From Reich Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels: Perhaps Audiences Are Stupid
Or maybe it's just Nikki Finke...
The trailer begins saying, "From Reich Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels," and Deadline Hollywood pot-stirrer Nikki Finke is in the kitchen with her All Clad and opening up a storm of stupidity, only this time she is in favor of and joining the crowd when it comes to answering "yes" to my recent "Are General Audiences Too Stupid to Enjoy Smart Movies?" headline with the following paragraph (included in full since I know she likes to change her text after the fact):
Now, which moron at The Weinstein Company thinks this is an appropriate fake trailer to hawk Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds? People are being fooled by this abomination: a trailer for a Nazi propaganda film that went up on Apple today from "Arien Productions" glorifying a hero of the Third Reich. The film "Nation's Pride" is advertised as having an exclusive engagement in Paris (at the theater where Basterds has a plot point) and the opening line of the narration is "From Reich Minister Dr Joseph Goebbels…" This isn't clever marketing, folks. It's classless.
Plenty of other websites went live with this trailer earlier this week as it promotes Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, which I just got out of a screening of about three hours ago, but I didn't see the need to publicize it until now as Finke makes mention of two things that really caught my eye.
First off, there is the question, "[Which] moron at The Weinstein Company thinks this is an appropriate fake trailer to hawk Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds?" followed by the line "People are being fooled by this abomination…" Strangely, the question and the following factoid go hand-in-hand, but working opposite one another, which is a serious literary conundrum I have never found myself face-to-face with until now.
The so-called "moron" appears to be the very same "people" (Finke included) being "fooled" by the faux trailer (included below). As I said at the beginning of the post, the trailer, which is for a film that is part of the plotline for Basterds, begins with the line "From Reich Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels," a man that has been dead now for 57 years. Who exactly is being fooled by this? Do people think Goebbels is still alive and producing films? Finke, who are these people you speak of?
I have a lot of faith in the folks that read RopeofSilicon.com, had any of you seen this trailer already and did any of you actually believe one of Adolf Hitler's most devout followers had a new film coming out in 2009? Please tell me you didn't so I can rest easy and my confidence in you as intelligent readers can remain intact.
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Never heard of it.
This movie looks really good. Also, Stalin has a film in the works over at Warners I hear.
@dre:
True that :)
That's crazy. I mean, I don't understand how in HELL anybody could actually believe that.
obviously its a fake trailer, but its a bad attempt at going viral.
unless you follow the industry and are familiar with Basterds i could see how the average person would be confused.
I think it's main problem is that it looks like a 21st century trailer when the movie is being shown in the forties in this film. There is too much of a disconnect with the time period of Basterds. It's clearly a fake trailer (The VO sounds like the same VO from Satan's Alley in Tropic Thunder) but I think it's failure is in connecting the film to Basterds. I would've probably figured it out with the August 21st release date but like mike said, if you are outside the industry, you would be confused. Then again, maybe it is just for the folks who follow the industry.
Best part of this article is that this sites patriarch bitch slaps Nikki Finke! Love it.
This is just fine as a marketing tool and has apparently worked like gang busters. Can't wait to see Basterds for myself. And hope it more closely mirrors the script than the trailers would lead one to believe, because Shoshanna's (spell check?) story was the heart and soul of this movie on the page.
I agree that this is a poor attempt at viral marketing. The graphics, filming style, and even the fact that it's all in English. If they had done it in German with English subtitles it would have at least made as a decent tie in to the film. As it stands now it doesn't really work. However I don't think people should be easily fooled or outraged. I mean honestly if some major film company did have the audacity to produce a film about a Nazi war hero, I doubt Apple would make it their featured trailer… and anyone who knows anything about history should know that Goebbels (or anyone who was connected to the Reich) has been dead for quite some time now.
"Crowned In Gloury" Subtle, but it's there.
Even Nikki's commenters seem to think she missed the point.
@The Check Spot: I agree with what you have to say.
I read Nikki's comments early this morning. I didn't delve into her assessment of the viewing public but savored her calling the Weinstein Company, or at least one member, moronic. I've kinda had that reaction to the entire Inglourius Basterds phenomenon. Just the arrogance of deliberating misspelling the title rubbed me the wrong way before I ever got a glimpse. After a glimpse my disdain was fortified.
Are you kidding me I laughed my ass off at this thing. It looked so ridiculous it gives Transformers and G.I. Joe credibility. I really don't see how people would take it that seriously.
I hope it gets made into a movie though :)
Weinstein fcks everything up. I don't think they know how to properly distribute any movie at all. They give their films horrid release dates, like with "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," which opened on Halloween. Or else they delay their films for no reason ("The Road," "Fanboys"), killing all the buzz that had been built up.
You'll have to excuse Nikki Finke. She was probably coming off a gin-and-insulin bender when she wrote that.
I didn't think it was real and i think it's a very good tool for informing anyone who was unfamiliar with what they were up against, an insight. It sort of gives you a view into the reich so you know a little more before viewing the film … i thought it made a clever point and it was done in a stylishly black way …. but my opinion is just mine :)