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Dear All, I am forwarding my reply to Ian McDonnell to the list also as it didn't get through the first time (for those who are still interested!) Raoul Bianchi --- Begin Forwarded Message --- Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 11:25:44 +0000 (GMT Standard Time) From: Raoul Bianchi <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Fwd: The movie "The Beach" Sender: [log in to unmask] To: Ian McDonnell <[log in to unmask]> Cc: [log in to unmask] Reply-To: Raoul Bianchi <[log in to unmask]> Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Dear Ian, I don't recall advocating the banning of anything, quite the contrary. My point is that films cannot be considered as just throwaway pieces of entertainment but rather communicate a complex array of meanings which are mediated by the context of their production. Why do people like Pierre Bourdieu campaign vociferously to highlight the ability of the market to coerce and regulate the parameters of thought if these products of consumer capitalism are so benign? Maybe I am just jaded by London's increasingly vacuous, postmodern, ironic, consumer culture that I still think we need to take culture seriously in terms of its ability to 'produce consent'. Marxist-Leninists were as frightened of a critical culture (witness Fidel Castro's treatment of homosexuals and Tomas Gutierrez Alea's critical response in the film 'Strawberry and Chocolate') as indeed are the owners of our mega-cultural industries. All we need do is continue to highlight these contradictions, not ban or define any alternative worldview. yours, Raoul On Wed, 09 Feb 2000 22:09:27 +1100 Ian McDonnell <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Raoul > > > Just out of curiousity, what sorts of films should we watch that fit your view of the world? > > > Are you advocating that American (or any other) films that portray 'contemporary consumer capitalism' should be banned? > > > best > > > > At 06:23 PM 2/8/00 +0000, you wrote: > > >The refrain 'it's just a movie' always worries me somewhat > > >given that it tends to ignore the politico-cultural > > >configurations of contemporary capitalism within which > > >such commodities are 'produced' and 'consumed'. Of course > > >this doesn't mean to say that there should not be room for > > >pure entertainment value, yet we cannot ignore the fact > > >that films, leisure pursuits, the media etc constitute an > > >ideological terrain upon which the dominant values of > > >consumer capitalism are subtley yet powerfully reinforced. > > > > > >To paraphrase Stuart Hall here, the media (cinema) are key > > >actors in the production of consent - they regulate the > > >context within which think about the world around us. Thus, > > >we are talking about power rather than 'authenticity'. > > >Films are important, the more we say they are not only > > >reflects the conservative currents flowing through our > > >times and the success of the 'culture industries' in > > >appropriating the terrain of autonomous/radical cultural > > >expression. The film tells us more about the production > > >and exchange of audiences than it does about tourism in > > >Thailand - should we be surprised at that? > > > > > >Ironically however, it is probably only thanks to the media > > >coverage of the film that the press reported the success of > > >local pressure groups in Goa to crack down on the > > >rave-scene (Mon 7th Feb)! > > > > > >Incidentally, I would be more concerned about the portrayal > > >of war than I would back-packers in the context of cinema. > > >One only has look at the centrality of war films in > > >western, particularly American, cinema to see how they > > >serve reproduce the prevailing configurations of power and > > >values of militarism/conquest in recent history. > > > > > >regards, > > > > > >Raoul > > > > > >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > >Dr. Raoul Bianchi > > >Research Fellow Tourism, Culture & Development > > >Centre for Leisure & Tourism Studies > > >Stapleton House > > >University of North London > > >277 Holloway Road > > >London N7 8HN > > >################### > > >[log in to unmask] > > > > > > > > >On Tue, 08 Feb 2000 11:54:45 -0500 Tim Wallace > > ><<[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> >Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2000 10:35:40 EST > > >> >Sender: [log in to unmask] > > >> >From: "Shawn Ellis Murphy" <<[log in to unmask]> > > >> >To: [log in to unmask] > > >> >Subject: The movie "The Beach" > > >> > > > >> >Ok I have to say this. It is just a movie. It is meant to entertain. I > > >> >doubt if the reputation of respectable Back-packers will be in any way > > >> >affected by this film. Lets talk about the film "Three Kings". I am a Gulf > > >> >War Veteran and I can tell you that Film was a joke, but I can survive the > > >> >misrepresentation. Lets not forget writers are allowed some poetic > > >> >freedom. They can't all be good ethnographers. > > >> > > >> Shawn Murphy > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> >______________________________________________________ > > >> >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > > >> > > >> Tim Wallace > > >> Box 8107, Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology > > >> North Carolina State University > > >> Raleigh, NC 27695-8107 > > >> 919-515-9025; fax: 919-515-2610 > > >> > > > > > >Tel. 0207 607 2789 Ext.3308 > > > > > > > > <bold><fontfamily><param>Comic Sans > MS</param><color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param><bigger><bigger>Ian > McDonnell > > </bigger></bigger></color><color><param>8080,0000,0000</param>Course > Director BA (Tourism Management) > > </color></fontfamily></bold>School of Leisure Sport and Tourism > > University of Technology, Sydney > > PO Box 222 Lindfield 2070 > > NSW, Australia > > > Phone 2 61 99187369 home > > 2 61 95145499 office > > http://www.uts.edu.au/fac/business/leisure_tourism/leisure.htm > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dr. Raoul Bianchi Research Fellow Tourism, Culture & Development Centre for Leisure & Tourism Studies Stapleton House University of North London 277 Holloway Road London N7 8HN ################### [log in to unmask] Tel. 0207 607 2789 Ext.3308 --- End Forwarded Message --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dr. Raoul Bianchi Research Fellow Tourism, Culture & Development Centre for Leisure & Tourism Studies Stapleton House University of North London 277 Holloway Road London N7 8HN ################### [log in to unmask] Tel. 0207 607 2789 Ext.3308 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%