This is a wonderful movie. I doubt if we adults realize just how cynical and materialistic we become as we grow older and are forced to accept the often hard realities of life. It's difficult to maintain a sense of the wondrous since we are taught that being wondrous isn't very practical. I've read quite a lot about the real Cottingley event and what is so interesting about it is that although the girls recanted their story about the pictures later in life, both remained adamant they had seen fairies in their beck. I recall the girls took five pictures. Four of these were latter judged to be hoaxed. The fifth picture however was never proven to be faked. Elsie claimed it was faked while Frances said it wasn't. It's true that both girls had grown very tired of the publicity the pictures created for them and afterward would say anything to get people to leave them alone. For anyone interested in understanding the power of human observation, I recommend reading the basic literature on quantum physics, specifically, the Copenhagen Interpretation and the concept of wave function collapse. Very briefly stated, at the sub-atomic level there are particles and there are waves. Particles do not exist until their associated waves function collapses after it is either observed or measured. Waves collapse and become particles. It is the human act of observation that creates particles. I shouldn't have to explain the implications of this if taken beyond the sub-atomic level. Do humans have a part in creating observed reality? As fas as I know that has never been proven or disproven but for some people, proof isn't needed because they believe what they see--their heart tells them what's real. We live in a world where if reality can't be weighed, measured, tested, and replicated under laboratory conditions then it doesn't exist. For some of us, what we see is what matters and if people truly believe they see fairies or whatever, then who am I to say they haven't? Perhaps I could see fairies too if I honestly believed such creatures existed.
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mstanley-1
12 years ago
Good post, Roger. I agree, in spite of this movie not really being entirely historical, it presents a truly good depiction of the heart and soul of how and why, and what is in children's hearts. That matters more than what may or may not have happened. Realists are sort of blind to these emotions and that is why they have a hard time with films that make a case for them. Your observations on the visual range and quantum physics are interesting - I would say it might even explain why some people see things that are real and others do not. You should look up a book called Daemonic Reality by Patrick Harpur, and Dimensions by Jaques Vallee for insight into faerie/alien/strange phenomena. Very eye-opening.
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