zeuS9r
April 18, 2006 10:01

thanks for that great script, i searched over the whole net and you did it, thx

James Skemp
April 29, 2006 13:33

I was just alerted to a synopsis of the movie, with questions (and spoilers) that is available at http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/1/waking.htm.

I've received a handful of comments from people who have seen this film in a classroom setting, but I've been unable to get more than a couple of the questions that they were asked. This page was what I was looking for years ago ...

PA
May 31, 2006 10:44

great! I've get it! thanks a lot! I can't wait for read it...

Inês
June 9, 2006 09:58

thx for this! 'We are the authors' is my favourite and i kept looking for it and i finally found it *

Kimberly
June 21, 2006 03:40

Ants! Thank you. I just finished watching the film for a third time, and the 'ants' scene gets me every time, and I've been wanting to read it from script-form. Thanks so much for providing that opportunity. The 'ant' girl's character is one of my favorites. I was going to dye my hair red like that because of Eternal Sunshine, but now I have another inspiration!

Time Traveler
June 26, 2006 03:13

I think everyone has missed something in this movie. If you look into it more, you can look at
this movie as one moment. Like they say at the end, life is just one moment. So you look at
the part when he is lifted to the sky. First he holds on, then he is unable to hold on. What
changes? The first time, he is wearing a watch. The second time, he is not. This may be the
fundamental theory behind the whole movie. Look at how often the movie relates to time, and how
many times a watch is seen or a clock is shown. Now draw the comparison of God and death. If
you become one with God, and God exists outside of Time, doesn't that mean Time Travel exists.
I hope to see some discussion about this.

James Skemp
June 26, 2006 06:15

Ah, Donnie Darko.

Time asleep could perhaps be seen as our time with God, or our time with the oneness of all. After all, we no longer perceive our own individuality, in that we no longer perceive our physical body.

Thinking about this, perhaps the movie is about a moment, but I think it's more about the transition from one moment to another. At the end of the movie, if you care about Linklater's comment, then he could be saying 'I submit'. Yet, before this, he was not willing to say this. Instead, he had to work through it during much of the movie.

So, perhaps it's about the moment, but I'd rather think it's about the path, or the journey, to that moment. "I have done well in this world - I'm ready to let go."

Ted Joseph
July 27, 2006 03:08

Perception of self is not so much a recognition of our physical selves but a function of the mind that separates the inner space from the outer space.
Within a dream this distinction still very much exists, and so you can't say that the dream state is equal to a oneness with god, the universal consciousness.
Oneness by its very nature, goes further than dissolution of self perception; it is infinite perception, and then some.

James Skemp
July 27, 2006 05:40

Okay, good point - we are more than just our own bodies. Yet, in the dream state, we are actually all that we 'perceive'. We may believe that we are a separate self, because we don't believe that we are 'this and that', but in fact a part of us is. Right?

Raelasca
July 29, 2006 19:56

I love this movie. My boyfriend came across it and shared it with me. He has wonderful taste in film and theory so when he read some of the script to me, I knew I would love the production. I have watched it probably 7 times already since I have had it.

Edward Spencer
September 15, 2006 12:54

This movie was awesome! It is destined to be a cult classic. An intellectual and philosophical cult classic. Thanks so much to you and all the others who worked on it as well.

Sen
November 8, 2006 19:47

I think that the screen caps would be an excellent addition.

James Skemp
November 8, 2006 22:36

Thanks for the comment Sen. Comments regarding this addition have been very positive, so, Chapter 11 gets the very first image (since it's my favorite chapter of the movie).

If you have any thoughts on images that should be included, let me know.

James Skemp
November 24, 2006 19:02

Someone pointed out that there's a Portuguese version of the script at http://1001gatos.org/?p=184. Looks similar to my own in places, but since I don't know Portuguese ...

H. Brown
January 2, 2007 13:12

Thank you SO much.

