The Condescension Of Pretension

What is pretension in film? In my view it's one of the worst things a film can do - it's really self-sabotaging in that it usually makes the audience feel condescended to, with that being rarely deliberate or effective.
Pretension and pretentiousness are of course subjective - there may not be universal truths surrounding pretension in movies, but I believe feelings surrounding condescension, self-indulgence, and pretentiousness are linked to perceptions of a film's or filmmaker's sincerity - perhaps not always, but often enough for the link to be made.
Please note that although this was uploaded in 4k, its intended output was 1080 - KZbin's compression is so bad in HD that it looks a lot better watched in 2k or 4k, even through an HD TV or monitor, so I uploaded it as 4k
Movies Mentioned:
Testament of Orpheus / Le testament d'Orphée (1960), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Lady In The Water (2006), Babel (2006), Synechdoche, New York (2008), The Human Centipede (2009), The Last Airbender (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015), Serenity (2019)

[@AenysCrabb]

Nice to have you back Georg.

[@nondescriptstraightwhitema6138]

I would give a thumbs up but you are at 666 🤗

[@dking2720]

Yeah I really missed this

[@ArgoLovely]

First his hair, now his beard. For all we know his whole body is shaved, and he'll show up in the next video covered in petroleum jelly. Im all for it honestly.

[@raffleticket4295]

like frank reynolds?

[@repletereplete8002]

Crying "I am the eel, and I slither into the realms of all your teatimes!".

[@munjee2]

He's going to go full DeVitto

[@arempy5836]

Georg is the next evolution of man.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

he's gonna burst naked through a print of a Penny Arcade comic

[@DrCreepen]

I watched 'Jupiter Ascending' on a plane when I literally was trapped in a sitting position for several hours with nothing else to do. I still feel like it was 2 hours of my life that could have better been used staring ahead at the seat in front of me.

[@SomePotato]

You really have to watch it in 3D and with a good surround system. Quite a ride. Still laughably bad, but quite a ride.

[@horserage]

Staring at a wall is actually a meditative practise, so, actually yes, it could've been.

[@sprink88]

I think it's a masterpiece - you just watched it wrong. It's best watched on an old Nokia, with the sound off and your eyes closed.

[@defvent]

Georg Rockall-Schmidt that's a name I haven't heard in... four months.

[@mcoupe69]

It’s been four hundred and thirty-seven years

[@MrMaxcorbel]

@@mcoupe69 BUT FINALY HES FREEEEEEEE!!!!

[@aaaatttt101]

It was too pretentious

[@papertiger9845]

al t his name is super pretentious lol no E at the end of George? Who the fuck does this guy think he is!? 😂

[@MalleusSemperVictor]

After a long, painful breakup with his facial hair he has returned to us.

[@CorbCorbin]

Et Malleo Semper Vicit He’s transferring it to his head

[@mickles1975]

Reports of Georg's death have been slightly exaggerated.

[@nks406]

Yes he was reborn as a buddhist monk

[@jarradpuckridge8210]

I'm not giving back his stuff...

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

He did tell us he'd be pootling off for a bit...

[@mickles1975]

@@andrewgwilliam4831 That was more than a pootle. That was a sojourn.

[@circleofsorrow4583]

He lost a fight with a hair eating goat.

[@calebdehart6651]

It took 4 months for your face to reabsorb all your hair?

[@arempy5836]

It takes a while to get a vasectomy for your facial hair.

[@HeatherHolt]

Caleb Dehart he’s like a Wolly Willy without any of the magnetic shavings left

[@banjojo3341]

why the meanz?

[@burningmisery]

Regular Georg absorbed Bizarro Georg. I miss the goatie tho.

[@TheCivildecay]

HAHAHA I just wanted to write a comment on this, but I read yours and I can never top this :D

[@jakmanxyom]

Me: "Did you get the lava lamp back?" Georg: "Yes." Me: "What did it cost?" Georg: [feels his clean shaven face] "...everything."

[@jc441-i3q]

6:43 Thanks for tickling my left eardrum.

