"O Lucky Man" reminds me of the need to assume personal responsibility for one's experience. The "play" is already "in progress" when we enter the "theater," and it's up to us to make "life selections." When we act only upon face value (as did the character of McDowell) we can sometimes get "burned." Indeed, all that glitters is not gold, as this scenario graphically demonstrates.
The condemnation is broadly based, with all stratas of society coming under its ax . . . from the high lifestyle to the lowly. All have the potential for "game playing" and Travis plays into its fold with wildly fluctuating results.
Anderson touches a remarkably wide number of areas and topics to satirize, and the film's length tends to accommodate them in quite biting manner. His opus here joins "If . . . " as challenging pair of thought-provoking works. McDowell lends his unique presence to the lead role. Actually, his Travis doesn't have that much dialogue, yet McDowell dominates the film every inch of the way.
We'd better try and get as much solid information as possible when we made important decisions, and not get fooled by "surface shine"--or we might end up like Travis. An astute social commentary, this "O Lucky Man," which promises to provide intellectual stimulation on repeated viewings--for those with enough patience to focus in on and prune its mammouth three-hour presentation.
The condemnation is broadly based, with all stratas of society coming under its ax . . . from the high lifestyle to the lowly. All have the potential for "game playing" and Travis plays into its fold with wildly fluctuating results.
Anderson touches a remarkably wide number of areas and topics to satirize, and the film's length tends to accommodate them in quite biting manner. His opus here joins "If . . . " as challenging pair of thought-provoking works. McDowell lends his unique presence to the lead role. Actually, his Travis doesn't have that much dialogue, yet McDowell dominates the film every inch of the way.
We'd better try and get as much solid information as possible when we made important decisions, and not get fooled by "surface shine"--or we might end up like Travis. An astute social commentary, this "O Lucky Man," which promises to provide intellectual stimulation on repeated viewings--for those with enough patience to focus in on and prune its mammouth three-hour presentation.