
“All those moments will be lost… in time, like… tears… in the rain. Time to die.” Blade Runner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTzA_xesrL8
your talking was kinda like an action movie/clip itself.;)
liked it a lot, flashin in the pics of the influences on MATRIX…cool stuff!
Once again, a great job dissecting what influenced the Matrix. The most groundbreaking film since Star Wars in the sci-fi genre.
One word of caution for this episode: the rapid fire talking head editing is at the threshold of seizure inducing.
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Let’s not forget that the Wachowski Brothers are Mormons and their Matrix movies have heavy Mormon influences. The last city being called “Zion” is not merely a reference to Zion in Israel but additionally to the Latter Day Saint concept of Zion.