[@fredrickbanks1966]

JPaul C thank you. now I know I’m not crazy Suck it therapist!

[@ludilka]

Geez, I thought that was my left speaker dying or something.

[@circleofsorrow4583]

It was a welcome brief respite from my tinnitus in that ear.

[@bruh666]

Tickling? More like sharp stabbing jesus I hate it

[@sickgrin88]

Ouch

[@RemainIndoorsPainting]

The most annoying thing about 'Serenity' (2019 one) is i will now have to specify that every time i say i like the film 'Serenity', i mean the Firefly movie, not The Sims movie.

[@chocolatebunnies6376]

No More Yes. But. «The Sims movie». Could be really interesting and/or fun/stupid. You live in a universe where there is a set purpose in your life that you have to be as happy as possible at all times, and the way to achieve this is suburban success of house, money, family, jobyoudontcareaboutbutpayswell and buying expensive stuff you don’t need, and when your maker gets tired of you he walls you in and burns your house down.

[@TheRealCaptainFreedom]

The Sims?

[@Arbiter099]

Glad you're back, was worried that all the Hip-Tang got to you

[@thejudestofnolans]

George. I love the tone you set with the lighting and the camera angles. Your content feels well produced. You deserve more success, I hope you the best

[@chungusbooper]

*Audio warning*: avoid 6:43.

[@Finarvas]

Whole video has lower volume than his others, so I raised it and then... :D

[@Johny40Se7en]

No ambiguity kills the magic. It's great to see you and the lava lamp doing videos again.

[@ramonmartensen1529]

Pretentious artist are just smart enough to comprehend the ideas they force into their artwork and truly good artists are so intelligent that they own these ideas enough to let them naturally find their way into the pulse of their artwork. At least that's the feeling I get when I compare the deep films I find pretentious and the ones I find sincerely good.

[@beardedbjorn5520]

I think you’re right. When it’s truly art, it’s so subtly done that you have to think about it for a while. Unlike others that smack you in the face with their pseudo smut.

[@ramonmartensen1529]

@@beardedbjorn5520 exactly. It's the difference between saying: "Georg struggled with accepting the schopenhaurian decay and fatalistic nihilism" and "Georg decided to shave off his final remaining hairs and dimmed the light as he put the camera in focus" One explicitly names the concepts it wants to explore and the other simply makes it part of the characters and his life. The latter makes you think about the motivation and allows you to come to your own conceptual conclusions.

[@beardedbjorn5520]

@@ramonmartensen1529 You have come up with some great examples man. Georg has the best comment section.

[@bb1111116]

Ramon Martensen; Georg admitted that these labels are subjective. There is no one audience. Georg mentions “Testament of Orpheus” by Jean Cocteau. There is a French serialist film genre going back to “Un Chien Andalou”. There would be an audience for Cocteau’s work & some critics rate it highly. Georg mentions “2001”. Tarkovsky believed that had pretentions. But some consider Tarkovsky’s films pretentious. Bergman admired Tarkovsky’s movies but some consider Bergman’s films pretentious. It’s all because of the individuality of the audience. The problems with “Jupiter Ascending” imo are not that it’s pretentious. That movie fails because the climax is repeated making the end irrelevant. As for spoon feeding, that is a staple of recent big box office action movies which have to be understood by 10 year olds or certain non English speakers who don’t want to read subtitles (China). Popular genre films which are too complicated for the kids are often labeled pretentious. It’s the nature of the audience. A TV series, “The Expanse” has a more complex story than “Antman”. Each are successful because they attract a different audience.

[@ramonmartensen1529]

@@vlc-cosplayer absolutely true. You have to reapply a certain school of thought, rather than just citing it. It would be an interesting post modern, satirical experiment though to just make a list of references and see if a narrative can be seen in that list. But that would be very pretentious :D

[@munjee2]

A green lamp *and* a lava lamp , I'm not sure what to make of this

[@mattlaw1350]

Pretentiously avant-garde

[@3576alan]

I don't remember the curtain either.

