theplayer

The player

by Bob on November 19, 2007

"The Player" was an amazing 1992 film which I saw opening night in the theatre, and was done by the ingeniously and incisively brilliant director, Robert Altman.

Altman knew how to dig deep on any topic or theme and get right to the base bottom of the topic. He did "MASH", "Nashville", "Pret a Porter", and so many others which had a base acerbic undertone about any of those topical studies: the army, country music business, Hollywood, and the fashion industry.

However, we focus on the concept of a "player" which is an interesting connotation of a word.

It could mean a player of sports, like a baseball player or a football player. Or a player of games, like a chess player or card player.

Or even a musician, like a guitar player or trombone player.

But there's another level of "player" which Altman was digging deep into, in his movie. It's a very devilishly clever kind of person who can manipulate people and situations. And many play with many people and many situations simultaneously. giving each person the illusion that they are the the only ones in the game.

Many politicians are players. Big bosses and Hollywood executives are players. That was the whole point of the Altman movie.

Being a player is a really tricky business.

But an entrepeneur is a player who helps set up new businesses and stimulates the economy.

I think the world needs less players and more genuine people. But as Shakespeare wrote, life is only a stage and we are all players in it. We hope for the best, nevertheless.