Matrix or the Matrix ( The Matrix ) is a film of Science-fiction carried out by the brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski and left in 1999. Inspired of the book the Neuromancien , it is the first shutter of a trilogy which will continue with the films Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions .

Synopsis

One is not the best when it is believed, but when it is known… |Morpheus

Thomas A. Anderson, a young data processing specialist known in the world of the Piratage under the pseudonym of Néo (Anagramme of (The) One in English, which wants to say the Élu ; but also of Noah : biblical character intended by God to save the humanity of its clean fished) as well as the Latin word Neo meaning " nouveau" , is contacted via its computer by what he thinks of being a group of hackers. They make him discover that the world in which he lives is only one world Virtuel in which the human beings are kept under control.

Morpheus, the chief of the pirates who contact Néo, thinks that this one is the Elected official who can release the men of the yoke of the machines and take the control of the matrix.

The film tells the discovery by Néo of its talents with great reinforcement of innovative special effects, like what is called usually since: the effect Matrix or the Bullet time, but which has in fact front invented. It is about a fixed plan filmed by several cameras laid out circularly, giving the impression which the subject is solidified and which a camera turns around him.

history of the real-world

A long time before the time of first film, human civilization depended on the extremely powerful computers which it had developed. The robots were used for all dangerous work or little reluisants. The things remained thus a good moment. However, it occurred that a robot named B1-66ER which was to be decontaminated made guilty of the first case of murder made by a robot. At the time of its lawsuit, he declared only one thing; he wanted simply not to die (it defended his life and was obliged to kill his owner and the mechanic charged to dismount it to arrive there). He was declared guilty of this murder and for safety reason, one decided to destroy all those of his kind. A civil war between robots and human burst. Certain people approved the freedom of the robots but the authorities regarded them as a threat. Following a great steel massacre, certain robots took refuge in the current Middle East to build a city there named 0-1.

Since 0-1 was inhabited by robots, she never slept and its production of computer material, soldier and aerospace was much higher than all the other nations. It developed the trade with the countries of the whole world until UNO decides to abolish the trade with the city of the machines. A war was declared when the ambassadors robots were eliminated at the assembly from UNO. The human ones bombarded the city but the robots were not affected by radiations. When the human ones realized that they lost ground, it turned to the plan B.

The majority of the energy employed by the robots was solar. The human ones were resigned to blacken the sky before the final attack. This attack was a total failure. After having studied the human ones, the robots built power stations which use their body as energy source. However, to keep the body in life, it is necessary to deal with the spirit, to place it some share. They thus created the Matrice first to this end.

Comment

Technique

This film was presented to the general public like a true revolution. It was it in esthetic term by its intensive use of a technique of turning (technical former but rather little used before): the Bullet time , effect of “mobile camera” (makes of it a series of cameras laid out in circle) around a subject moving slowed down. This technique was invented by Michel Gondry in a publicity for Smirnoff in 1997, the first use with the cinema was undoubtedly in the adaptation of the televised series Perdus in space ( Lost in Space ) of Stephen Hopkins (1998). Many graphic elements were taken again of Ghost in the Shell of Mamoru Oshii, in particular the credits.

On the bottom, however, none taken elements the separately is properly original. The manner of filming is very inspired of the cinema of Hong-Kong and of John Woo, the topics are traditional Cyberpunk, with elements of Tron (Steven Lisberger, 1982) and of Terminator (James Cameron, 1984) for the central theme (machines dominating the world in the future).

As for the notion of the life in an electronic world of show, it is present, in addition to in Tron , a film left just after Matrix : virtual Past (The 13th Floor) , inspired by the deliver-worship of Daniel F. Galouye Simulacron 3 , like in a film left simultaneously, EXistenZ of David Cronenberg. The concept even of mental universe managed by computer appeared in the novel Ubik of Philip K. Dick published in 1969, like in Neuromancien of William Gibson in 1984. One can also quote the project Lifehouse writes by Pete Townshend, author of the Who. Moreover the reference in the history of the red pill comes from the novel and film of Philip. K. Dick, Total Recall , where the catch of this one means the psychological acceptance of one return to reality for the hero of the history.

