May 18
Notes about references in Oblivion (2013)
Some notes about Oblivion (2013), revealing the strong intertextuality of film in general, and Kosinski's work in particular:
(spoiler alert!)
- Slipstream
Plot elements, flying over devastated landscape, the overall mood, etc. - Steven Lisberger
He directed Slipstream, knows Kosinski since Tron:Legacy, Kosinski probably then saw Slipstream. - The Stahl House
Clearly the blueprint for the tower/apartment. In one of Claudio Miranda's shots, a section is 1:1 Julius Schulman's iconic rendition of the building. - The "bubble ship"
In Slipstream an Optica, yet also resembling Captain Future's Cosmoliner. - 2001: A Space Odyssey
The red HAL9000 eye, on the drones and in the Tet.
In 2001, a monolith enters the galaxy, here it is a strange triangular Tetrahedron.
The NASA deep space probe was called Odyssey, just like in 2001 and the NASA Apollo Odyssey-1 moon lander. - Kubrick momentsChandeliers, baroque design elements - that's in Oblivion when the hero enters the old library, it was in Tron with Flynn's hideout, and Kosinski cited that in his (spec?) commercial Les Jumelles back in 2004.
- and, anyone else thought:
- Why are Andrea Riseborough's/Victoria's eyes so dilated throughout the whole movie? A hint that she's not real? Circle-lenses, for the look?? But then, they are just as dilated/ giant iris/ only pupil, when she *was real*, back on the NASA's Odyssey mission/ film sequence.
- Morgan Freeman's entree is too much of a French comic book/ Léon (imdb) -look.
In case there's a bounty set out (Mr. Kosinski, I am looking at you) for who is first in finding all the elements: I am in!
(Drop me an email to webmaster at goes zen dot com, ok?)
The film has seen quite some bashing because of a thin storyline - I think that's not okay. Actually, my perception was that it was good, modern, even post-modern storytelling, with well timed twists and only very few klichee moments.
February 27th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
Well observd, thank you!
February 27th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
Well observd, thank you!