Don't Sell 'Em Short

James Wynn · 13 Apr 2007, 17:39 · from 2007-April.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:39:13 -0500
Subject: (urth) Don't Sell 'Em Short
In-Reply-To: <1f7617370704121705g47feb42dh1cdc809be15a0c9 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <131691.95097.qm at web63911.mail.re1.yahoo.com>
	<163326.85361.qm at web32412.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
	<e8e9702e0704121406j30ed1dbdp4c04c4eb7e43313c at mail.gmail.com>
	<1f7617370704121705g47feb42dh1cdc809be15a0c9 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <e8e9702e0704131039o2f3b96f7oa34eccb8d6fbb4c at mail.gmail.com>

> > (Best propaganda film I've seen in a long while is "Pan's Labyrinth".)
>
> Better than "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "An Inconvenient Truth"?

The best propaganda a) does not require that the audience know
anything about or *even have an interest in* the subject they are
being propagandized on, and (most important) b) cannot be factually
rebutted.

When I say it can't be factually rebutted I mean that it is not
possible because it doesn't operate on a linear "true-false" level. If
you agree with Moore or Gore, then their movies are useful red meat to
get you pumped up. If you don't you are only going to be offended
whenever you note a factual error or inconsistency.

But "Pan's Labyrinth", which never claims to represent real people, is
far more effective at convincing the emotions and attitudes of the
audience. All this is esoteric for Americans, but the Spanish are
currently in a true culture war about how to define the players during
that period.

I think "Pan's Labyrinth" is for Spain what "Birth of a Nation" was
for the U.S. in the early 1900s.

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