New Darwin film shunned by America

83 Comments

1. Fantastic film, lucky enough to live in Malvern where it premiered. I really hope they reconsider. 🙁
2. I’ll definitely go to see this movie. The trailer looks promising and the cast is just great.
   I’m really surprised that anyone could consider it as too controversial for Americans…maybe it was just marketing- controversy sells. If not, I just find it strange.
   I wonder what the reactions will be here, in Poland, where more than 90 % of people are catholic. Last month we had lots of protests and discussions before the Madonna’s concert :/ so I’m really courius how some fanatics will react when they hear about the movie with a phrase “(…) God doesn’t exist” in it….
3. Just been to see Inherit the Wind at the Old Vic tonight and it was written in the 50s based on a true story in the 20s, when a school teacher was put on trial for talking about Darwinism to his pupils. Kevin Spacey and David Troughton were both amazing (Spacey’s like Derren, you immediately feel safe and he has what I call a twinkle – nothing rude, mind), but acting aside, it was a reminder of the breath-taking, jaw-dropping delusion which can still exist. Then, there wasn’t the communication network and the TV and the web and the science – what the Hell is reason for it still continuing in our time?! Be spiritual, be good, but don’t tell me some old prophet managed to halt the sun a few thousand years ago and we’re around to read about it in some book.
4. And who would miss the chance to dribble over Paul Bettany anyway – even with the shaven forehead look. Why do I always go for red-headed men?
5. I wonder what the Founding Fathers would think of such religious intolerance. Wasn’t America supposed to be a light in the darkness for free thought and tolerance?
6. I’m really looking forward to this film, seen the trailer a few times and looks like it will be an interesting film.

7. Pingback: Tvbot.se » New Darwin film shunned by America « Derren Brown Blog

8. @Eric Schmitt–Your comments are most intelligent. Thanks.

   While there is some very good evidence for evolution, sorry, it’s not ‘proven’, as the only ‘science’ that has ‘proofs’ is mathematics. ‘Evolution’ itself is still evolving as a theory. To believe that Darwin got everything right a hundred-something years ago is just short-sighted.
   Not all Americans are rabid Christians, though obviously a diverse, ‘free’ country of 300 million+ people will statistically have some loud loonies. Just for the record, the THEORY of evolution was covered quite well in my high school biology class. Religion wasn’t covered at all, in any class.
   The comments on this subject are disappointing in the main. Guess we just haven’t evolved past nationalistic prejudice no matter where we live. Pity, that.
9. Funny too how there can be rabid ‘non-believers’ as well as rabid ‘believers’. Think about it–really. Their behaviour is awfully similar when you look closely.

   And for the record, I’m not a ‘Christian’. And I wouldn’t mind seeing the film. Glad Newmarket picked it up and I’ll have the chance.
10. The Middle Ages? No, they were actually quite into scientific inquiry then. This reeks more of the Renaissance, when the Catholic church banned the publications of Galileo’s works.
11. i think a film like this is needed,there is so much proof around us telling us that we evolved, fossils dating back millions of yrs etc. Why are so many people so quick to believe in the bible & god, it’s mere heresay, an idea which is so far fetched it’s ridiculous! The jubeo-christian god evolved as a construct, a political effort to accumulate church power and crush the followers of older, established religions by making the new god more powerful, intrusive, more petulant and more irrational than any previous god or goddess. Bits were taken from other religions and combined into the god people blindly follow today. The story of Christ is a slip shod retelling of the Mithras & Osiris legends grafted to the clumsy attempt of an aggressive rabbi to be crowned king of Israel!!
12. plato.
    1 knowledge is perception
    2 man is the measure of all things
    3 everything is in a state of flux
13. actually plato thought that the world already existed and that the creator came across it , thought it was a bit rubbish and tried to fix it. maybe we should take that further. the creator realised he couldn’t fix it and went off in a divine huff lol
14. consider

