While I’m a bachelor I’ve been catching up on a few of my favorite movies. One of my all time favorites is Don Juan de Marco. Like Don Quixote, Don Juan de Marco lives in a fantasy world, but in doing so the world conforms to them instead of them conforming to the world. This is admirable and something many would like to do if they had the courage.
Watching this movie I remember the passion of my youth and how it felt to be young living in Spain and Mexico. It is a passion that has slowly faded as I grow older, accustomed to responsibilities, a job and the necessities of family life. This was explained perfectly in the movie with this quote by Don Octavio de Flores
– I’ve been thinking about our adolescence. There isn’t any transitional battleground left for us anymore. I just feel as though we surrendered our lives to… …the momentum of mediocrity. I mean, what happened to all the celestial fire… …that used to light our way?
Don Octavio de Flores
– Oh, Jack, no. Listen, honey. You know all those fires are a lot of trouble. They caused a lot of trouble. I mean, fires are really hard to control. They flare up. They burn a lot of energy and then they suddenly die. I want to tell you something.
-That’s bullshit. Because all…
– No, it’s not.
– Yes, it is.
– No, it’s not bullshit. A good, steady, warm glow… …you know, that does the trick over the long run.
– No fire, no heat. No heat, no life. – That’s the equation.
I always wanted to be like Don Juan de Marco, like Don Quixote, to be a Renaissance Man. The world may see them as crazy but then the world slowly conforms to them. I’ve learned my languages, I work out to get strong, I’ve traveled, but my youth was lost along the way. However, I’ve realized the importance of mindset and seeing the world as you want it to be. As Don Quixote says “Yo sé quién soy y sé que puedo ser.” I know who I am and who I can be if I so choose.
– Why don’t we talk about who I am?
Don Juan de Marco
– Yes. I know who you are.
– Who am I?
– You’re Don Octavio del Flores the uncle of Don Francisco da Silva.
– And where are we here?
– Well, I haven’t seen a deed, but I assume this villa is yours.
– What would you say to someone that… …said to you, “This is a psychiatric hospital.”? And that you’re a patient here… …and that I am your psychiatrist?
– I would say that he has a rather limited… …and uncreative way of looking at the situation. Look, you want to know if I understand that this is a mental hospital. Yes, I understand that. But then how can I say that you are Don Octavio… – …and I am a guest at your villa, correct?
– Yeah.
– By seeing beyond what is visible to the eye. Now, there are those who do not share my perceptions, it’s true. When I say that all my women are… …dazzling beauties, they object. The nose of this one is too large. The hips of another, they are too wide perhaps. The breasts of a third, they are too small. But I see these women for how they truly are… …glorious, radiant, spectacular, and perfect… …because I am not limited by my eyesight. Women react to me the way that they do, Don Octavio… …because they sense I search out the beauty within them… …until it overwhelms everything else… …and then they cannot avoid their desire… …to release that beauty and envelop me in it. So to answer your question, I see as clear as day… …that this great edifice in which we find ourselves… …is your villa. It is your home. And as for you, Don Octavio del Flores… …you are a great lover like myself… …even though you may have lost your way… …and your accent.
It is good to watch movies like these and remember the passion and excitement that once used to come naturally. I may be getting older and passion may not be so abundant but all it takes is the right mindset and life can again be exciting.
