EARTH DAY, CLAY, & ROMANCE
What do they all have in common? A lot actually. At the most basic and most moving levels.
C. Brian Smith contacted me about an article he was writing for MEL magazine on “The Male Glaze: The Very Manly Pursuit of Ceramics” and asked me to speak to the significance of the movie Ghost in the realm of cinematic sex/romance?
It seems a lot of people are getting their hands into the earth these days. Brian examines the growing popularity of pottery-making and its relationship with connectedness, creativity, control, romance, and sensuality.
Here’s my take on romance, clay, and our deep connection with the Earth.
The famous pottery scene in Ghost is absolutely without a doubt one of the most sensual and romantic scenes in the entire history of film. Why? I think it’s because it touches us on so many levels. It’s often said that we exist on four planes: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual/creative. These days when so many do not have much in the way of actual physical connections with others, seeing two people in love reveling in the physicality of the clay together with their own bodies speaks to that deep need we all have for the exquisite joy of actual contact with another.
It’s rather life-affirming if you think about it. In many creation myths we humans are fashioned out of clay, the dust of the earth, the waters of the seas. The breath of life and consciousness animates that clay and human life begins. Working with clay, taking a shapeless form and making something new from it, puts us in the position of deities creating order out of chaos.
Given that now so much is automated and so many of us have lost literal touch with the world around us, this sensual love scene reminds us that every lover is intent upon molding the beloved into our ideal. It’s like that Greek myth about Pygmalion the sculptor creating the statue of Galatea, the perfect girl. Aphrodite, the goddess of romantic love, rewards the mortal for his devotion and brings Galatea to life. That mythic theme is played out in My Fair Lady and also in another Patrick Swayze film, Dirty Dancing.
Now besides the obvious sexual symbolism of that glistening tower of clay between Demi Moore’s legs and the slathering of the primitive element over the lovers’ bodies, you also have the co-creation of new forms as she and Patrick Swayze together make something new. And isn’t that what romance is all about – bringing two formerly separate things together to create something new, be it the relationship or the insights or sometimes even a new human being.
When writing my movie guide-book ROMANTIC COMEDIES These Films Can Save Your Love Life I had four criteria for deciding which of the hundreds of rom-coms to include. Each film had to exhibit one or more of these qualities: Idealism, Joy, Passion, and Dignity. Surely Ghost meets all those. If only it had actually been a romantic comedy it would have been included in the book.
People who work in clay have a direct connection with the basic element of our physical existence, which for many helps ground their often dis-connected emotional, mental, and creative selves. The creativity involved can be likened to the creativity inherent in falling in love. Though you’re doing things humans have done for millennia, it is still excitingly, beautifully new each time someone falls in love.
Some of the best commentary on pottery comes from the 11th century Persian poet Omar Khayyam in his book The Rubaiyat.
On how love frees us from the bonds of our physical bodies:
“Why, if the Soul can fling the Dust aside,
And naked on the Air of Heaven ride,
Were’t not a Shame — were’t not a Shame for him
In this clay carcass crippled to abide?”
In Ghost we see played out on screen Khayyam’s poignant advice:
“Then to the Lip of this poor earthen Urn
I lean’d, the Secret of my Life to learn:
And Lip to Lip it murmur’d — “While you live,
“Drink! — for, once dead, you never shall return.”
Ghost gave us a rich and vivid example of how a deep connection with the earth can help us soar beyond our bodies and together touch the Heavens.
And given that the story is about death and loss, grief and comfort, the Persian poet again offers excellent insight that includes a piece of pottery:
“So when that Angel of the darker Drink
At last shall find you by the river-brink,
And, offering his Cup, invite your Soul
Fourth to your Lips to quaff — you shall not shrink.”
How marvelous if one’s work in ceramics not only calms but also uplifts, enlightens, and connects you to the deepest and highest aspects of life itself… as well as Love.
— Find 100 more movies dealing with all sorts of love [young, lost, regained, mature, reluctant, and more] in the movie guide-book ROMANTIC COMEDIES.
And meanwhile, may your own connections with the Earth and each other be rich and fulfilling for all.
