A Cinematic Zodiac - New Images for Old Archetypes

www.astro.com /col/cinelibra_e.htm

Cinema as an image machine exhibits a vast abundance of archetypal characters, motifs, and qualities, which in
astrology are embodied by planets, constellations and the signs of the zodiac.

Once a month Vesna Ivkovic will draw the connections offering insight into the cinematic representations and
forms of expression for the current zodiacal sign.

Libra in Cinema: Cognition of duality

Born under the ascending sign of Libra, I have been viewing the world my
whole life through a framework of relations and interwoven connections.
And I found Libra to be the probably most misunderstood sign of the
zodiac. It is often said to have a superficial need for harmony, to be
undecided, weak-minded and inconsistent. The frequently cited quest for
peace and harmony definitely is a main Libra-feature, as it can be easily
recognized in Libras characteristic elegance und sophisticated style,
furthermore in its distinctive sense of both aesthetics and justice, and
certainly in its considerate civility, which helps to improve human
relations and make them more agreeable.

Yet to me it seems quite important to understand the spirit that all these
qualities are based upon: Libra is the first zodiac sign to encounter an
already established polar counterparti. As a result it is the sign that marks
the beginning of cognition and perception of the Other, the Not-I, as a self-contained entity, as well as, of course,
it is the sign where interaction with this Other and the search for consensus originates. Hence Libra marks the
transition to duality.

Aries plain self-involvement, its unrefined one-dimensional perspective and its assertiveness is challenged by
Libras complex focus on considering every single point of view, and met by Libras capacity to negotiate and its
willingness to work out a harmonious cooperation, bearing both sides in mind at all times. It is not because of
undecided weakness, conflict avoidance and lack of self-awareness that Libra seeks compromise and shows
diplomatic concern, but because of conscious acknowledgement for the equal value and importance of the
others wishes, positions and perspectivesii. Cooperative partnership is the essential concept in Libra.

Humorous happy endings

Just as in real life, in cinema such an encounter between individuals

engaging in skirmishes and discussions is mostly initiated by their
desire for a relationship and, of course, by feelings that were used
to call infatuation or love. Thus the well-liked genres of romantic
comedy and social comedy can be considered typical for Libra in
cinema. Sometimes more, sometimes less witty, but, as it is
understood for Libra, always civilized and tasteful, the struggle
between two seemingly incompatible personalities towards their
harmonious happy ending is put on show in genre classics like e.g.
When Harry Met Sally (R.Reiner, 1989), where the essentially
unromantic statement seems to be made that a sustainable
relationship first and foremost requires friendship. Other popular
rom-coms like Youve Got Mail (N. Ephron, 1998) and Notting Hill (R. Michell, 1999) are also set in a
milieu of intellectuals, artists and other people working in the cultural sector, which is one of Libras most typical
environments. The narrated love-stories are generally hampered by the protagonists expectations about
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relationships that have to be overcome by negotiation and understanding.

Social grace, glibness and sophistication characterize elegant and educated

Libra, so the preferred film-setting in Libra-cinema is the world of the rich
and beautiful, since the material basics of life are no Libra-issue (at least
none Libra would talk about). The typical topics thus are appropriately for
the air-element more of a intellectual nature. Set in such a milieu for
example both Sex and the City movies (M.P. King, 2008 und 2010),
based on the eponymous TV show, revolve around love stories and further
Libra-themes like fashion, urban culture, friendship and other types of social
relationships.

Aiming for a slightly more sophisticated standard Four Weddings and a

Funeral (M. Newell, 1994) became a cult classic: Just as in When Harry
Met Sally we watch a potential couple being kept apart by differing notions
and bad timing for quite a long time before the protagonists as well as the
audience are rewarded with the inevitable and likeable happy end. However,
bourgeois concepts of relationships and love are discreetly yet critically
reviewed here and possible alternatives are outlined without provocation in a
pleasantly entertaining manner.

Well-mannered and genteel

Not only individually but rather socially determined expectations and concepts for relationships become the
centrepiece in the perfectly well-done adaptations of British literary classics by E.M. Forster or Jane Austen.
Providing a predominantly charming portrayal of 19th centurys British class society, where relations are
controlled by polite civility, formal etiquette and prim conventions, these films offer cultured entertainment without
omitting considerate hints at social injustice and various inequities.

Based on Jane Austens eponymous novel, Emma (D. McGrath, 1996)

portrays a young woman trying to act as a matchmaker among her circle of
friends and acquaintances, thus causing quite a commotion at stuffy tea-
parties and prim picnics. Although her attempts to strap other peoples
feelings as well as her own longings neatly into the pretty corset of
seemingly suitable unions fail miserably, in the end even Emma herself gets
lucky in love. And again happiness is found in a relationship that started out
a long time ago as feisty friendship showing both individuals to favour an
equality-based partnership.

In Sense and sensibility (A. Lee, 1995) for the most part grand romantic
feelings and passions are again regarded with very much reserve. Only
through helpful social relations and polite compliancy an impoverished
widows marriageable daughters can improve their chances on the marriage
market in accordance with all social conventions that are to be followed. The
gracious reserve that is so typical for Libra is explicitly asked for, e.g. when
the youngest daughter speaks favourably about an intrusive, boisterous and
meddlesome person, arguing that the woman at least talks about thingsiii.
The mother silences the girl with a few reprehensive words: If you can not think of anything appropriate to say,
you will please restrict your remarks to the weather.

