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Much has been said by critics pro and con about the use of so many quotations (taken from eastern and western philosophers, poets, novelists, the Bible, etc.). What do you say about them? Why do you think Oshii included them? What is their function? What effects do they create?
I am not sure that I really understand the purpose of the quotes in Innocence but I will do my best to speculate. On the surface, the quotes link the events of the film to ideas about human nature that precede the digital age. Most, if not all, of the people quoted in the movie are ancient thinkers even by today’s standards. Perhaps this serves as a method of reminding the audience that, in the unfamiliar world of post-humanism on the screen before them, many familiar human qualities have been retained. Many of the characters have thrown out all but shreds of their brains, but they have kept words that speak true even to those of us with fully flesh bodies. Then again, we do not witness Batou reciting the entirety of the works of Shakespeare or the Old Testament. Rather, we hear only shreds of the ideas expressed in these works. Perhaps the cyborg is much like the scraps of ancient wisdom he recites, an amalgam of broken pieces hinting at a greater whole long forgotten, or yet to come.
I have always been a quote lover, so I found it intriguing how Oshii was able to integrate so many profound quotes in a way that flowed well with the movie. To me, quotes are tools that can be used to incite deep thought about a particular thing, and I think that is why Oshii included so many of them. Oshii has intense themes in the movie, like the concept of humanity, that he wants to deliver a message about, but it is so easy for people to just watch a movie and completely miss the message that a director is trying to deliver. It is not like you are intentionally ignoring it, but you can get so absorbed in the events of a movie that you just do not notice the deeper meaning behind it. I think Oshii wanted to use the quotes to capture the audience’s attention and show them that there is a deeper meaning to what is going on; he wants them to have to look deeper into the movie to fully understand it or else just be confused about what was going on.
I totally agree with Josh’s explanation of quotation’s function. Oshii tries to include the profound ancient wisdom in order to either insinuate the development of the plot, or to implicitly convey his own commentary on life and soul. In Innocence, a movie with intricate plots and complex themes, the audience will possibly be trapped in the plot itself, while ignoring the underlying ideas beneath the progression of a story. Thus, the existence of quote forces the audience to think about the meaning of the quote itself, and further propels the audience to connect these profound allusions with certain parts of the movie.
Also, for Togusa and Batou, their constant use of allusions and quotations is a means of confirming their identities as human, instead of machine, or namely “dolls” in the movie. All the allusions, including those in Christianity, oriental classics or western philosophers, represent the ideas of human, whose “ghost” speaks out the wisdom that affects humans themselves. Togusa and Batou are both typical representatives of post-human, whose brains are more or less modified by futuristic technologies. Thus, their conversations including allusions that mark human society can be interpreted as their attempts to put themselves into the standards of human beings, as well as reminding themselves that human wisdom still applies to them, and they still have human ghosts.I personally think the use of quotes is a good implement of inserting cultural references that the audience is familiar with in such a foreign world that is in the movie. I think that the main reason Oshii includes them is to highlight what it really means to be human through these quotes. The greatest thinkers and religion help explain what the purpose of human life is and what it means to be human. When Cyborgs quote these it has us thinking what makes their thinking process different than ours. I think another effect the quotes create is the sense that what the cyborgs are saying are not their own thoughts. Even when cyborgs are not quoting something are the words coming out of their mouth truly theirs? The quotes highlight these questions.
The quotes used throughout the movie are placed in order to cause the viewer to think. Each quote used has a deeper philosophical meaning that brings more meaning into the scene. Additionally, are used to show how as much as the world is changing, much of it is staying the same. During their original times, the quotes had meaning and were used as lessons or were said during important moments. Although the time has passed and the world has changed greatly, these quotes still hold significant meaning and can be used in situations. Although at times it makes the movie confusing or seemingly pretentious, it adds to the depth and helps develop the theme that certain aspects of the world will never change.
At times I did feel as though the incorporation of the quotes was a bit forced and even excessive, but at other times I felt they made sense within the context of the moment and even enhanced the current situation or conversation.
As many of the others said above, it seems like a common theme between several of the quotations was their reference to humanity of implication of concepts of ideas that only apply to humans. It seems as though Oshii included them to act as a foil to the waning humanity in the setting of Innocence. In this post-human society, what much left of humanity is there really? In a few hundred years, even sooner, what will be left of humans? What will it even mean to be human anymore? Many of the quotations included themes about love and remembrance and consciousness–all concepts crucial to the human experience. Take these concepts in comparison with what most of the movie revolves around: fighting gynoids, seemingly inanimate dolls with a growing consciousness. Are they leaning towards more human, or more robot? I think the quotations, when used in the right scenes and contexts, provide a great contrast to the plot and other central themes of the movie, something that seems to be moving further away from humanity, yet these quotes reel us back into thinking about such ‘human-specific’ concepts like thoughts, memory, and love.
Though somewhat overused at times, I think the quotes were a great addition as they highlighted a quality that we naturally associate with humans; reflective capabilities. By this I mean thinking about the past, pondering what it means for the future, finding patterns, etc. Though humans are evolving towards a clearly much more technologically-based species, they still retain this basic human process of interpreting old wisdom and applying it to their lives. This humanizes many of the characters we meet in Innocence. Though they may be boring, they have the capability of higher thought which resonates with us, and causes us to reflect on such quotes.
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