Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999"
The writers and directors of The Matrix famously claimed Jean Baudrillard as a source of inspiration for their movie, going as far as to feature a copy of Baudrillard’s signature book, Simulacra and Simulation, as a prominent prop in one of the movie’s first scenes. Baudrillard, however, explicitly...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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University College Cork
2012-02-01
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Series: | Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media |
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Online Access: | http://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue 2/HTML/ArticleLaist.html |
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author | Randy Laist |
author_facet | Randy Laist |
author_sort | Randy Laist |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The writers and directors of The Matrix famously claimed Jean Baudrillard as a source of inspiration for their movie, going as far as to feature a copy of Baudrillard’s signature book, Simulacra and Simulation, as a prominent prop in one of the movie’s first scenes. Baudrillard, however, explicitly disowned The Matrix as a representation of his worldview. When we follow the story of The Matrix from the perspective of the protagonist Neo, as the story compels us to do, we encounter a dualistic, Platonic division between reality and illusion which, as Baudrillard rightly observes, annuls the implosive dynamic that is the heart of the hyperreal condition. On the other hand, when we consider The Matrix from the perspective of its audience, the citizens of the “real 1999” (as opposed to the simulacral 1999 generated by the Matrix), we find late-century American culture refracted back to us as the kind of world that lends itself to “neural-interactive simulation.” By performing a reading of The Matrix that emphasizes its reference to its contemporary historical moment, we can identify a sense in which the film authentically captures a Baudrillardian variety of space-time. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:12:18Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-135e645639b8487bbebc184d5fb0cb2b |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2009-4078 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:12:18Z |
publishDate | 2012-02-01 |
publisher | University College Cork |
record_format | Article |
series | Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media |
spelling | doaj.art-135e645639b8487bbebc184d5fb0cb2b2022-12-22T02:10:29ZengUniversity College CorkAlphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media2009-40782012-02-0121933https://doi.org/10.33178/alpha.2.02Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999"Randy Laist0Goodwin College in East Hartford, ConnecticutThe writers and directors of The Matrix famously claimed Jean Baudrillard as a source of inspiration for their movie, going as far as to feature a copy of Baudrillard’s signature book, Simulacra and Simulation, as a prominent prop in one of the movie’s first scenes. Baudrillard, however, explicitly disowned The Matrix as a representation of his worldview. When we follow the story of The Matrix from the perspective of the protagonist Neo, as the story compels us to do, we encounter a dualistic, Platonic division between reality and illusion which, as Baudrillard rightly observes, annuls the implosive dynamic that is the heart of the hyperreal condition. On the other hand, when we consider The Matrix from the perspective of its audience, the citizens of the “real 1999” (as opposed to the simulacral 1999 generated by the Matrix), we find late-century American culture refracted back to us as the kind of world that lends itself to “neural-interactive simulation.” By performing a reading of The Matrix that emphasizes its reference to its contemporary historical moment, we can identify a sense in which the film authentically captures a Baudrillardian variety of space-time.http://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue 2/HTML/ArticleLaist.htmlthe matrixwachowski brothersjean baudrillardrealityplatoallegory of the cavehyperrealpataphysicaltimespace |
spellingShingle | Randy Laist Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999" Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media the matrix wachowski brothers jean baudrillard reality plato allegory of the cave hyperreal pataphysical time space |
title | Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999" |
title_full | Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999" |
title_fullStr | Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999" |
title_full_unstemmed | Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999" |
title_short | Bullet-time in Simulation City: Revisiting Baudrillard and The Matrix by way of the "Real 1999" |
title_sort | bullet time in simulation city revisiting baudrillard and the matrix by way of the real 1999 |
topic | the matrix wachowski brothers jean baudrillard reality plato allegory of the cave hyperreal pataphysical time space |
url | http://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue 2/HTML/ArticleLaist.html |
work_keys_str_mv | AT randylaist bullettimeinsimulationcityrevisitingbaudrillardandthematrixbywayofthereal1999 |