Have you ever gone over to a person you did not know and make nasty comments about a book you did not bother to read yourself. Welcome to the crazy world of NYC where people feel a need to
comment on books they have not bothered to read.
Predictably the most obnoxious responses came from publicly reading the Rosenberg file in NYC.
Sorry, but the pair were guilty and deserved execution. Of course reading the Case for Israel, most David Horrowitz books anything by Michelle Malkin or Ann Coulter will get a nasty reaction.
This last episode happened in VT. A far left coworker was upset about my reading the Covenant. The person mistakenly identified Michner as Jewish and was upset at the name given to a hyena in the book. The name of the hyena has nothing to do with the familiar Yiddish racial slur. The name in the book is derived from Afrikaans which is derived from Dutch. I do not recall any Jewish characters in that book at all.
Now Duncy will claim that Conservatives who want to stop subsidies for the NEA are indulging in censorship. Sorry but there should be zero subsidies for political art of any type. What makes the commie art so notable is its poor quality. A photo of an object in urine doesn't qualify as art.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
23 comments:
"Have you ever gone over to a person you did not know and make nasty comments about a book you did not bother to read yourself. Welcome to the crazy world of NYC where people feel a need to comment on books they have not bothered to read."
It happens everywhere.
How did you manage to move so quickly from Michner to censorship? You need an editor, Beak, unless you are trying for expressionism, but I doubt it. Standard narrative flow is about all you can handle.
What constitutes "political" art?
What qualifies you to determine what is art?
Have you studied Communist art? Say the Supremecists or the Dziga Vertov group film makers. I doubt it.
Well it's too bad you are so thin skinned, Beak and interpret every criticism as a "nasty reaction". Ironic isn't it that you comment on art you have never bothered to view. Sort of like the low functional Beamish critiquing music. Ah, just let the far right speak and they bury themselves.
Well said Beak. I find a lot less of that attitude here in NE FL, but if you walk into a Barnes and Nobles or a public library and ask for a Glenn Beck or Ann Coulter book you'll get a negative reaction of some sort. At the Books-a-Million.
Want to laugh your ass off Beak? Read Coulter's "How to Talk to a Liberal, If You Must."
It's hilarious!
"What makes the commie art so notable is its poor quality."
That is simply not true. "Battleship Potemkin", a "commie" propaganda film, is universally considered one of the greatest works of art in the history of cinematography, whether one likes its message or not. Something similar applies to quite a few of films produced in the former GDR. (I never watch films which are critically acclaimed, let alone prize-awarded, so don't ask me whether this is deserved or not.)
What you call "commie" art (piss-Christs etc.) is in fact nihilist, quite the opposite of "commie" really.
There was a short window in the 60's when the East German film industry opened up before a political clampdown. They clearly got a look at the French New Wave.
Try:
"Born in '45"
"The Rabbit Is Me"
the latter is especially critical of the regime and very well acted.
Of course Russian cinema in the post revolutionary time was among the best in the world, Barnet, Dovzhenko, Evgeni Bauer, Pudovkin ... it's a pretty strong list.
Montage editing, the Kuleshov theory are examples of contributions, Beak. You really should think before you spout off.
Ducky
Communists and all they produce are worthless. Sorry, but it is comedic listening to commies who talk of the people disparaging entertainment that
people want to see.
Sorry, but it is time for the NEA to close shop.
Potemkin was a good film.
Beak, you are impressive when you backpedal, even more so than Beamish.
When you realize you've been owned you're like a little kid who puts his hands over his ears and starts humming "la-la-la". You take ignorance to a level rarely seen this side of GayEagle.
I could give you a basic list of great Russian film if you like.
Try the opening tracking shot in "I Am Cuba". It took Scorcese and Coppola a month to figure out how he did it. Hint: when the camera travels under water its coated with the same material used on submarine periscopes. Really, it is absolutely brilliant, they can move a camera.
Ducky
As stated earlier I do not share your film snob view of film. Mass entertainment is a business and films produced by commies are worthless.
Your average mass market film like Shrek or a typical teen age comedy film have more value than anything produced by commies. Sorry, but when Commies produce a film that the mass audiences want to see it will be an event much like a UFO landing.
The mass market has more wisdom than the film snobs.
