Where's the Joy?
I’d like to begin by saying that I am truly blowing smoke right now. No, I’m throwing a temper tantrum. I just found out that the upcoming, highly-anticipated release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has now been pushed back to July 2009. Yeah, JULY-2009.
The release of the next Harry Potter film was a beacon of light on the horizon of the barren landscape that has been the 2008 production year. I had hope, that, if nothing else, I would at least enjoy one movie other than WALL-E. I would at least see one thing that brought excitement, sentiment, and fun back into an otherwise relatively dull year of cinema. And, if I can be frank, I have grown incredibly weary of how the entertainment industry seems concerned with very little other than profit.
In the article I read, Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer for Warner Brother’s had this to say:
”Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films–changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
OK, so it really is just about money. Were Mr. Horn an animated character in a Loony Toon he’d have dollar signs scrolling through his eyeballs right now. I think it’s great how he tries to make a plea for their case by bringing up the writers strike. Sorry, but wasn’t the writers strike brought on by greedy execs like Mr. Horn? Which brings me to my main issue: If everything really is about revenue and money, is there any room anymore for the JOY of film?
I am someone who loves movies. I love sitting in a darkened, cool theater with my phone on silent and my eyes glued to the screen. I love the escape. I love being educated or enraged by a movie. I love laughing. I love how sometimes I cry so much I am embarrassed. I always find myself hoping that somewhere in the process of making a film I have enjoyed, someone involved enjoyed it as well. Then I read a quote like that of Mr. Horn’s and I realize, for a lot, it is just a job; just a cash cow. Jimmy Stewart once said, “Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.” So, I ask you, where have all the true filmmakers gone?
I love Jimmy’s quote. Sure, he was already paid before the films he acted in even went into production(and, yes, times have changed), but that shouldn’t invalidate his statement. There was a time when filmmakers felt passionate about the relationship between themselves and us (the audience). Which makes me wonder: did the philosophy of making films for the joy of it go the way of the classics, left back in black and white, replaced by mass-appeal moneymakers with flash, green-screens, and shock value?
I’ll leave you with this quote from director Francis Ford Coppola: ”The professional world was much more unpleasant than I thought.” And, as far as I can tell, I would probably agree with him. So even though Mr. Horn will likely never read this, I’d like to say, from me an avid film-goer and someone who recognizes it’s power: I wish that you would remember there is more to movies than money and the pursuit of a greater market share.