After reading an article in the UK Telegraph claiming that a film about Charles Darwin titled Creation had been deemed too controversial by distributors in America because it advocated evolution theory, I got suckered into watching it. Hey, at least it was free on HBO. In the Telegraph article by Showbiz editor Anita Singh, the film's producer Jeremy Thomas was quoted as saying: The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they've seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up. It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There's still a great belief that He made the world in six days. It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules. Charles Darwin is, I suppose, the hero of the film. But we tried to make the film in a very even-handed way. Darwin wasn't saying 'kill all religion', he never said such a thing, but he is a totem for people. Sounds like a tired cliche--Darwin good, religion bad. Was the moviemaker correct in his assessment?  Why weren’t distributors fighting over the rights to the film in America? I think I know the answer. The movie wasn’t controversial. It was boring. That’s only when it wasn’t depressing as hell. Morose would be far too cheerful a word to describe this film. Besides, the premise for his complaint was completely … [Read more...]