If you read my blog you will find numerous posts supporting gay people. I served in a church with five gay clergy and a congregation of 70% gay people. As a straight dude, I have NO PROBLEM with gay folks.
Like I said, I haven't seen Brokeback in order to judge the art.
My fear last night was that Crash would lose to Brokeback because of the politics. In other words, I suspect BB would win for all the reason folks claimed it lost.
In May, I sat with my wife on a Sunday afternoon in a theatre with about eight other people and wathched Crash. No hype... didn't know anything about the movie... it was a weak weekend for new movies etc.
I literally was moved to tears on several occasions and found myself actually sitting on the edge of my seat. It wasn't a movie that just moved me emotionally, it was a movie that changed me. I recall having dinner with my wife afterwards and saying that I think this is a movie that every person on the planet needs to see.
I know that reasonable minds differ and it is difficult to "judge" art, but I have never been moved by a piece of cinema as I was Crash.
Maybe it was a chicken-shit copout on Hollywood's part, maybe folks thought Crash was a better and more significant film.
Interesting perspectives here, both Kenneth Turan (who is a great film critic) and Rick.
I would hate to see an anti-Crash backlash myself. I don't think it was quite as shallow or insipid as some of the critics seem to be saying in their defense of BBM as the better movie. I respect what Crash is about and what the filmmakers are doing, and I hope that the award prompts more people to see the film. Where I work (a non-profit social service agency with an overtly Christian mission and identity), we rented a theater and offered staff paid training credit to see the movie and participate in some group discussion time afterward! Given the rough language and intensity of the film, I really admire our willingness to endorse the message. The film was way outside many of my co-workers' comfort zones. (So are the other BP nominees. If "Chronicles of Narnia" had been nominated and lost, there would have been major howling from middle America, I think! But it was too much of a Harry Potter kids movie to get serious consideration.)
I know from my own experience that Crash really touched a lot of people and got them talking and thinking. Kenneth Turan and others are probably far enough along on their progressive journey toward enlightenment (and I don't say that mockingly or ironically) that they may not be as moved by a film like Crash or as aware of the effect that it has on people who still harbor more racist tendencies than they are willing to admit to others or even themselves.
So I don't mind that Crash has some heavy-handed dialogue or that characters in the film allow their inner bigot to speak so blatantly in ways that most people know better than to utter aloud. That's how drama goes sometimes. People didn't speak as Shakespeare or Sophocles scripted them either...
I think though, that all the precedents that went unfollowed re: BBM's failure to win Best Pic after winning most other major awareds, does substantiate the argument that this outcome represents a kind of knee-buckling on the part of the Academy. I personally would have rather seen Munich get the Best Pic than Crash, even though I think Crash may have more short-term sociological significance for most Americans because it hits closer to home for us. But Munich told a deeper, more complex story without leading to such an easy-to-resolve outcome. I think it will be more highly regarded by posterity than will Crash, which seems to me to come from a more contemporary-and-soon-to-be-dated point of view.
I plan to see Brokeback Mountain this Thursday and will have a better idea for myself of which movie was really the most deserving then.
I enjoyed Crash (if you can use that word for that film that was so tense and devastating). I am an Angelino, though - born and raised. It didn't ring true, to me. Too many heavy handed, forced scenarios designed to cause a catharsis... and I hope that the catharsis is for good.
The thing is, I think we all are culturally conditioned to admit to racist tendencies in ourselves. We don't mind discussing race issues or facing them or admitting they exist.
What I find totally different about BBM is that it addresses the closet - what is truly hidden. Not just layers of prejudice that we know better than to have or express, but the kind we don't even admit exists!
Our need to keep gays who are in love and not effete intellectuals (to quote Jon Stewart) off the radar, to say that their sexuality is so wrong, it ought to or will cause disgust when viewed (even in as discreet a film as BBM)... this is the problem, the "ism" we refuse to address.
Racism is an old issue.
And while Crash does address it in some new innovative ways and is causing a great deal of dialog, I can't help but say that for me, BBM did that at a much more profound and alarming level. I didn't know how much I didn't know before I saw that movie.
I think gays are in the 1950s and are blacks. That's where we are today.
Amazingly, instead of a social screed on the topic with politcal speeches and over worked metaphors, BBM is a quiet, studied, patient look at pain that is incurred when we use fear of being killed as a weapon to prevent those who love each other from being openly together.
I am not so sure that racism is an old issue. I live in San Francisco and being gay is an old issue here, but that doesn't mean there are no hate crimes occurring here. That's what made Crash so powerful, we are never immuned to prejudice.
