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Insights:
To
the casual moviegoer, the Last Castle, K-PAX, and Monsters,
Inc. would appear to be a strange combination for a movie
review. How do you compare an R-rated film about a
military prison with Pixar's latest children's' hit?
And what could a movie about a man from outer space in a
mental hospital have to do with either of these?
Though outwardly these three films appear to be very
different, they all share the same heart story.
Turning
the System Upside Down
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There
exists a "closed system" which is
hierarchical in nature1. |
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There
is a proud taskmaster over the system. |
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The
system creates an atmosphere of fear which breeds
anger, strife, competition, corruption, disunity,
hatred, and chaos. |
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Someone
comes from the outside (another world/dimension) into
the closed system and takes on the appearance of those
at the bottom. |
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Even
though they are in the system, their heart remains
free. They are fearless and do not operate by
the rules of the closed system. |
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They
possess clear insight into the heart of those in the
system. |
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The
presence of this "outsider" effects the
entire system turning it literally upside down. |
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The
power of fear is broken by the power of love released
through the outsider. |
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The
outsider leaves, but lives on in the hearts of those
who have been transformed rather than conformed. |
The
Closed System
The
metaphor used for the closed system in The Last Castle
is a castle. The adjective "last" is
significant because it suggests not only finality, but also
the lowest place in prestige and importance. As the
narrator explains, this castle has all the key elements of a
true castle with one important difference. A true
castle was built to keep people out (protecting those
within); this castle exists to keep people in.2
The Taskmaster
Colonel
Winter is the commander of this military prison. Like his
name, he personifies the season of coldness, hibernation,
and death. We learn early in the film that he has
never experienced battle, and yet he glories in the
artifacts of war. He is a proud Black Knight who
takes pleasure in manipulating men from his tower window.
The
Atmosphere
The
first scene of the prison yard reveals this to be a foul
place. The color is drab and lifeless. The men are
foul mouthed and hostile to one another. There is
competition, strife, disorder, and chaos until the sound of
the horn.......when it blows, all that exists is fear.
Colonel Winter rules with an iron fist and is not afraid to
use the "accidental" death of an inmate to
keep his command.
The
Outsider
Into
this closed system comes a living legend, Three Star General
Eugene R. Irwin. He is the greatest general; however,
it is insinuated that he chose to take this punishment, to
be stripped of all his military honors, and to put on the
garment of a lowly prison inmate.3
The contrast with Colonel Winter is immediate and
profound. While the Colonel stands above manipulating
the men, the General is down among them gaining their
respect. As the jealous Colonel tries to break the
great General, Irwin demonstrates that his strength comes
now as it did in Viet Nam - from the voices of his men.
Rules
The
rules of this system are the rules established by Colonel
Winter. General Irwin operates under a different set
of rules - the Military Code of Justice. Everything he
does is according to this legal and higher code of conduct.
Vision
General
Irwin sees this system and the people in it for what they
truly are. He sees Colonel Winter as a man who has
never seen war just by the things he collects. He
looks at Captain Peretz and says,
"You're better than this." Whereas Colonel
Winter sees a stuttering monkey when he looks at Aguilar;
Irwin sees a Marine, a Lance Corporal4
a man worthy of a salute because a salute is about
respect. Colonel Winter looks in the men's files and
sees the worst in them. General Irwin looks in their
hearts and see the best.
Upside
Down
Like
his favorite game, chess, General Irwin studies the
strategic moves necessary to remove Colonel Winter from his
command. Knowing Winter has been investigated from the
outside three times and exonerated, Irwin must find a way to
remove him from the inside. He finds exactly what he
needs in the Military Code of Justice, and then he turns the
prison upside down.
Power
of Love
One
may say where is love in this movie? It is there
in many ways:
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The
love of Aguilar for the wall the men build; a love so
great that he lays his life down for it.
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The
love the men have for Aguilar as they take their
formation and sing the Marine Corps Hymn.
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A
new found love among the brothers as they work
together to overcome the King of Darkness.
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The
love General Irwin demonstrates by giving his life in
order to set the men free.
Transformation
The
film ends where it began, in the prison yard. What a
change has occurred! Externally, it is a picture of
chaos and disorder from the inmate uprising.
Internally in the hearts of the men, there is order,
dignity, love, and respect as evidenced by their obedience,
formation, and salute. It is not Colonel Winter's
flag; it is theirs, and there is no need for it to hang
upside down as a call of distress. The sacrifice of
General Irwin has been the strategic move to checkmate
Colonel Winter. The battle is over; the men's hearts
have been set free from the power of fear. The movie
concludes with the rebuilding of the wall. It is no
longer a prison wall; it is a castle.
Scripture:
Hebrews
2: 9-19
I John 4: 7-21
The
Real Story:
A
castle or a "city set on a hill" is a metaphor for
Eden, The Glorified Zion, and the New Jerusalem.
Castles were designed to protect those within and to keep
evil out. The "fallen world" is a prison; a closed
system designed to keep people in under the power of the
prince of darkness (Ephesians
2:1-2). Into this closed system, the Lord Jesus Christ
came to set the hearts of men free (Galatians
5:1). Making Himself a humble servant , the
greatest King of all came to those at the very bottom.
He proclaimed release to the captives and recovery of sight
to the blind (Luke
4:18). When He overturned the tables of the
moneychangers, it signified the overturning of the entire
system (John
2:13-17). The Kingdom of Heaven had come; and for
all those who accepted His Gospel of love and forgiveness of
sin, the entrance was provided by His substitutionary death
on the cross. It was and is the greatest checkmate of
all time. This invitation still holds..........
Notes:
1. The cellblock
is called "The Tiers", with Colonel Winter's
office high above.
2.
Castle: This is a complex symbol, derived at once from
that of the house and the enclosure or walled city.
Walled cities figure in medieval art as a symbol of the
transcendent soul and of the heavenly Jerusalem.
Generally speaking, the castle is located on the top of a
mountain or hill, which suggests an additional and important
meaning derived from the symbolism of level. Its
shape, form, and color, its dark and light shades all play
an important part in defining the symbolic meaning of the
castle as a whole; which in the broadest sense, is an
embattled, spiritual power ever on the watch. The
"black castle" has been interpreted as the
alchemist's lair, as well as a rain cloud poised above a
mountaintop. Its significance as the Mansion of the
Beyond or as the castle of Darkness inhabited by a
"Black Knight" is symbolic of the abode of
Pluto.....it is very possible that the underlying
symbolism of all medieval tales and legends about a castle
owned by a "Wicked Knight" who hold captive all
who approach his domain may well be that of the sinister
castle of the Lord of the Underworld. A Dictionary
of Symbols by J. E. Cirlot
3.
Irwin's conversation with General Wheeler makes this clear.
4.
Lance Corporal: n. an enlisted person in the US,
Marine Corps ranking above a private first class. (It.
lancia spezzata superior solider, lit. broken lance [from
having shivered many lances, i.e. fought in many battles])
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