Lars von Trier - MELANCHOLIA - Ego & Extinction - Film Analysis

LARS VON TRIER’S ‘MELANCHOLIA’ : EGO AND EXTINCTION
TRANSCRIPT available from jamesreich.substack.com
James Reich’s latest melancholy novel is THE MOTH FOR THE STAR (7.13 Books)
www.jamesreichbooks.com
“This analysis of Lars von Trier’s beautiful ‘Melancholia’ is the first episode in a series of videos based on the work I’m doing toward a book on the psychology, philosophy, and ecopsychic content of science fiction film. In this episode I talk about ‘Melancholia’ through the work of Schopenhauer, Freud, Jung, Kierkegaard, and others, and offer some thoughts on the breakdown of Friedrich Nietzsche, the nature of science fiction catastrophe narrative, the will, and nature. In future episodes, I’ll be covering Planet of the Apes (1968), Silent Running (1972), Solaris (1972), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978/1956), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), The Thing (1982/1951), The Fly (1986/1958), Melancholia (2011) and Annihilation (2018), and more. It’s a developing set of essays and videos, so thanks for your patience and interest.”
James Reich is the author of the science fiction novel The Song My Enemies Sing, and other works that have earned critical acclaim from Michael Moorcock, Barry N. Malzberg, Laurence Rickels, Andrei Codrescu, Mary Dearborn, Malcolm Mc Neill, and others. His account of the development of British science fiction in the 1960s appears in Bloomsbury Publishing’s Decades series, ‘The 1960s’. He writes and teaches in New Mexico.
He is the author of five novels of science fiction/psy-fi/literary fiction. Available from your local independent bookseller, or online via Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.
The Song My Enemies Sing (Anti-Oedipus Press, 2018)
Soft Invasions (Anti-Oedipus Press, 2017)
Mistah Kurtz: A Prelude to Heart of Darkness (Anti-Oedipus Press, 2016)
Bombshell: A Novel (Soft Skull Press, 2013)
I, Judas: A Novel (Soft Skull Press, 2011)
Website: www.jamesreichbooks.com
Facebook: / jamesreich.writer
*The music used is Richard Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan and Isolde, from ‘Melancholia’ - Although I own the soundtrack, I do not own the copyright of the performance. It is employed for educational, illustrative purposes only.

[@salemsharp1917]

why doesn't this have more views? it's incredibly well made and extremely timely. thank you

[@jamesreich3351]

Thank you! I really appreciate your comment.

[@letabug12]

Not only is this enlightening, but it's incredibly beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to watch. Reich clearly understands and cares for his material!

[@matamoney]

amazing analysis! really eye-opening to see how many lines can be drawn between this movie and classic philosophy and art, and you articulated those relationships so eloquently. would love to see more!

[@michelmartinez660]

The analysis that you present us is as beautiful as overwhelming. This is the most incredible analysis that I have ever seen in my life (seriously). I must be grateful for this. It is very, very difficult to find people as passionate as you, that is why, in my opinion, romanticism is the scape for sensitive souls. ¡Thank you so much for remembering us how to feel! I notice that it says "PDF transcript available on request", so would it be possible for you to provide me the script? I am very interested to study this analysis in detail, as I found some information hard to understand. Congrats for your ability to create this masterpiece of interpretation. It was a pleasure to watch your video.

[@TRIPP5_Shurikens]

Much like the film it describes, this has helped me to discover things about myself that I can barely express. Thanks so much for the effort. Will definitely be looking out for future content.