Monthly Archives: September 2016
Well(es), That Happened
“Wait, what was wrong?” was probably bouncing around the head of Orson Welles nearly 78 years ago.
Wednesday is a great day to wonder. For instance, did Orson Welles invent the viral video (technically, viral broadcasting)?
The radio broadcast “War of the Worlds” (adapted from author H.G. Wells) caused an uproar with the American public on the evening of October 30, 1938 because of the realism conveyed through the audible airwaves. In 2016, the equivalent would be staging and enacting a fake global war on TV with vivid, realistic detail and unimaginable consequence and panic. The hysteria generated by the “War of the Worlds” broadcast is still widely viewed today with incomparable impact.
Question: Have you seen Orson Welles respond to journalists following “War of the Worlds”?
Jimmy’s Daily Planet has the scoop from that famous Sundae Sunday night broadcast.
Rosebud…
Actually, Rosebud has no relevance here. This blog post is about Orson Welles, so it felt right.
Reflecting on the power of mass communication, it makes one cogitate the possibility of a cinematic equivalence occurring in the modern era? With the instantaneous and cross-checking nature of social media and Google, could anything similar to the radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds” happen again? Even if unintentional?
Either way, as Frasier Crane would say, “I’m listening.”
Waiting to Be Seen
Batman isn’t the only one who confronts an enigmatic two-face.
Netflix, fresh off its freshman sensation Stranger Things, is releasing a documentary about the insane public trial (in more ways than one) of American student studying abroad Amanda Knox. In producing this documentary, Netflix has created a new “Upside Down” of sorts that recalls the real world saga of an international murder trial that spotlighted an American, an Italian and a Brit. However you feel (or felt) about the final verdict that allowed Ms. Knox and then Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito to ultimately walk in October 2011, there were paranormal elements seen in this trial and in the events before, during and after someone murdered British student Meredith Kercher.
And Netflix is banking on your continued intrigue in the paranormal, this time focused on Amanda Knox. If you remember, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito did spend time in Italian prisons. The time spent in prison was just one chapter of a complex story that still has questions lingering. For anybody who read Amanda Knox’s captivating book “Waiting to Be Heard” (my hand is raised), it extensively detailed her experiences, her trials and tribulations that were, at times, emotionally overwhelming and insightful, yet brutal in its acutely revealing nature.
Excluding the lawyers, investigators, forensic professionals, police interrogators, prison staff, cellmates, Patrick Lumumba, families and friends, there were four primary players:
- Amanda Knox
- Raffaele Sollecito
- Meredith Kercher (RIP)
- Rudy Guede
For those who favor logic and believe Rudy Guede was the lone killer, Netflix has a trailer for you.
“Believe Her”
For those who reject the linear circumstances and analysis of crime scene evidence for nearly all murders, Netflix has a trailer for you.
“Suspect Her”
Netflix, cognizant of the fierce debate concerning Amanda Knox, is brilliantly marketing its documentary Amanda Knox that will start streaming on September 30th. Whether you are passionately in the camp of innocence or guilt for Amanda Knox, what transcends this murder case above so many are the foreign (and ridiculous) procedures and protocols in the Italian police and court systems, as well as the reality that one cannot help but briefly and frequently ponder the question, “What really happened in the Perugia apartment that night?”
This lingering curiosity, after all these years, may not sway you from your initial convictions. But that imaginative inquisitiveness is there nonetheless…
And Netflix has documented this suspicious intrigue like a courtroom drama.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 