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From: jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.movies,net.nlang.africa
Subject: Re: Two films on the !Kung
Message-ID: <647@rtech.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Sep-85 06:00:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.647
Posted: Sat Sep 21 06:00:29 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 07:24:40 EDT
References: <539@im4u.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Relational Technology, Alameda CA
Lines: 27
Xref: linus net.movies:5956 net.nlang.africa:120

> 
> To quote from the review in "Sojourners:"
> 
>     As this documentary makes clear, "The Gods Must Be Crazy" is not
>     just a naively wrong or unknowing romanticization of Bushman life,
>     but a carefully constructed mirror-image opposite of !Kung life
>     under apartheid.  And in that lie, it has been very successful.  It
>     has proved to be a public relations goldmine for the South African
>     regime.
> 
> --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")

Sigh...  It is true that "The Gods Must Be Crazy" is not "just a naively
wrong or unknowing romanticization of Bushman life".  That is because it
is not really about the Bushmen at all.  It is a comedy about western
civilization.  The Bushmen are there only as foils, to make all the
"advanced" people look silly..

A person would have to be an idiot to see this film, and come away thinking
he had learned something about the Bushmen and their living conditions.  It
is not a documentary, so why review it like one?
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
"Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent..."

{amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff
{ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff


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