[@rickc2102]

This is what happens when we put acid in the accountant's coffee.

[@GdThngUrPretty]

11:48

[@madscientistshusta]

Im scared.

[@TacticusPrime]

I was so certain that Jupiter Ascending was based on some terrible YA book. It has so much lame exposition over green screens and about 300% the appropriate plot for one movie.

[@ambitiousamerikaner9861]

Seems like the "sisters" watched Sailor Moon in the nineties.

[@CoryTheRaven]

It was like a parody of a Wachowski movie... Like a studio told someone to make a movie like them Waschowskis, and they had no real idea how to do it... Except it was by the Wachowskis... Ugh...

[@tomasotreasaigh111]

@@CoryTheRaven Did you watch Sense8? I enjoyed it and watched every episode but I just kept thinking, "Wow, the Wachowskis really really REALLY need to get laid!!".

[@tomasotreasaigh111]

Whats a YA book?

[@CoryTheRaven]

@@tomasotreasaigh111 Nah, I tapped out of anything by the Wachowskis. And I even liked Speed Racer. But too much was too much.

[@lazyrider2171]

New look, new video. Probably a little more curious about the topic of the declining importance of star power, it's something I've been noticing more and more in the wake of The Mummy 2017 and Terminator Genysis.

[@HappyCynic]

Georg! Some shaven headed ruffian has taken over your channel! Phone the rozzers!

[@raminagrobis6112]

I agree that "Le Testament d'Orphée" is not Cocteau's best, but it touched me poetically. As you said, it was a sincere effort. I love it.

[@sevenproxies4255]

I think this is why I've always had a soft spot for the action and science fiction genres in films. Barring a couple of exceptions, they're rarely pretentious. The action films basically say: "Here's your over the top fight scenes, I hope they're entertaining!" And the sci fi is basically saying: "Look at this future technology! Wouldn't it be cool if it might exist at some point?"

[@JayInDecent]

So the matrix trilogy isnt pretentious at all.

[@sevenproxies4255]

@@JayInDecent "Barring a couple of exceptions"... Like I said. It's a bit pretentious at times, but I've seen worse.

[@KP-yq8id]

I’m very pleased to see Georg back. I thought he’d packed this channel in altogether

[@OrgaNik_Music]

Oh, I'm so glad to hear your voice again.

[@nothingemad]

You have no idea how happy I am to see a video of yours on my subscriptions page. Seriously welcome back

[@mrchoochoohead]

i stopped a redlettermedia video to watch this

[@meddle98]

Weirdly same

[@Ragnarok540]

That's saying something.

[@maxpalombella11]

Good choice

[@GrubStLodger]

I cued it up straight after.

[@stevebutters306]

Same lmao

[@sexycavetroll2788]

Oh wow, seeing this video legitimately made me happy. This is one of the KZbin channels I honestly respect. I'm really glad to see something new from you

[@mrebel96]

Dill/Bill= Pickle William, this is why you're the best Georg

[@sebphillips10]

Welcome back GRS. We have missed you.

[@torgo_]

Vanilla Sky (2001) comes to mind immediately, especially with the whole R.L.Stine "it was all a dream" ending where a new character walks on screen and delivers a 15 minute monologue explaining the film for the audience.

[@user-ld7ch1er6j]

Have you seen Abres Los Ojos. I think you'd like it better if you dislike its remake Vanilla Cruise Sky. Give it a chance.

[@CorporateG0th]

My mind goes to the sequel to The Man From Earth. The first movie was definitely a surprising underdog that genuinely was very incisive. Maybe the most incisive movie I've seen. The feedback on this kind of went to their head though I think, because the sequel was mostly a masturbatory derivative that distinctly lacked that insightfulness.

[@HeatherHolt]

He’s back! It’s a good day.

[@trevk8233]

I was just going through your back catalogue a couple of days ago. Nice that you are back!!!

[@thomasgambroadamsson3650]

Just yesterday I thought "I wonder if Georg dropped something I may have missed" and started binging classic GRS

[@tadaog]

I had to double check that KZbin hasn't been hiding your videos from me. Glad to see you again.

