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January 1995, Week 2

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Sender:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
Brian McIlroy <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 8 Jan 1995 11:47:21 CST
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Reply-To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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----------------------------Original message----------------------------
 
 
 
Actually, Jeremy, the Chuck Shepherd piece is inaccurate. The ban in
Northern Ireland and Great Britain on Sinn Fein spokespeople was brought
in in 1988 during Thatcher's era. She was determined to deny these people
"oxygen" as she put it. One of the odd repercussions of the ban was that
for the main spokesperson, Gerry Adams, his generally low voice was
represented by an actor who had a rather high voice. Critics have argued
that this was a deliberate ploy to ridicule Sinn Fein. The ban was
ludicrous and when lifted in 1994 everyone seemed relieved. The British
ban also affected extreme loyalist organizations.
 
 
 
 
The Irish Republic had a complete ban on seeing and hearing friom the
early 1970s on Sinn Fein/IRA. What it seemed to do was create tremendous
indifference in the South of Ireland--ouf of sight out of mind, etc.
among most ordinary folk. Others would disagree, I'm sure. But your
observations on the overall meaning behind such lip syching seems right
on the mark to me.....Brian McIlroy
 
On Sat, 7 Jan 1995, Jeremy Butler wrote:
 
> Came across the following in the (electronic distribution version of) "News
> of the Weird":
>
> >WEIRDNUZ.359 (News of the Weird, December 23, 1994)
> >by Chuck Shepherd
> >
> >* In September, as a response to the Irish Republican Army's
> >cease-fire in Northern Ireland, British Prime Minister John
> >Major suspended a long-standing anti-IRA media policy.  Since
> >1969, voices of IRA leaders have not been permitted on British
> >radio
> >and television--even on newscasts.  Thus, for nearly 25 years,
> >the British Broadcasting Corporation has shown news films of IRA
> >leaders but had had to hire actors to supply the voices. [St.
> >Petersburg Times, 9-25-94]
> >
> >Copyright, 1994, Universal Press Syndicate.  All rights
> >reserved. Released for the personal entertainment of readers.
> >No commercial use may be made of the material, or of the name
> >"News of the Weird."
>
> It reminded me of the way in which U.S. broadcasters in the 1960s agreed to
> a ban on the voice of Henry Kissinger while he was Secretary of State.  It
> was presumed that his German accent would undermine national confidence in
> him, I suppose.
>
> These instances of sound/image discontinuity raise the issue of the
> discursive impact of television sound as compared to that of its image.
> That is, why is it "safe" to *show* IRA members, but not to *hear* them?
> It reinforces the notion that TV is just radio with pictures, that the main
> televisual impact is based in the sound, that television's images are just
> there to augment the information that is predominantly carried by the
> sound.
>
> Can anyone contribute other instances of such sound/image discontinuity
> being used to support an ideological agenda?
>
>  =====================================================================
>   Jeremy Butler                                  [log in to unmask]
>   SCREEN-L Coordinator                         [log in to unmask]
>   Telecommunication & Film Dept. * University of Alabama * Tuscaloosa
>  =====================================================================
>

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