[FairfieldLife] Re: How to deal with films critical of religion? Try to ban or censor them.
This attempt by the Church of Scientology to get this film blocked lessens my opinion of them. Simply because if you want less people to see a negative film about you, the last thing you do is try and get it banned. Haven't they heard of the concept of banned in Boston? A sure way to make your movie or book a hit is to get people thinking there is something that is so much of interest or controversy that you try and squelch it. A guarantee for good box office. The makers of the film must be thanking the Church for their donation of free publicity for the film. I wasn't aware that TM did this, contrary to what Barry writes below. Certainly, the TMO will do this vis a vis blocking access to MUM students or course participants but I wasn't aware that they did this to the general public. Could he or anyone supply some examples? And is Barry correct about The Simpson's? I remember a South Park episode about Tom Cruise and his alleged homosexuality being attacked by Scientology, but wasn't aware of a Simpson's episode. And, by the way, the ONLY South Park episode I ever saw was the Tom Cruise one precisely because Scientology and/or Cruise tried so hard to have it banned that I simply had to watch it, proving my point above. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: How the Church Of Scientology is choosing to deal with this German film critical of its organization is interesting, because we don't know yet how the TM organization is going to deal with the German film David Wants To Fly. Both organizations have a history of trying to legally suppress critical comment about them. Heck, the Scientologists tried to have an episode of The Simpsons banned, probably because its writers were being mean to them. We'll just have to wait and see whether the TMO takes the same ban the critics who are being mean to us approach. Scientologists Try To Block Highly Critical Film The Church Of Scientology has expressed anger at a German TV film that is reported to be critical of the controversial organization. Germany's state broadcaster, ARD, is planning to broadcast the film, titled Bis Nichts Mehr Bleibt, which translates as Until Nothing Remains. The 90-minute drama tells the story of Heiner von Ronns, a German man who leaves the organization after donating a large amount of money, and ends up losing contact with his daughter and wife, who remain members. The film is based on a true story. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/11/scientologists-try-block-ge\ rman-film Reports indicate http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100308-25733.html the film is notable for being extremely critical of the organization, portraying it is totalitarian and dangerous. Scientology leaders called the drama a piece of propaganda and have sought to censor the film before its broadcast, criticizing the state station for not supporting religious tolerance. Jürg Stettler, a spokesman for Scientology in Germany, said, We will show that the so-called expert engaged by ARD Ursula Caberta is feeding the media false information, adding that the film's reportedly true story is fabricated. Exactly the opposite of what ARD shows is the truth, he said. ARD's programme director Volker Herres has dismissed the accusations, and hit out against Scientology. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/7425124/Scient\ ologists-try-to-ban-critical-German-feature-film.html We're not dealing here with a religion, rather with an organization that has completely different motives, he said. Scientology is about power, business, and building up a network. Its lessons are pure science fiction, it's no religion, no church, no sect. The Church of Scientology has had a difficult history in Germany, where it is officially designated an anti-constitutional organization. In 2007, the German protestant church called Tom Cruise the Goebbels of Scientology http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/07/23/german-church-tom-cruise-_n_57\ 390.html after Cruise, a prominent member, starred in the film Valkyrie, set in Nazi Germany. The following year the German government attempted to ban the organization after reports of illegal activity http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/21/germany-drops-scientology_n_14\ 5537.html .
[FairfieldLife] Re: How to deal with films critical of religion? Try to ban or censor them.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ShempMcGurk shempmcg...@... wrote: This attempt by the Church of Scientology to get this film blocked lessens my opinion of them. ... I wasn't aware that TM did this, contrary to what Barry writes below. Certainly, the TMO will do this vis a vis blocking access to MUM students or course participants but I wasn't aware that they did this to the general public. Could he or anyone supply some examples? I was thinking not of any films but of the online seminar that John Knapp had organized. The TMO's lawyers contacted him and made threats if he went ahead with it, so he canceled the seminar. And is Barry correct about The Simpson's? I remember a South Park episode about Tom Cruise and his alleged homosexuality being attacked by Scientology, but wasn't aware of a Simpson's episode. Now that you mention it, that may be the episode I was thinking of. Stupid of the Scientologists to try to censor it, whichever show it was on.
