Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America'

BURNING MAN · 09-12-2009, 04:45 PM

Quote:

A British film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer.

Creation, starring Paul Bettany, details Darwin's "struggle between faith and reason" as he wrote On The Origin of Species. It depicts him as a man who loses faith in God following the death of his beloved 10-year-old daughter, Annie.
The film was chosen to open the Toronto Film Festival and has its British premiere on Sunday. It has been sold in almost every territory around the world, from Australia to Scandinavia.

However, US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.

Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.

The film has sparked fierce debate on US Christian websites, with a typical comment dismissing evolution as "a silly theory with a serious lack of evidence to support it despite over a century of trying".

Jeremy Thomas, the Oscar-winning producer of Creation, said he was astonished that such attitudes exist 150 years after On The Origin of Species was published.

"That's what we're up against. In 2009. It's amazing," he said.
"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.

LINK

MOVIEGUIDE.ORG:
REVIEW: DARWIN'S RACISTS - YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW exposes the real Charles Darwin: a racist, a bigot and 1800's naturalist whose legacy is mass murder. This well written book shows that Adolf Hitler, along with other genocidal mass murderers, was influenced by Darwin's half-baked Theory of Evolution. This book exposes Darwin's Theory of Evolution for what it is: an elitist and racist dogma that has infiltrated our every area of culture thereby undermining sense and sensibility.

DARWIN'S RACISTS succinctly covers, among other revealing topics, who Darwin was, his impact on the human race, evolution and naturalism, agnosticism, creation, Charles Darwin's family and friends, Darwin's sickness, the eugenics nightmare, Darwin's racists, frauds, and fakes, atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering, and the impact of Darwin's thought on our rights and freedoms today. Thus, two conflicting and discordant worldviews are examined along with the history, theology and science that support them. Also examined are the differing impacts that creation vs. evolution have had on ethnic, racial and class distinctions in our society.

MORTY · 09-13-2009, 09:49 AM

crazy.... people are sensible enough to choose wether they want to watch it or not!, release it and give people that choice!! your not going to walk into the cinema an accidently buy the ticket for it are you lol!!

kidflash2008 · 09-13-2009, 11:14 AM

There is another reality the producers of the movie should look at: Will it make money? Distributors are also responsible for the marketing costs and may not think the movie is a good investment. Most documentaries do not do very well at the box office. (People want to be entertained for their $12, not put to sleep.)

$$kneel-B4-me$$ · 09-13-2009, 09:48 PM

i want to see it bad!

kidflash2008 · 09-15-2009, 12:42 PM

They showed bits and pieces of this film on the Rachel Maddow Show. It looks like a real snooze fest. I doubt any major distributor would want to lose money on this one, but some smaller independent distributor may pick it up.

BTW, it is a docudrama.

holeg2212 · 09-15-2009, 04:09 PM

anyone know where I (live in australia) can download or buy this?

BURNING MAN · 09-15-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidflash2008

They showed bits and pieces of this film on the Rachel Maddow Show. It looks like a real snooze fest. I doubt any major distributor would want to lose money on this one, but some smaller independent distributor may pick it up.

BTW, it is a docudrama.

I wouldn't call Charles Darwin's life boring. What's wrong with a docudrama? it's a film in which factual incidents are presented.

kidflash2008 · 09-16-2009, 10:15 AM

There are some people who will watch a docudrama, but I don't see a major studio being interested. I will guess that a cable network will bid and show the movie.

I have seen many docudramas, but the clips they showed made the film look very boring. I just can't see spending $12 to see the movie. It is not about censorship, it is about the Benjamins.

09-13-2009, 09:49 AM	#2
MORTY Investigator Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK Posts: 143	crazy.... people are sensible enough to choose wether they want to watch it or not!, release it and give people that choice!! your not going to walk into the cinema an accidently buy the ticket for it are you lol!! __________________ OPEN YOUR MIND!

09-13-2009, 09:48 PM	#4
$$kneel-B4-me$$ Investigator Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 148	i want to see it bad! __________________ Dark for fear of failure, an inner gloom as wide as an eye and fermenting roiling hate, death grip in my veins.. unveiling rancid petals flowering forth foul nector, the space between a blink and a tear... Death blooms

09-15-2009, 04:09 PM	#6
holeg2212 Investigator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Western Australia Capitol City 'Perth' Posts: 437	anyone know where I (live in australia) can download or buy this? __________________ All evil needs to succeed. Is for the good to stand by and do nothing.

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09-13-2009, 11:14 AM	#3
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,699	There is another reality the producers of the movie should look at: Will it make money? Distributors are also responsible for the marketing costs and may not think the movie is a good investment. Most documentaries do not do very well at the box office. (People want to be entertained for their $12, not put to sleep.)

09-15-2009, 12:42 PM	#5
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,699	They showed bits and pieces of this film on the Rachel Maddow Show. It looks like a real snooze fest. I doubt any major distributor would want to lose money on this one, but some smaller independent distributor may pick it up. BTW, it is a docudrama.

09-16-2009, 10:15 AM	#8
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,699	There are some people who will watch a docudrama, but I don't see a major studio being interested. I will guess that a cable network will bid and show the movie. I have seen many docudramas, but the clips they showed made the film look very boring. I just can't see spending $12 to see the movie. It is not about censorship, it is about the Benjamins.