Hollywood’s actors’ and screenwriters’ unions have both gone on strike. The divisions between these employees and management apparently are deep, and some think the strike could go on for a long time. This would prevent the movie studios, etc., from producing any content for a while, which would be fine with me.
Barry Diller, head of the media conglomerate IAC and former CEO of Paramount and 20th Century Fox, worries that the entertainment industry could collapse:
Diller called for a settlement deadline of September 1, and said there could be catastrophic ramifications if the strikes extend into the fall.
“Who cares about Hollywood?” Diller said — referencing what he believes to be overriding public sentiment on the issue. “Who cares about it? But the truth is, this is a huge business! Both domestically and for world exporters. … But these conditions will potentially produce an absolute collapse of an entire industry.”
The IAC chief acknowledged the “existential issues” at play, and said there is “no trust between the parties” — which could prolong the strikes.
It is interesting that Diller thinks the prevailing public attitude is, who cares? That is certainly my view. But why? Hollywood once had a defining influence on American culture. It helped to build our country, and the self-image and ideology of our country that, at one time, almost all of us shared. But those days are long gone.
A case in point: Disney is remaking “Snow White.” The first question is, why? “Snow White” is a classic that will not be surpassed on its own terms. The only reason to do it again is to make it woke. The new version is live action, not a cartoon. Live action not just allows for, but requires, greater realism. But that is a terrible idea: there is nothing whatever about “Snow White” that is, or should be, realistic.
So the concept is misbegotten. But that was only the beginning of Disney’s mistakes.
First, she was called Snow White because her skin was very white, so obviously, that was branded racist.
We can’t have that. So now Snow White is Hispanic.
Second, the handsome prince didn’t get her consent before delivering the magical kiss — so in the wake of the #MeToo campaign, he was condemned as a sexual predator.
Folks, this is a fairy tale. Get a grip!
Now, with chilling inevitability, the miserable cancel-culture cops have come for Snow White’s dwarfs.
Yes, apparently those lovable, hard-working, kind little guys Doc, Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful and Sneezy are deeply offensive.
Not just because they’re all male, so that’s obviously disgustingly sexist and unacceptable, but more pertinently, because the characters are apparently demeaning to real-life dwarfs.
This claim was first made by the world’s most famous and successful dwarf actor, Peter Dinklage, who last year accused Disney of being responsible for “renewing damaging stereotypes” when it announced plans to remake the 1937 movie, saying, “You’re still making that f–king backward story of seven dwarves living in the cave … what the f–k are you doing, man?”
But here’s the thing: Doc et al. are cartoon characters, not real dwarves. They don’t even look like dwarves. The movie was not a disquisition on the real-life problems of dwarves, it was–to repeat–a fairy tale. But Disney is no longer in that business.
Disney caved to the pressure, and the Seven Dwarves are now seven “magical creatures” of “all sizes, colors, and genders.” Oh. That will be fun. This is a still of the seven magical creatures, one of whom is actually a dwarf:
What is the audience for a woke, live-action “Snow White”? It seems obvious that there isn’t one. Will liberals flock to see these reimagined “magical creatures,” and a prince who can no longer kiss the heroine? No. Will parents take their small children to enjoy a fairy tale grimly realistic political lesson? No.
“Snow White” is going to bomb, like pretty much everything Disney produces these days. Which is why hardly anyone cares about the actors’ and writers’ strike, and why few will care if Hollywood does indeed go belly-up.
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