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October 1998, Week 1

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Subject:
From:
Joshua Redmond <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 30 Sep 1998 19:17:28 -0400
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Charles Derry, Professor of Film, Department of Theatre Arts, Wright
State University wrote:
 
Why does an American university use British spelling?
 
> ... I often find the PR machines of Hollywood peculiarly offensive,
> selling and hyping the worst components of their own films, diminishing
> that which is interesting and unique, in favor of highlighting the
> easiest sale.
 
That seems like an easy statement for one who hasn't risked millions on
a film.
 
> When Spielberg was hoping for an academy award for Schindler's List, he
> gave interviews in which he widely announced that he could never again go
> back to making a film like Jurassic Park.  After he got his Academy award,
> presto, he decided to make a Jurassic Park sequel and out comes The Lost
> World.    If Spielberg was himself disingenuous, must we now see this
> insincerity in Schindler's List itself?
 
Why would one assume that Spielberg spoke dishonestly?  He is entitled
to change his mind.
 
I've read off-center remarks about SL, but never an implication that
Spielberg's goal was a ploy to make Academy members feel glorified as
ambassadors of a humanitarian community.
 
> ... one of the best professors I ever had once said ... "If we were to
> discover a letter indicating that Shakespeare thought HAMLET was the best
> comedy he ever wrote, would that affect our judgment of the work as
> perhaps the greatest tragedy of all time?"  The answer, I think, is no.
 
True.  And one would commit serious misinterpretations if he or she did
not know that Shakespeare's intention deviated from the theme of the
play.
 
> And as hard as it can be, we need to struggle to separate the work from
> the hype.
 
Nevertheless the analogy to Shakespeare seems odd.
 
- Josh
 
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