RM
January 20, 2007 19:34

To James Skemp
I'm doing a paper in school due in two days and we had to watch this movie and pick three of the vignettes and explain them corresponding to the following questions:
How and why does one search for meaning?
What is the function of art in life?
What is the relationship between goodness and evil?

Im not sure what vignettes to choose, if you happen to come on here in the next day i would be very appreciative for your input Thanks

James Skemp
January 20, 2007 22:28

Ah, an example of Waking Life being used in the classroom - I like it.

So, one question per vignette, or three questions per vignette? If it's the latter, that's a great example of why I'm glad I don't have those nights where you wake up and think that you've got a big project/report due the next day ;)

Hopefully it's obvious, but The Holy Moment (Chapter 11 - strivinglife.net/.../) is my favorite part of the movie. I think you could answer each of those questions using this part of the movie (and I think I'll give it a try next week myself).

Ants (Chapter 14 - strivinglife.net/.../) may be another good scene (or scenes) to answer these questions - at least the first two.

Good and evil is a difficult one - after all, what is good, and what is evil?

The one that seems to be the easiest to use to answer this is the end of Death and Reality (Chapter 5 - strivinglife.net/.../). But the real challenge is asking what the movie tells you, if anything, about good and evil. Are the people in this film talking about life, and how one should lead it? Is that what goodness is about - leading a good life?

If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to read what you end up with - either as comments to the chapters you comment on, or personally at strivinglife at gmail.com. If you don't want to - no problem

I hope that helps.

RM
January 20, 2007 22:52

Wow I was very impressed with your thorough web site and responses to visitors' comments, but i thought i would be out of luck with this assignment on such short notice - you proved me wrong.

The assignment is "to identify, isolate, and analyze three different vignettes within the movie in conjunction with the three essential questions noted above (I put these in my first post). In other words, match a separate vignette with each of the three questions."

She also wants us to maybe mention a few of the other works that we have read and watched so far this year (Man's Search for Meaning, Allegory of the Cave, the movie Antwone Fisher, The Bell Jar, and Hamlet) and how they connect to Waking Life

Before I read your comments, i had the holy moment scene picked out for the "function of art in life" question and maybe the man with the afro as the "search for meaning" vignette, but i was stumped with the good vs evil question
Again i appreciate any advice you can give and if i have any questions on sunday are you gonna be checking this or your email throughout the day?

Thanks Again

James Skemp
January 21, 2007 08:43

The Bell Jar?

Good choice on the search for meaning - “Speed” (Chapter 15 = strivinglife.net/.../) does have some very interesting points to bring up (albeit very compact and quick - the hard part will be doing the bit of translation necessary to slow it down ).

Another choice for the third - how about Alienation (Chapter 4 - strivinglife.net/.../) for good/evil? Can evil be good? and vice versa?

Thank *you* for sharing how your school is using Waking Life in the classroom. I enjoy hearing that Waking Life is making it into classrooms, and I'd like to see it happen more and more. Can I ask what the focus of the course is? Philosophy, literature, art, ... ?

RM
January 21, 2007 11:20

Its just a senior high school honors english class with the course theme of "The Aesthetics of Living"

LJ
January 22, 2007 14:51

Let me guess, you go to FLHS?

RM
January 23, 2007 21:20

that is correct whoever you are

Andrew S.
February 17, 2007 21:27

RM... I also had to watch Waking Life in a classroom situation, i really enjoyed the whole concept of time. And all the one on one philosophical discussions. To some the movie may be hard to follow. But we were fortunate enough to be study Philosophy, and our teacher was really passionate about the concepts in the movie.

We also had to do a bit of a evulation on sigments that jumped out at us, and answer a series of questions about the theme of the discussion in a philosophical context. I went to St. Johns Grammar in South Australia at the time.

Leslie
February 22, 2007 10:28

man RM you sure are lucky to have had the opp. to see the movie in your high school English class.. i wish my English teacher would have thought of something like that... i loved the movie. and own 3 copies of it.

