Super-extreme-best...of all time!
A quite obstinate thought has managed to grab hold of the drain-pipe walls towards my internal oblivion, thus remaining a source of reflection for longer than the instant at which it arrose.
The thought is this: Japanese movie publicity has the awkward tendency of portraying a movie as though it were the best of its kind, surpassing its predecessors, making it the best ever in history. What has made the obstinate thought remain is the use of this word "in history" (史上). For instance, Shrek 2 is said to be "the most powerful fantasy of all time", while Harry Potter 3 is "the most powerful fantasy of all time". Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, they are both "the most powerful fantasy of all time". So, judging from their release dates we cannot but conclude that Shrek 2 is even more powerful than Harry Potter 3. No?
1. Hypothesis:
Shrek 2 is actually more powerful than Harry Potter 3.
That would mean that all publicity stating that Harry Potter 3 is the most powerful fantasy ever made has lost its validity. Yet, the world of publicity is not the academic or science world and the truth is but a wrapping paper. So, false information can continue its miserable life and distort our vision of what is true. Death to Harry Potter 3, long live Shrek 2! Banzai!
2. Hypothesis:
Harry Potter 3 and Shrek 2 are just two commercial products.
So, basically, the truth -which in this case is rather a subjective concept- is of no real importance at all. However, it seems that the publicity campaign people are appealing to the natural human urge for more and better. This concerns an innate need to surpass the preceding, to create and of course see something which is even bigger and better.
Yes, the sky is the limit! Evolution knows no ending! What has past, just can't be as good as the new. Oh no, history doesn't repeat itself! One great ascending line, that is the path mankind has been and will be treading. It is this 19th century romantic hope towards the future still luring inside every human being's heart to which publicity like this appeals. Maybe in a sense one could even proclaim that the role of these campaigns is to create an "illusion" that breaks with postmodern lack of faith in history as such. The same could go for the subject of publicity, i.e. the movie, itself for that matter. But that's another discussion.
Although publicity like this refers to "history", thereby affirming the timeliness of things as well as expressing a certain awareness of the past, it only seems to make use of just part of that romantic image of time and evolution. That is to say, it has obliviated the idealist tendency to euphemize the past as the glorious road that lays behind. The reason for that, I believe, is simple: the past has already been consumed. Harry Potter 3's publicity campaign is already over. Bygones be bygones.
The thought is this: Japanese movie publicity has the awkward tendency of portraying a movie as though it were the best of its kind, surpassing its predecessors, making it the best ever in history. What has made the obstinate thought remain is the use of this word "in history" (史上). For instance, Shrek 2 is said to be "the most powerful fantasy of all time", while Harry Potter 3 is "the most powerful fantasy of all time". Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, they are both "the most powerful fantasy of all time". So, judging from their release dates we cannot but conclude that Shrek 2 is even more powerful than Harry Potter 3. No?
1. Hypothesis:
Shrek 2 is actually more powerful than Harry Potter 3.
That would mean that all publicity stating that Harry Potter 3 is the most powerful fantasy ever made has lost its validity. Yet, the world of publicity is not the academic or science world and the truth is but a wrapping paper. So, false information can continue its miserable life and distort our vision of what is true. Death to Harry Potter 3, long live Shrek 2! Banzai!
2. Hypothesis:
Harry Potter 3 and Shrek 2 are just two commercial products.
So, basically, the truth -which in this case is rather a subjective concept- is of no real importance at all. However, it seems that the publicity campaign people are appealing to the natural human urge for more and better. This concerns an innate need to surpass the preceding, to create and of course see something which is even bigger and better.
Yes, the sky is the limit! Evolution knows no ending! What has past, just can't be as good as the new. Oh no, history doesn't repeat itself! One great ascending line, that is the path mankind has been and will be treading. It is this 19th century romantic hope towards the future still luring inside every human being's heart to which publicity like this appeals. Maybe in a sense one could even proclaim that the role of these campaigns is to create an "illusion" that breaks with postmodern lack of faith in history as such. The same could go for the subject of publicity, i.e. the movie, itself for that matter. But that's another discussion.
Although publicity like this refers to "history", thereby affirming the timeliness of things as well as expressing a certain awareness of the past, it only seems to make use of just part of that romantic image of time and evolution. That is to say, it has obliviated the idealist tendency to euphemize the past as the glorious road that lays behind. The reason for that, I believe, is simple: the past has already been consumed. Harry Potter 3's publicity campaign is already over. Bygones be bygones.
posted by Yptucide at
6:28 PM
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