When I walk and take pictures on the streets of Warsaw, I often hear, in my mind, a famous quote (“I’m walking here! I’m walking here!”) made by Dustin Hoffman in the role of Rico “Ratso” Rizzo in John Schlesinger’s movie “Midnight Cowboy.”
For me, this scene is a symbol of the struggle for freedom and survival. Ratso outbursted when a real New York City taxi driver ran over him in the midday traffic. The most fascinating is the fact that the scene was not added to the movie script. It was merely a coincidence that it happened. I wrote it many times earlier that walking for me is, indeed, a symbol of health and freedom. What does walking mean for one of the two main characters of the movie, we can see in further scenes of Schlesinger’s Masterpiece.
Attention! The next part of the post will be a spoiler!
In the second part of Schlesinger’s masterpiece, Ratso’s illness became worsening. He gave to his pal (Joe Buck from Texas, played by Jon Voight) another famous quote from the film, “I can’t walk anymore.” This statement, and the final tragic end of the movie, contrasts with Rato’s dreams when we see him running down the Florida beach, with Joe and the girls. All people possess their goals, which cannot be accomplished. One of my biggest dreams is to visit the Red planet.
I don’t believe that I would go to the planet Mars and say there, as Ratso did, “I’m walking here! I’m walking here.”
Nevertheless, I do believe that my photographs, and the whole of my artistic activity, will become, someday, as famous as John Schlesinger’s movie. The more realistic dream is to walk, and take photos on the streets of Warsaw until the end of my life. I hope that the illness won’t stop me in my plans, as it did in Rato’s case.
