Scene Anatomy 101 05.14.08: The Matrix

Posted by George H. Sirois on 05.14.2008

Belief…



Ever since I posted my first Scene Anatomy 101 column on May 26, 2004, I always knew there would be a trilogy of films that I really had to cover. No matter how long it would take until I got to them, I had to do these. They just seemed like the perfect fit for a column like this.

As time passed, and those three films kept staring at me from my DVD shelf, I had moved on to other columns dissecting scenes from other films, and every time I declared that I would get around to this one sooner or later, something else took precedence. Now, with the four-year anniversary looming, and a month-long hiatus right after that, I decided that this would be the time when I would finally cast aside any doubt and just jump in with both feet. Considering the many different theories that this trilogy has prompted, it's only fair to say that this group of columns is quite an intimidating task. But what the hell, let's do it!

So without further ado, I finally bring to you the first of three columns that have been waiting to come to life since 2004. And the first film that we'll be covering is the ground-breaking 1999 Warner Bros. smash hit by the Wachowski Brothers…



Ever since the dawn of the blockbuster in 1975, summer movies have been looked at as high-concept, big-budget good vs. evil cinematic thrill-rides. The premises for these movies (not films, there's a difference) involve characters that are familiar to their audiences in one way or another. They've been seen in a previous movie, a comic book, a novel, a video game, etc. And if they're in an original story, then the movie is a throw-back to an earlier era in the industry, and the story is high-concept enough to endear itself to a universal audience.

In May of 1999, however, the exception to the rule was brought forth by Larry and Andy Wachowski. What they devised was a story that had plenty of action and engrossing characters on all sides, but also dared to make you question the world around you and ask what is real and what is computer-generated. And along the way, it showed us the evolution of a young man who would be told that he is the man who will lead all of mankind to ultimate salvation from enslavement. He will be told, simply, that he is The One.

The One of which I speak is Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a mild-mannered computer programmer who lives a double life as a notorious hacker known as Neo. He has heard of other hackers who are even more notorious than him, specifically Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and he is surprised to discover that they are actively looking for him. Now, why are these hackers trying to find Mr. Anderson? Because they believe that he has been living in a dream world and they intend to awaken him from that dream and pull him into the reality that he never knew existed.

When he does awaken, the man known as Thomas Anderson ceases to exist, and from now on, he is just referred to as Neo. Morpheus believes that Neo will be the chosen one to awaken all of mankind from their collective dream and end the war between man and the machines that have become their captors. But before Neo can assume this role, he not only has to have his mind properly trained to resist the boundaries that have limited whatever he can do in the dream world known as The Matrix. He also has to believe it in himself that he is The One.

Just like many other people that can only believe what is ahead of them if the right person says it, Neo has to visit the person known simply as The Oracle. Before going there, Morpheus doesn't tell Neo that The Oracle will tell him what to do or even if Neo is really The One. All he said was that when the first savior of mankind died, "The Oracle prophesized his return."

When Neo goes to the home of The Oracle, he sees a very quaint-looking apartment decorated 70s style. An older woman is in her kitchen with her back to the camera. She is sitting beside her oven, watching something bake. Despite not seeing her face, there is a presence about her, something that immediately draws Neo to her. This is The Oracle (played by the late Gloria Foster), and it was a big bonus for the Wachowski Brothers to use Ms. Foster in this role.

Whenever there is a character of high stature – whether it is a mentor, a president or a great enemy – it is always an advantage to get someone who has the proper presence. George Lucas kept this in mind when he signed Alec Guinness to play Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the case of Gloria Foster, she has plenty of experience in both film and theatre, and was the recipient of a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award. At the same time, she was less known to the summer movie-going public so she was able to show us The Oracle and not let her previous work get in the way.

As Neo walks in, she starts speaking without turning towards him.

ORACLE: I know you're Neo. Be right with you.

NEO: You're the Oracle?

ORACLE: Bingo.

She finally turns towards the camera and gives a warm motherly smile.

ORACLE: Not quite what you were expecting, right?

It's nothing new that everything Neo is seeing is beyond his expectations. Until several days ago, he was under the impression that Trinity was a guy. Obviously, she is very much not a guy.

The Oracle opens up her oven and reaches in to take the baking sheet.

