The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

Discussions of specific films and franchises.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Lemmy Caution
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:26 am
Location: East of Shanghai

The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#1 Post by Lemmy Caution » Tue May 21, 2024 12:23 am

Donald Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’ Ignites Controversy in Cannes Over Rape Scene
Wonder if this film will get any sort of wide distribution.
Or how well done it is.
Dinesh D'Souza made a number of political films -- anti-Hillary, anti-Dem -- attempting to be the Right's answer to Michael Moore. But they didn't seem to gain much traction outside hardcore MAGA folks.

User avatar
The Curious Sofa
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:18 am

Re: L'art de la guerre politique

#2 Post by The Curious Sofa » Tue May 21, 2024 2:16 am

Lemmy Caution wrote:
Tue May 21, 2024 12:23 am
Donald Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’ Ignites Controversy in Cannes Over Rape Scene
Wonder if this film will get any sort of wide distribution.
Or how well done it is.
Dinesh D'Souza made a number of political films -- anti-Hillary, anti-Dem -- attempting to be the Right's answer to Michael Moore. But they didn't seem to gain much traction outside hardcore MAGA folks.
I'm confused. What does Dinesh D'Souza have to do with this?

User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: L'art de la guerre politique

#3 Post by MichaelB » Tue May 21, 2024 5:45 am

Surely a full and clear explanation is given in the post that you quoted? D'Souza has made a number of political films seemingly very similar to this one, all of which have failed to gain traction outside hardcore MAGA folks, the implication clearly being that this film will suffer the same fate.

User avatar
tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: L'art de la guerre politique

#4 Post by tenia » Tue May 21, 2024 8:05 am

The issue is that the post goes straight for The Apprentice to D'Souza, as if he has anything to do with THIS movie, which AFAIK he hasn't.

User avatar
Lemmy Caution
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:26 am
Location: East of Shanghai

Re: L'art de la guerre politique

#5 Post by Lemmy Caution » Tue May 21, 2024 9:54 am

The article link didn't make it into the last post.
Donald Trump Movie ‘The Apprentice’ Ignites Controversy in Cannes Over Rape Scene

It sounds like a pre-election political takedown film of sorts. Which put me in mind of D'Souza's efforts, which largely were ignored. I don't really have a handle on who made this film, exactly why, or what kind of distribution it will get. Just read the above article. I guess this is more biopic than documentary.

User avatar
martin
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:16 am
Contact:

Re: L'art de la guerre politique

#6 Post by martin » Tue May 21, 2024 11:04 am

The Danish movie reviews for The Apprentice are quite positive. Doesn't mean the film will have any impact though. The Cannes press conference from a few hours ago is on youtube.

User avatar
The Curious Sofa
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:18 am

Re: L'art de la guerre politique

#7 Post by The Curious Sofa » Tue May 21, 2024 12:05 pm

MichaelB wrote:
Tue May 21, 2024 5:45 am
Surely a full and clear explanation is given in the post that you quoted? D'Souza has made a number of political films seemingly very similar to this one, all of which have failed to gain traction outside hardcore MAGA folks, the implication clearly being that this film will suffer the same fate.
To me it read like D'Souza made or was involved in the making of the film, when from what I read the film comes from the opposite side of the political spectrum. I don't think we are anywhere near, where a film by D'Souza would make it into competition at Cannes.

User avatar
mfunk9786
Under Chris' Protection
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: L'art de la guerre politique

#8 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue May 21, 2024 12:30 pm


User avatar
thirtyframesasecond
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:48 pm

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#9 Post by thirtyframesasecond » Tue May 21, 2024 3:03 pm

Whilst there's a worry that biographies can humanise awful people, I've no doubt that this film aims to be a critique of Trump and his success (and capitalism) in the 70s/80s.

User avatar
colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#10 Post by colinr0380 » Tue May 21, 2024 4:13 pm

I'm just glad its not about that awful monster Alan Sugar.

User avatar
The Curious Sofa
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:18 am

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#11 Post by The Curious Sofa » Wed May 22, 2024 10:15 am

thirtyframesasecond wrote:
Tue May 21, 2024 3:03 pm
Whilst there's a worry that biographies can humanise awful people, I've no doubt that this film aims to be a critique of Trump and his success (and capitalism) in the 70s/80s.
I'd say any biographical depiction that doesn't humanise its subject, has failed. Even the most awful people are human and to acknowledge that, isn't the same as to approve of their actions.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#12 Post by knives » Wed May 22, 2024 12:29 pm

What if it’s a deliberately alien biography. I Can’t recall any off hand, but I could see a Greenaway type having interest outside of the human side of the subject.

User avatar
The Curious Sofa
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:18 am

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#13 Post by The Curious Sofa » Wed May 22, 2024 1:30 pm

Different rules apply for experimental cinema, which frequenty disposes with conventional representation altogether. I doubt the point of The Apprentice is to subvert the conventions of narrative film though. Greenaway has made a few unconventional biographical films later in his career like Nightwatching and Eisenstein in Guanajuato but I haven't seen them as I'm not a huge fan.

User avatar
Mr Sausage
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:02 pm
Location: Canada

The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#14 Post by Mr Sausage » Wed May 22, 2024 3:12 pm

Humanize in this context doesn’t just mean render recognizably human. It has the connotation of softening, making something seem more sympathetic, more humane, more civilized.

Also, when people say biopics ought to make their subjects more human, they mean more recognizable, ie. reaffirm the things we tend to believe about ourselves. It participates in conventions of thought. There’s a strain of biopic we don’t get very often, the one that renders humanity strange and people unknowable by rejecting those conventions. Alex Cox’ Walker is an example of this, where its central figure becomes stranger, more frightening, and more other as we learn more about him.

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#15 Post by knives » Wed May 22, 2024 3:28 pm

Walker is such a great example of what I mean. I was also thinking of Sokurov’s leaders trilogy and how it others these mighty figures.

User avatar
Michael Kerpan
Spelling Bee Champeen
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
Location: New England
Contact:

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#16 Post by Michael Kerpan » Wed May 22, 2024 3:30 pm

Mr Sausage wrote:
Wed May 22, 2024 3:12 pm
Humanize in this context doesn’t just mean render recognizably human. It has the connotation of softening, making something seem more sympathetic, more humane, more civilized.
Humanizing Trump in THIS fashion would, I think, constitute falsification.

User avatar
Mr Sausage
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:02 pm
Location: Canada

Re: The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)

#17 Post by Mr Sausage » Wed May 22, 2024 3:34 pm

knives wrote:Walker is such a great example of what I mean. I was also thinking of Sokurov’s leaders trilogy and how it others these mighty figures.
Yeah, Sokurov’s another good example. I’ve only seen The Sun, but it made Hirohito, with his private obsessions and various myopias, physical and otherwise, very strange indeed.

Post Reply