Can movies be interpreted with Tarot symbolism?
Definitely yes: Tarot cards may be used to visually translate any human event, be it dreams, fairytales, movies and even songs.
Here is a roundup of famous movies interpreted with Tarot!
A dangerous method
A Dangerous Method is a biographical movie based on the relationship between Freud, Jung and the young Sabina Spielrein.
Freud, like the Emperor, has a conservative vision centered on the past. Jung will say of him: “He’s interested in where things come from and not where they go”.
Jung, like the Pope, is more interested in an evolutionary view of man. Between them, the brilliant and ambitious Sabina Spielrein, who will cause the definitive breakdown of the relationship between Freud and Jung.
King Kong
In the movie King Kong the female Strenght establishes a positive relationship with the “beast”, while the technological dominion of the Emperor is a source of destruction.
The “King” Kong falls from the Empire State Building gazing at his beloved.
Movies interpreted with Tarot: Forrest Gump
Like the feather in the opening scene, Forrest Gump, Fool/Hero archetype, travels through history and “makes history” with levity and unawareness.
Predestination and unconditional love for Jenny pushes him through the events. Everything he touches, unknowingly, will become wealth.
Twin Peaks
David Lynch, oneiric film director, masterfully embraces the vision of Carl Gustav Jung.
“Twin Peaks” abounds with Jungian motifs, among which the duality stands out: the existence of “other” that opposes the narrow vision of consciousness.
The two twin mountains, Maddy Ferguson (the “twin” cousin of Laura Palmer), the black and white floor during the “dwarf” scene, the “double sided” characters and events. These are all themes related to the dualism of the Moon. The Moon as a prelude to the descent into hell.
Star wars
Star Wars is a saga originated from the 1977 movie “Star Wars”.
It is a fairy tale rich in archetypal themes, among which the Hero motif stands out: the story of Luke Skywalker. Like every Hero archetype, Luke has a double parental couple: a terrestrial couple and a “mythical” couple.
The Hero, having received the teachings of the Old Sage, Obi-Wan Kenobi, faces and destroys The Death Star aboard his spacecraft.
Movies interpreted with Tarot: The Elephant Man
“The Elephant Man” is a movie directed by David Lynch, inspired by the true story of John Merrick, a man suffering from a pathology that severely deformed his body.
Thanks to the support of Dr. Frederick Treves, John manages to free himself from the chains that forced him to perform as a freak, bringing out his incredible sensitivity and being welcomed by the good Victorian society.
But the monstrosity of man continues to torment John, who dies in his sleep. In the last scene, John’s mother appears in a circular halo among the stars, quoting Lord Tennyson “Nothing will ever die.”
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
In the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, Jack Nicholson plays McMurphy, a convict held in a psychiatric hospital.
Pretending to be mad, he begins to involve the other patients in his unconventional attitudes, openly clashing with the iron discipline imposed by nurse Ratched.
The movie ends with a release: the protagonist dies, but his ally, a native-american by all believed deaf-mute, manages to escape by breaking through a window with a heavy hydrotherapy cart.
Movies interpreted with Tarot: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The famous theatrical musical “The Rocky Horror Show” converted into film in 1975 can be read with the Tarot sequence XV – XVI.
The two protagonists, Brad and Janet, find themselves chained to the tempting demon Frank’n’Furter, giving vent to the wildest sexual fantasies.
In the finale, the two servants Riff Raff and Magenta kill Frank and leave for their native planet Transexual aboard their spaceship, disguised as a castle during their stay on earth.
The “Tower” rises upwards in a cloud of smoke, leaving the two protagonists knocked to the ground and certainly changed forever.
The alchemic couple formed by Riff Raff and Magenta, incestuous brothers, recalls the “Rebis” of the World: the globe of the Narrator-God in the final scene. Here is the Jungian teaching of the film: “Don’t dream it, be it!”
Movies interpreted with Tarot: Blade Runner
This reading is dedicated to Rutger Hauer 😥
Rick Deckard is a futuristic bounty hunter whose mission is to “retire” four replicants, led by Roy Batty.
The “enemy”, before he dies, will save the protagonist in a symbolic embrace; this life-changing event will lead Deckard to run away with his beloved Rachael.
OniroTarologia 