ORACLE: Almost done.

She holds up the tray of cookies she is baking and inhales their scent.

ORACLE: Smell good, don't they?

NEO: Yeah.

She turns around to put the sheet on top of the stove as she talks.

ORACLE: I'd ask you to sit down, but you're not going to anyway. And don't worry about the vase.

Neo takes a step back to look for the vase The Oracle mentioned.

NEO: What vase?

As he turns around, however, his arm hits the vase on a shelf beside him and the vase falls to the floor, breaking into pieces.

ORACLE: That vase.

NEO: I'm sorry.

ORACLE: I said don't worry about it. I'll get one of my kids to fix it.

Neo steps away from the mess, still confused about how that whole incident played out.

NEO: How did you know?

ORACLE: What's really going to bake your noodle later on is… would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?

This is only the first of quite a few things that The Oracle will say that will have the audience's head scratching. That's right up there with the best sports superstitions like, would that last-second field goal still have been wide-right if I had my eyes open?

The Oracle gives Neo another comforting smile.

ORACLE: You're cuter than I thought. I can see why she likes you.

Neo shows he has a bad case of ROTJ Syndrome when he responds to that with…

NEO: Who?

ORACLE: Not too bright, though.

ROTJ Syndrome refers to when Luke Skywalker was told in Return of the Jedi that he has a twin sister and it took him several moments to figure out that his sister is Princess Leia, regardless of the fact that Leia is the only major female character in the trilogy. Here is a moment where the audience is one step ahead of Neo, and in a film like this, there has to be that sort of give-and-take with the audience in order to keep them involved and engrossed in the story.

ORACLE: You know why Morpheus brought you to see me.

Neo nods, still confused about this conversation.

ORACLE: So… what do you think? Do you think you are The One?

This is another unexpected twist in the conversation. Here, Neo was under the belief that The Oracle was going to confirm Morpehus' beliefs that he was The One and he would get his instructions on how to proceed as the ultimate savior. Now, he's being asked if he thinks he is who Morpheus says he is, despite not knowing what it takes to be The One.

NEO: Honestly, I don't know.

The Oracle's response to that is to point at a sign above the door in the kitchen.

ORACLE: You know what that means?

Neo turns to see a wooden sign with Latin letters carved into it.

ORACLE: It's Latin. It means, "Know Thyself."

Basically, The Oracle is challenging Neo to realize who he is supposed to be himself. Nobody can tell him he is The One, not even Morpheus. Until he believes it, it's not going to happen.

ORACLE: I'll let you in on a little secret. Being The One is just like being in love. No one can tell you you're in love. You just know it, through and through. Balls to bones.

Just like what she was implying before by pointing out the sign that meant "Know Thyself," The Oracle is equating being The One with a feeling that she would suspect Neo had felt at some point while he was simply a part of The Matrix. It's that feeling you get all over when you have the feeling of being in love. It's not something that can be forced and you can't trick yourself into feeling it. When you know you're in love, you're going to feel it, just like Neo will feel he is The One when he truly realizes it.

ORACLE: Well… I'd better have a look at you.

The Oracle walks up to Neo and begins to act like what he expected she would act like all along. At least now, something's happening that he thought would happen.

ORACLE: Open your mouth. Say "Ah."

Neo does as he is told and The Oracle looks down Neo's throat, then looks directly into his eyes. Everything she is doing is typical to what Neo would expect, like she is looking for some sort of sign or birthmark that's on Neo's body or down his throat. Little does he know that she's simply toying with him.

ORACLE: Okay, now I'm supposed to say, "Hmm, that's interesting, but…" Then you say…

She pauses long enough for Neo to catch up, which takes a couple extra moments.

NEO: But what?

ORACLE: But you already know what I'm going to tell you.

Her voice carries with it a hint of disappointment, which Neo immediately picks up and interprets on his own.

NEO: I'm not The One.

She steps away from him, shaking her head.

ORACLE: Sorry, kid. You got the gift, but it looks like you're waiting for something.

The Oracle turns back towards her baking in the kitchen, leaving Neo even more confused than he was before.

NEO: What?

ORACLE: Your next life, maybe. Who knows? That's the way these things go.