One can also quote Dark City, film left one year before Matrix which presents at the same time an extremely close scenario and an esthetics, even the quasi-identical scenes (certain pieces of the decorations of this one, were used in Matrix, for budgetary reasons).

Interpretations

Press articles underlined at the time of its exit the already preloaded recovery by Matrix of concepts or existing words direction and on which it is grafted: Morpheus (isn't Morphée the god of the dreams, therefore of imagined reality?), the white rabbit of Lewis Carroll, concept of awakening inspired by the Buddhism, the Bible (messianism with the elected official, the names Nebuchadnezzar and Zion are the English phonetic transcriptions of Nabuchodonosor and Sion, Trinity and the Holy Trinity)… It can be also regarded as a recovery adapted to the modern world of the concept Hindou ist of the Mâyâ and Allégorie of the cave of Plato, where the world which we see reflects only the shades of reality (topic largely used in the cinema, which is after all itself a “cave of projection”; to see Put in abyme). The film caused a book of philosophy gathering besides several contributions: Matrix, philosophical machine (editions Ellipses, 2003).

The desire to seek an overall explanation generated a profusion of assumptions, none not having never been confirmed nor contradicted by the Wachowski brothers. One of them makes of it a synthesis gathering of the philosophical visions due inter alia to Berkeley and Descartes. Short-measuring The philosophy off the Matrix of it was drawn. Another interpretation sees in Matrix a Marxist parabola of inspiration where the individuals subjected to an illusion permanent and only considered as energy source by the Masters of planet symbolize the Prolétariat. A third sees a vision third-mondiste there while alleging that the agents are always white equipped uniformly with the Western one, whereas the other characters reflect, especially starting from second film, the diversity of the populations of planet. A fourth sees there a theory developed by ufologies sources or Robert Monroe in particular, which explains why any terrestrial form of life is an energy source for entities of other dimensions, source which so must be held under control. Etc

It is also said that these films are inspired by the Matrix material of Val Valerian (http://www.trufax.org).

References and allusions

The references to various films, tales or other works are numerous in Matrix. One of these allusions is obviously that with Alice with the country of the wonders. Indeed, in addition to the direct reference of white rabbit, the Frères Wachowski multiply the indices leading to this work. Thus, when Néo " réveille" in the real-world, it falls into an interminable pipe before falling into an underground lake from the same manner that Alice falls into the interminable vertical burrow from white rabbit. Moreover in the preceding scene Néo observes its reflection in the mirror and passes its hand " through " this mirror; however the second volume of the adventures of Alice is entitled On the other side of the mirror. Another reference is that taking again an element of a very appreciated work of the realizers: 1984 (novel) of George Orwell. Indeed in this novel the room of dreaded torture of all is room 101. The room where Néo lives at the beginning of film is numbered 101, at the end of Matrix, Néo dies by wanting to enter apartment 303 (that is to say 3*101), in Matrix Reloaded the stage where Mérovingien resides is stage 101, the code that Morpheus gives to characterize Freeway. This can be also explained by the fact why 101 reflects the binary code of the data-processing language.

101 also indicates in teaching in the United States the course of Initiation to something: Philosophy 101 , Programming 101 , English 101, etc (module 01 of the 1st year of course).

The matrix term is recovered work of William Gibson, as well as allusions to the rastafaris and the Cité of Sion .

Data sheet

  • Title in France: Matrix
  • Québécois Title: the matrix
  • original Title: The Matrix
  • Realization: Brothers Wachowski
  • Scenario: Brothers Wachowski
  • Production: Joel Silver for Silver Pictures and Village Roadshow Productions
  • Country of origin: The United States
  • Format: Colors - 2,35:1 - its Dolby DIGITAL SDR - 35 mm
  • Kind: Science fiction
  • Lasted: 135 minutes
  • Budget: 63.00 M$
  • Comings out date:

Distribution

It should be noted that the role of the Smith Agent was proposed with the French actor Jean Reno, which declined to make the film Godzilla.

