We at Moving Pictures Magazine are delighted to facilitate debate on issues related to film's impact on and place in our social culture. We encourage you to share your views on subjects that appear on our pages. Please email your letters to editorial@mpgcorp.net.
Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To the Editor,
My name's Evert Lombaert, and I write to you from sunny Cape Town, South Africa. Hats off to you on an insanely informative and gritty magazine...I'm a film analysis lecturer at City Varsity Film & Multimedia School, and will definitely be informing my students of your cinematic testament.
Being in South Africa, international film mags are an expensive and rare (no particular order) treat. Found your June/July 2005 by mistake, and all I'll say is "Thank you".....
Kindly yours in cinema,
Evert Lombaert =)
Cape Town, South Africa
Dear Mr. Weathers,
I enjoyed reading your thoughts in A Voice from the Inside in the [Feb./Mar. 2006] issue of Moving Pictures Magazine. Your personal childhood experience with male role models depicted in film was filled with connections that resonated with me as well. Your words did a good job of setting the stage for some of the other articles in the magazine that dealt with the film industry's re-examination of contemporary male role models.
I was particularly pleased to read you honor an individual often overlooked when discussing the history of black male actors in American film: Woody Strode. That you acknowledged Strode's cinematic influence affirms male actors' sensitivity renaissance you so eloquently described.
When and where can audiences see you again? Would you care to share what projects you're currently working on?
Sincerely,
C. Markham
Studio City, California To: C. Markham
Woody Strode was one of many positive influences I remember, and I'm happy to say that I had the good fortune to be in his presence on a couple of occasions. His sage and generous advice was beneficial to me both as an actor and, more importantly, as a man.
With regards to work within the film industry, there will be a film comedy, The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang, that will be in theatres sometime this year, and I've been directing in episodic television and film recently.
Thanks for the kind words.
CW
Mr. Weathers,
It was an unexpected pleasure to pick up a modern American magazine (Moving Pictures, Feb./Mar. 2006) and read something positive about men of color's influence on contemporary culture. Your insightful comments describing how the depiction of black actors has evolved in a positive direction over the last five decades were poignant and memorable.
Your personal recollections confirm how powerful is film's ability to influence a receptive audience and how important it is to encourage positive role models. I think it's worth mentioning that the characters you've portrayed in your career repeatedly delivered positive gender-role messages to an impressionable audience eager to duplicate dignified values witnessed larger-than-life up on that magical movie screen.
Considering the success of Brokeback Mountain, what's your opinion of this film and its impact on contemporary culture? Do you feel this and other films that deal with gay relationships will be produced by Hollywood and embraced by mainstream audiences? Do you feel this qualifies as mature content that should be audience age-restricted? Thanks for your thoughts... T. Carlton
Pasadena, California To: T. Carlton
Thank you for the words of appreciation regarding the editorial. Brokeback Mountain is a very good film, featuring very talented and courageous actors with the story beautifully told by an amazing director. There is nothing I can say about the movie that hasn't already been said. And my opinion about what will take place in Hollywood or in our culture regarding the material with gay themes is really irrelevant.
From where I sit, Brokeback Mountain's message is simply that love knows nothing but love. Couldn't we all, man or woman, benefit from that message? Regards,
CW
Dear Elliot,
This isn't an editorial opinion, per se, but I did want to share a note with you regarding my disappointment at receiving an unrated version of The 40-Year-Old Virgin in return for having subscribed to Moving Pictures Magazine. I decided to send this email to you as your name was on the enclosed letter that was titled "A Token of Our Appreciation."
I may be in the minority because of my perspective, but basically I though that having a DVD of this nature from such a "classy" enterprise as yourselves was almost the equivalent of having been sent unsolicited pornography. I am doing all I can within my environment to promote strong family and moral values for my children and those who come to my home, and while it's a simple matter to discard the DVD that was sent, I just wanted to invite consideration on the magazine's part next time when thinking about what kind of material they want to distribute and/or be thought to be on par with.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment, and I hope that my invitation also correlates with others of the same opinion. Regards,
Jim Abrams
Mountain View, California Jim,
Thank you for speaking up. Although your voice was a single one, it nevertheless raised issues that made us pause and ponder. Your comment is a fair one, and in our haste to reward our subscribers with cinematic fare, we did not ask ourselves whether distributing such gifts is appropriate, and we did not consider whether such a promotion is tantamount to an endorsement from Moving Pictures for the content distributed.
We apologize for sending you the unrated DVD and any consternation it caused. We appreciate your efforts in striving to limit the exposure of your family to this type of material, and affirm that we did not intend to endorse the subject matter of the film. Because of your correspondence, we are now reviewing our promotion practices and policies, and considering whether it's best for us only to offer such goodies if they are PG-rated or below, or whether we can somehow otherwise limit the distribution of our promotional offers to appropriate recipients.
Thanks again for writing in. Discourse and discussion is encouraged by our team, and we appreciate you taking the time to voice your opinion. One logical voice on this issue is enough for us as we continue to strive to make a meaningful connection with our readers.
We look forward to your feedback. Regards,
Elliot
Elliot,
I just wanted to let you know how appreciative I was with your response. It sounds like you took my thoughts in the spirit in which they were intended, and I appreciate the chance to share my opinion. I wish you all the success possible, and endorse any solutions you might find that continue to "uplift" your readers - which will no doubt reflect on the quality of your own products as well.
All the best,
Jim Abrams |
