The Myopic Self-Centeredness of Filmmakers

What also struck me about the Hollywood Reporter article was the myopic self-centeredness of the filmmakers cited, their inability to look outside their tiny enclave of culture elitism.

The Crash co-writer says, "People want films that have something to say; they're tired of fluff."

Crash director Paul Haggis: "It's great for the films and great for the nation. It says people are embracing these issues, that they don't want to go to the theater to forget. They want to be involved, to participate."

Which "people" are they referring to? Who are "they"? Certainly not the American public.

Look at these box office figures. The average box office for the Best Picture nominees this year is less than $38 million. The highest-grossing nominee was Crash, with $53 million. It was the 48th highest-grossing movie of 2005.

Think about that. The highest-grossing Best Picture nominee earned less than 47 other movies released last year.

If Crash wins, it would be the lowest-grossing Best Picture since 1987. (In non-adjusted dollars: If you adjust for inflation, I suspect it would be the lowest-grossing Best Picture of all time.) And Crash is, thus far, the most successful of the nominated movies. (Granted, Brokeback is still in the theatres and is likely soon to surpass Crash, but not by enough to affect my underlying point.)

Then there's Spielberg, who says: "Some of it is due to our own insecurity about the voices representing us in government right now."

Uh, Steven, who do you think more accurately represents the American public -- you in your Malibu bunker, or politicians who've won actual elections?

So when Haggis, Spielberg, et al. say "people," they really mean "our kind" of people. Just look at the movies they make these days. They are increasingly turning the cameras on each other, on themselves, on issues that matter only to the Hollywood elite. And the more they do this, the fewer Americans will turn out to see their stuff.