I don’t know if I believe this idea that the film Creation hasn’t gotten a US distributor because it’s too “controversial” for backwards-thinking Americans. For one thing, the target audience for this thing aren’t the people who still believe the Earth is flat, but those who like historical epics. In fact, had Creation been more about evolution vs. Creationism it would probably would have a better shot. Indeed, news flash, I don’t know everything. I would like to think I do, but alas. Perhaps it’s true that there aren’t any studios willing to distribute it for those reasons:
“The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it’s because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they’ve seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up.
“It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There’s still a great belief that He made the world in six days. It’s quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules.
The question is, how good is the movie? If it is indeed a great film it should have found a distributor whether it is about something controversial or not; after all, they’re in the (mostly) money-making business. But if the real reason is that they all were too afraid of rabid fundamentalists? Then it is truly a sad day for America. Here is the part that upset me, though:
“Charles Darwin is, I suppose, the hero of the film. But we tried to make the film in a very even-handed way. Darwin wasn’t saying ‘kill all religion’, he never said such a thing, but he is a totem for people.”
It really isn’t, wasn’t, will never be necessary to soften the blow for people who don’t have the presence of mind to accept reality. It doesn’t need to be explained: Darwin existed. Darwin was a great thinker. Darwin discovered patterns in biological development that eventually led to a theory which eventually led to evidence that backed up the theory and from thence it has grown and, erm, evolved. It happened. His story is worth telling.¬† And it doesn’t need to be told in soft-focus. Tell it in full color, loud and proud.
(thanks to Derek)
