It won the silver bear

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Last updated on March 6th, 2018 at 12:31 am

The voices inside Traceeee Hutchison’s head are getting louder and louder:

For several years, the clamour for an end to David Hicks’ protracted incarceration has been growing to a deafening roar.

Those David Hicks Dancers sure are a rowdy bunch.

The release this week of UK filmmaker Michael Winterbottom’s latest film, Road to Guantanamo, is set to further ignite unfriendly fire in the direction of the Australian Government.

The film, which won the Silver Bear for best direction at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, is a docu-drama based on the testimonies of three young British Muslims arrested in northern Afghanistan by the US-backed Northern Alliance in late 2001.

A Silver Bear, you say? Well, that changes everything.

Told entirely from the perspective of its subjects, Winterbottom’s film recreates their journey from the British Midlands town of Tipton to Pakistan for the arranged marriage of one of the group, to their ill-fated and apparently spontaneous trip to Afghanistan on the eve of US military attacks and their subsequent jailing at Guantanamo.

Curse that ill-fated spontaneity. It’s the ruin of so many arranged marriages.

The film is at its bravest and strongest in its portrayal of life inside the jail at Guantanamo Bay. For this, it ranks as the film of our time …

No; this is the film of our time. I wonder if Traceeee will ever see it.

Though not depicted in the film, Hicks’ presence is palpable and it is not an easy film to watch, but I defy anyone with a conscience not to be haunted by it.

You can find more cogent sentences on a Scrabble board.

At least Winterbottom’s film made it through the Film Classification Board unscathed, then there really would have been some publicity.

How do lines like that make it into print? Presumably all the Age’s editors were otherwise occupied planning their G20 “actions”.

Posted by Tim B. on 11/18/2006 at 02:59 AM
    1. You laugh, but she’s right.  I took her dare when she said she defies “anyone with a conscience not to be haunted by it.” Sure enough when we got home, ghosts.  Everywhere.  That movie is friggin’ haunting.

      Mostly the ghosts just laugh at us for paying to see a movie that whines about terrorist’s rights.

      Posted by blogagog on 2006 11 18 at 03:27 AM • permalink

 

    1. “Curse that ill-fated spontaneity. It’s the ruin of so many arranged marriages.”

      LOL 🙂

      Posted by ekb87 on 2006 11 18 at 03:33 AM • permalink

 

    1. I need to be brutally frank here people.
      In these horrendous days of Gloobal Warnmening (I think that’s how it’s spelled), how can you have a name like Winterbottom? I humbly offer some suggestions for our Silver Bear winning film-maker for a name change more suited to these troubled times.
      Summerbottom
      Risingoceansbottom
      Warmeningottom
      Coolishbottom
      Balmybottom
      Temperatebottom
      Ceeotwobottom
      Greenhousebottom
      Smellygasbottom

      Posted by Bonmot on 2006 11 18 at 03:48 AM • permalink

 

    1. “At least Winterbottom’s film made it through the Film Classification Board unscathed, then there really would have been some publicity.”

      I think there has been enough publicity about this terrorist idiot already.

      Posted by genius on 2006 11 18 at 04:18 AM • permalink

 

    1. “Hicks’ presence is palpable and it is not an easy film to watch, but I defy anyone with a conscience not to be haunted by it.”

      Ok. Maybe you should watch some terrorist training videos, or even better, some terrorist videos where they cut a person’s head off. Watch that and then you can fucken talk you hypocritical pig.

      Posted by genius on 2006 11 18 at 04:20 AM • permalink

 

    1. Silver Bear? Pah.

      Now the Silver Sow… oooooooooooooo… that’s even better than a Buckeye News Hawk Award!

      Posted by Dave S. on 2006 11 18 at 04:24 AM • permalink

 

    1. I was left feeling somewhat haunted after viewing the video of one of the contractor beheadings in Iraq.  After seeing that I am perfectly happy to let Hicks and his fellow Jihadist friends rot, or be shot, hung, electrocuted by their testicles or whatever.  I couldn’t care less about their welfare.