    Treat the other man’s faith gently; it is all he has to believe with. His mind was created for his own thoughts, not yours or mine
    Henry S. Haskins

    but

    You have to lead people gently toward what they already know is right.
    Phil Crosby
15. well said ken.
    is is ridiculous… and i think america needs to get over the fact that evolution is *not* a theory but is, in fact, FACT.
16. @helen – 2 man is the measure of all things – in his own mind maybe…
17. I’ve just watched the trailer (Forgot to last night) and it looks a beautiful film. What an amazing man and an amazing family. And, oh, Benedict Cumberbatch too. Fab. I know what my next Orange Wednesday will be…
18. You know, we could all be taking this totally the wrong way…

    The film struggled to get a distributor in the US, but it’s perfectly possible that any British made Victorian bio-pic about a famous Englishman would struggle just the same over there.

    Saying that, save me a space on the “quit teaching kids creationism like it’s real science” bandwagon. Window seat if possible.
19. Sometimes I think America and Iran are made for each other.
20. So…a film about Darwin gets shunned yet America freely funds films like Borat/Bruno.

    Now I’m a big fan of Borat/Bruno, but they have content in that is FAR more detrimental than f*cking SCIENCE surely?!

    “Shapeshifting Jews” for starters!
21. @JayKay

    @helen – 2 man is the measure of all things – in his own mind maybe…

    that was the point. i think anyways sometimes its difficult with plato. lol
22. America is not the only place to be shunning this film. None of the large multiplexes within reasonable distance of my home in SW England are screening it. Only the arthouse cinema in Exeter is doing so. Not exactly the wide distribution that such a film deserves, if only for the critically acclaimed acting performances and cinematography.
23. I’M STILL STUCK TO MY SOFA WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME OH GOD PLEASE HELP ME UP
24. I suppose they have produced some more ignorant comments like “if evolution is real then why isn’t there a half elephant and half kangaroo?”.

    At least it will be embraced here in the UK, after all the the truth is the truth. Right?.
25. God made the world in seven days…On the fourth day he created the sun and the moon…the actual things needed for measuring a day.

    Whoops!
26. well other than the fact that it looks boring, I dont see how evolution takes god out of the equation..

    They say he works in mysterious ways, so he uses science to do things. He doesnt use magic

    I think man just confused the whole situation, he never actually said we came from apes.

    All he is saying is that species have the abilitly to adapt to their surroundings, because with out it they would die.

    God has given us a survival mechanism and we just decide to call it evelution.
27. @helen – Aha! Ta.
28. “Half of British adults do not believe in evolution, with at least 22% preferring the theories of creationism or intelligent design to explain how the world came about, according to a survey.

    The poll found that 25% of Britons believe Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is “definitely true”, with another quarter saying it is “probably true”. Half of the 2,060 people questioned were either strongly opposed to the theory or confused about it.

    The Rescuing Darwin survey, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of ­Species, found that around 10% of people chose young Earth creationism – the belief that God created the world sometime in the last 10,000 years – over evolution.” -News Blaze website
29. Ps. I do not believe in creationism.
30. I don’t even see why it could offend audiences, it barely references evolution whatsoever. Its the framework to the film, but its not like.. heres some bones, this is evolution, THERE IS NO GOD. Its more about family and a little about Darwin’s crisis of faith.

    And Paul Bettany makes it completely OK to fancy Darwin. But you’ll have to fight Dawkins for his affection.
31. Grrr… Evolution is absolute scientific fact, i don’t understand how people still believe in Creation. Like, i’m okay with people using religion as a crutch; life is hard, human psychology is fragile, it gets them through the tough times… but not when you start living your life by what a lonely old priest has interpreted.

    Bahaha. I sound like a closed minded hater….not actually true.

    BUT, ♥ Richard Dawkins. AKA. Dr. Girly Voice.
32. There is still an ongoing conflict going on in America between Religion and Darwinism. And the biggest problem the world has is the theorie of creatinism is still young compared to Religions many thousands of years of taking hold.

    Maybe the film should be watched before comment is passed, much like that infamous debate between the Python team and the religious zealots when Life of Brian was released.
33. I saw this film last night – fantastic. Go and see it! The whole thing is just really well done and has a good tone to it.