Friday, August 21, 2009
City / ??!! / Film Today in Faint Praise That's Also Ridiculously Offensive
Posted by David Schmader on Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 3:54 PM
This just in from Slog tipper Annie:
Hi Stranger! I have a bit of local theater marquee news for you. I was invited by a friend to go see the Landmark screening of Inglourious Basterds last night at the Guild 45th theater, where the staff put "better than the holocaust" on their marquee! Supposedly after complaints, they sent someone out in the wee hours of the morning to change it—it says "Brad Pitt" or something equally mild now. I have to admit I was pretty schocked when I saw the marquee last night, wondering how long it would stay up. I was also wondering what kind of manager would let their staff put such a crazy insensitive marquee up!
And oh yeah—Annie sent a picture:
- Slog Tipper Annie
Holy crap.
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5
It is remotely possible they're referring to the very, very good mini-series of that title from the 1980s - but considering how difficult it is for Americans to remember cultural events of 2 years ago, it seems odd they would refer to something 20-odd years old.
6
Based on the reviews I've read, that snarky comment fits in with the overall tone of the movie. Anyone offended by that sign would be better off NOT seeing this, it sounds like.
7
If the theater called it worse than the Holocaust, they'd be making light of the death and diaspora of millions of Jewish people.
8
They got it wrong.
It should have said "More fun than the Holocaust"
(you do realize it's a farce about Jews gunning down Hitler at a film premiere and fighting for the purity of film, right?)
It should have said "More fun than the Holocaust"
(you do realize it's a farce about Jews gunning down Hitler at a film premiere and fighting for the purity of film, right?)
9
Josh #7 right, not to mention the death and "not being liberated" of the millions of Gay Europeans. They had to server out prison terms after everyone else was released.
10
Ridiculously offensive? More like ridiculously awesome. They should have left it up. I agree with @6 saying that if you're so offended by it, you probably shouldn't be watching the movie.
12
yes offensive though yet true, 'cause just think how bad a movie would have to be if it were as bad or worse than The Holocaust.
that would be a really terrible movie, so it's safe to say that this movie is indeed better.
that would be a really terrible movie, so it's safe to say that this movie is indeed better.
13
I saw the movie and loved it and still was taken aback by the marquee. There are a zillion ways to get sassy about the content of Inglourious Basterds, and this one seems too crude. (Still, all the alternatives I can think of are either spoiler-alerty ("WATCH HITLER GET HIS!") or as maybe-offensive as the instigating message ("REVENGE OF THE JEWS!")
Carry on.
Carry on.
14
Better than the Holocaust... Frankly, that's not saying much. The time I was on shrooms and then smoked salvia... THAT was better than the Holocaust; and that trip was really not good.
15
I think it's funny, but I can see why it'd bug people. Image the marquee: "More fun than beating Matthew Shepard" or "More fun than The Trail of Tears". It's kind of a touchy subject, right?
@10 You're right, but the people it offended weren't seeing the movie. They were walking down the sidewalk.
@10 You're right, but the people it offended weren't seeing the movie. They were walking down the sidewalk.
17
I'm not offended at all. (Hell, I'd add a "Work shall set you free" sign over the concession stand.)
Don't blame the employee -- he was only following orders.
Don't blame the employee -- he was only following orders.
18
Yeah, alright, so it's not very politically correct. Well, neither am I. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.
19
i'm a dark sumbitch, but that's starting to cross a line and I'm not talking about the Maginot Line...
20
I agree tht Will can be a pain, but he didn't really give anything away that's not already been said/shown in the ads and promo materials...
21
@11 - yeah, but that's why the Marquee needs to be what it is/was.
Oh, and lots of award-winning babes get naked. I still weep for the clown, mind you.
Oh, and lots of award-winning babes get naked. I still weep for the clown, mind you.
27
Well...I liked the movie, and I didn't like the Holocaust, so I would have to say that the sign is, if nothing else, accurate.
29
yeah & racist jokes are funny too. cut the crap, people. it's offensive & horribly inappropriate. you're all idiots if it don't think so.