So all of this, and then he's told that he's not who Morpheus thought he was. Neo gives off a quiet chuckle.

ORACLE: What's funny?

NEO: Morpheus. He almost had me convinced.

The Oracle nods, aware of how much faith Morpheus has in Neo, and she's also very much aware of how valuable of a man he has been over the years.

ORACLE: I know. Poor Morpheus. Without him, we're lost.

NEO: What do you mean, "Without him?"

The Oracle is not quite sure if Neo wants her to continue, since he's still on the fence about believing everything that he's seen ever since he was freed.

ORACLE: Are you sure you want to hear this?

Neo nods. It's time for someone to really get it into Neo's head how high the stakes are now, with this group of men and women working together to free mankind from its chains.

ORACLE: Morpheus believes in you, Neo. And no one, not even you, not even me can convince him otherwise. He believes it so blindly that he's going to sacrifice his life to save yours.

NEO: What?

ORACLE: You're going to have to make a choice. In the one hand, you'll have Morpheus' life. And in the other hand, you'll have your own. One of you is going to die. Which one… will be up to you. I'm sorry, kiddo. I really am. You have a good soul, and I hate giving good people bad news.

So not only is Neo given the "bad news" that he's not The One as Morpheus believed he was, but now The Oracle is telling him that either he or the man primarily responsible for freeing him is going to die and it's up to Neo to choose. This has not been the most fulfilling meeting with her.

The Oracle can sense that Neo's troubled by everything that he's heard, and she immediately does what she can to calm his nerves.

ORACLE: Don't worry about it. As soon as you'll step outside that door, you'll start feeling better. You'll remember that you don't believe in any of this fate crap. You're in control of your own life. Remember?

What she's saying here is crucial because everything that Neo was worried about is the direct opposite of what he was telling Morpheus before, about how he doesn't believe in fate because he doesn't like not being in control of his own life. Considering everything that Neo's been through – meeting Morpheus, getting his freedom despite not even knowing he was in a prison, learning how to manipulate The Matrix to suit his own purposes, being told he was The One and then being told he is not The One, and then being told that he would have to make a choice between himself and Morpheus about who will die – it's easy to assume that Neo would think he has lost control over his own life, but The Oracle wants to make sure that he's not thinking like that. Only by believing that he is still in control despite his circumstances can he truly step up to be the man that Morpheus believes he is.

The Oracle takes her tray of freshly baked cookies and holds it up to Neo.

ORACLE: Here. Take a cookie. I promise, by the time you're done eating it, you'll feel right as rain.

This one action of offering a cookie has gotten quite a bit of mileage around the Internet, which is one of the main reasons why this trilogy's been so intimidating for me to dissect. At first glance, all Neo is doing is eating a freshly baked cookie, which a lot of us have done before, and we remember how good they taste. Could it be that The Oracle knew that just having a cookie would make Neo start feeling better, as she said?

Or could it be that – as one blogger posted after the third film's theatrical run – the cookie is a program that is installed into Neo that would make him feel better and give him the extra boost that he needs? Personally, I don't think that's the case. I like to think that, just like Freud said "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," sometimes a cookie is just a cookie. And cookies serve a purpose, especially freshly baked ones. They're comfort food, and when we eat them, our mind dwells on how good they taste, especially when we're having our first one, which is all that The Oracle offers Neo.

Neo only starts eating his cookie after Morpheus says to him, "What was said was for you and you alone," and for the rest of the film, Neo's not dwelling on what The Oracle had said to him. In fact, he's starting to act more on instinct and, after Morpheus is captured, he is not thinking about how he's not the man everyone thought he would be. Instead, all he's thinking about is how to rescue Morpheus, and it's this mindset that shows the audience more than anything that Morpheus was correct, and that Neo truly is The One.

Just look at what the short conversation between Trinity and Neo as they prepare their rescue mission. When Trinity says, "Nobody has ever attempted anything like this," all Neo responds with is "That's why it's going to work."

So for the first chapter, we see that Morpheus believing in Neo and Neo believing in himself come together at the end to result in Neo becoming what he was fated to be. But what comes next? Now that he's become The One, what does it mean to be The One? We'll find out next week.

Until then, Class Dismissed!


-- George H. Sirois