The Never Ending Pool

first off, for some odd reason this short film brings to mind 'love sick' that song has always cracked me up.

nash edgerton is an outrageous director. his work is highly acclaimed. check out some of his shorts on youtube.com the guy is majestic at what he does and has a dark sense of humour about it all.

does this video work for me with 'beyond here lies nothing'? nope. it's not what i had in mind.

it might work for others tho.

people complain about violence in rap. this probably the sickest video i've seen. i guess bob and this director are so hip and above it all they think this is acceptable. they're artists. balls. this video sucks. too bad phil spector's in the can, i'm sure after seeing this he would just love to work on bob's next project..

on top of it all it's just a stupid video.

mpbdfn wrote:

QUOTE:
Video is just terrible. If Dylan has any sense he will demand it be pulled immediately. No reason at all for a video like this.

first of all, this video is not "just terrible"! it is very well shot and directed and acted. it's very compelling.

and why would bob pull it immediately? he obviously saw it well before its release and approved it. in fact, i'm sure he was told about the whole thing before any filming was done and approved the idea.

you people really don't know anything about bob dylan, his past history, and his songs about men and women if you think this video and what happens in it is so foreign to the dylan world.

Not Henry Porter wrote:

QUOTE:
Joe, what do you mean an open mind? Open to what? Enjoying seeing what appears to be senseless violence? Frankly, we have enough of that in the world. Does viewing it make us more or less likely to tolerate or engage in it?

excuse me, but how do you know what you're seeing is "senseless violence"? what are you? some kind of pacifist?

bob dylan is not a pacifist! and he said so back in the 60s when he said he was not against the vietnam war.

and we know he is a fan of boxing too.

the point i'm trying to make is this: sometimes violence is necessary and is a natural part of life. it is a part of nature. both human nature and animal nature.

does "viewing" such violence "make us more or less likely to tolerate or engage in it?"

that is a very good question. i can only answer for myself, however. no, it does not. i am mature enough to watch a fictionalized piece of video about lovers engaging in a physical fight and not go out and beat my wife or tolerate others doing so.

by the way, unless i'm mistaken, the girl started the fight. these kinds of things happen in the real world. as i'm sure bob knows. i'm sure this is what bob is telling us.

dylans8 wrote:

QUOTE:
The video is awful Beating up women stabbing etc etc bears no relation to the lyrics

beating up women? excuse me, she won the fight! if anything, this video should be viewed as a feminist victory and a testament to the modern and strong women who stands up to abuse, conquers it, and then decides what to do about it.

this is what i meant originally about people keeping an open mind about things.

also -- has anyone here stopped to think or wonder about the back story regarding these two individuals? how do we know just who the innocent party here is?

It's sort of nihilistic, s-m video, i think it goes right with the song. Not for everybody.

hey man it's all good. it's all good.

except for the stuff that's not.

of course violence is a legitimate subject. but this is a music video. is it really exploring something here? just because there is a 'clever' twist doesn't make it compelling.

let's think about the compelling message we might take from this.

the bitches might complain but if you want the bitches you gotta be hard. treat em like s**t.

or

the bitch won't give it to you till she destroys you first.

i could riff on compelling themes all day.

of course bob and this film maker are artists and they might very well be thinking metaphorically here. i went to art school i've heard it all before. or they might think 'smell the glove' was a sexy album cover.

this is a video for pop culture consumption. how will it read on the street?

i never expected bob to add to the cultural cesspool he's always complaining about. way to go bob.

joe e wrote:

QUOTE:

by the way, unless i'm mistaken, the girl started the fight. these kinds of things happen in the real world. as i'm sure bob knows. i'm sure this is what bob is telling us.

You are mistaken: She was locked in a bedroom (where there was a rope on the bed), and he was coming with a knife. But yes, it happens in the real life.

dylans8 wrote:

QUOTE:

beating up women? excuse me, she won the fight!

She comes back to kiss him. Where is the victory?
Passionate love..

Nasty, pubertal junk. What an idiot Dylan is to let such stuff being produced in his name.

cath wrote:
[quote]joe e wrote:

QUOTE:

You are mistaken: She was locked in a bedroom (where there was a rope on the bed), and he was coming with a knife. But yes, it happens in the real life.

She comes back to kiss him. Where is the victory?
Passionate love..

1. you are assuming he was the one who locked her in the bedroom.

2. it is obvious from the rest of the video that the guy was smart to have the knife.

we are dealing with a very strong woman here. in fact, when i was watching the video that is what came to mind. bob dylan once said that sara dylan was a very "strong" woman.

