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Post by Tiran O'Saurus on May 26, 2023 14:59:12 GMT -5
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on May 26, 2023 15:20:45 GMT -5
I think something doesn't fit: Sally Sebald's letter seems to indicate that the snowman was left on the set for a while due to the fact that the message was not understood. It seems that Sebald was consciously hiding someone inside the snowman. Furthermore, Sebald was a child when filming the movie, a prodigy, but still a child, as seen in the photos. Even the actors were children...
Doesn't this reinforce the idea of it being an old movie, don't you think?
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Post by Tiran O'Saurus on May 27, 2023 6:22:12 GMT -5
I fear I have to agree with Dante that the photos are jokes. I know you disagree, but I haven't seen anything to convince me otherwise.
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Post by HAL 10,000 on May 27, 2023 8:39:22 GMT -5
Assuming Uncle Monty's assistant Gustav is Gustav Sebald, which I always assumed to be the case, does Monty know?
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on May 27, 2023 10:49:05 GMT -5
Assuming Uncle Monty's assistant Gustav is Gustav Sebald, which I always assumed to be the case, does Monty know? This is really interesting, isn't it? I think we should continue the conversation. Because a good theory has consequences and allows us to view history in a deeper, more intense, or even fresh way. In other words, good theories lay the foundation for fantastic headcanons, and each one allows us to build our understanding even stronger and more beautiful, even if it can all come crashing down with even better theories, making the fall of that structure even more mind-blowing. The perspective presented in the Netflix show suggests that Uncle Monty was aware of Sebald. It may not be official canon, but it's worth noting that Daniel Handler was part of the creative team for the first season. However, it does feel like a retcon of a retcon, so let's not take it too seriously. Considering that Sebald's life was even turned into a play, it seems that Gustav Sebald was a well-known figure in VFD. Sally Sebald's letter implies that Gustav's work as a director was known not only within VFD but also among the general public. Considering that there is evidence that Monty greatly appreciated cinema, it is highly likely that Monty knew that some of the films he watched were directed by his assistant. Even famous critics talked about Sebald's films, as mentioned in LSTUA. However, the way Sally talks about them suggests that her films are somewhat being forgotten, and she believed that Lemony's books (she still wasn't sure about their nature) could help the public remember the work of director Gustav Sebald. This supports my theory that the movie Zombies in the Snow is an old film. According to Lemony's letter to the cheesemakers, it's true that Gustav could still make films solely to warn VFD members, but their distribution would be more restricted and not turn into a minor hit. The way Sally Sebald talks about it, Sebald's earlier productions were like proper B movies. So all of this indicates that Monty knew about Sebald's directing career. Since his more recent films were less frequent and easier to make, Sebald could still be Monty's assistant. Furthermore, we need to consider what happened around 14 years ago during what I like to call the Anwhistle Schism. The MM fungus disaster led to the Grand Fragmentation of VFD. As a consequence, some VFD members became isolated from the organization, similar to what happened to Olivia T and Ish. These VFD members started acting without coordination, so they were still part of VFD, but they were no longer part of the secret VFD Organization. The organization no longer relied on them, and they didn't receive any orders from the organization. As much as I admire Uncle Monty, I believe he and Aunt Josephine were isolated members of VFD. The same could be true for Georgina O. However, it seems that wasn't the case for Gustav Sebald. Lemony Snicket still considered Gustav an active member of the secret organization. Lemony himself maintained communication with the cheesemakers. The real question should be, "why would the VFD organization send one of its most prominent members to become Monty's assistant?" The answer lies in the reptiles and the library. Uncle Monty chose to become an inactive VFD member. He wasn't against the organization, but he didn't want to be one of its agents either. He decided to focus on science and, like Olivia, fully embraced the identity of the service he provided, disregarding any loyalty to VFD. However, he allowed Gustav, an active VFD member, to carry out VFD functions in his home as long as Gustav was also his assistant. And in Uncle Monty's mind, he mostly blocked out the existence of VFD and everything he did for the organization over the years.
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Post by HAL 10,000 on May 27, 2023 23:26:03 GMT -5
I like the idea of Monty and Josephine being freelance.
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Post by Tiran O'Saurus on May 28, 2023 13:52:31 GMT -5
Definitely. The problem with the VFD retcon was that those two became much less sympathetic, if they were lying to the children the whole time. This helps fix that.
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