I just watched Derek Jarman’s film Wittgenstein, which you can view in its entirety on YouTube here. The film was obscure. Really, really obscure, but I absolutely loved it. The language in the film was as air-tight as Wittgenstein would’ve liked it, but from a cinematic perspective, is this good? Has anybody seen it before? I would highly recommend it to those interested in philosophy and avant-garde cinema.

Some highlights:

“Oh, Bertie [Bertrand Russell], you can never give a straight answer about anything.”

“What are you [Wittgenstein] going to do with the rest of your life?”
“Well, I’m going to start by killing myself.”

Also, for those who have watched/will watch it, take notice of the accent of young Ludwig to adult Ludwig. He’s portrayed in his youth as a British boy, but grows into his Viennese accent when he’s shown as an adult. Do you think this is intentional? Personally, I view it as indicative of the philosophical schools from each country: the British usually freer and more child-like, whereas the Germans are generally rigid and devoid of innocence like adults; this is obviously not the case across the board, but as merely a stereotype.

Sounds awesome! i’ll check it out!

Great, let me know what you think!

Speaking of weird shit based on Wittgenstein, @nietzsche , did you ever read David Markson’s Wittgenstein’s Mistress?

I watched this a very long time ago– my university was/is kind of obsessed with Wittgenstein, and the way they teach English owes a lot to his legacy. Something that stuck out for me was the fact the original screenplay was written by Terry fucking Eagleton– an academic fairly well known in the UK for his rabid careerism and opposition to close reading/practical criticism. He’s a Marxist who owns three houses, too.

Also, while I’m here, my fav. Wittgenstein anecdote: at the end his viva voce (the oral examination you’re given after submitting a PhD thesis) he went up to the Professor leading the panel, patted him on the back, and said “Don’t worry, I knew you wouldn’t understand it”, and walked out.

Just watched it. Don’t know much about Wittgenstein. Struck me as sort of funny some of the odd stuff out of context

@stephen_j_p For somebody completely self-taught in Wittgenstein, what supplemental works would that institution suggest for somebody looking to go formal in their training? But that’s really interesting. I love those types of people, for Griffin, that’s how Zizek likes to act, too, right? Populist in theory, indulgent in practice.

Finally, now I’m going to have something to say to myself whenever I read him. Because that’s how I feel ever so frequently.

@nietzsche Annotate your first sentence for me– do you mean what Wittgenstein should you read before you head off to college? Tbh, most of his work is outside of my specialism and, well, comprehension– the language game stuff in Philosophical Investigations, which you may be familiar with, maybe by proxy, I found to be a really interesting way of looking at language (& lit by extension).

@stephen_j_p Exegesis of the line: What works about Wittgenstein’s works should I read? Because I’ve already pored over the Tractatus numerous times, with a whole tab full of essays about it, as well as Max Black’s companion. But I’m always looking for fresh perspectives, especially on his other works.

@nietzsche Ah wow, then I’ve gotta say you’re way ahead of me. Struggled through the Tractatus in the third year of my degree– have only read selections outside of that.

If it’s of any interest, this is the guy who oversaw most of the faculty’s teaching when I was there– he’s retired now and didn’t publish very widely– he gave some absolutely dope Hamlet lectures which he was planning to turn into a book and dropped pop culture references on the reg.