4. and yes, the victory is her decision to come back to kiss him. and good for her, i say! the cliche wouuld have been her driving away.

if you don't like the video, if you are too sensitive or if you are too sheltered to know that this is how many men and women interact, just say so and leave it alone and let the rest of us enjoy the video.[/quote]

you know many people who interact this way? besides mass murders, rapists, kidnappers and perverts? the fact a few sick people might act this way isn't enough of a reason to make entertainment out of it. why not make a porno flick? that's how many people interact also and i'm sure a lot of people would enjoy it too.

if this video enriches you in anyway i'd like to hear how.

it's all good man, it's all good.

Joe e, i like to think that you are making humour.
So if it is humour, i answer: ha ha!
If not:
1 yes
2 ??
3 You are wrong, the fact that she comes back is a cliché. And i know what i'm talking about, like probabely 20 % of the women here.

But i kind of like this video, though finally, i would prefer a porn

>You are mistaken: She was locked in a bedroom (where there was a rope on the bed), and he was coming with a knife. But yes, it happens in the real life.

>1. you are assuming he was the one who locked her in the bedroom.

i assumed it was bob dylan. it's his video after all.

>2. it is obvious from the rest of the video that the guy was smart to have the knife.

really? all she did was try to escape. what a bitch!

>we are dealing with a very strong woman here.

oh yeah a desperate, abused super woman. typical right, they seem so defenseless then they cut their ropes and knock you out in their panic to escape. a real ball buster.

>4. and yes, the victory is her decision to come back to kiss him. and good for her, i say! the cliche wouuld have been her driving away.You are mistaken: She was locked in a bedroom (where there was a rope on the bed), and he was coming with a knife. But yes, it happens in the real life.

>1. you are assuming he was the one who locked her in the bedroom.

i assumed it was bob dylan. it's his video after all.

>2. it is obvious from the rest of the video that the guy was smart to have the knife.

really? all she did was try to escape. what a bitch!

>we are dealing with a very strong woman here.

oh yeah a desperate, abused super woman. typical right, they seem so defenseless then they cut their ropes and knock you out in their panic to escape. a real ball buster.

>4. and yes, the victory is her decision to come back to kiss him. and good for her, i say! the cliche wouuld have been her driving away.[/quote

no driving away would have made it a normal type exploitation flick. what a real person would do. no instead we have some juvenile fantasy played out. because it's a rock video.

Interesting that most comments here and at other boards are very negative.

Here is my initial reaction (posted at bd.com):


The video sent me back to the lyrics, looking for something I might have missed in listening too casually. Any song is, of course, open to multiple interpretations.

I think the video is about the kind of love that becomes obsessive and, ultimately, destructive. For the male character, this woman is "the only love I've ever known", and everything will be fine "just as long as you stay with me". But she has no choice in the matter. His love is self-obsessed, and, inevitably, ends up destroying its principal object.

Nash Edgerton seems to hear the song as a warning about the destructive potential of possessive/obsessive love, and I think that is certainly a valid take on Dylan's lyrics. Unlike his other recent 'Beyond' song, this one is situated on THIS side of the horizon, where there is no real 'beyond', and where the only meaning is derived from possessing and dominating, creating an illusive security. Ultimately, this quest turns against itself and destroys both the beloved and the lover.

On another level, the video has comical undertones of the dark variety. As I watched, I couldn't help thinking of Inspector Clouseau's close encounters with Cato!

So, full marks to Nash Edgerton for challenging any superficial interpretations of the song as a nice little romantic ditty and uncovering a dark side that is, quite possibly, a lot closer to the original inspiration and intention.

Yes, the violence is ugly. But ALL violence is ugly, and there is plenty of it around. Some people will probably feel more upset and outraged by this video than by scenes of real-life mayhem on the nightly TV news. What a world!!

cath wrote:

QUOTE:
joe e wrote:

QUOTE:

by the way, unless i'm mistaken, the girl started the fight. these kinds of things happen in the real world. as i'm sure bob knows. i'm sure this is what bob is telling us.

You are mistaken: She was locked in a bedroom (where there was a rope on the bed), and he was coming with a knife. But yes, it happens in the real life.

dylans8 wrote:

QUOTE:

beating up women? excuse me, she won the fight!

She comes back to kiss him. Where is the victory?
Passionate love..

the victory is that it was HER choice to come back to kiss him!

in a sense, i think this video may actually be just about that -- a woman's right to choose. and for that alone it should be applauded, not condemned.