Donnie receives the philosophy of time travel from dr. If revisiting an old movie is a bit like going back in time, that sense of disorientation is doubled in donnie darko. For your sanity, we recommend that you do not try too hard to make sense of the plot. The exploration of time travel in donnie darko is one that is very unique to say the least. This will help you understand the movie donnie darko. Is frank responsible for what happened in donnie darko s life. Ultimately, donnie darko is more than a cult movie.
Donnie darko 2001 is a movie to watch at least twice. He has visions of liquid conduits flowing out of peoples chests and he can see time portals which impinge on and. If you ever went to the official donnie darko webpage, and played their little webgames to the end, you were presented with a copy of the printed the philosophy of time travel the book the crazy lady gives him. Later, while watching football, donnie notices bubbly columns emerging from the chests of people around him that show donnie where the person will move. For this edition of making a monster, i will be bending time and observing the manipulated dead to examine frank the rabbit from richard kellys 2001 mind melter donnie darko. I know donnie darko is a very hard film to understand. Is frank responsible for what happened in donnie darkos life. Gretchen falls asleep instantly and donnie sees frank sitting near them. The philosophy of time travel tells the exciting story of how to time travel and what basic elements that are important when travelling. When i was 17, i watched donnie darko for the first time and understood it perfectly. Donnie reads through the book and learns a lot about what is going on. I have the basic understanding that the entire plot to donnie darko revolves around time traveling. Making a monster looks arent everything with donnie. Donnie darko is the protagonist and central character, who was a troubled teen living in middlesex, virginia during the events of the movie starting in october 2 of 1988, donnie is visited by frank, a mysterious being warning of impending doom.
Richard kelly was just 25yearsold when he made his first film, 2001s donnie darko, a melancholy and endlessly mysterious time travel teen drama about a highschooler jake gyllenhaal, in only. The philosophy of time travel is a fictional book written by character roberta sparrow, or more commonly referred to as grandma death. Sparrows are the birds most commonly associated with gods providence. Apr, 2018 before jabbing a knife into the fourth dimension, lets begin with the philosophy of time travel pott. The entire film is very closely associated with a fictitious book called the philosophy of time travel. Since roberta sparrow is a fictional character in the movie donnie darko, it is not clear who has written this book, but it was most likely the director, richard kelly or his staff. The ending of donnie darko is still great, 16 years later. Now youve read the philosophy of time travel, if youre interested, you can read my analysis of the film, using the pott as a guide. And if you could see your path or channel, then you could see into the future, right. The book is a fictional one but some of the pages were in the films web site and included into the directors cut version of the movie.
The book the philosophy of time travel, alluded to in the theatrical version and quoted briefly in the directors cut explains the plot or at least the directors interpretation of it and removes all the ambiguity with a lot of handholding. Its the book handed to donnie by his helpful science teacher, kenneth monnitoff noah wyle. During that party, donnie, gretchen, and donnie s two friends go to try and find grandma death, a. The main character, donnie darko, is a troubled teenager whom has vision of a giant bunny rabbit named frank. As far as the ending is conceded, you may have various interpretations of what actually happened. In his foreword to the donnie darko book, the films star, jake. Once outside, he meets a figure in a monstrous rabbit costume who introduces himself as frank and tells donnie that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. The character donnie darko played by jake gyllenhaal is a high school student struggling with a psychological disorder who interacts with a guy in a monstrous rabbit costume named frank. Donnie darko 2001,richard kelly is set in america during a election time for michael s. Frank tells donnie the world will end in exactly 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes. Starting in october 2 of 1988, donnie is visited by frank, a mysterious being warning of impending doom. Here, several pages of the book are shown parallel to the events in the film in order to make the film easier to understand.
These are the pages from the fictional book the philosophy of time travel by roberta sparrow. The physics and philosophy of time with carlo rovelli duration. On october 2, 1988, in the small town of middlesex, virginia, troubled teenager donnie darko, led by a mysterious voice, sleepwalks out of his home. Nowoczesne lampy philosophy of time travel, book design, donnie.
The next time you watch the movie, keep your eyes peeled for the many other rabbit references, including a vw rabbit driving down the city streets and plenty of stuffed bunnies everywhere you look. During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named donnie darko sleepwalks out of his house one night, and sees a giant, demoniclooking rabbit named frank, who tells him the world will end in twentyeight days, six hours, fortytwo minutes, and twelve seconds. Donnie credits frank with saving his life by causing him to sleepwalk out of the house, and begins to do franks bidding, while gradually trying to uncover the strange events around him which may or may not be related either to time travel, an alternate dimension, or donnie s worsening schizophrenia. The questions of frank, the rabbit, and the jet engine are the conceit that the. Well, if god controls time, then all time is predecided. Speaks to donnie through his dreams, setting off the tangent universe. All the pages from the fictional book the philospohy of time travel by roberta sparrow. As gretchen waits for the school bus, a volkswagen rabbit quickly passes in front of her. After donnie finishes reading this book, he writes a letter to roberta sparrow. Richard kelly on donnie darkos 15th anniversary and why. Kenneth monnitoff gives this book to donnie during one of their conversations about time travel. One night, the mansized lepus named frank calls donnie to the local. Frank anderson, commonly referred to as simply frank, is a central character in donnie darko, who is one of the primary forces setting in motion the events of the film.
