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August 2000, Week 1

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Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 2 Aug 2000 18:38:24 EDT
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Dear Eleni,
Well, we differ here. To me, politics are part of life and therefore, film as
well. I just think it's important to keep a sense of humor about it.
(Excepting Leni Riefenstahl -- all my friends know to avoid that subject when
I'm around.)

My comments were biased to the extreme and I will take Ronald Reagan-William
Bennett sensitivity courses in the near future. (I will NOT pull them over
the next time I see them driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, I will NOT...)

At the same time, you might be interested in hearing why I said what I said.
It's part of film exhibition history and suitable for SCS. Being the head of
the nontheatrical sales department at a film distributor during the Reagan
years and seeing how education cuts -- and worse, budget mentality regarding
liberal arts -- gravely affected (and shut down) many, many wonderful film
societies over those eight years, I can say I had first hand knowledge of the
events I speak of. One look at the number of film societies showing films
each and every day on college campuses back in the 70s (some colleges had as
many as ten film societies!) shows us what we're missing today. At the same
time, the rise of home video, the many years of toil to run a film society by
the professors and administrators, and the rising lab costs for prints all
had their toll, so my remarks were meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek.
However, I remember Bennett and his record, and I remember those comments
being particularly ignorant at that time. Especially since I was fond of
black turtlenecks. As for Willy's and your judgments on Ingmar, and the
conservatives that's personal taste. I suspect you'll hear from others, but
not from me.  AND! in regards to my blinders, the last one who wore mine won
the Kentucky Derby, so they're nothing to scoff at.

Dennis Doros
Milestone Film & Video


In a message dated 8/2/00 2:46:02 PM, [log in to unmask]
writes:

<< I do hope this list does not get political but the following biased
remark cannot go unanswered.  Get your blinders off and stop blaming
everything on conservatives.  If you want tax monies to pay for the
arts you will have to assume the restrictions that come with the
funding.  As far as the Bergman quote, Bennett like anyone else has
the right to his own opinion.  I for one have always thought that
Bergman was too overrated...but that doesn't mean that I disrespect
someone else's opinion.
Eleni

> It was definitely William Bennett who horribly was the Secretary of
Education
> at the time. It was either in Newsweek or Time and I believe the quote also
> mentioned black turtleneck shirts and coffee houses. Sorry, I can't be more
> definite, but it was a memorable read at the time. I still blame Reagan for
> the death of college film societies!
>
> Dennis Doros
> Milestone Film & Video

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