Raised a Catholic, I have been taught to split the concept of God into thirds -- Father, Son, Holy Ghost. I have often suspected some smoke and mirrors on this point, as if this trinitarian notion was specifically designed to mislead us, divert our attentions, confuse us into submission. I recall the lion tamer in Errol Morris' Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, who reveals why they seem to provoke their animals with the four legs of a chair: the lions can concentrate on only one leg at a time and will soon get confused and lie down.
Nevertheless, there is something appealling about things trinitarian: disparate concepts synthesized into one. I never expected to find a cinematic trinity that would hold such sway over my views of film, but now that I have, I will run with it. My Cinematic Trinity: Magnolia, Network, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. These films are connected in ways you do not expect; mysterious ways.
I begin with Melinda Dillon. In CE3K, we find her cowering in the corner, clutching her child, terrified and screaming as an unimaginable "supernatural" event occurs outside. In magnolia, we find her cowering in the corner, clutching her child, terrified and screaming as an unimaginable "supernatural" event occurs outside.
Then there's the TV show host collapse. In Network, Mr. Beale endures a disturbing episode or seizure and falls to the ground in front of a live studio audience. In magnolia, Jimmy Gator does the same.
The "look" of the WDKK? set matches that of the Howard Beale Show. While Network has no musical soundtrack to speak of, it does include the stirring drumroll/brassy theme to Beale's Show, echoed in magnolia by Jon Brion's swingy WDKK? theme.
Music is integral to the story telling in both CE3K and Magnolia, and both include a "musical crescendo." The musical note communique recieved by Dreyfuss in CE3K is parodied in magnolia by the musical note quiz questions.
Anderson clearly reached back to the 70's for thematic and visual inspiration. The Magnolia DVD extras actually includes him screening Lumet's film for cast and crew, asking them to look at the cinematography and pay attention to the "old school" television men, like his own father, Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson, a late night Cleveland horror show host.
If I have convinced you that these movies are intentionally connected, then pull back your lens a little further and consider this: Network is The Father, CE3K is The Son, and Magnolia is The Holy Ghost. Network, the dark, cruel God of the Old Testament, savage and vengeful, it ends with a "crucifixion." CE3K, the loving, benevolent God of the New Testament, hopeful and joyous, it ends with an "ascension." Magnolia, the kitchen sink God of everything else, the God of the Next Testament, perhaps, it ends with a shocking Exodus 8:2 reminder that "this is something that happens" and we simply can't explain it all away: sometimes, we have to let the mystery be.
