Solus Rex-- Explanation of Theme's and more for Group 4's movie project

First of all, I would like to say that while considering the possibilities for editing a movie project, I was astounded at all the potential the "visual" aspect allowed. It really seemed important when making a movie that it was important to closely consider various aspects of how we shot the movie, attention to visual themes, and how to provide substantive information balanced with entertainment. The material for the movie came easy, since all semester we've been discussing Nabokov from so many perspectives. It seemed that our group film really took the themes we've discussed in class and ran with them to create a thoughtful, well-planned, creative, and informative movie.

For me personally, much of that work came from the "frame" of Nabokov and Reader that surrounded the quotes and the themes, providing a thread that held the movie together. Specifically in this blog, I would like to alert the reader to a few of the images that ran throughout the movie and their purpose in portraying our message even more.

The first one I would like to address is Nabokov's cigarettes and the Reader's book. These two images, cigarettes and book, run parallel throughout the film; Nabokov carefully selects the cigarettes from a pack while the Reader carefully selects books from the shelves, when Nabokov lights the cigarette and begins the composition the reader opens the book and begins the journey of reading, when Nabokov finishes the cigarette and extinguishes it the shot cuts to the Reader closing the book thus signifying a closure. It can be considered by the viewer that the cigarette and book are both the physical manifestations of the muse that inspires Nabokov to create. The pages of the book end up being read and flipped through like the ashes of a burned-down cigarette.

Another theme that I would like to address is the juxtaposition of Nabokov and the Reader. The careful viewer of the film will notice that the Reader, will independent of Nabokov, relies on Nabokov to pen the first words of his works before the Reader can exist as a reader; the reader can only exist based on the actions of Nabokov. This reliance of the Reader's existence on the actions of Nabokov was meant to explore the theme from Pale Fire that Gradus exists only when John Shade pens the words and condemns Gradus to following the pace of Shade's writing.

Lastly, I would like to explore the chess imagery that laces the frame. Although our project was somewhat simply concerned with chess-problems, we took advantage of the visual element to juxtapose Nabokov and the Reader in a game of chess that was played parallel to their relationship as author and reader. Nabokov moves a pawn forward before he composes Lolita and when the Reader opens the book, the same pawn moves forward signifying the opening of a game. In another of my favorite moments in the frame, Nabokov and the Reader actually come into the same place at the same time playing a game at the same table; Nabokov moves his lone King (solus rex) forward and then fades out leaving the Reader alone. This image somewhat haunts the viewer and leaves them with the impression that perhaps Nabokov himself is the lone king, the solus rex, that we are all attempting to capture through our strategic interpretations of his works; however, until we according to his rules and figure out the patterns he has laid out for us, the lone king will escape our capture.

There are a couple more really fascinating images outside the frame that were played with, but, I will leave those up to the intelligent viewer to discern and interpret for themselves!