Love is ignorance

In Jules et Jim, I saw something that was new to what I thought of cool. I did not believe that love had any place in the movie. But I did see something that held a deep resemblance to cool: ignorance. When the Jules and Jim fell in love they became ignorant of everything. They rose above their social situation. They were no longer a German and a Frenchman; they were two friends in love. In F. John's first presentation, he told us that the slaves were the original cool. This was due to the fact that they could rise above their situation. I believe that Jules and Jim found that in love with women and with each other. Their love brought on ignorance and that in turn bread bliss which made them transcendent cool. The bliss of love is shown in a few of my more favorite films; Moulin Rouge and The Girl Next Door.


Moulin Rouge is a fabulous musical. The music and choreography was superb and the choice of stars made the film a success in my eyes. The most important aspect was the storyline. The leading man, Christian, is a writer that falls in love with a prostitute, Satine. But Satine has a wealthy duke after her. Satine is forced to go along and entertain him but she retains feeling for Christian. Because Satine and Christian fall in love, they seem to transcend the situation they are in. They become more than a whore and a writer; they are two lovers and the world appears to be theirs. But that ignorance leads to the demise of the characters and eventually the rich man catches on that he is coming second. The movie ends on a sad note but it demonstrates that love is disillusioning.

The girl next door gets written off as a raunchy guy movie. The storyline is based
around the assumption that all teenagers think about is porn--not a story line you would think could teach you something about love. The main character is a successful young high schooler that has no time to be just that a high schooler. He meets the girl next door. She is a beautiful girl that is fascinated by the way the boy looks at her. He views her as a an attractive young woman and not the porn actress she was. They fall in love and he shows her what it is like not to be objectified all the time; in turn, she shows him what high school is all about. The both transcend the rolls that they are in. This causes them trouble, but in the end, it is the only thing that pulls them through. The bliss, the moment they experience, is something to be found and not made. They learn by being in love and they gain the ability to transcend.

Love is a fickle thing, but no matter what, it has the ability to lift you out of your situation. This bliss gives you the ability to properly assess your situation and gives you an edge in life. Love may not be cool, but love is bliss; bliss is ignorance, and ignorance leads one to transcend and become cool.