      Posted by bondo on 2006 11 18 at 04:37 AM • permalink

 

    1. Enough already.  Declare boxhead a PoW, give him his Red Cross parcels and some of the Kommandant’s butter.  Keep an ear open for any references to “Tom”, “Dick” or “Harry”.  Repatriate him at the end of hostilities.  Simple, really.

      Posted by lotocoti on 2006 11 18 at 04:56 AM • permalink

 

    1. Though not depicted in the film, Hicks’ presence is palpable and it is not an easy film to watch, but I defy anyone with a conscience not to be haunted by it.

      Strange, palpability is all over the left today.  At the NYT there is

      Editorial Observer: Waiting (and Hoping) for Jim Baker

      By CARLA ANNE ROBBINS

      The palpable yearning that James Baker’s Iraq Study Group has stirred is one more measure of the country’s desperation over Iraq.

      Look for palpable danger to polar bears next

      Posted by rhhardin on 2006 11 18 at 05:09 AM • permalink

 

    1. #3

      Numbbottom

      Posted by kae on 2006 11 18 at 05:18 AM • permalink

 

    1. “It is terrible that David Hicks is still in detention”

      True.  He should have been hung a long time ago.

      Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 11 18 at 05:37 AM • permalink

 

    1. For several years, the clamour for an end to David Hicks’ protracted incarceration has been growing to a deafening roar.

      It must be deafening. I can’t hear it.

      Posted by Radius on 2006 11 18 at 06:57 AM • permalink

 

    1. Does this sub-freshman author have her GED (equivalent) certificate hanging over her desk?  I give her an F.

      Hang her tachers.

      Posted by saltydog on 2006 11 18 at 07:33 AM • permalink

 

    1. Bonmot, kae – Headinbottom.

      Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2006 11 18 at 07:35 AM • permalink

 

    1. # 14 Swinish – good thing it’s numb, then.

      Posted by kae on 2006 11 18 at 07:39 AM • permalink

 

    1. Fistinbottom.

      Posted by CB on 2006 11 18 at 07:44 AM • permalink

 

    1. Bobinbottom!
      And a good evening to you, Senator Brown.

      Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2006 11 18 at 07:55 AM • permalink

 

    1. I take umbrage at Tim’s palpable criticism. Traceeeee is an 11-year-old intern and we should give her a fair go. Okay, sure, she’s not great for 11, but I think Tim’s a bit rough on the poor girl.

      Posted by Hanyu on 2006 11 18 at 09:20 AM • permalink

 

    1. The voices inside Traceeee Hutchison’s head are getting louder and louder

      Sadly, I think there aren’t even voices in her head.  They would have moved to a better neighbourhood years ago.

      Posted by Craig Mc on 2006 11 18 at 10:08 AM • permalink

 

    1. The voices inside Traceeee Hutchison’s head are getting louder and louder.

      It’s a problem for us if she forgets to take her medications?

      Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2006 11 18 at 12:13 PM • permalink

 

    1. Traceee needs a boyfriend.  A real one, not a pretend one incarcerated on the other side of the world.

      Posted by RebeccaH on 2006 11 18 at 12:17 PM • permalink

 

    1. #21, go ahead and laugh, but there are plenty of women in the US (and other Western nations too, probably) who write to convicts.  Often, they marry their incarcerated pen pals on their release, and then are sometimes dismayed to find that their boyfriends are, er… not exemplars of the masculine virtues.

      My brother’s wife once set me up on a blind date with a woman whose first husband had been a convict that she met through the mail.  When I found out how abysmal her judgement was, I was offended that she had agreed to go out with me.

      But hey, if a jailed thug is not worthy of our admiration and respect, then I’ve lost all faith in humanity.

      Posted by Steve Skubinna on 2006 11 18 at 01:12 PM • permalink

 

    1. “The voices inside Traceeee Hutchison’s head are getting louder and louder…”

      “Please let us out.  We’re trapped in here with a whole lot of stupid!”

      Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 11 18 at 03:02 PM • permalink

 

    1. “For several years, the clamour for an end to David Hicks’ protracted incarceration has been growing to a deafening roar.”

      She’s talking about the people who want him shot, isn’t she?

      Posted by PW on 2006 11 18 at 03:06 PM • permalink

 

    1. “people who want him shot”

      Why waste valuable ammo, when there’s rope available?

      Posted by Dave Surls on 2006 11 18 at 03:13 PM • permalink

 

    1. “Told entirely from the perspective of its subjects”

      Can we then say that in the opinion of the author of this piece, the film is ..
      biased
      prejudiced
      jaundiced
      unfair, ill-proportioned, lopsided, partial, partisan, slanted, unfair (I can go on for hours, here)

      Posted by rampisadmukerjee on 2006 11 18 at 03:33 PM • permalink

 

    1. Why waste valuable ammo, when there’s rope available?

      Also, rope can be re-used easily and cheaply, which is surely environmentally friendly.  Besides, there are other people out there needing a good hanging.

      Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2006 11 18 at 04:59 PM • permalink

 

    1. This sort of hysteria is what conditions the small minds of the ABC, and others:

      [I also posted this on a less relevant thread. Sorry.]

      Classic examples of Hicks bias.

      BIAS #1. From the ABC [who else]:
      Stateline South Australia [the home of David Hicks] interviewed his father this week, starting a question with

      ‘Now we all know that you have always protested your son’s innocence, Mr Hicks.”
      Mr Hicks: Actually I have NEVER claimed that David was innocent
      , I only want him charged if he has done anything wrong…

      This is a recorded program so the producers were obviously quite shameless about advertising their unprofessional ignorance and dumb bias.

      BIAS #2: Optus are having a poll on David Hicks: [some mistakes corrected]

      One question asks if David should be sent home [implication: set free] ‘definitely’ because his treatment is ‘inhumane’. [52%]

      Your choice is to deny the request to take part [9%], or to answer
      but ‘the US should be giving him a fair trial’. 
      No mention of the fact tht Hicks’ lawyer blocks ANY trials.

      Still 39% chose this alternative out of the two weasel questions.
      9# possibly thought it was a stupid choice.

      Posted by Barrie on 2006 11 18 at 05:56 PM • permalink

 

    1. Told entirely from the perspective of its subjects, Winterbottom’s film…

      No need to read further.

      This is what all the luvvies call ‘quality objective documentary’ these days.

      Rabbit Proof Fence, Michael Moore, Al Gore, David Suzuki, most SBS doccos…

      Posted by Barrie on 2006 11 18 at 06:03 PM • permalink

 

    1. Could we ‘stone’ him to death with Korans?  Or maybe build a huge wall of Korans and topple it on him?

      Posted by JorgXMcKie on 2006 11 18 at 06:51 PM • permalink

 

    1. I say we let David Hicks go.  Just take him out of his cell, walk him down to the beach, point, and say:  “Australia is that way.”

      Posted by RebeccaH on 2006 11 18 at 07:15 PM • permalink

 

    1. I was haunted all night by that movie.  Then I realized it was just a wino camped in the alley next to my apartment having the DT’s…

      Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 11 18 at 07:29 PM • permalink

 

    1. Also, rope can be re-used easily and cheaply, which is surely environmentally friendly.

      And Tracee’s part of that same lot that keeps nattering on endlessly about all the many uses for hemp …

      Posted by Achillea on 2006 11 18 at 08:30 PM • permalink

 

    1. Silver Bear? That’s a brand of inexpensive, Czech-made ammunition that’s sold here in the States. Maybe she won a free box of ammo! Lucky girl.

      Posted by Spectre765 on 2006 11 18 at 09:01 PM • permalink

 

    1. The release this week of UK filmmaker Michael Winterbottom’s latest film, Road to Guantanamo, is set to further ignite unfriendly fire in the direction of the Australian Government.

      Road to Guantanamo! Starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby… if only.

      Posted by Dr Alice on 2006 11 20 at 01:00 AM • permalink

 

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