- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
- 85
How important is free speech in this time of great sociocultural theatrics (e.g., 'TrumpUSA')?
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"American movie-stars Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise were set to make a new landmark film about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. The film would look at the reign of the two iconic American Presidents, separated by time (similar to Coppola's time-split presentation of story in Godfather II). Hanks would play Lincoln, and Cruise would play Washington. The film was to be directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and would co-star Charlize Theron as religious icon in colonial times, Anne Hutchinson, providing pre-Independence sociocultural background for what would be a story about the development of democracy in the New World."
"Well, no one was more excited for the highly-anticipated film than the Post's photojournalist Eddie Brock who simply wanted to see Hanks/Cruise dress up as Lincoln/Washington for what was sure to be as culturally a significant film as Spielberg's Amistad, Demme's Philadelphia, and Scorsese's Gangs of New York. Brock wanted to provide the Post (D.C.) first-glimpse snapshots of Hanks/Cruise as the two iconic American Presidents, offering comments about why we Americans loved to see great movie-stars portray great figures in history. Brock anticipated Mendes' provocative new film to represent all the modern-era idealism regarding American ideology --- in a time when anti-TrumpUSA street-protests flooded the news/media."
"Well, the gods were on the side of Hollywood and Mendes, and the new Hanks/Cruise film about Lincoln/Washington was being touted as a 'remedy' for new age anti-American angst. Mendes said in an interview that it was shocking that there were so many anti-TrumpUSA protests even after the anti-American terrorism-trauma of 9/11, suggesting that free-speech ideology really formed the crux/backbone of American imagination(!). Mendes was calling his new film Developed Nation and would feature a tight screenplay written by David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner). When Brock was on set in the early production stages and filming sequences of Mendes' film, he took exciting photos of Hanks/Cruise dressed up as Lincoln/Washington and wrote in a complementary caption for his photos, 'Mendes is offering us a vignette of free-speech consciousness'."
"Early predictions of Mendes' intriguing film had reviewers and critics raving however about Theron's portrayal of the incendiary and thoughtful (if controversial) early-America religious female icon Anne Hutchinson. Mendes had Theron's Hutchinson provide the adequate background-foundation for what was really a portrait/diorama of American ideals regarding the quality and value of free-speech. While we saw Hanks/Lincoln talking about Abolition and Cruise/Washington talking about anti-taxation fury, Theron's Hutchinson was talking about the preciousness of religious dialogue in a land that was very wild and full of potential."
"Brock really liked the side-story of the enigmatic/eerie Headless Horseman riding mysteriously through the American countryside during the reign of both Washington and Lincoln. Borrowing from Washington Irving's iconic story about strange happenings in American traffic (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), Mendes decided to put in the Headless Horseman to provide some complementary 'foil' for Theron's Hutchinson, so there would be some 'morality-goosebumps' regarding the dangers of ignoring free-speech in what is really a land of pluralism (America). Brock considered this film to be as important as James Cameron's Titanic."
"Brock was so moved by the free-speech storyline in Mendes' Developed Nation that he decided to hype the marketing of the iconic Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) trading-cards in the Post, declaring these consumerism-symbolic humor-totems (symbolic of farming-and-capitalism sarcasm) to be the perfect commentary tokens for Mendes' new film about free-speech ideology. Brock focused on special GPK characters including Adam Bomb and Alien Ian so he could concentrate on what made sociopolitical criticism so darn intriguing/controversial for American journalists. Brock wrote in a photo-caption for the Post, 'GPK's Alien Ian reminds us that Developed Nation is really a story about American inclusion'."
"Well, sure enough, Developed Nation was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) as was Charlize Theron for her portrayal of Anne Hutchinson. The New York Times and the Post declared Theron's contribution to Mendes' film as significant as Jodie Foster's portrayal of Detective Clarice Starling (fictional homicide cop in Demme's adaptation of the serial-killer novel Red Dragon), suggesting that Hutchinson's role in free-speech ideology shaped the way we conceived of 'political aesthetics' in America. Brock wanted Theron to win the Oscar, but the lauded/legendary actress Meryl Streep was also nominated for her supporting-character portrayal of Margaret Mead in Spielberg's anthropology film The Heroine."
TRUMP: Have you seen Developed Nation, Carter?
CARTER: It's a great film, Mr. President!
TRUMP: I preferred Spielberg's Amistad (honestly).
CARTER: Yes, well that was specifically about slavery (only).
TRUMP: It's funny how journalism has impacted cinema...
CARTER: Yes, I'm a fan of All the President's Men (Watergate).
TRUMP: However, I did appreciate the Headless Horseman in Mendes' film.
CARTER: Yes, he was a big hit with kids who saw the film with their parents.
TRUMP: American ideology is so darn slippery...and hence 'tricky' to grasp!
CARTER: Indeed, Mr. President.
TRUMP: I wonder what they'll say about all the anti-TrumpUSA protests.
CARTER: Maybe the protesters might see Mendes' film and be more cheerful!
TRUMP: Well, perhaps they'll think free-speech is simply 'American morale.'
CARTER: Elementary school kids could make history-dioramas based on Mendes' film.
