ThinkFilm unclear on the concept of censorship

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on July 14th, 2005

Hollywood Reporter is reporting that AMC has decided not to exhibit “The Aristocrats,” on any of its screens. The distributors of the film, ThinkFilm, fails to see how this is the best thing that could happen to the picture. They’ve instead chosen to squawk about censorship, when this is clearly nothing of the kind.

But ThinkFilm contends that AMC, rather than making a simple business calculation, is engaging in censorship, and that given AMC’s status as the country’s second-largest chain, that could impact the film’s fortunes.

It matters not how large the chain is. They don’t have to carry anything they don’t wanna. We suspect that, in the Distributor’s Handbook, the second best thing to happen to your film is if the public thinks that someone is trying to “suppress” it. (It makes no never mind if you, the distributor, is the one making the original claim, of course!)

Oh, sure, documentaries have become sexy lately. But it’s gotta be something from Michael Moore or Errol Morris. And everyone knows the real jack is to be made from DVD sales, not theater receipts. But this censorship thing doesn’t wash. Theaters are all about the bottom line, and AMC is going to take a pass on this one.

Sure enough, it will “impact the film’s fortunes.” But it’s not like AMC would’ve put the movie on 600 screens. According to the report, they originally agreed to maybe put it in two cities. Two cities! Then they backed out. Censorship?

Have these gentlemen ever heard of the term “straight to video?” Let’s see a list of the films that are refused distribution by all the movie theater chains in America each year.

We like to save the “C-word” for when it really counts.

We hear it’s going to be screened in Montreal next week. Hope our tirade doesn’t cheese our chances of getting in!

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