Art

"It wasn't my intention to make a film 'about the GDR.' I was in my first year in film school, in late 1997. I was listening to a Beethoven piano sonata, and suddenly i remembered what Lenin had said about the 'Appassionata' to his friend Maxim Gorky. He said that it was his favorite piece of music, but that in the interest of finishing his revolution, he did not want to listen to it any more, because it made him want to 'tell people sweet stupid things and stroke their heads' in times when it was 'necessary to smash in those heads, smash them in without mercy.' I find that to be a terrifying quote. It shows so clearly how any ideologue has to shut out his feelings altogether in order to pursue his goals. Suddenly, in that moment, I understood that this was the true essence of ideology: the total dominance of principle over feeling. It became clear to me that one of the biggest challenges in life is finding the right balance between principle and ideology when confronted with a moral choice. Lenin had chosen one extreme: all principle, but in a way, his statement was also a beautiful testament to the humanizing power of Art."
-this is the director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, in an interview posted on Sony Pictures' official website for the movie...

I am overwhelmed by this bit of text alone. I agree that this quote is terrifying-it is terrifying because he says what he wants to do, and it is something beautful, but what he actually does, and thinks necessary, is ugly. It is terrifying to think that a person would reject the beautiful for something ugly. At the end, von Donnersmarck is correct, terrifying though it may be, is it a testament to the humanizing power of Art. The director's choice of words is interesting here, interesting that by using the word 'humanizing' he identifies himself as someone who believes that what makes us human is beautiful-that to be human is to choose the beautiful over the ugly. The 'Appassionata' humanizes Lenin because it makes him want to stroke people's heads instead of smash them. Von Donnersmarck testifies to the part in all of us that is good; and says it is that part which makes us human, and the ugly part of us must come from something else? I question this because I am unsure of my interpretation but I feel sure that the use of that word 'humanizing' is important. I'm not sure if the original interview was in german.
I will end this post and make a new one about ideology. What do you think about Lenin's quote and the power of Art?