"Death of a President" not welcome on all screens


The free market and choice rule the day.
Jason Apuzzo at Libertas has some surprising news. Emphasis added.

In what is a very positive development (see Hollywood Reporter and Reuters), several major theater chains are freely choosing not to allow Gabriel Range’s Death of a President on their screens. Let me repeat that for you Lefties out there: what this means is that theater chains are freely electing not to screen the film, a film that is of course not ‘entitled’ to exhibition by anyone. This has come without interference from the Bush White House or Congressional Republicans, as opposed to what happened when Bill Clinton and Congressional Democrats pressured ABC to pull Path to 9/11 off the air or risk their broadcast license.

So the free market system is working nicely here. Regal Entertainment and Cinemark USA have refused to show the film, although ‘Republican’ Sumner Redstone’s National Amusements and ‘Republican’ Mark Cuban’s Landmark Theaters may still show it.

One of the issues burning alongside the film’s assassination depiction is how quickly the film is being rushed into theaters - apparently to exploit the forthcoming election. This is the same strategy that was undertaken, of course, for Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 - and it’s heartening that at least some exhibitors are brave enough not to comply with this nakedly partisan strategy.

Personally I think people should be able to make whatever films they want. Getting people to pay to see it and not committing slander, that is the tricky bit.

I may be wrong, but I think that someone will try to claim censorship over this refusal. They'll need some luck.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - October 8, 2006 at 05:01 AM  Tag


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