Comments on: Saddam’s Death: The Revolutionary’s Cut http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2007/01/03/revolutionarys-cut/ Everyone has a right to my opinions Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:41:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Matt Munro http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2007/01/03/revolutionarys-cut/#comment-34778 Matt Munro Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:29:44 +0000 http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2007/01/03/revolutionarys-cut/#comment-34778 "Despite the unpalatable subject matter, I think there is an interesting point to be made about how film and video is used here, which is the importance of the sound-track to moving images. In the case of Saddam’s hanging, notice how a particular audio track totally changes the tone of what we see, and the emotions evoked. Film makers and TV producers constantly manipulate us in this way." Indeed, it's in a totally different context but there is an infamous scheme in A Clockwork Orange, where by the use of incongruent music (i.e classical) to accompany violence, the audience is forced to conciously attend to and "confront" the violence, which makes it far more disturbing. On the Saddam tape, what surprised me was the apparent shock of some at the cold brutality of capital punsihment. I have only seen the broadcast versions but found them disturbing in a way that footage of the assasination of JFK, for example, isn't, despite both effectively being filmed murders. “Despite the unpalatable subject matter, I think there is an interesting point to be made about how film and video is used here, which is the importance of the sound-track to moving images. In the case of Saddam’s hanging, notice how a particular audio track totally changes the tone of what we see, and the emotions evoked. Film makers and TV producers constantly manipulate us in this way.”

Indeed, it’s in a totally different context but there is an infamous scheme in A Clockwork Orange, where by the use of incongruent music (i.e classical) to accompany violence, the audience is forced to conciously attend to and “confront” the violence, which makes it far more disturbing.

On the Saddam tape, what surprised me was the apparent shock of some at the cold brutality of capital punsihment. I have only seen the broadcast versions but found them disturbing in a way that footage of the assasination of JFK, for example, isn’t, despite both effectively being filmed murders.

]]> By: chairwoman http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2007/01/03/revolutionarys-cut/#comment-34757 chairwoman Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:10:54 +0000 http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2007/01/03/revolutionarys-cut/#comment-34757 I watched the 'observer's cut' through to its conclusion. Saddam Hussein was a beast of a man whose death was a cliche, as he lived so did he die etc. He also displayed extreme physical courage, and that was as apparent in the official version as in the unofficial. No doubt this will become part of his mythology on a par with 'Hitler loved his dog', and 'Nero fiddled as Rome burned'. All are true, but taken on their own paint a totally inaccurate picture. I watched the ‘observer’s cut’ through to its conclusion.

Saddam Hussein was a beast of a man whose death was a cliche, as he lived so did he die etc.

He also displayed extreme physical courage, and that was as apparent in the official version as in the unofficial.

No doubt this will become part of his mythology on a par with ‘Hitler loved his dog’, and ‘Nero fiddled as Rome burned’. All are true, but taken on their own paint a totally inaccurate picture.

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