Alan A Dale
April 2, 2007 12:38

Needs some tracking down, but "Sans Soleil" ("Sunless" in English) directed by Chris Marker shares something in common with "Waking Life" ie its open-ended reflections on "life".

James Skemp
June 29, 2007 06:33

Hi Kim,

You may want to post your question on Chapter 2 (as well); you may get more responses.

But, I think the driver answers a bit of your questions in his long monologue.

In short, something to the effect that he believes that his actions should be an expression of who he is. In addition, he realizes, as many philosophers and psychologists do, that his outlook on the world shapes his perceptions of the world.

Kim
June 29, 2007 11:26

It is unusual to see a boat being driven on a road. What could be the metaphoric significance? How does it shape all the other stories? How does it frame the audience expectations of the following acts? What historical/philosophical precedents are being quoted here?

Could anyone let me know?

regards,
Kim

James Skemp
June 30, 2007 07:08

Kim also asks:

“What is the role of the driver? How does that impact on the story. Is Wiley therefore dead, alive, asleep or awake, or in a lucid dream state? How is the message conveyed? How is the text organized, how are the obvious signs organized. What does the visual language tell us?”

ANGELA
July 5, 2007 17:02

Loved the movie. Also had it as an assigment and probably would not have read it otherwise. Our questions are analyze how dream life in waking life is divided into categoriesn. Name the categories or "explanation of dreams" and give specific examples to show the division and hw they function. Any thoughts? Angela

10 ninjas
July 6, 2007 14:52

the 1st time I saw this movie, it was only in bits and pieces. The 2nd time I ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms and was sure to leave myself a pad, a pen and plenty of pause time.

This film touched on a few points that I have already dedicated much though to, such as time and gravity...we don't know what they are or how they work, just that they do and their side effects.

matt
October 16, 2007 17:44

I noticed that when anger was expressed or felt with extreme passion the charectors skin color would become more and more red. I realize that RM's project is already completed but i think that the color red plays an important part in the argument of good vs evil.

Bahram
November 3, 2007 03:44

wow! I really enjoyed the movie. since the Matrix ihadn't seen such great movie dealing with philosophy and religion (ethics).

Cindy
November 11, 2007 07:00

Thank you! I need this because of essay. It's very difficult to understang. So your script maybe help to me. SoooooooooO Thank you!

zahra
November 22, 2007 17:14

ok thanks
i put this as my link instead

santi
December 7, 2007 00:56

THANK YOU SOO MUCH!

I'll read it ^^

Emerson
December 12, 2007 02:24

Hi there.
Love this film, I'm stoked that I found this but what I would really like is a trancript of the commentary or the subtitle commentary. If anyone knows where I can find one I'd really appreciate it.

Happy Dreaming.

FLHS
January 16, 2008 18:39

I am also working on the same thing RM is working on. At first I was really confused about what to write and choose for my vignettes. But, reading your advice to RM really helped me make my mind up about what to choose for my paper. Thnx

NC
March 13, 2008 19:38

Has anyone transcribed the commentary/ subtitles that are available in the "special features" section? I want to use the film in the classroom, and would like to use the commentary, as well. Thank You!

James Skemp
May 31, 2008 19:32

@NC: I'll be posting a rough version of the commentary, based solely on the subtitles, very soon (I'm shooting for tomorrow, June 1).

xemi
June 15, 2008 16:36

hallo! thanx very much for making this effort!!!
i just watched the movie and want to read the script. I would recoment anyone that would be interested to read Robert Anton Wilson and Tom Robbins, cause most of the ideas and issues of this movie are things that you can find in Wilson and Robbins. Each one with his one personal style of course

I also think it would be nice if you guys could provide a print version of the script, just to avoid all this copy and paste and next and copy and paste again blablabla. Maybe i am asking for too much, hehe, but it's just a suggestion.

Thank you once more
Xemi

anne
July 20, 2008 03:12

thanks a lot. you just saved my ass. :p

Eric
July 29, 2008 10:13

Thank you so much for the effort!