Just saw this film. Very inspiring. Anyone else seen it?

Zed said...

Just saw this film. Very inspiring. Anyone else seen it?

What did it inspire in you?
I haven't read it or seen it but I saw a crit of the movie. I gather its about a bloke who gets fed up, goes bush and dies of starvation. I understand lots of fans of the book go to Alaska (was it Alaska?) to follow the path of their hero so I guess there MUST be something in it. However I suspect its just the appeal of the alternative...

NotWal said...

Zed said...

Just saw this film. Very inspiring. Anyone else seen it?

What did it inspire in you?
I haven't read it or seen it but I saw a crit of the movie. I gather its about a bloke who gets fed up, goes bush and dies of starvation. I understand lots of fans of the book go to Alaska (was it Alaska?) to follow the path of their hero so I guess there MUST be something in it. However I suspect its just the appeal of the alternative...

Actually that's a valid point. I think his idealism was inspirational, dropping out of the rat race etc but what he did i.e going into the wilderness completely unprepared and ignorant was foolish. The guy has become a bit of a folk hero now, but I just see it as a complete waste of a life.

i think the whole point of it was that he isolated himself from society only to realise that the only time he was truly happy was when he was with other people.

then he died

Zed said...

stribo said...

Yeah i saw it and read the book a few years ago.When i read the book a few years ago it did inspire me I sold everything i couldn't fit in my old 64falcon wagon and with about two grand in my bank went windsurfing and surfing for 4 years also had a crack at riding my pushie across the nullabor.It was a great experience..... complete freedom.Not as hardcore as Chris Macandless but still on the fringe of "normal" life.When you live like that drifting around with no home to go to.The pace of life and time slows down.Things seem to fall into place.What you need just seems to come to you.I found it sureal....
I don't think Chris wasted his life.He lived it how he wanted to.Who is anyone to judge him?? He just made some silly mistakes that had dire consequence.The only thing he could be guilty of is being a little self centered not keeping in touch with his sister.
BTW now i have a full time job and i pay rent,car, credit cards etc....It's not easy to not consume and life is flashing by again

Wow that's awesome! It must have been an amazing experience, especially to look back on. And now you're 9-5, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, like the rest of us chumps!

I think watching "stormboy" as a kid gave me alot of inspiration in later life.The beach shack,beachcombing on deserted beaches ahhhhh that would be the life.

There's only two ways to get it unraveled one is to sleep the other is travel..

Jim Morrison.

I think thats how he said it....

Mark _australia said...

stamp said...

i think the whole point of it was that he isolated himself from society only to realise that the only time he was truly happy was when he was with other people.

then he died

i guess he left a diary behind then?

Yeah he left a journal. And amongst other things wrote something like "happiness can only be achieved when it is shared". I think he was pretty confused. Maybe even bordering on some kind of mental illness? What's clear is he was disillusioned with society and all it's materialism. Yet what I found strange was that his behaviour was quite contradictary. He refused to take maps, sufficent food etc with him into the wild, no idea why. Perhaps he regarded these as materialistic objects. Yet he took books, a camera, a powerful semi-automatic rifle with.. He killed a Moose, but it was left to rot, because he was ignorant as to how to preserve it. He was naive and idealistic and thought the way to truely live 'in the wild' was to be entirely self-sufficent. Yeah do that, but do it the right way. I think he lost sight of the big picture at the end of the day. A $2 map would have saved his life.

I thought he died because ate poisonous berries? How would a $2 map have saved him from that?

I actually found the movie boring, except when he made friends with the old dude who was awesome! My other half was crying her eyes out at that point!

I am uncultured though.

stribo said...

If you like that kind of stuff Zed .Read a book called "Three men in a raft".It's a classic .Three blokes paddle a rubber raft the entire length of the amazon with SFA.
Very good reading..inspiring..

I'll check it out. trying to get hold of the book "into the wild' sold out everywhere!

Finally saw the movie last night...loved it...he was an admirable guy.

I reckon he accepted his imminent death in the end. He was naive about a lot of things (an extremist of sorts) yet his ideals/values were profound - in the way he thought and regarded the world around him - natural, human and man-made.

At the end of the day, I think he'd probably hate the fact he is now has a cult figure of sorts and there was movie made about him.

It may sound strange but I think if you enjoy reading the articles printed in surfing world (especially by the older crew) then you'd like this movie.

My wife and I watched Into the Wild last night on our 100 inch screen home theatre system.

Clearly his home life affected his personality. The way he and his sister were bastard children as his father had another wife and family. His family represented all thats wrong with modern life, how money can somehow make up for lack of love and care.

Hopefully his death made his family realise whats important in life.

Yes he was naive about surviving in the bush on his own, which would be very tough and one mistake could kill you.

My father just returned from a trip to the northern parts of Canada for a few months. He was looking for something similar to what MacCandless was looking for, but without the desire to cut himself totally off. Really interesting to hear about life over there and the countryside. He spent time at the treeline where the trees can't grow anymore coz the weather is too cold. There is a place over there by a river delta where in winter they have to build ice roads to get into town. In summer they use boats.


My wife asked me if I'd do something similar. Thinking about it, windsurfing is a release from the crap you deal with in life so at this stage I don't need to head into the bush and cut myself off.