9/15/12

'Innocence of Islam'' , 'The Life of Bryan' and other Controversial Video


The 15 minute YouTube video that Secretary Clinton dissed named 'Innocence of Islam' isn't a good video for Moslems to watch. It can drive some of them into a frenzy. For those that aren't Muslims its somewhat humorous in the Three Stooges sort of way-imagine an immoral Moe as Muhammad with some perverted followers in some really beautiful desert settings upon which the feet of the actors barely seem to touch and one has the gist of the video.
Making low-cost video is a challenging task. Beside the anti-Mohammad content, the production of even 15 minutes of high-quality material is difficult for non-studio people to afford. Some of the regular film studios with deep pockets might not appreciate the independent video competition-yet video orthodoxy is politically a follower of social and political trends except perhaps in the Moslem world or various dictatorships here and their.
One of the reasons that the Moslem creed disapproves of images of the orphaned son of the keeper of the pagan idols in Mecca who invented a religion better than those of Mecca's pagan pantheon at the time is for its value in keeping control of the masses then and now. The point is somewhat of a litmus test for social liberty and of the right of people to express criticism of political and religious leadership that can  be the same.
The beginning of 'The Innocence of Islam' has a horde of Islamists stampeding through the streets crazed with rage to kill some Christian dentist's family. Its a good action scene rather better than the start of James Bond movies or even Star Wars though the action soon transitions following a tragic killing in passing to a comedy Ralph Edwards style 'this is your life' Muhammad' montage of scenes of his life.
Video production by amateurs isn't that rewarding either. Though I saw the video when only 4 million others had watched, it probably takes a million views to earn a few hundred dollars at You Tube. It is possible to imagine a series of politically incorrect history videos something like 'Innocence of Islam' featuring historical personages of yore.  Montie Python's The Flying Circus  put out 'The Life of Bryan' with the 'blessed are the cheesemakers for they shall have cheese'  irreverence sort of thing  yet the cost of producing quality free videos is probably prohibitive.
Charlie Chaplin's 'The Little Dictator?' was of the genre, as were Marx brothers films,  yet the Moslem world should not expect to be above the rest of humanity and exempt from public opinion. Applying gangster 'correction 'by the sword to art and political expression is simply evil-yet that was one of the points of 'The Innocence of Islam'.

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