NOBLE VISION Screens at the Silicon Beach Film Festival–by Dr. Laura Wilhelm, LauraWil Intercultural
”Everybody has eyes, but not everyone can see.”–Dr. David Lang, Noble Vision
We recently saw the Prometheus tale played out in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed 2023 biopic Oppenheimer. This tragic myth about a mortal who tried to steal fire from the gods is revisited in the independent feature Noble Vision based upon the best-selling 2005 novel by Gen LaGreca, who also serves as the film’s executive producer.
Nicole Hudson, played by ballerina Rayna Wilson, is an exciting new dancer who plays opposite Prometheus as Pandora, the woman who released evil onto the world when she recklessly opened a box of plagues the gods had given her. This Pandora saves Prometheus from the rock to which he has been chained in punishment and the two go off to rescue humankind together.
While this dramatic story is being pantomimed on stage, an ambitious neurosurgeon named David Lang (Michael Rubenstone) is trying to steal some fire of his own by regrowing damaged nerve tissue in his lab. This could be a great boon for people suffering from permanent injuries to the body and brain.
These two storylines intersect when Nicole is blinded in a theater explosion and Dr. Lang illegally takes on the fictional CareFree healthcare system to save her sight. The lyrical interludes where Nicole dances symbolically refer to their shared noble vision. The timeless theme of the individual vs. the state has been considered in literary classics ranging from Antigone to 1984. Dostoevsky famously questioned why a percentage should go to the devil in most of his writings. When one is an angel like Nicole, the question becomes especially poignant.
Noble Vision’s rich mix of medical, legal, political, and romantic subplots continues to garner the praise of both book and film critics. The race against time to restore Nicole’s sight amidst the many roadblocks thrown up by institutions supposedly designed to protect and serve the individual builds considerable narrative tension around an already sympathetic character.
Noble Vision premiered on the afternoon of September 10th at the prestigious Silicon Beach Film Festival held at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. Gen LaGreca and Michael Rubenstone were present and a private reception held after the screening.
Cerebral films such as Noble Vision starring bright young talents like Rayna Wilson exemplify the innovative spirit of the Silicon Beach Film Festival, which was founded in 2014. Stories like these that celebrate the sanctity of life will always be worth the watch.
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