Original soundtrack

Around the production of film

When the producer Joel Silver came to ask the Warner studios to produce the first shutter of Matrix, the latter, not having included/understood anything with the history film, did not agree to finance it that on the basis of agreement of exclusive distribution with its production company Silver Pictures. Moreover, Matrix upon the departure being envisaged like a trilogy, they agreed to plan to produce two continuations for the video in the event of success, not imagining that the film can meet its public. Thereafter, the film became one of largest successes of the history and the producers of Warner will try to make believe (in particular by the means of a documentary promotion containing of the antedated remarks) whom they had foreseen the potential of film and the extent of the phenomenon which was going to follow.

Around film

The film is at the origin of a series of animated court-measurings: Animatrix (2003). As well as the short film: " LIEN" - 2005 - Realized by Thomas Proux. To discover on: http://www.lien-lefilm.com

Matrix catalog of films

Derivative products

Video games

Cartoons

  • 2003 : The Matrix Comics

Roleplays

  • Wushu (2005): system general practitioner with a supplement " Wushu Matrix" nonofficial.
  • The Matrix Role-Playing Range (D6 system) supplement nonofficial amateur.

Universe of Matrix

Environment

The characters evolve/move in two universes:
  • the Matrix: realistic virtual universe in which the human ones are locked up, this universe models the current world. There were several versions of the matrix, which are corrected progressively.
  • the real-world: it is about the Earth in ruin and under a layer of clouds hiding the Sun definitively. The machines took control, and use the human beings like energy source.

To keep them alive and productive, they connect them with " the matrice" to give an impression of freedom to them.

Human rebels formed an underground city, Zion , the machines seek to reach it by all the means in order to destroy it. Zion was the old city of the machines Zero One, the name of Zion comes from there. Moreover, in English, Zion is the phonetic writing of Sion, name which indicates the Sion mount, on which is built Jerusalem; by extension, Sion indicates Jerusalem. It is also specified in Matrix Reloaded that Zion comprises approximately 250000 inhabitants.

Certain elements leave think that Zion would belong to the Matrix, and that there would not be a true real-world, " humains" being in fact of the programs being unaware of their true nature. The films are indeed strewn with details going in the direction of this thesis without however making this interpretation a single truth (these points are lengthily developed on the http://www.matrix-happening.net) site.

The universe of Matrix can indeed be interpreted of a crowd in way different according to the sensitivity of each one without none being truer or falser than another, the realizers having made so that each reading level is plausible and coherent.

Groups

Zion (Human)

  • Neo
  • Morpheus
  • Trinity
Fleet of Zion

Exiled

Machines

  • Sentinels: machines walking in the real-world in order to kill any unauthorized form of life. They are controlled by the Matrix. They belong to the Monde program of the Lower part of the Matrix, so as to make accept human World Lower part the competition between human and machines.
  • the APU: they are machines controlled by the human ones with an aim of defending Zion. The chief of the units of elite of APU is the Mifune captain.

" Programmes" in the Matrix

  • Agents: they walk freely in the matrix to ensure the safety and to fight of it against the human ones pirating the matrix. One cannot kill them because they integrate the human body connected on the matrix by downloading " sur" them; if they are made kill, they are downloaded on another body, by leaving behind them the corpse of their host.
  • Oracle: very old program having seen the evolution of the matrix. It is used as guide with the human ones. Always very enigmatic, it is protected by Séraphin. it is it which handles everyone since the beginning, because, as a program of the Matrix, it is of its duty to protect it from the Néo anomaly.
  • the mérovingien: it is thought that the mérovingien was created shortly after the appearance of the Matrix. It is a trafficker of very dangerous information.
  • the Man of the Train: it is with the service of Mérovingien. It manages the connection between the world of the Machines and the real-world.
  • the Architect: originator of the Matrix. He will reveal in Neo all the machination of the Matrix (World of the Top, of the Lower part, lies of Oracle…).
  • the Smith agent: it is an agent which has escaped with the control of the machines in Matrix reloaded

See too

Science fiction

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