Dark Matter

I know you wanted to talk about Dark Matter in theatre, but I'm also a film student and I had a project this semester about Orson Welles. Attached is a video clip about the illusive "Rosebud" from the movie Citizen Kane.  Rosebud would be the dark matter in this clip because you never really find out about Rosebud until the end of the movie.  Rosebud is never really in the movie in a sense that Rosebud is not a person, but a place or is it? The whole entire movie is devoted to trying to find out who or what Rosebud is and if it is a person, how can they contact that person. We, as the audience are given a clue as to who or what Rosebud is.  For example, when the snow-globe is dropped and breaks, and we see only a mouth saying "Rosebud."

Even within the clip, the way Orson Welles films it, we never see the faces of the people.  So, does that make them "Dark Matter?"  Are they really there? And, can they be considered real or naturalistic, that is if you cannot really see their faces? Interesting to think about. I believe that Orson's decision to put the faces in shadow could be defined as "Dark Matter."  It's like they are there, but not really.

I did find a theatrical example although there is a film version. The second clip is from a Broadway production of Harvey. It shows several instances when the Poouka Harvey is "in the scene." Now, the character "Harvey" would be considered Dark Matter.  He is a character in the play but we never see him except in the painting of him on the mantle.  I also love the Jimmy Stewart movie version.

As far as showing how the Holocaust is concerned,  I honestly would not know how it should be represented, whether on stage or in film.  Schindler's List did a fairly good job with it and I don't think it could have been done any better.

"Rosebud"



Harvey