Is the situation in Ferguson reminding anyone else of this movie?
It certainly reminds me of it.
shareBut now Chuck Tatum doesn't have to go to "Albuquerque", he can stay in New York and spout baseless speculation from there!
shareNo, the situation in Ferguson, MO, in August, 2014, doesn't remind me at all of what happens in Ace in the Hole.
The key elements in the film were one reporter hogging the entire story, encouraging hordes of gaping gawkers to stream in to see the "circus", while a few fast-buck artists make money off of Leo's plight. Tatum is seen as a hero by the mob. The event had no significance beyond itself, except in terms of showing the callousness of human behavior.
Ferguson is a scene of violence and confrontation, with no one coming in to watch (though some may be coming in to stir things up even more), no one profiting from it (except maybe hotels putting up the media people), no one hawking souvenirs, putting up ferris wheels or writing songs about the victim, Michael Brown. And everyone in the media is involved in overkilling this real-life tragedy, none of them is considered a hero, and many have themselves been criticized and even attacked by protesters. Plus there are larger issues at stake stemming from how and why Brown was killed.
Other than their broadly becoming a media obsession and showing some people at their worst, the two situations aren't at all alike. And while a modern "Chuck Tatum" could stay in New York (or wherever) and pontificate, he might just as readily fly in to St. Louis to be seen on the ground for added camera time.
At any rate, at least in Ferguson or Escadero they're not beheading journalists.
I wonder how many people may read this thread five or six or ten years from now and even remember what we're talking about?
[This was written on Thursday, August 21, 2014...for the historical record!]
Valid points. Won't disagree. Maybe RASHOMON would fit the situation?
A very good point. Ferguson is a Rashomon-type situation if ever there were one. Everyone has his own version of events. Even cellphone videos and recorded sounds of gunshots are still prey to individual memory or interpretation.
The media circus and overkill in Ferguson is reminiscent of AITH but that's not the crux of what's going on in that community.
Although in both cases the one common victim is the truth.
Good point about the cell phone vids and recorded sounds fueling the template of truth. Maybe a RASHOMON re-make of this in the recently deceased "found footage" genre would be fitting for this story?
shareSince so much of the Ferguson story relies on eye witness accounts and numberless second-, third- and fourth-hand tales, I think a pure Blair Witch "found footage"-style presentation wouldn't quite be the right approach. But incorporating "found" film or recordings into the witnesses' narratives would be in keeping with the spirit and intent of Rashomon.
Add to this the media-circus aspect using a combined Ace in the Hole/Network/The Front Page approach and you may be able to approximate what's going on in Ferguson today. For that matter, this could be used in many such situations we've seen around the world for many years now.
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the sphynx in NYC