The Tribal Mind: How not to look stupid

Wednesday May 9, 2007 04:08 PM

Who We Are

To learn how Kevin Rudd tortured an Australian icon, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
It's up to you. This week you can choose to make a difference, and redeem Australia's reputation as a nation of discerning cinemagoers. Or you can stand idly by and let us be shamed in the eyes of the world as a nation whose young people have been zombified by the Hollywood entertainment machine, losing the archetypal human appreciation of the fundamentals of storytelling -- plot, character development, emotional diversity and intellectual engagement.

For the most part, the list of Australia's favourite movies so far this year speaks well of our taste, but there's trouble at the top, and that's where you come in.

The highest-grossing movies of 2009:
1 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $40.1 million
2 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince $38.5m
3 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $30m
4 Twilight $22m
5 The Hangover $21m
6 Monsters Vs Aliens $20.5m
7 Slumdog Millionaire $20m
8 Wolverine $18.5m
9 Angels and Demons $18m
10 Night At The Museum 2 $17m.

If we allow this situation to stand, history will record that Australia's most seen movie of 2009 was a collection of explosions. Possibly we could live with that, if it was only one year. But the deeper problem becomes apparent in this chart.

The highest grossing movies of all time:
1 Titanic (1997) $58 million
2 Shrek 2 (2004) $50m
3 The Return of the King (2003) $49m
4 Crocodile Dundee (1986) $48m
5 Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $47m
6 The Two Towers (2002) $46m
7 The Dark Knight (2008) $46m
8 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) $42m
9 Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) $40m
10 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $40m.

Do we want a film made for (and apparently by) 11 year old boys to be part of Australia's all-time top ten, when spending three hours out of the house this week could change history? It's bad enough that Star Wars Ep I (featuring Jar Jar Binks) appears in the list, but we can excuse that with the argument that fans were curious to see if George Lucas could sustain the commitment to classical storytelling that energised the original Star Wars trilogy (he couldn't).

Let me background you. From the time when everybody sat around the campfire at the end of a hard day's hunting and gathering, humans have responded to tales which involve plot twists, engaging characters and emotional highs and lows. You laugh, you cry, you empathise, you wonder, you think ahead of the game. None of those things happens with Transformers 2. All you do is jump. The director has adopted George Bush's policy of "shock and awe", which may help in speeding the descent of testicles in pubescent boys, but does little for the rest of us. So why is it so successful? Because in recent years Hollywood has managed to convince young cinemagoers to expect nothing more from storytelling.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has sharply defined characters, suspense, jokes, emotional development and intriguing plotlines -- the essential ingredients of a classic tale. Yet its ticket sales are $1.5 million behind Transformers 2. Here's where you come in. HPHBP is still showing in most multiplexes. If another 150,000 people go to see it, they'll lift Harry's box office total past the $40 million mark and push Transformers 2 out of the top ten. And we'll have no reason to be embarrassed.

Yes, you understood me correctly. I'm asking you to rort the figures that display Australia's tastes. You go to HPHBP (for the first, second or third time) and make it look as if Australians prefer a well-crafted film with intellectual integrity to a three hour avalanche of special effects.

It wouldn't really be cheating -- just a levelling of the playing field, since Transformers 2 had the advantage of being shown through the entire school holidays. So its success is an unfair portrait of national preferences. If we were really that stupid, we'd have been equally keen on GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but it looks like totalling less than $15 million at the Australian box office.

This is not to suggest HPHBP is perfect. For anyone who has not read the book, it's downright confusing in places. It's nowhere near as powerful as The Dark Knight. That's why you should not go back so many times that its total ends up passing $45 million. Twice should be enough.

Go to Comments to offer your support.

