New Charles Darwin film is 'too controversial' for religious American audiences

[The Sushi Bandit]

A new British film about Charles Darwin has failed to land a distribution deal in the States because his theories on human evolution are too controversial for religious American audiences, according to the film's producer.

Creation follows the British naturalist's 'struggle between faith and reason' as he wrote his 1859 book, On The Origin Of The Species.

The film, directed by Jon Amielm was chosen to open the Toronto Film Festival and has now been sold to almost every territory in the world.

But US distributors have turned down the film that could cause uproar in a country that, on the whole, dismisses scientific theories of the way we evolved.

Christian film review website Movieguide.org described Darwin as 'a racist, a bigot and a 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder.'

Full Story at: http://current.com/items/90930923_new-charles-darwin-film-is-too-controversial-for-religious-american-audiences.htm

[dflprincess]

1. Makes a person proud, doesn't it?

:sarcasm:

I'll think of this (along with a few other things) the next time I'm at a Twins game and they play that stupid "Proud to be an American" song during the seventh inning stretch.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Sometimes I just despair for the future of this country.

Too damn much stupid going around. :banghead:

[d_b]

3. I don't buy it

[grantcart]

4. Could somebody give me advice on the best way to extract a #2 Ticonderoga that somehow

got implanted 2 inches into my right thigh during the reading of this OP.


We should get hundreds of thousands of copies of this movie pass them out to kids and tell them under no circumstances should they ever watch it.

[marmar]

5. And Fundie sensitivity determines what the rest of us get to see at the movies?

F**king unbelievable. :argh: :mad:

[depakid]

10. It certainly determines what you see on TV....

[lurky]

6. That's just embarrassing.

I can't believe there isn't a single U.S. distributor that isn't to chickenshit to show this.

[rpannier]

8. Lionsgate may eventually pick it up

It's not really their kind of movie

But it's a company that will distribute almost any movie that will bring in even 3 cents of profit

[d_b]

9. I can't believe it either

they should shop around some more.

[enlightenment]

7. Someone PLEASE just kill me now.

I don't think I can take anymore.

:(

[ccharles000]

11. k/r

[scentopine]

12. Texas Gov and Schoold Board Don't Believe in Dinosaurs even

though there is museum exhibit of dinosaurs within short walk from capital steps. I suppose I should kiss republicans ass for letting me visit the fossils of these old creatures (the dinosaurs that is).

[Libertas1776]

13. I cannot believe that not one

single distributor will pick up this film. Not one? Not even the same people who did Bill Maher's "Religulous?" I don't believe it. I don't think the British Filmmakers are trying hard enough.

But its alright to open the proverbial movie floodgates for Mel "The Nazi Aussie" Gibson's snuff film because it was about Christ. This is bullshit, utter, utter bullshit.

[eleny]

14. I just ordered it up on Netflix

It's in my Saved queue of films not yet available yet.

[scentopine]

15. Oh - and tell me again about the purity of the free market?

[SalmonChantedEvening]

16. Kinda makes ya proud. Of what I'm not sure.

I'm sure if they worked in things going kaboom and some blood...

[Justitia]

17. ouch. -eom

[csziggy]

18. So this country is too "Christian" for Darwin but not Christian enough for health care

This is sick in the worst way. I guess we are being dominated by "The Family" brand of "Christianity" - which is nothing like what I was taught as a child.

I want to see that movie!

[Quasimodem]

19. There are martyrs and technology can makes an ass of the law.

Someone in the film community will eventually take the movie on, even though they know it will be an endless hassle and will wind up costing them money - simply because it must be done.

Even if no one will touch it in America, since it has been passed in Canada, it will eventually be released as a Region One DVD. From there, even if it is outlawed (especially if it is outlawed) a great many illegal copies will make their way through America’s ‘porous’ norther border.

And I haven't even mentioned the Internet, or torrent technology.

[provis99]

20. Let me get this straight.

Reality is too controversial for fundamentalists? That sounds about right.

[Odin2005]

21. Ugh. Religion rots your brain.

[Arugula Latte]

22. Too fucking pathetic.

People won't believe evolution -- which has been OBSERVED by humans (pepper moth in industrial England, anyone?) -- yet they think that a story about how a virgin got knocked up by god and gave birth to the savior who died but will come back any day to save us all and suck up believers into the clouds, yes, that is all perfectly believable and true.

[Ozymanithrax]

23. In the US Movie Porn is a muti billion dollar a year bussiness...

But Darwin is too controversial?

