Donna in Hollywoodland

Classic Movie Quote of the Day

"The enjoyment of Art is the only remaining ecstasy that is neither immoral or illegal."
- From The Dark Corner

What an amazing and interesting line from the movie. The character is at a party and he says it to a small group of people.
I wonder if in 1947 the word "ecstasy" had a different meaning than it does in 2005. We tend to think of ecstasy as erotic or sexual. But it really has alot to do with a large variety of emotions and pleasures.

The dictionary describes Ecstasy as 1) A state of overwhelming delight or rapture. 2) An extreme or intense state of any emotion.
We get the word "Ecstatic" from the work Ecstasy.

Now the character in the movie is referring to Paintings. But of course, I take a broader and more modern view - to include film, television, music and more.
I think in many ways what the character is saying still applies.

Think about it next time you are watching an action-adventure movie and something gets blown up - wow, how excited you feel. Its thrilling. Something like that in real life would be considered horrible. But watching a movie you are allowed to thrill to car crashes, and nuclear explosions, and someone getting shot - without feeling the least bit guilty. As a matter of fact, the more excited you are about it, the better the movie.

You even get to be a peeping tom during love-making scenes. Getting a sneak peak of other people's very personal moments. And you walk away saying "How romantic" - with no thought that maybe you saw something you shouldn't have seen. Instead there is a glimmer in your eye thinking about the romance and beauty of the scene.

In many ways, Art, particularly film and television, give us heightened emotions. The soundtrack and sound effects, the special lighting - it all adds to the sense of drama.
And for a few moments it is more real than real life.