hard to say whether the parallels are taken directly or not on account of goncharov (1973)'s impact on film in general. scorsese's masterpiece is so iconic and influential, so inseperable in every possible way- tone, method, style,- from contemporary cinema, that the search for an exact xerox or spark of clear, undeniable inspiration is futile. is the songbird's tune an ode to the branches it calls home- creaks perhaps echoing its timbre, notes almost feel caught in the same breeze- or is that only coincidence? an overreach of our perception? something to be found only because we wished it so? or perhaps the groans of the wood were indeed the origin, to some bird dozens of generations ago, an ancestor our musician has no knowledge of. was this derivative intentionally, or separately evolved? perhaps the bird only echoes the notes its mother sang, thoughtlessly copying a formula set by its brethren... a child of tradition. is it meaningless?
this is not for men to deduce. we have no confirmation from a primary source, and even the tongue of the artist is not a garunteed truth. men are liars, men are tainted by faulty memories, men are influenced subconsciously. all that is certain is what the bird sings; hope as we might, we cannot know his mind better than we know our own.