[BootinUp]

24. terrific cast, i watched the trailer just now

to be honest this film does not interest me to much though. The material is an examination of the controversy that is not a controversy to me. I would watch it if it was on tv though.

link to the trailer

http://www.filmdocket.com/2009/06/trailer-creation/

[MercutioATC]

25. Paul Bettany as Darwin? Perfect!

He played Dr. Maturin in "Master and Commander"...a so-so film adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's "Aubrey/Maturin" 20-book series of novels.

[comrade snarky]

26. If that's true it is so embarrassing

In the UK Darwin is on the 10 pound note. Imagine what would happen if we tried to put a scientist on our money. It's depressing.




Edited because of an earlier post with the same title. It's like I arrived in the same dress as the hostess.

[Tabasco_Dave]

27. Doesn't surprise me

Hollywood is a corporate shit hole now. They care more about the value of their corporate stocks than making art. All they do now is remakes and comic book movies they don't take risks anymore. It's all business and no show.

[dysfunctional press]

28. why can't we get political asylum from a sane country...?

that's all i really want anymore.

[reggie the dog]

29. THIRD WORLD IDIOTS

Sorry, I am glad I left. Obama is too good for the USA. Darwin is too controversial???? Not even in Italy. Only in America. The USA has to be just about the only country in the world (perhaps Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are extreme enough also) to think that the ideas of Darwin, a peer reviewed scientist, are too controversial. The USA is the laughing stock of the western world.

[Liberal_in_LA]

30. What about the rest of us? USA isn't all holy rollers

[sakabatou]

31. I really want to see the film now.

[KittyWampus]

40. Maybe that's why the producer is releasing this story.

[andym]

32. Well this explains a lot!

No wonder it's so difficult to pass legislation like real health care reform, when the country is mired in such uninformed attitudes about old scientific discoveries that are completely uncontroversial (except in parts of the US)

[Paul J Weighell]

33. USA / Evolution

You poor Americans. Our papers today say you are now the last
country on earth to reject Darwin’s fact of evolution.

As a reasonably scientific Brit I have a lot of sympathy with
the 43% of Americans who say they accept evolution but I think
we all find it just a little bit worrying that a county with
so many nuclear weapons has such a large blind spot about
evidence based reality.

Should we parachute in some copies of the Origin of Species or
do the 57% disbelieve in gravity too as that was an invention
of that other wicked British spawn of satan - Isaac Newton?

[krabigirl]

44. Welcome. Not sure about the paracutes, but (ro)

I'd like to have political asylum in a sane country.

[Solly Mack]

34. That hurts

I hope it isn't true.

[Swede Atlanta]

35. I'd pay to watch it streaming online........

I am a Christian by faith but I consider myself spiritual and not religious.

There is nothing I have read or seen in scientific theory that conflicts with my faith. So I am not afraid to hear others' opinions about matters that may challenge my faith. It is entirely possible I will learn something that will change the way I see something in my faith or I will recognize an aspect of my faith as being allegorical.

If these Christians had any true faith they would not be afraid. They are cowards. They are afraid their faith will be challenged if they see a black president or two men or two women joining in marriage or serving openly in the military. It wasn't that long ago they were afraid their faith would be challenged by allowing the sale of contraception, marriage between a man and a woman of different races, racial integration of the military, giving a woman the right to choose.

Even as a Christian I have intellectual curiosity and I find balance and harmony in that. The fact that I have a brain and the ability to think critically mandates me to use that ability.

The religious nutcases are afraid, very afraid. But their fear oppresses the rest of us.

[Jkid]

36. This merly promotes piracy of the film.

Just another reason to change copyright law. Because sometimes films like this are simply unavailable officially in the US.

[chrisa]

37. Land of the Free.

As long as you're Christian and not too brown...

How stupid.

[Edweird]

38. Hm. I wonder if this is just a PR thing?

[KittyWampus]

39. America as a whole does NOT dismiss scientific theories of the way we evolved

It's the Fundie fringe at maybe 25%.

[Union Yes]

41. Christianity is a ripoff copycat religion. Google "Isis and Horus" "Dyonisis" "Mithra""Krishna"

The story of Jesus' birth and life is a complete ripoff from mythologies that predate Christianity by as much as 1500 years.

[krabigirl]

42. This can't be true. if it is, we are truly doomed.

I don't want my kids growing up under the Taliban. We need to fight back against this ignorance. The rest of the world is so far ahead of us in so many ways now.

[LLStarks]

43. And Passion of the Christ wasn't controversial? nt

[mike_c]

45. words fail me....

:banghead: