The story of creation is one that has been known by many almost since the beginning of mankind, and with various opinions on the story already Lana Del Rey's short film could have been just another interpretation or opinion like others. But what I find rather intriguing in this piece is the way in which it contradicts itself and yet still makes perfect sense pieced together. In the short film, she and Shaun can be seen dressed as Adam and Eve which implies that their characters where once innocent and unknowing of evil in fact, her skin glows, Shaun's as well and it is almost angelic, watching them cradle each other in a setting that boasts freedom, serenity and a quintessential sense of romance in the air. But not too long after the dream like image of what could be heaven it morphs into a dark scene where she is seen embracing the charm of the serpent (Satan in the bible) and giving into temptation with a bite into an apple. The serpent is a symbol of Sin and her character's innocent mind still unknowing of the world's evils gave in to what she thought was more than the beauty of the garden she was 'trapped' in.
After biting the apple she falls to the ground unconscious and when her back hits the floor we are taken into an entirely different setting. She is in a strip club, sweaty and filthy she moves with seduction and ease like the sway of a snake whilst being covered in money. She is now completely different to the previous image of her we were introduced to. She belongs to the world and no longer embodies the reflection of her creator. Her innocence is gone and she now craves the danger and excitement the bad side offers, she's completely taken by it and unashamed by her desire to revel in darkness. This transition is significant as it can be seen as a reference to Satan's fall from grace. In the biblical story, Satan (also known as Lucifer) was once an angel who was closest to God's heart, but after a while he pondered on the idea of being God or even greater than him and eventually he rounded up a following and rebelled against him. God retaliated by casting Satan and his followers out of the heavens, so they descended from Zion to a bottomless pit (the earth). This separation is that which created the divide between Good and Evil.
In the story of Adam and Eve, the serpent approaches eve saying: (Genesis 3: 1-5) Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Knowing that it is in the nature of all those not in the position of God to lust after power when not content with their position, Satan lured Eve into eating the fruit of the forbidden tree causing her to know of all things good and bad. She gave the fruit to Adam and told him to eat of it and he did despite being told directly from God that he would surely die if he ate from it. When God realised what they had done after seeing them clothed, likewise, they too were cast away, from the Garden of Eden and condemned to a life of pain, suffering, loss and turmoil for themselves and generations following after them.
This concept of being condemned to a lifetime of turmoil and disruption is seen in the short film when we transition to Lana in the strip club and Shaun by the till of a corner store. They have suddenly gone from paradise to perdition in the blink of an eye. It is clear from this point that they too desired to be more than what they were, but uncertain of the potential consequence of eating the fruit they both decided to anyway which is the key aspect to understanding why they were cast down to the earth. As in the bible, Eve was deceived by the serpent in her uncertainty and momentary distrust in God's command whilst Adam gave into Eve's temptation knowing already what God had told him.
In this new world they both indulge in deadly sins that seem to push them both further down the line, but this revelation doesn't seem to frighten them. They now find themselves in a constant cycle of sinning and trying to redeem themselves. LA has now become the garden of evil. It is the Eden they turned into a seemingly divine hell. Here they do anything to satisfy the desire to be godly and iconic. For instance, as she works in the strip club, she wears red the colour of sacrifice. This is a symbol of her sacrificing her youth, beauty and innocence for money and fame. Measures that would normally cause one to be ashamed but knowing that the end result will be that she is praised highly like others idols e.g. Elvis, Marilyn, etc is more than enough for her.
In conclusion, All these themes tie together to explore a Journey through sin and redemption to find oneself completely. From the beginning through to the end of this piece her character has gone through a number of trials which she succeeded by selling her soul to the devil for successive worldly achievement. Unraveling the essence of this story has shown me that story telling has many layers that rely on visual communication to the audience. Most of the themes unraveled in this story have been told visually and have not been mentioned through word. This can be considered a subliminal message or a vague way of allowing the audience to come up with their own opinion on the themes explored, making the piece a marvel of speculation and diverseness. In my piece I hope to explore many themes such as self worth, love, pain and emotion. I will also be addressing smaller personal and cultural issues such as prostitution, money, domination, body language and communication. I hope to tell and play on these themes visually as when adapting the poem, I will have creative to interpret the story in a way that expresses my thoughts on it.
I really like the dark and fantasy imagery applied in her video and although my story is a short piece I do hope to make it magical in a charming but thrilling way. Other inspirations I will also look at are Rihanna's B*tch better have my money, The Black Swan, and of course the main inspiration behind my story idea The Secret Diary Of A London Call Girl.
Sources: Anthony Mandler Interview, Genesis Chapter 3:1-5
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