lunes, 23 de mayo de 2016

MercatorNet: Race [NEW SECTION OF "HUMANISMS"] once in a while

MercatorNet: Race



Race

It's not Chariots of Fire, but still an enjoyable family movie.
Rachele Mocchetti | May 23 2016 | comment 

Race **** Directed by Stephen Hopkins; screenplay by Joe Shrapnel e Anna Waterhouse
Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, Eli Goree, David Kross, Carice van Houten
134’; Canada/ France/ Germany 2016.
When Jesse Owens, a young African-American man, is getting ready to start college after many economic sacrifices, Ohio State University is not a casual choice: he knows there he’ll find athletics coach Larry Snyder, a former champion who has long dedicated his life solely to the discipline. Larry quickly realizes he has pure talent in his hands, capable of pulverizing records in more than one discipline. The two seal a deal that sees Jesse completely dedicating himself to Larry’s training, aiming for the Berlin Olympics of 1936. Meanwhile, the racial policies of the Nazi regime raise more and more concerns inside the American Olympic Committee, which considers the idea of boycotting the Games. Jesse himself will have to deal with the pressures of the black community. In the name of the battle against racial discrimination, they ask him to make the greatest sacrifice... refusing to participate in the Olympics.
While sports have always been great vectors for stories for the big screen, it is also fair to state that the world of athletics is among the most complex to represent. Apart from the egregious instance of Chariots of Fire (1981), there are very few movies that manage to engagingly depict a discipline such as track and field, which does not provide team play and where most races end in a few minutes (if not seconds). Race remedies this by focusing on the subject of racial discrimination, explored both in the relationship with the coach, Larry, who in the beginning struggles to understand what it really means to be a young black man in the 1930s, and in the description of Nazi Germany.
The main character, Jesse, is always torn between an extraordinary talent that naturally tends towards greatness, and the obstacles the historical circumstances put in his path. Being accustomed all his life to think of others before himself, Jesse manages to achieve things greater than himself only when, helped by those who love him (his mentor, his wife, his father), he starts taking his desires seriously. The few scenes with his father represent some of the most highly emotional and exciting moments of the movie, so much so that one wonders if this storyline could have been granted more generous space.
Something interesting emerges from the representation of the historical context: for once, Nazi Germany is not simply depicted as a bunch of German drones complying with the regime. Characters like the athlete Luz Long and the friendship that develops between him and Jesse in fact help the viewer to go beyond the stereotypes that plenty of cinema still offers today.
Essentially, despite some flaws, Race is an enjoyable film with the great value of deserving to be included into the increasingly beleaguered category of "family movies".
Problematic elements: none 
(Translated by Pietro Mazzucchelli)
- See more at: http://www.mercatornet.com/popcorn/view/race/18106#sthash.YgEt6IyU.dpuf



MercatorNet

In our lead story today, Margaret Somervillle discusses the ethics of head transplants. Or whole body transplants, which sounds a bit more acceptable. This is, no kidding, a serious proposal by an Italian transplant surgeon. One person has already volunteered to be the head. All that is needed is a body and a country where an ethics committee will give its blessing to the project. 

This brought back fond memories of late-night creature features. In the 50s and 60s they really knew how to make B-grade horror films. Lots of blood and gore, a few mad scientists, a barely plausible pretext for a plot, and a flickering black & white TV. Nothing can be more satisfying than that.
Given the Italian surgeon's proposal, The Brain that Wouldn't Die now looks prophetic. Does anyone remember The Fly, about a scientist who also loses his head, albeit in a more creative way? Or, my favourite, The Blob, Steve McQueen's first feature? If this is prophetic, we're in trouble. From a meteorite oozes a gooey slime which dissolves and absorbs everything living it touches, eventually absorbing most inhabitants in a small American town. Steve & Co dispose of it by dumping it in the Arctic. We're safe, says Steve, "as long as the Arctic stays cold." With global warming, who knows how long that will be? 


Michael Cook

Editor

MERCATORNET



Looking ahead for new transplant techniques

Margaret Somerville | FEATURES | 23 May 2016
An Italian surgeon wants to perform head transplants.

Read more...
The air-brushed portrait of a perfect marriage

Paddy Manning | CONJUGALITY | 23 May 2016
English courts are helping to build a Potemkin village for same-sex marriage.

Read more...
Race

Rachele Mocchetti | POPCORN | 23 May 2016
It's not Chariots of Fire, but still an enjoyable family movie.

Read more...
India’s declining fertility

Shannon Roberts | DEMOGRAPHY IS DESTINY | 23 May 2016
Population panic turns to concern about fertility problems.

Read more...
Ahead in the cloud: East African digital pioneers

Mathew Otieno | HARAMBEE | 22 May 2016
Silicon Savannah is producing smart innovators.

Read more...
MERCATORNET | New Media Foundation

Suite 12A, Level 2, 5 George Street, North Strathfied NSW 2137, Australia



Designed by elleston

New Media Foundation | Suite 12A, Level 2, 5 George St | North Strathfield NSW 2137 | AUSTRALIA | +61 2 8005 8605 

No hay comentarios: