One Day Festival May 9, 2009

One Day Festival
“Media Twisting”

Once it was thought that “Where there’s a story, there’s also the media...” Now we know that the media not only conveys reality, but changes and shapes it. Here’s four different looks, four similar interpretations on media twisting...

DOG DAY AFTERNOON, 1975
USA | 35mm, Color, 124’ | English
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick

Sonny and Sal enter a bank with the aim of making a robbery. But there are some problems. First, this is their first robbery. Second, there’s no money in the bank. Third, the police besiege the bank. Finally the media comes to the scene of crime with their cameras, correspondents, and microphones. Now it will be harder to pull it off.

MAD CITY, 1997
USA | 35mm, Color, 110’ | English
Director: Costa Gavras
Cast: John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman, Mia Kirshner, Alan Alda

When museum officer Sam Bailey is discharged, he finds resort in taking the museum director and several visitors as hostage. This is a golden opportunity for journalist Max Brackett who is in the museum at the time and whose career is on the rocks. However, Max has to intervene in the story in order to turn this news into “good and big news”.

NATURAL BORN KILLERS, 1994
USA | 35mm, Color, 120’ | English
Director: Oliver Stone
Cast: O-Lan Jones, Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Ed White

While Mickey and Mallory cross America all over, they drink, sing songs, make love, and kill people. But after each massacre they don’t neglect to leave someone back so that he/she tells it all. Those who survive tell it to the media, of course. The road to not a 15-minute fame but lasting fame has been opened for Mickey and Mallory.

WAG THE DOG, 1997
USA | 35mm, Color, 105’ | English
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, William H. Macy

When the American President’s name is involved in a sex scandal, his being elected again in the impending elections fizzles out. While everyone in the President’s team is desperate, someone experiences a brain wave. Wouldn’t the President chalk a lot of points up if war breaks out in a far away country, for example, Albania and the President interferes and ends the war?  Moreover, there’s no need for a real war to break out, Hollywood and the media can surely take care of it.