[FairfieldLife] Re: How to deal with films critical of religion? Try to ban or censor them.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ShempMcGurk shempmcg...@... wrote: This attempt by the Church of Scientology to get this film blocked lessens my opinion of them. Simply because if you want less people to see a negative film about you, the last thing you do is try and get it banned. Haven't they heard of the concept of banned in Boston? A sure way to make your movie or book a hit is to get people thinking there is something that is so much of interest or controversy that you try and squelch it. A guarantee for good box office. Interestingly, the producers of the recent film about Darwin tried to evoke precisely this result by claiming it couldn't get a distributor because the distributors were afraid of protests. Not sure it did them much good, though, given the film's very mixed critical reception. Even more interesting is this paragraph from the Guardian article at the link: The filming of Valkyrie sparked numerous clashes between the filmmakers and the government, which initially prevented them from filming on several historical sites, including the Bendler Block where Stauffenberg was hanged, due in part to Cruise's association with Scientology. The ban was eventually lifted. The HuffPo article Barry quotes doesn't mention that the attempts at film-banning have gone both ways. It does note that the German government took a good stab at banning the Scientology organization itself: The following year the German government attempted to ban the organization after reports of illegal activity. According to the linked article, it had to drop the attempt for lack of evidence of illegal activity.
[FairfieldLife] Re: How to deal with films critical of religion? Try to ban or censor them.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ShempMcGurk shempmcgurk@ wrote: This attempt by the Church of Scientology to get this film blocked lessens my opinion of them. ... I wasn't aware that TM did this, contrary to what Barry writes below. Certainly, the TMO will do this vis a vis blocking access to MUM students or course participants but I wasn't aware that they did this to the general public. Could he or anyone supply some examples? I was thinking not of any films but of the online seminar that John Knapp had organized. The TMO's lawyers contacted him and made threats if he went ahead with it, so he canceled the seminar. ...and now that you mention it, someone -- presumably the TMO -- had that youtube of that German Rajah calling for invincibility for germany removed. That pissed me off more than when the copyright holders had them remove my favorite youtube version of the Bangles Walk like an Egyptian. The German audience rising in spontaneous opposition to that nutcase was great theatre...and especially the part where you see Bevan stealthily sneaking offstage once things start to go south. But unless you're looking for it, you miss it And is Barry correct about The Simpson's? I remember a South Park episode about Tom Cruise and his alleged homosexuality being attacked by Scientology, but wasn't aware of a Simpson's episode. Now that you mention it, that may be the episode I was thinking of. Stupid of the Scientologists to try to censor it, whichever show it was on.
[FairfieldLife] Re: How to deal with films critical of religion? Try to ban or censor them.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ShempMcGurk shempmcgurk@ wrote: This attempt by the Church of Scientology to get this film blocked lessens my opinion of them. Simply because if you want less people to see a negative film about you, the last thing you do is try and get it banned. Haven't they heard of the concept of banned in Boston? A sure way to make your movie or book a hit is to get people thinking there is something that is so much of interest or controversy that you try and squelch it. A guarantee for good box office. Interestingly, the producers of the recent film about Darwin tried to evoke precisely this result by claiming it couldn't get a distributor because the distributors were afraid of protests. Not sure it did them much good, though, given the film's very mixed critical reception. Even more interesting is this paragraph from the Guardian article at the link: The filming of Valkyrie sparked numerous clashes between the filmmakers and the government, which initially prevented them from filming on several historical sites, including the Bendler Block where Stauffenberg was hanged, due in part to Cruise's association with Scientology. The ban was eventually lifted. The HuffPo article Barry quotes doesn't mention that the attempts at film-banning have gone both ways. It does note that the German government took a good stab at banning the Scientology organization itself: The following year the German government attempted to ban the organization after reports of illegal activity. According to the linked article, it had to drop the attempt for lack of evidence of illegal activity. I suppose that trying to get something banned is NOT, as I write above, always a sure way to success. It doesn't always work. Donald Trump seems to be successful in threatening to sue people and getting them to shut up about him. I'm thinking Rosie O'Donnell who was stifled by The Donald when she attempted to show that not only wasn't he worth as much as he claimed but that he was on the verge of bankruptcy.
