Response Paper Example: The Film The Fly

This paper illustrates my responses to written pieces about the film the fly. The 1986 film was a thrilling combination of horror and science fiction. It tells of an enthusiastic scientist who turns into a hybrid fly after one of his experiments go wrong. The article, AIDS reception in the critical reception of David Cronenberg: "It May Not Be Such a Bad Disease after All" by Ernest Mathijs, explores the symbolism of "the fly" as it appears in the film and the criticism and discussions that it generates.

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I feel the article is inclined towards the angle that, the criticism received by the film is based on people's culture and beliefs. I certainly concur with this notion, as people will react to pieces of art according to the principles and values they believe in and their way of life. Pieces of art that appear positive to these beliefs and those that might appear negative will receive recommendations and criticism respectively. This is due to the fact that they elicit feelings in the population as they sometimes depict the issues they are facing in their lives, some of which might be controversial.

From this approach the discussion of the term "the fly" being symbolic to AIDS arises. AIDS is an aspect that is affecting a lot of people with global efforts geared towards eliminating the disease. It is therefore bound to bring a lot of attention at its mention. The article depicts the process in which the films started attracting criticism and reviews that pertained to cultural references. The film attracts attentions because of its themes of science, the human body, and sexuality. AIDS is part of the culture surrounding the film, and the reference of the film to the epidemic is expected. Important to note is that the film has themes connected to science sexuality and the human body and as such the discussions about AIDS should be expected not to be lagging far behind. The article notes that Johnson had said that Cronenberg had found a metaphor to explore contemporary phobias of cancer, AIDS, senility, and schizophrenia, metaphor referring to the term the fly. The connection is made as a result of science theme in the film pertaining to body mutations, infectious diseases, and dysfunctions. I feel the connections and discussions picked as a result of the film are justified and they also provide insight into the understanding of people on the issues in question.

The article, the filmmaker as heretic seems to call into question the intentions of Cronenberg as the producer of the film and themes depicted in the film. It particularly focuses on Seth Brundle whose experimental mistake turns him into a hybrid fly, and the events that unfold afterward in terms of what Brundle desires to achieve in the transformed form. The article disputes the terming of Cronenberg work as a continued exploration of transformation and renegotiating human body. I agree with the dispute as the film is more of what happens after the transformation than how the transformation happens.

The article also discusses the idea of transformation beyond human limits with no possibility of coming back. It views this aspect as not allowing the film to represent such movement adequately. I think most people cannot relate to the transformation to a fly. Most people are likely to fantasize about transformation to nobler and majestic creatures than a mere fly. From this perspective, the idea of transformation to a fly is likely to attract little attention. It, therefore cannot adequately cater for the movement pertaining to the themes and discussions it is supposed to elicit. All the same, different people have different fascinations and therefore the idea of transformation to a fly could be fascinating to some people. This could be in consideration of the abilities that a fly has, that human does not have, for instance, the ability to fly.

Another particularly interesting issue is that of each transformation, in the eyes of the disciplinary structures being a potentially dangerous act in that it offers to undergo transformations possibilities that were previously unavailable. The article depicts Brundle transformations as dangerous when they go beyond the boundaries within which the human body can operate. I concur with this notion. The transformation beyond the boundaries would mean the loss of some qualities of humanity pertaining to decision making and feelings. This could be potentially dangerous for a creature that believes in having human capabilities while not being in the human form. Brundle entertains the idea of insect politics, and he admits that insect politics is not a very good thing since the insect does not have compassion and capacity for empathy. Any creature that does not have these capabilities is potentially dangerous as far as human interactions are concerned. Human interactions are based on understanding and tolerance. Transformation beyond human limits might not affect understanding but will certainly affect qualities such as tolerance that is very important in human life.