Groundhog Day: Enlightenment of

Knowledge, Humanity and Love

Topics of DiscussionWhy is this movie important (cultural

relevance, religious connotations, philosophical ideas)

Why Bill Murray?: The importance of casting and location

Enlightenment through Knowledge, humanity, and Love

Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold RamisDirected by Harold RamisModerate opening, ranked 13 among films released that yearLike Ebert said the relevance of this movie was not easily recognized by many at first and probably would have been more critically acclaimed if it had not opened so early in the year and had fallen off the radar of critics at the time of Academy Award Nominations.

Awards

-1993 British Comedy Award-1994 BAFTA Best Original Screenplay -1994 Saturn Award for Best Actress Andy McDowell Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror FilmNominated: Best Actor (Bill Murray), Best Director (Harold Ramis), Best Writing, Fantasy Film-2006 Added to the National Film Registry (Deemed “culturally , historically or aesthetically significant”)

Recognitions

# 34 American Film Institute's 100 Funniest Films #27 101 Greatest Screenplays Ever Written- Writers

Guild of America

Origin Of Groundhogs Day

German Tradition of Cadlemas was precursor to Groundhog day

Puxitony Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, not 15, 9 undocumented

Plot: “He is having the day of his life,

over and over again”

How long is loop in time?

42 days depicted partially or fully In an interview Ramis claims 30-40 years

Why is this film important

cultural relevance religious connotations philosophical ideas

Cultural Relevance:

“Groundhog day” entered common use as reference to an “unpleasant situation that continually repeats it self”

Used in 1996 speech by Bill Clinton to describe situation in Bosnia

Noted as American Military slang for any day of tour of duty in Iraq

Astronauts commonly request “I Got You Babe” as alarm music

Religious connotations:

Dubbed “most spiritual film of our time” Buddhism- rebirth as reflection of ones own spiritual

messages Catholism -representation of Purgatory

Cast members/ Location

Capraesc small town Why Bill Murray Andy McDowell –model, innocence Extras- more screen time than other movies

Why Bill Murray

Understanding the protagonist to understand the development

“just tell me good Phil or bad Phil”

Why is the film important

Religious Notions- Buddhism, Catholicism, Reincarnation Achieving the next level

How do we achieve the next level of transcendence

Knowledge Humanity Love

Knowledge

Humanity

Love