Greg gboozell at juno.com
B. wrote:
> I might've ranted about how prescient and just
> devastatingly great this movie is before, but as it's
> officially unavailable on DVD - to the best of my
> knowledge - and is currently being run on the Sundance
> Channel in a remarkably cleaned up, crystal clear
> version, I have to urge you all to watch it, if you
> can.
>
> It's Peter Watkins's _Privilege_, made in 1967 in
> reaction to Beatlemania, a phenomenon that reminded
> Watkins frighteningly of the mass hysteria at
> Hitler-worshipping Nazi Party rallies. The government
> manufactures a pop icon of their own and the pop icon,
> Steen Shorter, becomes a success with the youth.
>
> Anyway, he is fed gvot.-approved material to perform,
> all of which encourages a slavish nationalist
> Christianity among the screaming, crying fans, who
> don't suspect they're being led down a sinister path
> of subservience.
>
> This is a scene of priests and aging hipsters rocking
> out as the band performs a post-Beatles version of
> "Onward Christian Soldiers" designed to appeal to
> youth:
>
>
> http://youtube.com/watch?v=LMr7JLsEQhk
>
>
> By the end of the film, the Church-State duopoly has
> successfully co-opted the rock industry to the point
> that bands are performing nothing but calls to for
> obedience to Christ, etc., and the concerts have gone
> from Beatlemania-esque mayhem to rallies that eerily
> resemble "Triumph of the Will" Nazi Party gatherings,
> as shown in this scene:
>
>
> http://youtube.com/watch?v=l_20Vikpwyg
>
>
> Priests bless the audience and the British flag; the
> audience are bearing fascist-like flags and standards,
> etc.
>
> Such a great, cynical (but in the good way, not the
> way Horkheimer said) film, and for 1967 especially, as
> it wasn't really 'til the 80s with the PMRC that folks
> like the Dead Kennedys, rap artists, Bill Hicks, etc.,
> began to complain in organized fashion about safe
> "corporate rock," government-approved rock 'n roll,
> etc.
>
> Check it out while Sundance is still running it,
> otherwise good luck finding bootlegs (of which - ahem
> - I have one...)
>
> -B.
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
>
>
>
____________________________________________________________ Click here for great computer networking solutions! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3oHgMmsBv9LzHo0NNEF1dXVHfQk76WyoO29QVRkrrDUKTh0B/