Creation too controversial for American audiences?

A British film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer:

"The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they've seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up.

"It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There's still a great belief that He made the world in six days. It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules.

Color me skeptical. Controversy sells. A distributor will be found.

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"for we in the UK": and I live in a country that can barely speak its native tongue.

By bioIgnoramus (not verified) on 14 Sep 2009 #permalink

I suspect that it may not be controversial enough for American audiences, but that's only going by the reactions on last week's Newsnight Review... Plus, there's no explosions or car chases, and I don't think it's got a particularly happy ending.

A silly article. You can turn on the TV any night of the week and see programs that presuppose natural selection and an ancient universe. It's not controversy that has prevented this from finding a distributor.

> outside of New York and LA, religion rules

How true it is. A known agnostic like me can't visit Boston or San Fransisco without getting beaten up.

By Eric Johnson (not verified) on 15 Sep 2009 #permalink

I'd like to see "Creation" myself, but this "too controversial for America" stuff is silly. It's a movie that has limited audience appeal and commercial prospects based on its nature and subject matter (biopic about 19th century scientist). I think the Variety review had it about right: "Likely to earn just respectable critical support, the Toronto opener looks to be a medium specialty performer."

Controversy sells. A distributor will be found.

True. But, will an audience be found?

By Jack Coupal (not verified) on 16 Sep 2009 #permalink

The producer is just acting like a pompous ass. America has more educated people, more atheists and more people who believe in evolution than England. I hear this constant claim of intellectual superiority of the British all the time. They need to settle down and quit displaying a behavior that seems more like an inferiority complex.

Sure, we have fundamentalists who reject evolution, but that really is not the problem. The likely problem is that a US distributor hasn't been found willing to put up the kind of money the producer wants for a film with uncertain appeal. I personally would love to see the film, but purchasing distribution rights in the US is another thing all together.