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July 5, 2003 I just finished reading an article in the Honolulu Advertiser that wonders if viewers of Disney-Pixar's recent blockbuster of a children's movie, Finding Nemo, are getting the point. The unamed author of the article (it was more an editorial, really),asks this question, because since the movie came out, the sales of clown fish, which cost about 35-40 dollars per fish, have skyrocketed. This is interesting because the premise of the movie (for the few who haven't yet seen it) is that the clown fish, Nemo, is a prisoner in his fish tank and constantly trying to get out. For most of the movie, his father is trying to find him and get him out of the tank. While this is the most recent example of movie goers completely missing the point of what they just spent two and a half hours (and a small fortune, if they saw it at the theater) of their lives watching, it's certainly not the first. Not by any means. I think of the 80's movie, Wall Street, which many people say "represents" the 80's, the "decade of greed." The only clip that's ever shown of Wall Street is when the Michael Douglas character proclaims "Greed is good." People think, consequently, that the entire message of the film was that "greed is good." Of course, they entirely miss the fact that the same character is in a very bad position at the end of the movie. Regarless of what the character said, I thougt the message was clear: greed really ain't "all that." Movies aren't the only place where people misinterpret the message, though. It's pervasive throught the media. Look at the TV show Gundam Wing. Sure, it's a Japanese cartoon on cable, but that's beside the point. A lot of people like it, although it is a violent show. It's about a bunch of teenagers who are trained from birth to be soldiers, and who fight in a very bloody war. There's also a princess on Earth who is a pacifist, and winds up uniting the world. Most of the people that I've talked to have come away with the idea that violence is the way to solve problems. The point of the show (which is very strongly hinted at in the final episodes) is that pacifism is superior to war. But most don't get that far before condemning the show. Then again, there's the entire Harry Potter series. If I have to see someone protest the Potter books one more time, I think I'm going to scream. The books are accused of teaching "witchcraft." Nevermind that the author is herself a Christian (by choice, not default), knows nothing about Wicca or any other sort of so called "witchcraft" that varius groups practice, and made up her spells based entirely on her knowledge of the Latin language. People get stuck in the magic of the story, and lose sight of the "good vs. evil" theme. Maybe it's time for schools to brush out their lessons on "theme" in works of art, because a lot of us just don't seem to be getting it. And some advice for aspiring writers: if you want literary critics tospend lifetimes debating your work, you can write a good story. If you want to teach a lesson, you'd better beat us over the head with it, otherwise we just might miss it. ------------ About the author: David Aurisano is a graduate student at the University of Houston. Email David: daurisano@hotmail.com ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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