https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDp-08uNH0Y
The movie “Vantage Point” has always been one of those movies that I would label as a classic. Despite being a relatively old movie, its influences and message still persists today. Most of us would know its plot, the movie dealt with various perspectives in finding out the culprit of the attempt on the assassination of the president. The movie puts us in the eyes of 8 different individuals in an attempt to find out the truth. Our last discussion was on Michel Foucault's analysis of Diego Velazquez's “Las Meninas”. Wherein we took a look on how representation of a sovereign was made. Velazquez’s “Las Meninas” took an unconventional style on representing the sovereign, the first of its kind, wherein other subjects are brought to focus instead of the sovereign himself. Emphasizing the role of perception, communicating to us what the world would look like in the eyes of the sovereign. Giving us this sense of responsibility, of power, in which one assumes the position of the other.
Michel Foucault talked about the epistemes: notions of knowledge that we unconsciously follow and not question. Foucault's project was to dig out these epistemes to shift the point of view to the things left unsaid and those that was hidden away. This notion of shifting who’s telling the story, by exploring this epistemes. This helps us in understanding the complete picture rather than singled out information given to us , that we don’t question, by the major/key figures in history.
The movie “Vantage Point” helps us in understanding Foucault's project regarding these epistemes. If we only saw the events that transcribed in the eyes of the key persons in the movie the truth would’ve not been shed to light. The importance of viewing reality with the eyes of the minor characters explains more clearfully the events that have transcribed, in contrast to just showing the events in the eyes of say “Thomas Barnes” (Secret Service Agent that was tasked to the President). Without the perspectives of Howard Lewis (the man with the video camera) and Kent Taylor (the assassin that was used by the terrorist) explaining the plot of the movie, and it whole story, would be vague and incomplete.
As seen in the “Las Meninas” and “Vantage Point” these perspectives are of great importance in finding out the whole picture. Both “Las Meninas” and “Vantage Point” took a whole new way in explaining the history, its events. and its notions of knowledge by emphasizing on these perspectives. Velasquez’s “Las Meninas” have but more than 1 interpretation to it. Each interpretation would be largely be influenced as to how we look at the picture, as seen similarly to the movie “Vantage Point”.
