Sure,it was a business decision--a "business decision" that they couldn't
distribute a political film during a presidential election year. Nobody
would want to see _that_, nosirree!
On purely business grounds, they would have been chomping at the bit to have
Miramax (not their own brand name) distribute a controversial film that had
won the Palme d'Or.
Lis Carey
-----Original Message-----
From: Watson, Holly E. [mailto:hwatson@jenkens.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 3:42 PM
To: 'Samuel Trosow'; Librarycom434@aol.com
Cc: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
Subject: RE: Farenheit 9/11 and Evie
"I am....(hic)...a....LIBRARIAN!" (Evie passes out. My favorite movie
librarian of all time. Plus she gets Brendan Fraser.)
Disney did not attempt to suppress the movie. Disney told Moore and Miramax
as early as last year that they would not distribute it. This was not
censorship; this was a business decision. Even if they had told him they
would distribute it, and then changed their mind, it still wouldn't be
censorship. Disney is not the government. Disney was not attempting to
keep Moore's film from being shown; they just declined to distribute it.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/ae/movies/jump/2617485
Censor: To officially inspect (esp. a book or film) and delete material
considered offensive. (Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition)
Governments censor; when a private corporation declines to distribute
something, that's not censorship. And when a group of people, whence
whatever wing they come, attempt to convince theatre chains not to show
something, that's not censorship either. As for "sustained attempts to
discredit" something - that's plain old American freedom of speech. No one
is restraining people from going to see the movie.
But hey, it's bound to be more interesting than 75% of the programming at
AALL.
Can we please take this off topic now?
We're going to need some law books - with pictures, this time.--Harvey
Birdman, Attorney at Law
Holly Watson
Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C.
713 951 3322
-----Original Message-----
From: Samuel Trosow [mailto:strosow@uwo.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 2:03 PM
To: Librarycom434@aol.com
Cc: law-lib@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: Farenheit 9/11
Is working against censorship, be it from the government or from a large
media firm, a core value of librarianship?
Is promoting a diverse mix of cultural goods (not just law reports but
films, books, music, art, etc) a core value of librarianship?
I'd say yes on both questions. The particular circumstances of Disney's
attempt to surpress this film, and the sustained and continuing attempt
from the right wing to discredit the work because of its content raises
the showing of thisparticular film to one of principle. It was entirely
appropriate for ALA to work out a special showing of the film and it
certainly would be good if AALL could do the same. Association
conferences are not just times to gain some specific performative skill
we can immediately take back for our employers, it is a time to
celebrate the values of the profession, especially with respect to
censorship.
The fact that the film presents a critical view of the Bush
administraiton is besides the point, and the overtly political nature of
the film should not detract from its importance as an instance of
working against censorship. To hold such would be engaging in the same
sort of content based censorship that we are supposed to be fighting as
a profession.
Sam Trosow
University of Western Ontario
Librarycom434@aol.com wrote:
>And the reason for wanting this particular film shown at AALL? IMHO, I
think the main reason is not to support michael moore simply because he has
supported libraries in the past but simply because this particular film is a
slam on a particular president who is not particularly popular with a lot of
people on this list (and I include ALA as well). I do not think that the
AALL meeting is an appropriate venue for this film- how does it promote
libraries? So what that the director has expressed support for libraries-
big whoop! Write him a letter and thank him for his support but, regardless
of what people's opinions are on the war or the president, I do not think
that AALL should go to the expense of promoting and screening a film that
mocks a president during a time when our country is at war. I am all for the
first amendment and his right to make his film- I just disagree that AALL
should be expending effort and money to screen it. Our annual meeting is NOT
an appropriate!
!
> venue. If the movie is showing in Boston during the week of the
conference, then by all means, get a group and go see it. Do not make it a
part of the meeting.
>My 2 cents, for what it's worth.
>Janne
>
>
>
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