Clintonium!

Infinite Regression

January 25th, 2007 - Comments (12)

Today I’m posting an excerpt from the screenplay for “Escape From the Planet of the Apes” in honor of my newest favorite song, “Infinite Regression” by Quantic…

                             BONDS
                Dr. Hasslein, when you asked the
                Male Ape where he came from, he
                answered: 'From your future'.
                Do you believe that?

                             HASSLEIN
                Absolutely. It is the only
                explanation.

                             BONDS
                But the-explanation itself needs
                explaining. Doctor, you've written
                learned dissertations on the Nature
                of Time. Could you explain, in
                terms that will be understood by
                less knowledgeable viewers, how a
                person or persons could travel from
                Time Future to Time Past -- or,
                indeed, vice versa?

                             HASSLEIN
                Time can only fully be understood
                by an observer with the godlike gift
                of infinite regression.

                             BONDS
                       (wincing)
                Could you please explain infinite
                regression?

48    INT. CONTROL ROOM

                             DIRECTOR
                       (to Technician)
                Roll the film.

CUT TO:
49    TIGHT SHOT - A LANDSCAPE PAINTING

      We shall later see that it is only the central part of
      a much larger painting, as we PULL BACK (when
      indicated), during:

                             HASSLEIN'S VOICE
                       (O. S.)
                Here is the painting of a landscape.
                But the artist who painted it says,
                - Something is missing. What is it?
                It is I myself who was a part of the
                landscape I painted.' So he mentally
                takes a step backward -- or
                'regresses' -- and paints...

                       (PULL BACK)

                ...a picture of the artist painting
                a picture of the landscape. And
                still something is missing. And that
                something is still his real self
                painting the second picture. So he
                'regresses' further and paints a
                third...

                       (PULL BACK)

                ...a picture of the artist painting a
                picture of the artist painting the
                landscape. And because something is
                still missing, he paints a fourth and
                fifth picture...

                       (BIG, SLOW, PULL BACK)

                ...until he has painted a picture of
                the artist painting a picture of the
                artist painting a picture of the
                artist painting a picture of the
                artist painting the landscape.

CUT BACK TO:
50    MASTER SCENE

                             BONDS
                       (blinking)
                It's enough to drive you mad.

                             HASSLEIN
                       (very seriously)
                Yes.

                             BONDS
                So infinite regression is--

                             HASSLEIN
                --The moment when our artist,
                having regressed to the point of
                infinity, himself becomes a part
                of the picture he has painted and
                is both the Observer and the observed.

Even Bonds has begun to sweat.

                             BONDS
                What, in that peculiar condition,
                would he observe if he were observing
                Time?

                             HASSLEIN

                He would perceive that Time is like
                a freeway with an infinite number of
                'lanes' -- all leading from the past
                into the future. But not into the
                same future. A driver in Lane 'A'
                may crash, while a driver in Lane 'B'
                survives. It follows that a driver,
                by changing lanes, can change his
                future.

Lovin’ it. So, here’s to changing lanes.

If you’re into freaky hybrids of funk, lounge, breakbeat, jazz, and downtempo, you can check out Quantic’s album The 5th Exotic at Quantic.org.