| Show CIN CINEMATIC Alan Johnson Staff Writer j How long are you supposed to wait after a worldwide traumatic experience before you can appropriately appropriately appropriately make money off it Is it ever appropriate This is a question question question ques ques- tion that plagued every major film studio after the dark day of 9 At first there were signs of respect Collateral Damage a film which pitted Arnold against terrorists was shelved for several months following the disaster Most of us remember the early Spider Man trailers that showed abad abad a abad bad guys escape helicopter opter caught in a web between the Twin Towers- Towers the trailer was pulled from the theatres and the scene cut from the film However less than 3 2 months later we were back to blowing things up on screen Did we wait long enough Is it still inappropriate inappropriate inappropriate Every major worldwide war conflict or disaster has had a cinematic cinematic cinematic cin cin- interpretation Every time one is released we go through this charade all over again It amazed me how many people complained that the movie industry industry industry indus indus- try should stay out of it and not exploit and make profit off things like this Ten minutes later they would be at home watching the thereal thereal thereal real disaster unfold live on CNN Talk about exploitation and making making making mak mak- ing a profit Same thing happened happened happened hap hap- with the outbreak of the most recent Gulf War People stayed home from school and work to watch the war fearful they might miss an important plot point Why do we do this Bottom we line-we want to know Knowledge is an escape from fear I also know of another escape- escape and that is cinema It is a away away away way for people to experience what they otherwise could not or would not want to experience While it can entert can entertain in films can can n also inspire Saving Private Ryan was a film that brought a strong resurgence in interest and respect for WWII veterans Think of how controversial the Vietnam War was and still is There are hundreds of films depicting this war Do we worry about those being inappropriate How is a television show or ora ora ora a movie talking about terrorism any different than some drab country singer rambling on about patriotism the second the smoke has started to clear or some overrated overrated overrated over over- rated Irish pop star running around the Super Bowl halftime show with an American flag sewn on the inside of his jacket and then less that two years later bashing the American nation for their p participation t in m ri th the libera libern- tion of Iraq How is it any different different different dif dif- dif dif- ferent than the sudden influx of all things red white and blue at atthe atthe atthe the department stores and the instant coolness to being patriotic patriot patriot- ic Tell me somebody didn't make several coins off all that We are a free nation- nation which means that if we feel we can make money by doing a movie that addresses sensitive current events- events we have the right to do that If the American people were so against it- it there would be beno beno beno no money made and thus the studios studios stu- stu dios would not do them For filmmakers- filmmakers its it's a form of sion Some people express feelings feelings feelings feel feel- ings through music some through art some through poetry some through gh film I If you a are are r opposed opposed- cliO don O h-O- f |