Beak-
It is no shame to admit that communists make some good films, sometimes even great ones. It would be surprising if they did not make great ones, seeing as how they are made with the approval and in some cases the assistance of the state, with all the expense and production values that entails.
It's sort of like the Olympics. Nobody would deny the Soviets in the past fielded some great basketball teams, and other great athletes. It would be most remarkable if they failed to do so. Some of them were even great and did well without having to pay off judges. I knew you would say that so I just thought I'd better throw that in there.
Of course, I'd still rather see a great American film that a great communist one.
But Shrek? Really, Beak, come on.
I'm going to be posting a film on my blog in segments, as soon as I get through with She Shoulda Said No. I think you'll like it. It's a surreal masterpiece. Just try to forget surrealism is big with commies and you might enjoy it.
I'll be looking forward to yours and Ren's critique.
Pagan
Yes I will take the original Shrek over the snob fare. The market and box receipts agree with me. Communist films never earned a dime
and the disdain for family fare is part and parcel of a world devoid of pleasure. There is no feeling better than a family gathering together and watching a film together.
Anything produced by a commie is worthless. No film ever came close
to box office receipts of Shrek.
Ren's taste in films runs towards bondage films. He tried to get into Abu Gharib when he saw the pictures. His opinion on anything is worthless as he is a product of mental and moral rot.
I see your point about watching a film like Shrek as part of a family thing, but that's different. I would never sit and watch Shrek by myself, or take a girlfriend to watch it, or watch it with friends. Then again, most women would just as soon not accompany me to the kind of movies I like.
The worse mistake I ever made was trying to put the moves on a woman when I took her to see The Fly.
One of these days I might get beat up if I don't stop tricking friends into watching The Crying Game.
"It is no shame to admit that communists make some good films, sometimes even great ones. It would be surprising if they did not make great ones, seeing as how they are made with the approval and in some cases the assistance of the state, with all the expense and production values that entails."
Good point! The film industry was heavily patronised by Goebbels during the thousand years between 1933 and 1945, and while this created many propaganda abominalities (the worst being "Jud Süß") it created as well many highly elegant films of timeless beauty and importance. It is difficult to get information about this by hindsight because of the overshadowing historic effect of the propaganda.
TPT, be honest! Is that "college graduate" one of your spoofs? He can't be for real.
Duck, I never watch that sort of "problem film", because I consider the cinema something that ought to entertain and amuse me, but looking at the credits, I have no doubt that "Born in '45" and "The Rabbit Is Me" are very well made and that people who are into that sort of highbrow stuff will enjoy them very much.
The same applies to Traces of Stones and Jakob the Liar (which I both haven't seen either for the above mentioned reasons). This is a little overview.
Of course, I'd still rather see a great American film that a great communist one.
--------------
Why wouldn't you just want to see a great film?
Duckie-
Good question. Actually, many American films are more overtly anti-American than many communist ones so its actually a great question. I guess I'm bothered by the state support that implies a propaganda message embedded. I know communists believe art should serve the purpose of socialism, and all that, at least as a general rule. I just don't believe a state or government should be in the business of deciding what films should be allowed and what should not.
But let me be clear, to me a great film is a great film, and I won't turn away from the chance to see one.
Editrix-
If you are talking about Yeagley's blog, note that it is COLLEAGUE, not College Graduate. And no, that is not me. I rarely venture onto Bad Eagle any more. I've come to the conclusion that Yeagley is probably a sad drunk. No reason to mess around there. It's a lost cause. But anytime I do comment there, it's as Jackn'Jill.
Hmm, either Bea is censoring me for no apparent reason or my post ended up in the ether. Bummer, it was lengthy.
"If you are talking about Yeagley's blog, note that it is COLLEAGUE, not College Graduate."
My bad! Of course I mean that Blog. I still can't believe that anybody quite that dumb is allowed to run free, however his nick is spelled.
Duck, you ought to save any lengthy comment. It's not much trouble and will spare you a lot of frustration.
Communists don't make good car chase films, as people in communist societies with access to cars are usually the equivalent of establishment cops.
Besides all that, if communists tried to get up to chase speeds in one of their glorious people's vehicles, the car would fall apart before it nailed the peasants on mules it was chasing.
Damn, Beamish, that would make a damn good film in its own right. "Keystone Kommies".
That's for you, Beak!
Post a Comment