TRUMP: Hail to great storytelling!
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"American movie-stars Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise were set to make a new landmark film about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. The film would look at the reign of the two iconic American Presidents, separated by time (similar to Coppola's time-split presentation of story in Godfather II). Hanks would play Lincoln, and Cruise would play Washington. The film was to be directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and would co-star Charlize Theron as religious icon in colonial times, Anne Hutchinson, providing pre-Independence sociocultural background for what would be a story about the development of democracy in the New World."
"Well, no one was more excited for the highly-anticipated film than the Post's photojournalist Eddie Brock who simply wanted to see Hanks/Cruise dress up as Lincoln/Washington for what was sure to be as culturally a significant film as Spielberg's Amistad, Demme's Philadelphia, and Scorsese's Gangs of New York. Brock wanted to provide the Post (D.C.) first-glimpse snapshots of Hanks/Cruise as the two iconic American Presidents, offering comments about why we Americans loved to see great movie-stars portray great figures in history. Brock anticipated Mendes' provocative new film to represent all the modern-era idealism regarding American ideology --- in a time when anti-TrumpUSA street-protests flooded the news/media."
"Well, the gods were on the side of Hollywood and Mendes, and the new Hanks/Cruise film about Lincoln/Washington was being touted as a 'remedy' for new age anti-American angst. Mendes said in an interview that it was shocking that there were so many anti-TrumpUSA protests even after the anti-American terrorism-trauma of 9/11, suggesting that free-speech ideology really formed the crux/backbone of American imagination(!). Mendes was calling his new film Developed Nation and would feature a tight screenplay written by David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner). When Brock was on set in the early production stages and filming sequences of Mendes' film, he took exciting photos of Hanks/Cruise dressed up as Lincoln/Washington and wrote in a complementary caption for his photos, 'Mendes is offering us a vignette of free-speech consciousness'."
"Early predictions of Mendes' intriguing film had reviewers and critics raving however about Theron's portrayal of the incendiary and thoughtful (if controversial) early-America religious female icon Anne Hutchinson. Mendes had Theron's Hutchinson provide the adequate background-foundation for what was really a portrait/diorama of American ideals regarding the quality and value of free-speech. While we saw Hanks/Lincoln talking about Abolition and Cruise/Washington talking about anti-taxation fury, Theron's Hutchinson was talking about the preciousness of religious dialogue in a land that was very wild and full of potential."
"Brock really liked the side-story of the enigmatic/eerie Headless Horseman riding mysteriously through the American countryside during the reign of both Washington and Lincoln. Borrowing from Washington Irving's iconic story about strange happenings in American traffic (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), Mendes decided to put in the Headless Horseman to provide some complementary 'foil' for Theron's Hutchinson, so there would be some 'morality-goosebumps' regarding the dangers of ignoring free-speech in what is really a land of pluralism (America). Brock considered this film to be as important as James Cameron's Titanic."
"Brock was so moved by the free-speech storyline in Mendes' Developed Nation that he decided to hype the marketing of the iconic Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) trading-cards in the Post, declaring these consumerism-symbolic humor-totems (symbolic of farming-and-capitalism sarcasm) to be the perfect commentary tokens for Mendes' new film about free-speech ideology. Brock focused on special GPK characters including Adam Bomb and Alien Ian so he could concentrate on what made sociopolitical criticism so darn intriguing/controversial for American journalists. Brock wrote in a photo-caption for the Post, 'GPK's Alien Ian reminds us that Developed Nation is really a story about American inclusion'."
"Well, sure enough, Developed Nation was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) as was Charlize Theron for her portrayal of Anne Hutchinson. The New York Times and the Post declared Theron's contribution to Mendes' film as significant as Jodie Foster's portrayal of Detective Clarice Starling (fictional homicide cop in Demme's adaptation of the serial-killer novel Red Dragon), suggesting that Hutchinson's role in free-speech ideology shaped the way we conceived of 'political aesthetics' in America. Brock wanted Theron to win the Oscar, but the lauded/legendary actress Meryl Streep was also nominated for her supporting-character portrayal of Margaret Mead in Spielberg's anthropology film The Heroine."
TRUMP: Have you seen Developed Nation, Carter?
CARTER: It's a great film, Mr. President!
TRUMP: I preferred Spielberg's Amistad (honestly).
CARTER: Yes, well that was specifically about slavery (only).
TRUMP: It's funny how journalism has impacted cinema...
CARTER: Yes, I'm a fan of All the President's Men (Watergate).
TRUMP: However, I did appreciate the Headless Horseman in Mendes' film.
CARTER: Yes, he was a big hit with kids who saw the film with their parents.
TRUMP: American ideology is so darn slippery...and hence 'tricky' to grasp!
CARTER: Indeed, Mr. President.
TRUMP: I wonder what they'll say about all the anti-TrumpUSA protests.
CARTER: Maybe the protesters might see Mendes' film and be more cheerful!
TRUMP: Well, perhaps they'll think free-speech is simply 'American morale.'
CARTER: Elementary school kids could make history-dioramas based on Mendes' film.
TRUMP: Hail to great storytelling!
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