Wow! Thats quite a jump! Absence of proof is not proof of absence. I'm not sure what he said or didn't say on the subject but if he just refused to criticise the situation it could be because:
a) He felt he didn't know enough about it to comment to that extent b) That he felt it wasn't a battle worth fighting and that it might undermine his own situation. c) He might be in favour of the dictatorship! I know that seems unlikely but if he was then he could be still interested in the situation! Okay I'm being wildly hypothetical here but I'm making the point that you don't know. Someone can even be a fascist and still be interested in politics don't forget! ;) d) He might have just been afraid. In the past, many legal systems have included the "right to remain silent" when arrested. If you refused to speak or comment, that would not mean that you were guilty, it just meant that you had the right to not engage in speaking in order to protect yourself/others. "Does it mean that he denies political cinema?" er, no, why would it? You seem to be taking one situation in someones life and extrapolating it out to cover unrelated situations. Even if you could somehow establish that he wasn't interested in the political situation in Greece, it's a huge jump to suggest he wasn't interested in politics in any form, or for that matter to suppose that he denied "political cinema" I could be wrong, but I think the following is supposedly a quote from Gregory: "The average man is destroying beauty. The average man no longer looks into another man's eyes. Everyone is afraid . . . sometimes I think the only way to save the United States is by going somewhere else--just as the ancient Greek philosophers fled to Asia Minor and Italy." Is that not a political statement? Is not leaving the united states and withdrawing all your films from circulation not a political statement? To go even further, could you not describe Gregorys films as "political cinema", or at least some of them? They certainly seemed to upset some people! It would also appear that perhaps Gregory was somewhat openly gay in 50's America, something that I assume might be seen as radical, even 10 years later!? (It might be better if someone else could comment on that as I'm not old enough to remember that far back, I'm not American, and truck driving aside... but that is the impression I have!) I think it's wonderful you are writing something about Gregory as there is very little information about his life or his work out there and some of it is conflicting. It would be great to hear more about Gregory more generally? Is there anyone on the list who actually met him or remembers him? Glad to hear you are feeling well and are working hard! :) Good luck with your thesis! love Freya --- On Wed, 11/2/11, Eleni Philippou <[email protected]> wrote: From: Eleni Philippou <[email protected]> Subject: [Frameworks] Gregory Markopoulos and Politics To: "Frameworks" <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 6:12 PM Hello everyone, I am about to argue in my thesis that Markopoulos wasn't interested in politics. The main reason is that he refused to criticize the political situation-dictatorship- while in Greece in the late '60s-early 70s. Does it mean that he denies political cinema? If politics affect all of us, how could I describe him as a political person? Thank you. Best, Eleni p.s. I am fit again and back to my studies. Mea culpa! -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list [email protected] https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks
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