well , naturally , these bright-minded, young people think poorly of existing institutions and want to abolish them. one doesn’t need to be young to dislike institutions. But the dreary fact remains that, even in the darkest ages is was institutions which made society work. And if civilization is to survive, society must ,somehow, be made to work. At this point ,I reveal myself in my true colors as a stick-in-the-mud. I hold a number of beliefs that have been repudiated by the liveliest intellects of our time.
I believe that order is better than chaos,
creation better than destruction,
I prefer gentleness to violence,
forgiveness to vendetta,
On the whole ,
I think that knowledge is preferable to ignorance,
and I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable than ideology.
I believe that , in spite of recent triumphs of science men haven’t changed much in the last 2,000 years. And , in consequence, we must still try to learn from history.
History is ourselves.
I also hold one or two beliefs that are more difficult to put shortly .
For example , I believe in courtesy, the ritual by which we avoid hurting other people’s feelings by satisfying our own egos and I think we should remember that we are part of a great whole,
which , for convenience , we call Nature.
All living things are our brothers and sisters.
Above all , I believe in the God-given genius of certain individuals, and I value a society that makes their existence possible .
These programs have been filled with great works of genius . In architecture ,sculpture and painting.
In philosophy ,poetry and music.In science and engineering. There they are. You can’t dismiss them. And they’re only a fraction of what Western Man has achieved in the last 1,000 years, often after setbacks and deviations, at least as destructive as those of our own time.
Western civilization has been a series of rebirths.
Surely ,this should give us confidence in ourselves. I said , at the beginning of the series, that it’s lack of confidence, more than anything else, that kills a civilisation. We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusion, just as effectively as by bombs.
50 years ago ,WB Yeats, who was more like a man of genius that anyone I’ve ever known, wrote a prophetic poem and in it he said “ Things fall apart ; the centre cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood - dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere. The ceremony of innocence is drowned . The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” Well , that was certainly true between the wars and it damn nearly destroyed us.
Is it true today?
Not quite, because good people have convictions ,rather too many of them. The trouble is that there is still no centre. The moral and intellectual failure of Marxism has left us with no alternative to heroic materialism, and that isn’t enough. One may be optimistic , but one can’t exactly be joyful at the prospect before us .
無對話無噱頭串講一遍西方文明史。
在管風琴和圣詠背景音樂下談藝術史,也是一種感動。
在米開朗基羅這裡,藝術與快樂無關。
教皇對奢華的要求,後人對風雅的追隨。
在這個漩渦中心之上,藝術要充滿痛感,要成就于苛責的決心,把熱力發揚燃燒和毀滅。
不是瞬間燃燒,而是幾十年的偏執相許。
米開朗基羅二十歲的時候做過一個大理石小雕像,Verrocchio的大衛,是個精緻、優雅、活波的少年,穿著衣服,面帶微笑。和著名的躶體巨像大衛相隔二十五年。
二十五年里,他長大了,變得更憂傷了。
For millennia, art has been used to bring the human and divine together.
The story of religious art is about more than the most majestic and affecting visual images ever made, is about controversy and conflict, danger and risk.
When does the worship of an image, turn into dangerous idolatry? Where does divine glorification end worldly vanity begin? What actually counts as an image of God or of God’s word?
Treading these fast lines, I’ll even show how the defacement of religious art is fraught with its own problems and paradox, and I want to end with what we think of as the western civilization cradle to ask what it is now we worship and how far we still look with the eye of faith.
这才叫文明史精彩的宏大叙事,不管现在看起来拍摄中的技法多么老派,Kenneth选取的视角,题材,配乐,镜头的掌控让人叹服,叙述平实而有力,印象深刻的点实在太多,推荐反复观看...
YouTube上有一条评论说这部纪录片主旨是“Why are white people so awesome?”从现在的政治立场看这确实是个问题。但若把“Civilisation”这个题目拿掉,纪录片本身确实是伟大的艺术史资料。再考虑到它作为电视史上第一部彩色纪录片,就更弥足珍贵了。
11个小时,值得看
可能是看过最难的纪录片了,不过到了现在这个年纪就能完全体会到老头儿最后说的本来面目——“顽固保守分子”,秩序胜于混乱,创造胜于破坏,温和胜于暴力,宽恕胜于报复。对文明杀伤力最大的就是缺乏自信,愤世嫉俗和幻灭的杀伤力与炸弹不相上下——看看身边,未来着实不可期。
课堂教程
看了三遍,正在看第四遍。
我看过的最好的纪录片之一。超级的解说,优美的配乐,片段,对艺术的真知卓见。 一直清晰的记住一个论断:自信,是文明的力量的源泉。而自信来自对自我和自然的了解。
文明最可怕的敌人有两个:一个恐惧,二是无聊。
一个人的文明史
以艺术为媒介、文献来讲述文明轨迹
因为是概述,所以其实内容非常有限,不过BBC的技术真不是盖的,完全看不出是40年前的作品。
看了一年多才看完,内容丰富密集,消化起来比较慢,自然采音令我感动。Kenneth Clark 一个人支撑起整部纪录片啊,对他充满敬意。
西方文明簡史。主持人有魅力,漲姿勢。
號稱Civilisation..結果到頭來就是想說文明=西歐史......//////
community of obedience, community of will
开篇很有收益。随后的进程感觉跳跃太大,始终抓不到节奏。或许很引人入胜,但主旨不够清晰。老爵士喋喋不休的解说,搭配蜜汁盛典圣音,直催人眼皮沉重昏昏欲睡。
毕竟已经那么久远了……
了解西方文化的话,很推荐的一部,一点都不枯燥。
了解西方艺术史的最佳作品
出新版了(以前看这个最震惊的是Kenneth Clark 27岁当上Ashmolean的director, 30岁当上National Gallery的