There are vultures everywhere...

[bcholmes]

Several Warner Brothers DVDs, lately, have had an anti-piracy commercial as the first thing played when you put the disc in the machine. The commercial uses clips from Casablanca, and concocts a story about how Rick Blaine is mad at Ilsa Lund for illegally copying movies.

As owners of the movie, Casablanca, Warner Bros. certainly are legally entitled to use it in this way. But I'm fascinated by how much of a violation their commercial feels to me. So much so, that I become more sympathetic to movie piracy, not less.

Comments

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

Yep, like colourising old Orson Wells' films (which I've seen)).

[rbowspryte.livejournal.com]

Which violation is worse the wanton destruction of a classic work for all to see or the mere duplication of a meager work of art for the purposes of viewing it just with oneself and maybe a few friends.

You make a good point. The pirates seem much more redeemable under a certain light.

[kat-chan.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't Rick and the cast of shady characters who inhabited his Cafe Americain have been more likely to be in league with pirates? Way to go, WB. Way to completely disregard the personality of one of your more well known and beloved characters.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

Hollywood doesn't understand the idea of continuity.

[jiawen]

Can I ask an almost completely unrelated question? I think I told you about my aunt and uncle who work with Healing Hands for Haiti, and go there every year. Well, most of the work gets done by my uncle, who's a retired MD. My aunt said that she doesn't always have enough to do. Can you suggest anything? And would it be okay if I gave her your e-mail address?