This is Cannes we're talking about, not Hollywood.
Legolas Send a noteboard - 20/05/2011 10:46:09 PM
People have been charged in recent years in France for similiar "humour", and it's not like it's the first time either that Von Trier "loses it" and act like a complete idiot, or a child-king given too much attention. It's like you just have to point cameras on him for Von Trier to say something out-of-place or provocative out of the blue, that has nothing to do with cinéma, beside..
Some might argue that's not so unlike his movies.
The Festival just killed it in the bud before a controversy started around the fact they let it slide (and we have no idea of the amount of grief and complaints they got yesterday for this press conference from anti-hatred groups, Jewish groups and offended participants. I don't imagine the "jokes" sit too well with all the Jewish directors and producers and distributors from all over the world present at the Cannes festival or the even more important movie market). There are massive amounts on money at stakes in Cannes, they need their media coverage focussed on the films, not on a iditiotic director highjacking attention with a stupid scandal. Von Trier is responsible for his "jokes" and his cinéma is not an excuse, not for the first time he embarassed the Festival. He just got what he deserved.
If you see the Cannes festival as a company that always keeps one eye or even both on its bottom line, then their reaction makes sense. If you take their claims to care more about the quality of cinema than about money seriously - and most people generally have been taking those claims seriously - not so much. They look foolish now, and they'll look doubly foolish when Von Trier either has a significant success in the future that he has to present at Berlin or Venice, or when they swallow their words and welcome him back. It's only if this should prove to be the end of Von Trier's career that they can get out of it unscathed, but that seems rather unlikely.
They got media attention for the wrong thing, certainly, but you would think it would be a fairly basic concept that you then obtain a quick apology and try to move on as fast as possible, instead of reacting in a way that is so manifestly checkbook-directed that you draw criticism for your decision on top of the criticism for the original incident.
Lars Von Trier is a Nazi
- 18/05/2011 11:59:13 PM
755 Views
Hahah just reading this reminds me of someone making an accidentally awkward joke at a party
- 19/05/2011 03:02:25 AM
505 Views
Well, given all the communists in the entertainment industry, some balance is nice *NM*
- 19/05/2011 01:05:08 PM
179 Views
*NM*
From what I've seen of Von Trier's movies, he probably IS a communist. *NM*
- 19/05/2011 07:57:12 PM
191 Views
*NM*
- 19/05/2011 07:57:12 PM
191 Views
Considering Nazi = National-Socialist-Labor, there really isn't going to be much difference
- 19/05/2011 11:57:36 PM
376 Views
No they arn't. Dont confuse nazi idealogy with shit nazis said to get elected. *NM*
- 22/05/2011 09:50:35 PM
230 Views
Propagana, racial persecution, prison camps, dictators, crackpot economic theories, what's the diff? *NM*
- 24/05/2011 03:12:43 AM
201 Views
Wow, and the Cannes organisators react in a completely ridiculous way...
- 19/05/2011 08:04:25 PM
416 Views
Seriously, that is pretty absurd
- 19/05/2011 08:29:25 PM
386 Views
Agreed on both counts, and it's all the more absurd because he's one of their darlings. *NM*
- 19/05/2011 10:03:24 PM
174 Views
Meh. The day the French prove effective at keeping Nazis out is the day that might be relevant *NM*
- 19/05/2011 11:58:31 PM
159 Views
Re: Wow, and the Cannes organisators react in a completely ridiculous way...
- 20/05/2011 12:40:01 PM
470 Views
This is Cannes we're talking about, not Hollywood.
- 20/05/2011 10:46:09 PM
394 Views
I got more of an impression that he was making a completely out of context remark that backfired
- 23/05/2011 01:12:08 PM
415 Views
Re: I got more of an impression that he was making a completely out of context remark that backfired
- 23/05/2011 03:02:01 PM
419 Views
Well then, he's just someone who should really rather never be interviewed *NM*
- 24/05/2011 07:49:11 AM
173 Views