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April 30, 2006
United 93: Two kinds of numb
All entries on United 93 here.
There's a roundup of blogger reviews at Hot Air, both of the movie and critiques of the MSM critics. It was interesting that many spoke of being numbed by the movie (as in temporarily emotionally overwhelmed) or un-numbed by the movie (as in emotional catharsis renewing one's focus and resolve).
Craig at Lead and Gold takes my last post on Mars and Venus and runs with it. (I can't really summarize the post, you have to read the whole thing.) He quotes David Gerlernter a lot, on resisting nihilism. And G.K. Chesterton:
Do not be proud of the fact that your grandmother was shocked at something which your are accustomed to seeing or hearing without being shocked. . . . It may be that your grandmother was an extremely lively and vital animal and that you are a paralytic.This isn't the same kind of numbness as described by the bloggers above. They are temporarily numb from allowing the drama in the film to deeply penetrate their souls and inform their choices, which is one of the functions of art. The numbness Chesterton describes, which is similar to the reaction I gave examples of in the Mars and Venus post, comes from experiencing the same emotions, but keeping their meaning at bay. The reviewers I quoted are trying desperately to keep Flight 93 from mattering, to themselves or anyone else. (Gerard van der Leun quotes yet another one, from our jaded old friend the New York Times.) These critics line up on one side of the fault line I described:
People who believe we need to counter this threat aggressively, with war if necessary, are using the film to strengthen their resolve. Those who think war is a wrongheaded response understand the role the film plays for "warmongers," and want to undermine its power by finding fault with its fidelity to facts and its treatment of heroism.
As noted by Michelle Malkin, Universal Studios has created two different websites for the movie, reflecting each side of the fault line. I guess their savvy marketing team learned from their focus groups that a site was needed which second-guesses the film's straightforward and inspiring exposition. (Or perhaps some executives made an executive decision that would maintain their credentials as Hollywood liberals.)
Judith | 04/30/06 at 12:22 AM | Categories: - Power to the People
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