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A Room with a View (J. Ivory, 1985) is about a young womans
difficult decision between a designated husband and a romance that
is not befitting her station. And The Importance of Being Earnest
(O. Parker, 2002), brimming with Oscar Wildes wit, is narrating the
amusing story of two rather different friends pursuing their love
affairs in the midst of social conventions that have to be adhered to
and then occasionally broken, entertaining us with confusion and
mistaken identity, polite white lies and finally the lucky coincidence
that saves the happy ending.

Sophisticated concepts for relationships

As we can see in the aforementioned examples, typical Libra-movies

dont focus on one main protagonist, there is at least a couple that takes centre stage, more often than not we
are getting acquainted with various additional characters and their intertwined relations. Also there are quite
frequently multi-protagonist films like the comedy Love Actually (R. Curtis, 2003), which follows even ten
couples and triangles through their amorous entanglements and communication difficulties.

In spite of fateful events the drama Closer (M. Nichols, 2004) is not too emotionally touching, while
elaborating on the differing and changing relationship patterns and concepts of a quartet of intellectuals and
artists. The movie leaves us to notice and observe the protagonists feelings from a little distance, instead of
inspiring compassionate empathy. This is also a characteristic of Libra-typical tact. However, the attempted yet
somewhat ineffectual depth in the film is an exception in Libra-cinema, as the friendly but distanced observation
of emotion is usually facilitated by humour, like, for example, in many movies dealing with the popular triangle-
motif.

A few years ago in his film 3 (T. Tykwer, 2010) Tom Tykwer picked up the subject making a heterosexual
couple unknowingly fall in love with the same bisexual man with both beginning an affair with him. This became
an easygoing and amusing Berlin-based comedy, questioning conventional concepts of love from a matter-of-
fact point of view, which very naturally accepts all kinds of desire and emotion as equally valuable.

77 years earlier, with a somewhat similar story Ernst Lubitsch

created a remarkable classic of Libra-cinema the sophisticated
comedy Design for Living (E. Lubitsch, 1933): Two artists,
who are very good friends, fall in love with the same woman. She
can not and will not choose between them, so, bound by love and
friendship and all the three of them being aesthetes and
intellectuals loathing base instincts like jealousy or
possessiveness, they attempt to handle the complicated situation
with graciousness and style. And to do everyone justice they
settle on a gentlemans agreement, meant to stimulate a prolific
threesome-relationship, but, as a precaution, excluding sexiv.

More Libra-classics: Nonchalance and dancing

partners

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There are many more amusing and characteristically sophisticated Libra-
films from those old days of cinema, when movies essentially promised to
offer a break from harsh realities by artfully creating a beautifully balanced
and debonair virtual world. As dancing, and in particular ballroom dancing, is
a very strong Libra-analogy, I find myself thinking especially about movies
with the most famous dancing couple in film history: Ginger Rogers and
Fred Astaire. The nonchalant breeziness (as well as literally light-
footedness), that defines their characters relationships in movies like The
Gay Divorcee (M. Sandrich, 1934), Top Hat (M.Sandrich, 1935), Swing
Time (G. Stevens, 1936) or Shall We Dance (M. Sandrich, 1937) is a
wonderful example for the couple dance as a means of communication and
as an expression of both social and romantic relations. The high
entertainment-value as well as the Libra-content of these movies comes not
only from the dancing scenes with all the aesthetics and elegance but also
from the witty banter and the amusing obstacles love always has to
overcome by negotiating agreement and accepting differences respectively
the otherness of the beloved partnerv.

Without dancing yet with at least equally entertaining verbal exchanges (and
even battles) revolving around cooperation and harmony under the
precondition of equality and mutual respect, Spencer Tracy and Katherine
Hepburn used to make us smile in many of their movies. In Adams Rib
(G. Cukor, 1949) they play two lawyers that are married to each other and
get themselves into a hilarious and interesting marriage crisis over their controversial positions in a divorce suit,
in which they represent the opposing parties.

With To Catch a Thief (A. Hitchcock, 1955) even thriller-director Hitchcock, the master of suspense who had
a penchant for fancy and (seemingly) cool blondes, shot a remarkable Libra-movie brimming with beautiful
images of the posh French Riviera. Equipped with refined nonchalance, Cary Grant as a retired gentleman-thief
has to defend his reputation and the social prestige he meanwhile has earned, while flirting along with the
excessively elegant Grace Kelly

i Libra is the 7th zodiac sign and thus the beginning of the second half with the opposite first sign, Aries.

ii The attempt to do everything/everybody justice can, of course, frequently produce the often cited difficulties in
coming to a decision

iii I like her, she talks about things. We never talk about things!

iv After all, dangerously lurking in Scorpio, the sign following Libra, sex serves to create strong and even
obsessive ties, which dont fit the Libra-concept, thus it threatens to drag into the light everything that was
sacrificed to intellectual aesthetics and neat civility.

v As, for example, it is expressed quite charmingly in the song Lets call the whole thing off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOILZ_D3aRg.

Vesna Ivkovic

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Vesna Ivkovic studied literature and linguistics, sociology, philosophy and history and as
well took a profound interest in psychology, mythology and different belief systems. Along
the way she also explored various paths of body awareness such as the martial arts of
Kung Fu, Dance, Yoga, Qi Gong and several other methods of body work and motion arts.
In 1993 she discovered astrology as an instrument of knowledge and graduated in 2004 in
Markus Jehle's and Petra Niehaus' master class at the Astrology Center Berlin.
www.astrosemiotics.de

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