(no subject)
Just curious what you guys think about this- it's something I posted in my journal, but I figured it should go here as well, as maybe a bit of discussion fuel.
So, my question is- is Tony tragic, or is he just a jerk? I'm for the tragic option, and my reasoning is behind the cut because it contains spoilers.
I think I know why I like Tony so much, now. I'm a complete sucker for tragic characters, tragic backstories, etc, especially when that character is a villain. I never really thought of it this way, but I was listening to the soundtrack today, and I got to thinking about it, and I actually really think Tony is a very tragic character, in a way. He's absolutely selfish, money-, fame-, and power-hungry, and what he did was beyond terrible. But then when he joined the Imaginarium and met Valentina, he seemed to change- or to be willing to, in a way. I'm not saying he was whoosh, all better, but I think he really did love Valentina, and that he was changing, or at least letting go of (… or, well, running from) his past. He didn't really revert back to his old self until he went into the Imaginarium that second time, when he once again became distracted by his old goals, and Valentina was pushed to second place.
I think that, right there, is the tragedy of it. He loved Valentina, but his past and his inherent selfishness were just too much to overcome; not only that, his past was bound to catch up to him eventually (as it did in the form of the Russian mob finding him again). It's that whole 'doomed reformity, doomed relationship' thing that's so tragic. We get a glimpse of what he could be if he wasn't so selfish, but we know that glimpse is going to be inevitably snatched away. We hope it's not, but we know it will be. I think it speaks volumes that the path of Tony's salvation (Parnassus's path in Tony's final trip into the Imaginarium) led to a noose- he was, ultimately, completely irredeemable. See? Tragic!
What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Think I've been doing too much film study homework and should just go away? 8D
So, my question is- is Tony tragic, or is he just a jerk? I'm for the tragic option, and my reasoning is behind the cut because it contains spoilers.
I think I know why I like Tony so much, now. I'm a complete sucker for tragic characters, tragic backstories, etc, especially when that character is a villain. I never really thought of it this way, but I was listening to the soundtrack today, and I got to thinking about it, and I actually really think Tony is a very tragic character, in a way. He's absolutely selfish, money-, fame-, and power-hungry, and what he did was beyond terrible. But then when he joined the Imaginarium and met Valentina, he seemed to change- or to be willing to, in a way. I'm not saying he was whoosh, all better, but I think he really did love Valentina, and that he was changing, or at least letting go of (… or, well, running from) his past. He didn't really revert back to his old self until he went into the Imaginarium that second time, when he once again became distracted by his old goals, and Valentina was pushed to second place.
I think that, right there, is the tragedy of it. He loved Valentina, but his past and his inherent selfishness were just too much to overcome; not only that, his past was bound to catch up to him eventually (as it did in the form of the Russian mob finding him again). It's that whole 'doomed reformity, doomed relationship' thing that's so tragic. We get a glimpse of what he could be if he wasn't so selfish, but we know that glimpse is going to be inevitably snatched away. We hope it's not, but we know it will be. I think it speaks volumes that the path of Tony's salvation (Parnassus's path in Tony's final trip into the Imaginarium) led to a noose- he was, ultimately, completely irredeemable. See? Tragic!
What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Think I've been doing too much film study homework and should just go away? 8D