30
I posted the above (#28) because things like this happen I ask myself how people would react if it was regarding blacks. I ask myself it the staff would have put a marqee up that said "better than lynching"? Of course not. And if they did, it would be only a matter of time until someone stormed in there and threatened to fuck someone up.
Don't tell me that the shit would not hit the fan if it was slavery or lynching that someone was trying their hand at humor at
Don't tell me that the shit would not hit the fan if it was slavery or lynching that someone was trying their hand at humor at
31
this is ridiculously offensive, and you idiot hipsters that seem to imply the rest of us can't "take a joke" should try teaching about the holocaust to middle school students and then see how you feel about it.
32
Why the fuck is this offensive?
In what way does it make light of the Holocaust or Jews or anything having to do with anything? Making a joke that mentions something isn't the same thing as making fun of that thing.
In what way does it make light of the Holocaust or Jews or anything having to do with anything? Making a joke that mentions something isn't the same thing as making fun of that thing.
34
whether or not you think it's funny, a move theater marquee is not the place for insensitive or crude jokes. it had no place being up there.
35
WOW, I saw the apology on the landmark cinemas website and I wondering what it could have been.
FUCKING AMAZING GUILD!
FUCKING AMAZING GUILD!
38
Mel Brooks made practically the same joke ('The most fun I've had since the Holocaust!') when The Producers premiered on Broadway. So while this joke is still funny (and technically accurate, as many people have pointed out) it's not exactly new.
39
I could be wrong, but isn't it true that a group of Jews killing Nazi's IS so much better than the Holocaust?
41
Apparently in an interview about the film, Tarantino himself said the movie was better than the holocaust.
42
Though the marquee doesn't offend me personally (honestly I think its biggest problem is that the joke is flat and old), what I'm most confused by is people's inability to perceive that it even *could* be offensive to someone, even if that someone isn't you/them.
If you're having trouble seeing what it is about the marquee that people could be finding fault with, try saying it to yourself this way (unspoken set-up line in parenthesis) :
"(For those of you who, like us, thought exterminating the Jews was a fun party the likes of which you thought you'd never get to see again, this movie is even) better than the Holocaust"
And while I think that the above is at very least an absurdist point-of-view, the fact remains that it isn't off by too many degrees from things we've all seen litigated as hate-speech. I certainly think the marquee is a sufficient distance from actual hate-speech, but that doesn't prevent an ambitious lawyer from trying to make a name for themselves by trying to close that gap in our minds.
I think it's exactly that last point though, that caused the Landmark chain last week to fire the assistant manager of the Guild over the incident.
So, while it may not be funny or offensive or even particularly clever - someone's still standing in the unemployment line now because of it.
If you're having trouble seeing what it is about the marquee that people could be finding fault with, try saying it to yourself this way (unspoken set-up line in parenthesis) :
"(For those of you who, like us, thought exterminating the Jews was a fun party the likes of which you thought you'd never get to see again, this movie is even) better than the Holocaust"
And while I think that the above is at very least an absurdist point-of-view, the fact remains that it isn't off by too many degrees from things we've all seen litigated as hate-speech. I certainly think the marquee is a sufficient distance from actual hate-speech, but that doesn't prevent an ambitious lawyer from trying to make a name for themselves by trying to close that gap in our minds.
I think it's exactly that last point though, that caused the Landmark chain last week to fire the assistant manager of the Guild over the incident.
So, while it may not be funny or offensive or even particularly clever - someone's still standing in the unemployment line now because of it.
44
I heard they took his keys and changed the locks - would you call that "given a vacation"?
While certainly cooler heads may prevail and they give him his job back (which, imho, they should), the fact remains that they pulled the trigger on him - even if they later unpull it - I think that's a good indication of where they draw their line in the sand.
While certainly cooler heads may prevail and they give him his job back (which, imho, they should), the fact remains that they pulled the trigger on him - even if they later unpull it - I think that's a good indication of where they draw their line in the sand.
45
...wow. I'm Jewish, lost family in the Holocaust, and after having seen the pic of the marquee and read this whole comment thread, I still don't know if I'm offended by the marquee or not. However, this thread is pretty freakin funny. I especially like comment 40 above: only in Seattle would someone be concerned about the PC aspect from the Nazi POV. I still don't know whether I find that comment funny or offensive either.
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