[@navertnavert2623]

Georg, I think your little brother got your KZbin login.

[@Nucksen]

Georg Stonemost-Schmiedelehrling.

[@MacStoker]

@@Nucksen lol

[@reddoorpaintedblack]

Man I missed you! I laugh so much at your videos, I love both the subtle and the loud bursts of wit and I rolled at the beginning of your "poem" before you cleared your throat, and the expressions!! More videos, I crave moooooaarr!!

[@user-ld7ch1er6j]

I'd swap all of the other review/video essay channels or gaming/blog channels with this one if i could! They're all worthless, obnoxious and what's that p-word... Ahm, Yeah, pretentious

[@phreakinpher]

Commenting for the algorithm. Thanks for the great content, Mr Rockall-Schmidt

[@scampoli25]

Georg!!!!! So glad to have you back with the most Georg video subject yet. I also am glad I did my homework and have already seen Serenity

[@Lifesizemortal]

"God Bless America" is the most painfully condescending film I've ever seen. I think it's the perfect textbook example

[@ceglag]

Superb video; had me in stitches towards the end. Good to have you back Georg

[@trabuco9]

Jupiter Ascending was the only movie I ever fell asleep on and I went along with friends. That's how bad the movie is Tons of exposition and lore for something that's essentially a shitty teenage girl flick on a really generic scifi world.

[@Arander92]

Jupiter Ascending was BAAAAD. And this is coming from someone who loves the Matrix sequels

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

And they thought they had a blockbuster franchise on their hands and all that backstory was going to be used for something. That's what they thought anyway.

[@trabuco9]

@@LibraGamesUnlimited That's every single Hollywood film for 2 decades now, you don't make a movie before pre producing 2 more.

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

@@trabuco9 Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. :)

[@llyrrake2923]

Welcome back ya mangy britt! Such great content to have on my ear as i work!

[@ArgoLovely]

11:40 I realize you said "Oh woe, what is death" But im going to pretend you said "OwO what is death"

[@mushroomsamba82]

UwU w-what is death? s-senpai?

[@thatoneguy9582]

Adam stop that

[@alistairmackintosh9412]

Oh great.. Now we'll have goth furries.

[@4amstuckonearth]

This is probably your best video... you've articulated a feeling I think many people have.

[@FPSDIESEL]

Karl Pilkington needs to give Georg his channel back

[@haroldjoseph8296]

Got a head like a fucking orange

[@deadlyd5865]

Glad to see you back, Sir! I cannot wait for the film. Please keep it up!

[@p00pyp4nts]

And I can't see you. It's too dark Col. Kurtz.

[@mmclaurin8035]

You're one of my favorite channels. Please make more content and entertain me more often. I demand it.

[@SommersetStriker]

That audio pop @6:43 "...what is intentional consciously?" What indeed Georg, what indeed...

[@ancientdavidman]

this is probably my favourite video you have ever done, you hit the nail on the head

[@Mjolnir007]

Shoulda called it Jupiter condescending...so glad you are back.

[@user-ld7ch1er6j]

Julitet condescending Haha golden!

[@JTS21]

Fuck, I actually looked at this channel yesterday to see why he had disappeared! Brilliant to have you back

[@WordUnheard]

Good god, man! Where have you been? It's been four long months! I'm glad to see you and the lamp have returned.

[@Ragnarok540]

So nice to have you back. Now, about the weekly podcasts... I hope they come back because they get a little less funny when you hear them for the 12th time while waiting for a new one.

[@jeffmcarthur5617]

That is so... surreal. You used a clip from a show hosted by a guy I literally just talked to before clicking on this video, Steve Galloway. I hadn't spoken to him in more than 20 years.

[@luciusquinctius1380]

So glad to see you back. We missed you! Everyone in my head says hello...

