Decay & Decrepitude in Motion Picture

Decadence as phenomenon >>>TAKE2

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The Romans of the Decadence (1847), Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Definition

The term decadence is often used to describe a decline of moral, ethical, or artistic standards. In literary history it specifically applies to aestheticism and symbolism – late 19^th century movements in France and England marked by their amoral sentiments, perversely sensual and exotic imagery, and belief in art for art’s sake. In France the movement’s credo was echoed in the journal Le Decadent (1886-89), the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine, and J. K. Huysmans’s novel A Rebours (1884, translated as Against the Grain), which helped create a vogue for expressions of satiety and weariness, sometimes accompanied by a longing for religious certainty and asceticism. In England aestheticism was cultivated by poets Ernest Dowson and Arthur Symons and by Oscar Wilde in his play Salome (1893). These writers were frequent contributors to the Yellow Book (1894-97), a periodical that published the drawings of Aubrey Beardsley.

From Grolier’s Encyclopedia of Knowledge, Volume 6, page 48

A 21^st century phenomenon

Although a 19^th century term describing a deconstructive change in a society, decadence or social decay was predominantly heard in our last hundred years. There are many influences for this occurrence: the rise of technology, negligence of our moral persistence, glory of independence or self-indulgence, the need to consume and achieve happiness in terms of depth of our pockets. However, these desires as we know them are not knew to our being, they have been continuously exercised by the emperors of ancient Rome even, but the true essence of the term ‘decadent’ was set forth in recent years depicting the loss of excellence and amoral obstruction in pursuit of ideals. It is typified by the elevation of cleverness, education and intellectual pretension over experience and tradition, and it is often considered materialistic. The question then arises, what is it that has made us so impudent to our social well being? Is it the lack of conformity of our ideals or the strength of consumerism that makes us impotent to redefine our morals? We seem to have forgotten the primary stimulant of our existence, to continually advance as society and acquire advancement of moral achievements. This is perhaps due to our current view of the political agendas, such as capitalism, which is sometimes referred to as a propaganda that will destroy its own prior achievements before it creates new ideals and will no longer better our society. Can it be our indifference that makes it hard for us to coexist in a utopian model of society? Since this is a global phenomenon, there could be many reasons why the term decadence is used more often to describe the state our world is in, but one thing is for sure, it is definitely here.

Motion picture then, like art, poetry, literature and music, has power to globally address these questions and generate collective awareness. It is the silver screen that has the power to transcend the ideals of our society to the audience, raising the notions of concern behind the term ‘decadence’.