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). For daily updates on Australian attitudes, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

COMMENTS

Coincidentally I am off to see HPHBP tomorrow for the second time. I would have gone on Wednesday but an 8-50pm start/11-30pm finish was way past my bedtime!!! So that's 2 down, 149,998 to go!!!

by 2paw on August 21, 2009 at 04:47 PM

I failed in my patriotic duty, sorry, when I went and saw 'District 9' on the weekend. Bad Australian!
Personally, I wonder if Harry, Hermione, Ron et al are partly to blame for the braindead situation we find ourselves in. If They ever get past compartmentalising The Generations by letters rather than something meaningful (hasn't happened since some genius came up with X), this generation should be called the 'Potter' generation. I.E: the generation who were encouraged to read Harry Potter rather than nothing at all and ended up with a taste for Harry Potter and nothing else. Bigger explosions and Megan Fox's boobs are good enough for a generation who are satisfied with what everyone else is reading and watching and thinking. 'Transformers' is successful because everyone thinks everyone else is watching it and so should they. Not because they want to. It all started with Harry Potter. Or Paris Hilton. One of 'em.....

Tribal Mind replies: I love that theory. It's the downside of every parent's rationalisation over the past decade: 'Well, at least they are reading SOMETHING'".

by darren on August 24, 2009 at 08:39 AM

I see the merit in dethroning Transformers 2, but with a Harry Potter movie?! I don't think having a generic book rehash, however good it may be, would speak much better about Australia's movie-watching culture than a generic cartoon rehash. How about encouraging people to see District 9 instead? This way, we get to keep the sci-fi element in the list, but replace a rubbish sci-fi flick with a true sci-fi classic. It's low budget. It's not made in America. It's made by a young, aspirational director. It's produced by a Kiwi (we might as well claim him as ours - we've done the same with Russell Crowe et al). And most importantly it's bloody excellent.

Tribal MInd replies: I agree with your view of District 9, and also recommend Inglourious Basterds, but only HPHBP is close enough to have any possibility of catching up with T2.

by NJK on August 24, 2009 at 09:19 AM

Re your 'At least they are reading SOMETHING' theory, when I was small, Enid Blyton was touted as the latest evil: children who read all her books would never amount to anything in the literary sense. In a high percentage of cases, once children discover they like reading, they do move on to other genres and let's face it, how many older people are still reading Blyton exclusively???

by 2paw on August 24, 2009 at 10:17 AM

The old 'children who read Harry Potter (all of them) will never develop a broader taste in literature' chestnut is a bit of a sweeping generalisation I agree. Sure most kids move on but then who are the people ruining the curve? Society is made up of individuals but trends seem to agree with the 'most people are satisfied with brain-withering mediocrity' theory. Doesn't compute with a positive view of the discerning Australian but them's the stats.
2paw, maybe you've just explained why the sales charts for books are full of Stephanie Meyers and Bryce Courtenay and Lynda LaPlante and Jodie Picoult. Because of bloody Enid Blyton.

by darren on August 24, 2009 at 11:26 AM

Darren, I don't read any of those authors at all!!! I majored in Literature and Literacy and endeavoured to teach the joys of reading to my classes. People chose a variety of reading genres, it's like food: junk, wholesome, exotic, every day. Some always jump on the latest bandwagon, but I confess that once something becomes generally popular, I usually go right off it. I am seeing HP through to the end though.
This is actually just like the discussions on the TV TM section: we are always bemoaning the taste of the vast majority and are unable to understand their viewing choices!!

by 2paw on August 24, 2009 at 12:25 PM

I admit that, despite enjoying the books myself, I had some issues with the Harry Potter obsession. That is, until the Twilight obsession started. At least Harry Potter has a narrative, a plot, decent characterisation, and a morality somewhat more complicated than "sex is bad".