Roberta sparrow, the author of donnies timetravel book. Roberta sparrow, the author of donnie s time travel book. She was sent in as gargamels evil spy with the intention of destroying the smurf village. Donnie darko is dark, disturbing, and a lot of fun. Troubled and confused teen, donnie darko jake gyllenhaal wakes up in the middle of a golf course. Donnie darko was a box office flop when it first hit theaters in october 2001 a film about a jet engine falling from the sky didnt seem particularly palatable in the wake of sept. This will help you understand the movie donnie darko donnie darko. Roberta sparrows time travel book is inside this book too, which i had always wondered about. If anyone out there doesnt understand the time travel. Donnie darko jake gyllenhaal is an emotionally troubled teen, prone to sleepwalking and hallucinating a monstrous rabbit. Apparently richard kelly, the writer and director of donnie darko, first began thinking about time travel time manipulation while he was watching a football game. The book was written in 1944 by roberta sparrow, the mailboxchecking grandma that donnie and friends have nicknamed grandma death. Frank tells him the time the world will end and at that time, a wormhole forms connecting the present to the past. Fate and meaning down the rabbit hole austin james ranson on october 15, 20 at 2.
The philosophy of time travel donnie darko a film overview. Its about a character who has no explanation for what is happening in his life, and is set in a. These films sort of laid time travel out in proud terms donnie darko left a great deal to the imagination. Donnie receives a book on time travel from his science teacher, time traveling also being the central plot driving device of the movie. During that party, donnie, gretchen, and donnies two friends go to try and find grandma death, a. The donnie darko book includes the films screenplay, an indepth interview with writerdirector richard kelly, facsimile pages from the philosophy of time travel book that donnie uses to go back in time, as well as photos and drawings from the film and the artwork it inspired. Donnie s bible is the philosophy of time travel, a book written by darko character roberta sparrow, a. Donnie darko is the protagonist and central character, who was a troubled teen living in middlesex, virginia during the events of the movie. I know this is a lot to read but this is the explanation of donnie darko. Donnie darko is the story of an adolescent, angsty male who misses getting squashed in his bed by an airplane engine because he has walked in his sleep out to a golf course.
Are there any guides to the timeline of donnie darko. An explanation of the way time travel works in donnie darko, why donnie was the chosen time traveller, the role of frank the bunny, and whether or not the events that took place were as a result of time travel or took place within an alternate universereality. As a quick disclaimer, im still picking up the pieces of my shattered psyche after rewatching the film for the first time in years. Everything you were afraid to ask about donnie darko. Donnie darko is a 2001 film, the first by writer and director richard kelly. Donnie darko and the philosophy of time travel hubpages.
Donnie darko and the philosophy of time travel 25yl. It takes the dangerous unpredictability of a troubled teenage boys mind with the unraveling insanity of a imaginary friend taking the shape of a rabbit named frank. The interview with richard kelly really helped me to understand his intuitions in doing the movie and thought process in scripting it. His science teacher gives him the book the philosophy of time travel. The directors cut does dive into the book on time travel a bit but leaves me wanting a better explanation for what we see on screen. The philiosphy of time travel all the pages from the book by roberta sparrow in donnie darko. Frank in his nightmarish rabbit costume, which he wears whilst appearing as one of the manipulated dead. Richard kelly on donnie darkos 15th anniversary and why hes. This study guide is a compendium of facts and information intended to assist students of english to prepare for their ncea 2. The directors cut is alive, original and intriguing. Time travel and alternate universes in donnie darko.
Frank the rabbit the manipulated deadunderstands what is happening. If you have not seen the movie and i seriously doubt anyone reading this hasnt then. Richard kelly was just 25yearsold when he made his first film, 2001s donnie darko, a melancholy and endlessly mysterious timetravel teen drama about a highschooler jake gyllenhaal, in only. I know there was the fake book by roberta sparrow, philosophy of time travel. The text in these pages are crucial to understanding the movie and the rules within the tangent universe. In the middle of the night, on october 2, 1988, donnie is awakened from his sleep by a strange voice and led out onto a golf course where he converses with a lifesize demoniclooking rabbit named frank who tells him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds, donnie then falls asleep after being told this. If anyone out there doesnt understand the time travel stuff. Dec 30, 2009 in donnie darko, what books were mentioned. Sixteen years later, donnie darko makes an eerily prescient. Well, the tangent universe is certainly the first chapter from the prologue of the philosophy of time travel so i believe theres a lot more to that book than meets the eye. Monnitoff gives donnie the philosophy of time travel, a book written by roberta sparrow, a former science teacher at the school who is now a seemingly senile old woman living outside of town. Donnie darko movie jake gyllenhaal actor frank the rabbit, time travel movie danny. Set in 1988, the movie is a psychological science fiction film about a boy named donnie darko who, after narrowly escaping death, has visions of a giant rabbit named frank who predicts when the world will end. On march 31, 2017, both the original and directors cut versions of donnie darko were released theatrically for a third time in the us, this time with writer and director richard kelly and his director of photography, steven poster, restoring the film in dazzling 4k resolution.
A haunted miasma of youthful alienation, suburban malaise, cosmic. In the film, it was written by roberta sparrow, an ominous elderly woman with a mysterious background, and essentially explains most of what transpires during the events of the movie the following are pages from said book. Oct 04, 2016 this feature is not available right now. If you have not seen the movie and i seriously doubt anyone reading this hasnt then stop now or it will ruin the whole experience. One cant really appreciate the movie by watching it once. Due to frank, donnie becomes curious about time travel.
Time travel and alternate universes in donnie darko the. Sometimes im afraid that youll tell me that this is not a work of fiction. Donnie darko director richard kelly debunks fan theories. Hallucinations and prophetic rabbits are part of a tangent universe, a universe. We see the first of the excerpts from the philosophy of time travel, concerning the tangent universe. Before jabbing a knife into the fourth dimension, lets begin with the philosophy of time travel pott. Feb 04, 2016 donnie darko 2001 is a movie to watch at least twice.
Donnie darko, released in 2001, is a science fiction film dealing with time travel. The physics behind donnie darko the characters of donnie darko and then theres frank. The philosophy of time travel edit the philosophy of time travel is a fictional book in the film. How, or perhaps why, monnnitoff had this book in his satchel is not known. Jun 29, 2011 10 things you may not know about donnie darko. Jul 18, 2019 it is monnitoff that gives donnie the book the philosophy of time travel, written by a former science teacher at the school, roberta sparrow, a.
Timeline of important events donnie darko a film overview. Every chain of events unfolding in donnie darko leads up to frank s grand plan which donnie struggles to discover. Gretchens mom runs off, leading gretchen to donnie. Donnie darko movie theater scene high quality youtube. It is not until the party with 6 hours to go that he realises what it is and sets it in motion. Below is a copy of the philosophy of time travel with comments and examples i. Donnie gets a book from his science teacher, kenneth monnitoff, titled the philosophy of time travel pott.
The films that made me richard kellys donnie darko. Frank asks donnie, who in turn asks his science teacher, dr. I read the donnie darko book because of a paper i had to write about the movie and its meaning. The philosophy of time travel donnie darko wiki fandom. Jake gyllenhaal is convincing as a troubled teen named donnie darko. Donnie writes letter to grandma death donnie s mom leaves, enabling him and his sister to throw a party. Donnie darko secrets of time travel wtfu edition youtube. Top 20 most rewatched horror movie scenes of all time duration. How ever that isnt really what the films about even though its mentioned a couple of times, the film is about donnie darko jake gyllenhall a troubled boy with mental issues despite him.
He was led there the night before by a figure in a giant bunny suit with a creepy face. The philosophy of time travel really helped me understanding the storyline. When elizabeth darko maggie gyllenhaal is sleeping on the recliner, there is a stuffed rabbit next to her. In the book, fiver, the main characters brother, is a seer who determines. It is also one of the highlight movies of 2001, along with monsters ball, waking life, amelie, y tu mama tambien, and spirited away. The explanation heavily revolves around the book donnie gets from his teacher, the philosophy of time travel written by roberta sparrow grandma death.
Mar 31, 2017 the first time i saw donnie darko, it was in a theater in minneapolis that served food during the movie, a terrible idea that surely contributed to this place shutting down not long after. Artifactjet engine used for time travel living receiver donnie is the living receiver since the jet engine falls in his room and sets off a series of events. I know you love time travel films so i thought you would like to know this story. Frank is the six foot tall bunny complete with creepy metal mask who appears to donnie in the beginning of the movie, telling him the world is going to end in 28 days, 6. He lends donnie a copy of the philosophy of time travel, a book written by none. This may be another reason why she is seeing a spear guiding her to her mailbox. As a member of the manipulated dead, franks objective is to guide donnie in his path to correcting the timeline of the primary universe by returning the jet engine to its original universe.
We see donnie waiting for the school bus a plane flies overhead and everyone looks up nervously, then the second excerpt from the philosophy of time travel appears, chapter 2, water and metal. Roberta sparrow explains in her book that death comes to us all. While the information included in this guide assembled from a number of online sources and including material developed by the. The fact that roberta sparrow has written this book, and overnight completely. Oct 16, 2019 time travel and the concepts and theories surrounding time travel is one of the most important aspects of donnie darko. Sparrow as you may recall as grandma death first of all, the universe becomes unstable, that is when donnie begins to be warned of the end of the world.
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