Vampyr Dancing

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Lest the 1932 German film by Carl Theodor Dreyer recede deeper into our collective fogged memory as we replace the brilliant achievements of atmosphere and austere, profoundly unsettling imagery and dreamlike terror with more special effects, let us indulge in a moment of nostalgia.  Before we are swept away by more teen romances among athletic bodies in flying combat having cooler car crashes,  their characters’ personalities morphing into mere misunderstood cliche kids who would be good if they only could,  to a place where even Sherlock Holmes IQ is not safe from lisping dialogue and lame logic delivered by cell phones twittering– let us take a breath.

Is it likely that if big budget poseur PC creative teams cannot or will not redefine to illuminate, evolving identities for our collective archetypes, pose problems for our heros to solve that reflect substantial contemporary aspects of our human condition that we, as mere viewers seeking entertainment, can achieve enlightenment?  The last word I had from the Hollywood hip insiders was If the script is too hot to handle, the powers that be will still not let it hit the screen.  Since answering is buried in the questions, the essence of power in the production process is control over formulating the questions our story implies, determining themes or issues, points of view and responses of characters.  What degree of success is required to earn authentic voice on the level of mass media?

Are we naive dreamers to desire truthful transparency in government or relevant real news or an informed democratic citizenship? Consider first how and why do we create the characterizations we consume for our amusement?

Ask any vampyr, they will tell you.