[@viljamtheninja]

KZbin wanted me to watch this. I was reluctant at first, because "pretentious" has become a go-to insult for people who hate it when things aren't spelled out clearly for them. The fact that film (or literature, or any kind of art) has its own language that while viewing you have to "decode" is annoying to some people, so everything becomes pretentious. This video was, thankfully, better than that. The point that pretention lies in showcasing oneself rather than the exploration of an aspect of reality is brilliant, simple, and true. Although, statements such as "the harder you try to look deep, the more superficial you are" is the kind of statement that is exactly what is being criticized: it looks and sounds like an intelligent statement, but if you think about it for a while, it's all surface with very little substance. Films that focus on style over substance can often be accused of that, but that's assuming that there's no depth whatsoever to our appreciation of style and visuality, which, I think, is a very anti-cinematic way to look at things. The point (which is highly emphasized by the jocular poem at the end) smells like postmodernist hyper-self-awareness. If you're aware of the fact that you're trying to make art you're being pretentious. As if art is just some natural aspect that arises from the existence of cameras and film, rather than intentional intellectual effort of people with ideas and pretentions.

[@PureZOOKS]

Literally got back into his videos a few days ago. Glad to see him again.

[@GentlemanBystander]

"A Tuna Named Murder" Great band name.

[@TheCianjohnston]

Welcome back George! Hope the movie shoot is going well

[@Catglittercrafts]

You said Serenity and I thought you were about to diss the Firefly movie

[@SPTX.]

Haven't watched you in a while, over a year obviously if going by the date of this video. I must say I didn't know how much I missed your low key humorist genius. That pipe joke caught me off guard.

[@krakenloco]

No lowkey lighting can hide the fact you're going bald, Georg Jokes aside, it's good to see you're back

[@theonewiththeeyeoftruth884]

What's wrong with going bald?

[@StRanGerManY]

@@theonewiththeeyeoftruth884 do you really have to ask? It's absolutely terrible.

[@theonewiththeeyeoftruth884]

@@StRanGerManY Why? Are you bald?

[@StRanGerManY]

@@theonewiththeeyeoftruth884 Not yet, thankfully, but when I noticed my hairline receding, that was one of the worst days in my life, I was horrified. The peak of the youth is far gone, now we are slowly deteriorating and approaching death

[@theonewiththeeyeoftruth884]

@@StRanGerManY It's not that bad. The way others treat you is bad, though. You think Dwayne Johnson looks horrible?

[@soupofthedave]

Glad to have you back Georg!

[@God_gundam36]

George is back What did it cost? His beard

[@Frank074]

Wow, what the hell! Haven't watched a video on this channel for a few months, but all of a sudden this channel is void of any facial hair! Welcome back Georg!

[@stevebutters306]

Oh, he isn't dead! Thank god. Welcome back lad.

[@Metastate12]

Good to have you back. I've missed you.

[@rtasvadumee5352]

He hath returned But where is the beard?!

[@vmvlev]

at least we still got the lavalamp

[@JohnFinnisAppreciator]

He came out and no longer needs a beard, duh

[@lcmiracle]

They had a painful breakup and it took a while for George to get over it

[@LazyAnnihilator]

I heard the beard was directing a movie.

[@samprastherabbit]

I too am distressed by the lack of facial hair representation.

[@guyjperson]

Happy to see you back, Georg.....Man, gutsy topic given your recent activities. Hope your movie doesn't put on any airs.

[@Solsev]

I request to hear more of this murder-fish, no ... I demand it.

[@NoMoreCrumbs]

Welcome back George! I hope the film project has gone well!

[@TheCGJeff]

How's the film coming on?

[@agent_meister477]

This is my favourite KZbin channel. I love your work and hope to get more regular vlogs from you in the future. Keep up the great work.

[@JesseCuster]

He's back!!! And so is Mr Lava Lamp.

[@cerviche101]

Been too long, good to have you back

[@DaMaster012]

"The Condescension of Pretension." Wait... so the topic of this video essay _isn't_ Movie Bob?

[@AprilPray]

Georg, we have missed you so much! Glad you are back.

[@ludilka]

Serenity was hilarious for all the wrong reasons. A very good example of pretentious, thank you.