Twilight is a blight upon the teen literature landscape and we can only hope it dies a natural death and quickly.

by genfie on August 24, 2009 at 02:27 PM

Maybe I should start using emoticons....2paw, I didn't mean to imply that you read that rubbish. It was more a joke but on reflection maybe I'm right (ha). I don't really know anyone who reads that stuff but someone does. The top ten books list is similar to the top ten movie list and the top ten music list. I'm afraid all the Lists confirm that the "Enid Blyton will decay our children's minds" theory was spot-on. Not Enid Blyton specifically but mediocrity. Some people don't seem to grow out of it. Same with the "video games are harmless" theory. How many grown men do you know who while away the weekends playing 'Halo'?
Everyone has anecdotal evidence that everyone they know is discerning and clever yet the statistics show that everyone is complacent and lemming-like.
It's cool to be dumb and especially in Australia. Don't wanna be one of those 'Elites' do we? You know those 'Elites' who went out and invented the wheel while all the cool and beautiful people were still working out their opposable thumbs.
It's the Dawn of Dumb.

by darren on August 25, 2009 at 05:53 AM

I read Enid Blyton as a child and absolutely loved her books. I am still an avid reader, but admit I read for pleasure and stick to fiction. Not Mills & Boon, but not the "worthy" tomes either.
I will not be going to see the latest Harry Potter movie.
I have not read any of the books. I have seen several of the movies on TV, but can't tell you which ones. I don't know, as they all seem the same.
The only way I'd know if it was new and I hadn't seen it, would be if it was on Showtime or Movie1 and was marked "Premiere".
Sorry TM.

by Sal on August 25, 2009 at 12:45 PM

Sorry, Mr Dale, I cannot help you push HP&THBP over the line to beat Transformers 2. Much as I would like to.
I loved Enid Blyton as a child. But I'm not one of those reading Jodi Picoult et al now. Love the theory though, darren.

Tribal Mind asks: Why can you not?

by tqd on August 25, 2009 at 01:37 PM

Fear not, Darren, I wasn't offended nor did I think you were casting aspersions!! Maybe I only mix with other girly swots, and, well I'm not sure of the male 'girly swat' equivalent!! I have been reduced to reading whatever I can lay my hands on in a reading emergency, but maybe most people are too busy having a real life to worry about what they read??? My dad encouraged me to read The Gulag Archipelago and Empire of the Sun when I was a teenager, he also read military sagas. I prefer autobiographies and fantasy, with a little worthy literature on the side.

by 2paw on August 25, 2009 at 06:25 PM

Until Harry Potter, my (18 in two weeks) son only browsed Simpsons cartoons and he was the perfect age when the phenomenon began. I nagged and threatend no movie until the book was read. It was, as were all and he now reads for pleasure. Reading the HSC texts were no problem and he is currently reading Band of Brothers in his spare time. I thank Harry Potter and I thank Twilight. My 15 year old daughter who had never wanted to read, virtually inhaled the books and is now reading The Sarah Douglass Crucible trilogy. Fabulous books by an Australian author but a long, difficult read, and she is loving them. I think that reading Harry Potter and Twilight taught them to make time to sit and read and it has now become part of their routine. I've also read all the Harry Potters and Twilights and loved them all. I am currently working through the Southern Vampire Mysteries (True Blood, Sookie Stackhouse series), so I am certainly no literary genius. I just love reading books, but mostly I love the time in the day that is reading time and I am thrilled that my kids have that time in their days too. Have to say though, I did try a Jodi Picoult (The Tenth Circle) and it is the only book I ever remember not finishing, too overwrought and hysterical for my tastes.

by Suze on August 26, 2009 at 07:34 AM

Master 8 and a bit has already seen HP etc etc etc with Pappy Skerrick during the last school holidays, and I have barely enough time to sleep let alone spend 2 or so hours in a darkened room. I'm going to be one of those dreadful people who get it on DVD.

by Bereft Skerrick on August 26, 2009 at 04:17 PM

The Sun-Herald

Who We Are

The Tribal Mind: How not to look stupid

COMMENTS

POST A COMMENT

Comments Terms & Conditions

RECENT ENTRIES

ARCHIVES