Thanks for your sharing your heart and soul and I also appreciate your insightful contributions to the discussion regarding the Academy's decision to award Crash best picture. I didn't see Crash so I really don't have much to say or contribute to the merits of the Academy's decision but do understand why you and many others feel a sense of injustice. It does seem unfair especially in light of past precedents regarding the relationship between the winners of the Golden Globe awards and the Academy. Hopefully some good will come out of the unfortunate circumstances and I propose for consideration that the humanization of the gay characters in BBM is a reason to celebrate whether the Academy, film critics, or the general public understands or is able to acknowledge it so. Ansel Adams once remarked that the sign of a great art work is whether you continue to see the images put forth by the artist once you close your eyes and I suspect alot of folks who saw the BBM will continue to see and remember the sights and sounds of the film for many years to come.
Rick, thanks for the gentle correction. I shouldn't minimize the one over the other. I think yesterday in particular I was still a bit stunned.
Racism is certainly alive and well in Cincinnati where I live and not always acknowedged so I hear you. I do think, by and large, in main stream America, racism is a much more commonly addressed issue and most people would agree that it is real and necessary to address.
I have less confidence that people feel that way about homosexuality and gay rights... particularly in the heartland.
Ansel Adams once remarked that the sign of a great art work is whether you continue to see the images put forth by the artist once you close your eyes and I suspect alot of folks who saw the BBM will continue to see and remember the sights and sounds of the film for many years to come.
That is just what happens with certain movies for me. BBM is one of those this year.
That article you posted from Yahoo news also ended on an important point worth keeping in mind - it's not like the best, most relevant, challenging, or memorable movies usually win the Best Picture award. On a list of movies that have won that trophy, there aren't all that many that would rank up there in my list of essentials or all-time favorites. Most of the winners are "quality" but there are so many political angles that determine the outcome for this award that the coolness of the film tends to suffer as a result. Sometimes it really is better in the long run to stay outside the mainstream.
11 comments:
I haven't seen Brokeback yet but I was a huge Crash fan from the moment I saw it.
Okay... more thoughts. :)
If you read my blog you will find numerous posts supporting gay people. I served in a church with five gay clergy and a congregation of 70% gay people. As a straight dude, I have NO PROBLEM with gay folks.
Like I said, I haven't seen Brokeback in order to judge the art.
My fear last night was that Crash would lose to Brokeback because of the politics. In other words, I suspect BB would win for all the reason folks claimed it lost.
In May, I sat with my wife on a Sunday afternoon in a theatre with about eight other people and wathched Crash. No hype... didn't know anything about the movie... it was a weak weekend for new movies etc.
I literally was moved to tears on several occasions and found myself actually sitting on the edge of my seat. It wasn't a movie that just moved me emotionally, it was a movie that changed me. I recall having dinner with my wife afterwards and saying that I think this is a movie that every person on the planet needs to see.
I know that reasonable minds differ and it is difficult to "judge" art, but I have never been moved by a piece of cinema as I was Crash.
Maybe it was a chicken-shit copout on Hollywood's part, maybe folks thought Crash was a better and more significant film.
Interesting perspectives here, both Kenneth Turan (who is a great film critic) and Rick.
I would hate to see an anti-Crash backlash myself. I don't think it was quite as shallow or insipid as some of the critics seem to be saying in their defense of BBM as the better movie. I respect what Crash is about and what the filmmakers are doing, and I hope that the award prompts more people to see the film. Where I work (a non-profit social service agency with an overtly Christian mission and identity), we rented a theater and offered staff paid training credit to see the movie and participate in some group discussion time afterward! Given the rough language and intensity of the film, I really admire our willingness to endorse the message. The film was way outside many of my co-workers' comfort zones. (So are the other BP nominees. If "Chronicles of Narnia" had been nominated and lost, there would have been major howling from middle America, I think! But it was too much of a Harry Potter kids movie to get serious consideration.)
I know from my own experience that Crash really touched a lot of people and got them talking and thinking. Kenneth Turan and others are probably far enough along on their progressive journey toward enlightenment (and I don't say that mockingly or ironically) that they may not be as moved by a film like Crash or as aware of the effect that it has on people who still harbor more racist tendencies than they are willing to admit to others or even themselves.
So I don't mind that Crash has some heavy-handed dialogue or that characters in the film allow their inner bigot to speak so blatantly in ways that most people know better than to utter aloud. That's how drama goes sometimes. People didn't speak as Shakespeare or Sophocles scripted them either...
I think though, that all the precedents that went unfollowed re: BBM's failure to win Best Pic after winning most other major awareds, does substantiate the argument that this outcome represents a kind of knee-buckling on the part of the Academy. I personally would have rather seen Munich get the Best Pic than Crash, even though I think Crash may have more short-term sociological significance for most Americans because it hits closer to home for us. But Munich told a deeper, more complex story without leading to such an easy-to-resolve outcome. I think it will be more highly regarded by posterity than will Crash, which seems to me to come from a more contemporary-and-soon-to-be-dated point of view.
I plan to see Brokeback Mountain this Thursday and will have a better idea for myself of which movie was really the most deserving then.
I enjoyed Crash (if you can use that word for that film that was so tense and devastating). I am an Angelino, though - born and raised. It didn't ring true, to me. Too many heavy handed, forced scenarios designed to cause a catharsis... and I hope that the catharsis is for good.
The thing is, I think we all are culturally conditioned to admit to racist tendencies in ourselves. We don't mind discussing race issues or facing them or admitting they exist.
What I find totally different about BBM is that it addresses the closet - what is truly hidden. Not just layers of prejudice that we know better than to have or express, but the kind we don't even admit exists!
Our need to keep gays who are in love and not effete intellectuals (to quote Jon Stewart) off the radar, to say that their sexuality is so wrong, it ought to or will cause disgust when viewed (even in as discreet a film as BBM)... this is the problem, the "ism" we refuse to address.
Racism is an old issue.
And while Crash does address it in some new innovative ways and is causing a great deal of dialog, I can't help but say that for me, BBM did that at a much more profound and alarming level. I didn't know how much I didn't know before I saw that movie.
I think gays are in the 1950s and are blacks. That's where we are today.
Amazingly, instead of a social screed on the topic with politcal speeches and over worked metaphors, BBM is a quiet, studied, patient look at pain that is incurred when we use fear of being killed as a weapon to prevent those who love each other from being openly together.
Julie,
I am not so sure that racism is an old issue. I live in San Francisco and being gay is an old issue here, but that doesn't mean there are no hate crimes occurring here. That's what made Crash so powerful, we are never immuned to prejudice.
Anyhow, great dialogue. Thanks.
Hi Julie,
Thanks for your sharing your heart and soul and I also appreciate your insightful contributions to the discussion regarding the Academy's decision to award Crash best picture. I didn't see Crash so I really don't have much to say or contribute to the merits of the Academy's decision but do understand why you and many others feel a sense of injustice. It does seem unfair especially in light of past precedents regarding the relationship between the winners of the Golden Globe awards and the Academy. Hopefully some good will come out of the unfortunate circumstances and I propose for consideration that the humanization of the gay characters in BBM is a reason to celebrate whether the Academy, film critics, or the general public understands or is able to acknowledge it so. Ansel Adams once remarked that the sign of a great art work is whether you continue to see the images put forth by the artist once you close your eyes and I suspect alot of folks who saw the BBM will continue to see and remember the sights and sounds of the film for many years to come.
Rick, thanks for the gentle correction. I shouldn't minimize the one over the other. I think yesterday in particular I was still a bit stunned.
Racism is certainly alive and well in Cincinnati where I live and not always acknowedged so I hear you. I do think, by and large, in main stream America, racism is a much more commonly addressed issue and most people would agree that it is real and necessary to address.
I have less confidence that people feel that way about homosexuality and gay rights... particularly in the heartland.
Thanks for the dialog!
Bilbo, I really loved what you said here:
Ansel Adams once remarked that the sign of a great art work is whether you continue to see the images put forth by the artist once you close your eyes and I suspect alot of folks who saw the BBM will continue to see and remember the sights and sounds of the film for many years to come.
That is just what happens with certain movies for me. BBM is one of those this year.
I found another article that I felt was helpful to this discussion:
Yahoo News
I hadn't realized that Hollywood itself is a closeted business...
That article you posted from Yahoo news also ended on an important point worth keeping in mind - it's not like the best, most relevant, challenging, or memorable movies usually win the Best Picture award. On a list of movies that have won that trophy, there aren't all that many that would rank up there in my list of essentials or all-time favorites. Most of the winners are "quality" but there are so many political angles that determine the outcome for this award that the coolness of the film tends to suffer as a result. Sometimes it really is better in the long run to stay outside the mainstream.
As I think about it,
Dave, I think you're right. Good thoughts.
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