Comments | bigmojo: I Want To See This Movie

bigmojo

I Want To See This Movie

Sep 13, 2009 11:29

Unfortunately I probably won't be able to at this point because the film has thus far failed to find an American distributor because "evolution is too controversial for religious America". And people in this country have the balls to make fun of France... Leave a comment

Comments 7

rdbelcher September 13 2009, 19:27:34 UTC

I honestly doubt the controversy is the real (or at least only) reason the film doesn't have an American distributor. It's just not a big money maker, since Americans don't go to the movies for things like that. It may see distribution in LA (for Oscar eligibility), and I'm sure it'll be available on DVD eventually.

So while the controversy may be playing a major role in the decision, I feel like the filmmaker is overstating the problem.

A propos of controversy, I happened to have been looking at these shirts when I saw this post.

shabubu September 13 2009, 20:17:07 UTC

This smells like A Beautiful Mind - a movie you wouldn't imagine would do well in the box office, but did amazingly well in the end (before all the awards.)

bigmojo September 13 2009, 21:10:17 UTC

I'll grant that American distributors don't think that this has a very big audience. But their stated reasoning is that they are afraid of the mouth breathers and that pisses me off. If for no other reason because it will embolden death cultists to continue to shout instead of debating.

If it was just about them not thinking they had an audience then they should state that.

rdbelcher September 14 2009, 02:48:41 UTC

I don't know. Every statement from the director sounds like he's just basing it all on conjecture and a general disdain for American boorishness. I agree that the content may drive some viewers away, but more importantly, it's not blockbuster material. The producer may have priced himself out of the American market and is now blaming American conservatives.

They're a problem, sure, but not always the problem.

shabubu September 13 2009, 20:13:50 UTC

Huh. I think it's kind of fitting that religion is still screwing with Darwin.

This feels Hollywoodized though, I don't remember his wife being an issue? In the movie, did he wait almost 40 years, getting evidence, to release his theory because he had to be sure someone couldn't come in and knock the whole thing down?

bigmojo September 13 2009, 21:11:07 UTC

The trailer didn't much specify. But it would be a fun movie to watch in any event. There's always my good friend Mr. B. Torrent.

shabubu September 13 2009, 21:17:20 UTC

The B stands for Bernard.

I like how in the article it mentions that "just 39% of the the US believes in evolution" - just 39% means 120 million people. Double the amount of people in the United Kingdom.

Still seems like a huge potential market here.