Groundhog Day: Enlightenment of Knowledge, Humanity and Love
Topics of Discussion Why is this movie important (cultural relevance, religious connotations, philosophical ideas) Why Bill Murray?: The importance of casting and location Enlightenment through Knowledge, humanity, and Love
Groundhog Day (1993)
Screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis Directed by Harold Ramis Moderate opening, ranked 13 among films released that year Like Ebert said the relevance of this movie was not easily recognized by many at first and probably would have been more critically acclaimed if it had not opened so early in the year and had fallen off the radar of critics at the time of Academy Award Nominations.
Awards British Comedy Award BAFTA Best Original Screenplay Saturn Award for Best Actress Andy McDowell Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Nominated: Best Actor (Bill Murray), Best Director (Harold Ramis), Best Writing, Fantasy Film Added to the National Film Registry (Deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”)
Recognitions # 34 American Film Institute's 100 Funniest Films # Greatest Screenplays Ever Written- Writers Guild of America
Origin Of Groundhogs Day German Tradition of Cadlemas was precursor to Groundhog day Puxitony Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, not 15, 9 undocumented
Plot: “He is having the day of his life, over and over again”
How long is loop in time? 42 days depicted partially or fully In an interview Ramis claims years
Why is this film important cultural relevance religious connotations philosophical ideas
Cultural Relevance: “Groundhog day” entered common use as reference to an “unpleasant situation that continually repeats it self” Used in 1996 speech by Bill Clinton to describe situation in Bosnia Noted as American Military slang for any day of tour of duty in Iraq Astronauts commonly request “I Got You Babe” as alarm music
Religious connotations: Dubbed “most spiritual film of our time” Buddhism- rebirth as reflection of ones own spiritual messages Catholism -representation of Purgatory
Cast members/ Location Capraesc small town Why Bill Murray Andy McDowell –model, innocence Extras- more screen time than other movies
Why Bill Murray Understanding the protagonist to understand the development “just tell me good Phil or bad Phil”
Why is the film important Religious Notions- Buddhism, Catholicism, Reincarnation Achieving the next level
How do we achieve the next level of transcendence Knowledge Humanity Love
Knowledge
Humanity
Love