'Tis Pity You Have a Platform

I have a pet peeve and this review of "Tis Pity She's a Whore" swiped from IMDB is a pretty good example of it:

'Tis pity I'm not good looking enough for some bellend off the internet

Stagy trash film, didn't do much for me.

Well, I have to say that 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Given the title, and the fact that it was made in Italy during the 1970's, I was expecting something a lot more sleazy and bloody than this! The film is based on a stage play by John Ford, and this is always obvious as it's all very stagy and the focus seems to be on the performances. This might be a good thing if you were going into the film looking for something 'great' - but I just wanted sleaze! The plot line, however, is about as sleazy as it gets and puts most of its focus on the sick idea of incest. There's a bit of the standard 'arranged marriage' theme thrown in for good measure, and the plot focuses on Annabella; a woman who marries Soranzo after it was decided she would. However, this isn't good news for her brother - a man named Giovanni, as he's also in love with Annabella, and has managed to get her pregnant, despite the fact that she's his sister.

The plot is actually rather good, in that the central theme is interesting. It's the way that its portrayed that was the problem for me, however, as the plot pace isn't very exciting and it seems to take an eternity to get to the point. There's a fair amount of sex in the movie, but it isn't very graphic; so fans of the rough stuff are likely to be disappointed. One of my main reasons for seeing this film was because of the fact that it stars Charlotte Rampling. She might not be as beautiful as some of the other women making trash films around the same time (e.g. Edwige Fenech, Rosalba Neri, Barbara Bouchet), but Rampling is a classy lady who doesn't seem to mind starring in unsavoury movies, which is OK with me. She is joined by Fabio Testi and Oliver Tobias, who apparently was some sort of sex symbol around the time. The film does get more interesting towards the end, when the story opens up and we finally get to see some blood. I'm not saying this is an overall bad film - but the story and the way it's portrayed didn't work very well.

So, even discounting the stuff about "fans of the rough stuff being disappointed" and Charlotte Rampling not being beautiful enough for this neck-bearded cheetoh hoover, the basic premise of his review is that the film is not the film he was expecting to see. This is not the films fault. This is something I see time and time again as the focus of criticism is shifted from alleged experts to the democratic notion of on-line opinion: people assume they have a stake in the film as they are fans. This guy is disappointed by the film and gives it a bad review because the film mulishly refuses to buckle to his will. It remains obstinately its own film and refuses to kow tow to his prejudices. 

This is not how to review a film. 

You can note that the film is slow, or boring, that the material is clumsily handled, that it is poorly written and ineptly realised. But you can't shit all over a film because its a war film and you don't like war films. The idea is to react to the actual film. It may be a bad war film but it can't suddenly turn into a musical because you prefer musicals. (Unless its a musical war film - it might be "Oh What a Lovely War" I suppose. Hope it isn't) 

This weird sense of mad entitlement is everywhere. Fans seem to actively despise the people who make the films and TV they profess to love. Its the arrogance which is shocking. They believe they're owed. 

You aren't owed. 

If Mark Gatiss or whoever stopped creating the things you profess to love but actually hate tomorrow, you would not get a go. It would just stop. That's how much influence you have. None. So stop telling people how to do their jobs and stop acting like you have a stake in it. You do not. Stuff is happening without your permission. The only way you get to have a direct influence on stuff is if you make it yourself. I'm not saying you should put up and shut up and know your place - if its shit call it shit. You don't have to like stuff. But equally the thing already exists - you don't get to change something into something else by sheer will. You're just a fucking blogger. Like me. 

We are nothing.