[@beardedbjorn5520]

For a moment I thought you were talking about the Firefly movie, then I watched the video lol

[@AmishGramish]

Welcome back! We all missed you!

[@donniblackstar]

4 months, just for you to become Will Fortes in The Last Man On Earth

[@mcoupe69]

I think you mean the guy from fortin with will

[@Ultracity6060]

I was thinking John Lithgow as Blaster from Beyond Thunderdome.

[@projectz975]

first vid from this channel ive seen in a long time, and holy crap the production values have been raised

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Yehey!!! The Lava Lamp is back....hey, who's this unmoustached guy?

[@gizmo359c]

I was just thinking about this channel the other day. Great video!

[@AndyDurandal]

I feel an uncomfortable sense of dread. This video reminded me of life, legacy and death. It's not something I've thought about since I started a sort of personal renaissance. But now that I have meaning in my life (It's not anything world changing but having the discipline to continually refine one's skills is enough to give me purpose.) I'm considerably less comfortable with the idea that one day I will die. I don't think I'll ever feel like my work is complete. Also, ego can easily taint any kind of work. It doesn't have to be a creative pursuit or even be published for the world to see. The pressures of corporate life makes it hard to prioritise these kinds of things the 'right' way.

[@sj8948]

Glad to have you back. Really missed your insightful videos.

[@MacAnters]

6:42 I thought my headphones broke, scared me for a sec

[@magni319]

I wait so much for your every video. It reminds me of times around 2010s, when youtube was full of young reviewers and creators genuinely analyzing and dissecting movies, games, comic books and cartoons of my generation. Times of Nostalgia Critic, Angry Video Game Nerd, Spoony, Linkara, Angry Joe and so on. Today youtube is all about clickbaits, copyright strikes, algorithms, outrage and fighting for views at all costs... Barely any channels full of merit like yours.

[@endlesswaffles6504]

Edgy kid: Did you know that when you stare into the abyss, the ab... Me: NO NO Shut up, I don't want to hear it!

[@spacedoohicky]

When you hear the abyss, the abyss also hears you.

[@andrewcruz1931]

The abyss can’t see or hear jack shit lol .

[@anonb4632]

@@andrewcruz1931 It's a famous quotation. I prefer the party where it is said that you should be careful when fighting monsters in case you end up becoming one.

[@thatoneguy9582]

the abyss is loud and wants chicken

[@fallingpetunias9046]

The Abyss' Lawyer called and gave me a restraining order. Apparently I made it "uncomfortable"

[@toverkleet]

Georg! Ur back man! Still cant wait to see what movie u are making, but you are always a great analysist of movies. You are to me at the same level with Lindsey Ellis

[@banjojo3341]

at a loss - why does anyone care about your body hair? i think you are brilliant and well-spoken

[@10199ULTRAMATIC]

So happy you’re back!

[@GeahkBurchill]

I was thinking KZbin had unsubscribed me from your channel like so many others.

[@slyder35]

Holy shit I had almost forgotten about you. Love your vids, hope you keep making them

[@purefoldnz3070]

*cough *cough all of THE LAST JEDI.

[@AlexFors99]

The absolute mad lad is back, thank God

[@amcheeze6782]

6:43 there is a sound spike. Just wanted to make sure you knew, in case this ever happens again.

[@808sandcrabcake9]

I completely forgot you existed but I'm so happy you're back!

[@QuetzalOvejasElectricas]

Synecdcohe is my favourite film. Thanks for...coming back after four months!

[@lautaronis7697]

Pero mirá quién anda (anduvo) por acá, ya percibía yo cierto paralelismo entre temas y estilo cómico con este señor. Saludos desde Argentina, gato querido.

[@Mic-sg]

I've missed you, George! There are no substitutes for your channel.

[@thejudgmentalcat]

No pretensions here, just GRS in Col. Kurtz mode. Have you finished your film? And is it pretentious?

[@g1zm02k]

By the ever maddening world; finally... some sanity! With more camera angles than sensible people in the government, it's damn good to have you back Georg!