18-09-2009, 08:36 PM
More generally, there is a conflict between art on the one hand, and political truth on the other. Further complicated because art in the service of a political agenda can easily become filthy propaganda, as Leni Riefenstahl proved for all time....
This is hugely complex and I'm busking this in the interests of debate and discussion, which is always dangerous.
However, a movie or a book or a poem or a painting can work as art whilst having politically dodgy elements.
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness has been much criticized for its portrayal of African "savages". However, it works as art. I'm with the sublime English author Angela Carter, who was in many ways a political artist, in being able to ignore the setting of Heart of Darkness, which is hackneyed to a modern audience, and instead concentrating on its deep themes, its profound journey.
Similarly, the movie Man on Fire is prima facie racist in its representation of Mexicans. However, Denzel Washington's portrayal of the broken shell of a deep black assassin, and his character's act of selflessness at the climax of the movie, works as art. I never thought I would like a Tony Scott movie, but Man on Fire has some great scenes.
Against that, I find Midnight Express, made by the impeccably left-wing trio of Alan Parker, David Puttnam and scriptwriter Oliver Stone, to be an unwatchable racist horrorshow from first frame to last, failing utterly both artistically and politically.
I also fully accept that we all have our own idiosyncratic response to films, books, paintings etc.
For instance, I consider Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow to be that rare thing: a work of artistic and political genius, and have read its 760 dense pages eight times forward and twice backwards.
Most readers don't get beyond the first 100 pages of Gravity's Rainbow...
This is hugely complex and I'm busking this in the interests of debate and discussion, which is always dangerous.
However, a movie or a book or a poem or a painting can work as art whilst having politically dodgy elements.
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness has been much criticized for its portrayal of African "savages". However, it works as art. I'm with the sublime English author Angela Carter, who was in many ways a political artist, in being able to ignore the setting of Heart of Darkness, which is hackneyed to a modern audience, and instead concentrating on its deep themes, its profound journey.
Similarly, the movie Man on Fire is prima facie racist in its representation of Mexicans. However, Denzel Washington's portrayal of the broken shell of a deep black assassin, and his character's act of selflessness at the climax of the movie, works as art. I never thought I would like a Tony Scott movie, but Man on Fire has some great scenes.
Against that, I find Midnight Express, made by the impeccably left-wing trio of Alan Parker, David Puttnam and scriptwriter Oliver Stone, to be an unwatchable racist horrorshow from first frame to last, failing utterly both artistically and politically.
I also fully accept that we all have our own idiosyncratic response to films, books, paintings etc.
For instance, I consider Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow to be that rare thing: a work of artistic and political genius, and have read its 760 dense pages eight times forward and twice backwards.
Most readers don't get beyond the first 100 pages of Gravity's Rainbow...
"It means this War was never political at all, the politics was all theatre, all just to keep the people distracted...."
"Proverbs for Paranoids 4: You hide, They seek."
"They are in Love. Fuck the War."
Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
"Ccollanan Pachacamac ricuy auccacunac yahuarniy hichascancuta."
The last words of the last Inka, Tupac Amaru, led to the gallows by men of god & dogs of war
"Proverbs for Paranoids 4: You hide, They seek."
"They are in Love. Fuck the War."
Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
"Ccollanan Pachacamac ricuy auccacunac yahuarniy hichascancuta."
The last words of the last Inka, Tupac Amaru, led to the gallows by men of god & dogs of war