Bicentennial Man...

The title says everything. Bicentennial Man is one of the few movies in my collection. I watched it for the first time in 1999 in Perth. It was just another weekend, and both me & my brother didnt have anything to do. So we drove up to the local video shop (Video Ezy, South Perth) to hire some movies. It came to my attention this ugly looking DVD case, which didnt appeal to me at all. My brother told me that he had watched it, and it was pretty good. But he didnt mind if we watched it again. So there was it. The first time I watched Bicentennial Man. In 1999.

2006. Having watch the movie for more than 10 times (not to mention I visited several DVD shops in Melbourne to buy the DVD), I still regard it as one of the movie I am keen to watch anytime and never get bored of. There are many reasons to it:

Musical
James Horner - one name that never stops me from wondering how great the work of human mind is. Here are some quotes that I could not agree more.

"Listening to Bicentennial Man's OST is one of the most profoundly relaxing experiences you could ask for. The orchestration is wonderful, the melodies haunting--you can see and feel what the music is trying to convey with no effort at all. "

"It evokes how fragile and alone we truly are in this world. As humans we procreate to fiegn immortality, but in the end we are only mortal. This music reminds us to live in our humanity and celebrate that mortality. Experience love and loss with all that you are. If you have not, you cheat yourself out of the very thing that makes us what we are."

Oh, and if you ever wonder what's the title of the piece played by Andrew & Little Miss, it is "dolly, suite for one piano/four hands, opus 56 berceuse", by Gabriel Faure.


Story
You may associate Robin Williams with commedy movies. Bicentennial Man is however, a romantic and intellectual story. Based on Isaac Asimov's "The Bicentennial Man", Chris Columbus has successfully portray the story of a robot's search to become more human. He slowly adds futuristic elements on top of real settings. On top of that, the plot is perfectly blended with Williams' strong performance. He adds a sense of humor on top of powerful romance and plot.
In this film of a robot's search to become more human, we feel more strongly the precious gift of our own humanity. That is all we can ask of any work of art.


Oh well..it's 1:15 am now. I should probably go to bed now. Regular swimming tomorrow morning at 10am. You could probably guess what i am listening to right now... :) Good night.

Bicentennial Man: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
1. The Machine Age
2. Special Delivery
3. The Magic Spirit
4. A Gift For Little Miss
5. Mechanical Love
6. Wearing Clothes For The First Time
7. The Wedding
8. The Passage Of Time/A Changing Of Seasons
9. The Search For Another
10. Transformed
11. Emotions
12. A New Nervous System
13. A Truer Love
14. Petition Denied
15. Growing Old
16. The Gift Of Mortality
17. Then You Look At Me