[Mb-civic] The Observer: Creationists take their fight to the really big screen

[Ian]

Harry:

As a minister, I am appalled by this.  That the so-called "Christian Right" 
frightens theater owners so much that they are scared to show films simply 
because they may touch on secular beliefs is repulsive.  No single ideology 
should ever dictate - overtly or tacitly - what should or should not, or can 
or cannot, be seen, heard, etc. in the "public square."  Indeed, it is 
ironic in the extreme that a group that felt that their "voice" was not 
being represented - i.e., who felt that their freedom of speech was being 
impinged - is now causing others to feel like they have to restrict THEIR 
freedom of speech.

I believe that the "public square" can handle both "The Passion of the 
Christ" and "The Last Temptation of Christ" - both films with Christian 
messages and films with secular messages.  If a person of faith does not 
agree with the subject matter or presentation of a film with a secular bent, 
they do not have to see the film.  Similarly for non-believers and 
Christian-oriented films.

Ultimately, however, the "shame" here is on the theater owners for 
kowtowing.  After all, even if the Christian community were actually to 
"come out" and protest the film, we all know - especially the theater 
owners - that that very controversy will increase ticket sales.  So they 
have nothing to lose by showing the film anyway.

Peace.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <harry.sifton at sympatico.ca>
To: <mb-civic at islandlists.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 8:42 AM
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Observer: Creationists take their fight to the 
really big screen


> HS spotted this on the The Observer site and thought you should see it.
>
> -------
> Note from HS:
>
> Films on evolution no longer being shown in certain areas of the US !!
> -------
>
> To see this story with its related links on the The Observer site, go to 
> http://www.observer.co.uk
>
> Creationists take their fight to the really big screen
> US row forces southern Imax cinemas to shun films on evolution
> Robin McKie, science editor
> Sunday March 20 2005
> The Observer
>
>
> They are the epitome of safe family entertainment, renowned for lavish 
> animations, exquisitely filmed scenes of natural grandeur and utterly tame 
> scripts. But Imax films have suddenly found themselves catapulted into 
> controversy, thanks to their occasional use of the dreaded E-word: 
> evolution.
>
> In several US states, Imax cinemas - including some at science museums - 
> are refusing to show movies that mention the subject or suggest that 
> Earth's origins do not conform with biblical descriptions.
>
> Films include Cosmic Voyage, an animated journey through the universe; 
> Galapagos, a documentary about the islands where Darwin made some of his 
> most important observations; and Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, an underwater 
> epic about the bizarre creatures that flourish near ocean vents.
>
> In most southern states, theatre officials found recent test screenings of 
> several of these films triggered accusations from viewers that the films 
> were blasphemous.
>
> Carol Murray, marketing director of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and 
> History in Texas, said audience members who had watched Volcanoes had 
> commented 'I really hate it when the theory of evolution is presented as 
> fact', or 'I don't agree with their presentation of human existence.'
>
> As a result, the science museum had decided not to screen the film. 'If it 
> is not going to draw a crowd and it is going to create controversy, from a 
> marketing point of view, I cannot make a recommendation,' Murray told  the 
> New York Times yesterday.
>
> Superficially, the decision affects only a dozen or so cinemas. But it 
> could have a profound knock-on effect across the world because of the high 
> cost of producing Imax films.
>
> They require special cameras and expensive projectors. The economics of 
> Imax film-making are therefore very tight, and the actions of these 
> southern Imax cinemas will only exacerbate the problem. It is expected 
> that producers will be far less likely to make films that could offend 
> fundamentalists, as the loss of venues in the southern states could be 
> enough to turn profit to loss.
>
> 'It is going to be hard for our film-makers to continue to make unfettered 
> documentaries when they know that 10 per cent of the market will reject 
> them,' said Joe DeAmicis, vice-president of the California Science Centre 
> in Los Angeles.
>
> This point was emphasised by Bayley Silleck, who wrote and directed Cosmic 
> Voyage. Many institutions across America were coming under pressure about 
> issues relating to natural selection. 'They have to be extremely careful 
> as to how they present anything relating to evolution,' he said.
>
> A spokesman for the Science Museum in London described the development as 
> worrying: 'It is a very tight market in the Imax business and we would be 
> extremely disappointed if this sort of pressure led to a narrowing of the 
> market for popular Imax films. These films are very popular with 
> families.'
>
> The decision has also dismayed James Cameron, the Hollywood director who 
> made the Imax film Aliens of the Deep and who was one of the producers of 
> Volcanoes. He said he was 'surprised and somewhat offended' that people 
> were sensitive to the references to evolution in  Volcanoes.
>
> He also revealed that objections had been made to parts of Aliens of the 
> Deep, but these had remained in the final cut. 'It seems to be a new 
> phenomenon, obviously symptomatic of our shift away from empiricism in 
> science to faith-based science,' he said.
>
> Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
>