Posted on 03/19/2005 1:35:33 PM PST by Crackingham
The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen.
Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures.
The number of theaters rejecting such films is small, people in the industry say - perhaps a dozen or fewer, most in the South. But because only a few dozen Imax theaters routinely show science documentaries, the decisions of a few can have a big impact on a film's bottom line - or a producer's decision to make a documentary in the first place.
People who follow trends at commercial and institutional Imax theaters say that in recent years, religious controversy has adversely affected the distribution of a number of films, including "Cosmic Voyage," which depicts the universe in dimensions running from the scale of subatomic particles to clusters of galaxies; "Galápagos," about the islands where Darwin theorized about evolution; and "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," an underwater epic about the bizarre creatures that flourish in the hot, sulfurous emanations from vents in the ocean floor.
"Volcanoes," released in 2003 and sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation and Rutgers University, has been turned down at about a dozen science centers, mostly in the South, said Dr. Richard Lutz, the Rutgers oceanographer who was chief scientist for the film. He said theater officials rejected the film because of its brief references to evolution, in particular to the possibility that life on Earth originated at the undersea vents.
Carol Murray, director of marketing for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, said the museum decided not to offer the movie after showing it to a sample audience, a practice often followed by managers of Imax theaters. Ms. Murray said 137 people participated in the survey, and while some thought it was well done, "some people said it was blasphemous."
In their written comments, she explained, they made statements like "I really hate it when the theory of evolution is presented as fact," or "I don't agree with their presentation of human existence."
On other criteria, like narration and music, the film did not score as well as other films, Ms. Murray said, and over all, it did not receive high marks, so she recommended that the museum pass.
"If it's not going to draw a crowd and it is going to create controversy," she said, "from a marketing standpoint I cannot make a recommendation" to show it.
In interviews, officials at other Imax theaters said they had similarly decided against the film for fear of offending some audiences.
"We have definitely a lot more creation public than evolution public," said Lisa Buzzelli, who directs the Charleston Imax Theater in South Carolina, a commercial theater next to the Charleston Aquarium. Her theater had not ruled out ever showing "Volcanoes," Ms. Buzzelli said, "but being in the Bible Belt, the movie does have a lot to do with evolution, and we weigh that carefully."
And now we get to the real reason.....
I wonder how many other films got the same reaction but over all high marks and were not shown. Any?
So they decided to blame :cough: other factors rather then admit their movie stunk.
The real reason: It's a boring movie with poor sound track.
Well, you have to note that the movie was rejected in southern Bible Belt theaters, not in the north. If the movie just plain stunk, it would have been panned universally in north and south. I am sure non-professional reviews that found the movie ideologically wrong would not give it high marks in the technical categories because of bias. Besides, the quotes from the theater operators other than Ms. Murray cited controversy and a creationist public as the reason for not playing the movie.
Maybe Southerners have better taste? :D
So the movie was given low marks across the country. Meaning it stunk.
Oh really? And what's the real reason why you quoted that sentence and not the others surrounding it?
Carol Murray, director of marketing for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, said the museum decided not to offer the movie after showing it to a sample audience, a practice often followed by managers of Imax theaters. Ms. Murray said 137 people participated in the survey, and while some thought it was well done, "some people said it was blasphemous."Geez, it's like you creationists are mining the literature for quotes, and you throw a few paragraphs into an intellectual rock tumbler so that the ugly contextual statements are ground away, leaving the bright, shiny gems that make it seem as if your argument is being validated when in fact it wasn't.In their written comments, she explained, they made statements like "I really hate it when the theory of evolution is presented as fact," or "I don't agree with their presentation of human existence."
On other criteria, like narration and music, the film did not score as well as other films, Ms. Murray said, and over all, it did not receive high marks, so she recommended that the museum pass.
"If it's not going to draw a crowd and it is going to create controversy," she said, "from a marketing standpoint I cannot make a recommendation" to show it.
Some would call that a lie. Is Jesus pleased by your polished gems?
So if the movie was going to "draw a crowd" she would have put it out but it would not have. In other words, the movie stank.
And I don't believe I ever brought my beliefs into the matter. Just the facts as presented.
You seem to be reading words that are not there. Perhaps you should cut back on the caffeine.
I doubt this would happen -- this is probably more about trying to demonize Christians than anything else.
I've seen an occasional science movie on the huge screen, and they can be very pleasant and entertaining. Evidently this one isn't.
Check out some of the ones on Discovery and Animal Planet and TLC and even PBS. There are some very high quality and interesting science movies out there.
I tend to watch a lot of them.
What do you think? It's not our usual material.
If you're presenting biology, paleontology, or geology, you can't do it right without a creationist thinking it blasphemous.
Two middle age professionals I spoke with last week talked about exploring footholds in Canada or European countries if the biological and medical sciences go away here.
I was surprised because they were both rather fairly apolitical and didn't seem hotheaded.
I think it exposes one more aspect of the political consequences of being associated with the nitwits who reject science.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.