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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies,net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Filmex: "Sex Mission"
Message-ID: <4552@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 28-Mar-85 01:51:51 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.4552
Posted: Thu Mar 28 01:51:51 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 31-Mar-85 03:07:41 EST
References: <4521@ucla-cs.ARPA> <4541@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 48
Xref: watmath net.movies:5992 net.sf-lovers:6892
Summary: 

In article <4541@ucla-cs.ARPA> srt@ucla-cs.UUCP (Scott Turner) writes:
>First, I thought the satire was incompletely done.  The world portrayed in
>the film mirrored current day totalitarianism, obviously, but failed to
>develop the concept.  It seems to me that a film on a social problem needs
>3 facets:
>
>	1) A development of why the situation is a problem
>	2) A suggested solution
>	3) The results of the solution
>
>Furthermore, I don't think that the parallel they
>develop has any real bearing on modern day totalitarianism.

If you mean the statement of the problem has no bearing, well, I think it does
if one pursues certain parallels.  As far as the solution goes, take it as
a metaphor.  In fact, the film "Sex Mission" is an example of the real world
implementation of the sort of solution that was used in the picture: those
who see the problem and dare to do something subverting the system from within
by attacking the hearts and minds of the more complacent citizens.  If works of
art like "Sex Mission" don't get slapped down, then sooner or later their effect
will be a population which won't put up with totalitarianism.  "Sex Mission" 
thus must tread a rather fine line, for if its subversiveness is too obvious,
the director could end up in jail or deported.

>Some people are satisfied with a satire that only addresses the first issue
>above, and I don't mean to contradict your viewpoint.  I'm only pointing out
>what seemed to me an incompleteness in the film.

I should mention that most of the great classic satires are no more than an
exposition of problems.  For instance, "Gulliver's Travels", "A Modest 
Proposal", and "The Threepenny Opera" all expose the absurdity of problems,
but offer no serious solutions to the problems.  As I see it, the satirist's
job is to grab his audience by the shirtcollars and shake enough sense into
them that they can see what's wrong.  This is hard enough without demanding
solutions.

>Finally, I wanted to note that the foreigness of the picture is really brought
>home in the final shot - something you definitely wouldn't see in an American
>film.
>
Definitely.  This may wind up being a real tease, as, what with the current
climit in America about certain subjects, an American release print may well
have the last shot cut.
-- 

        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher