Artificial intelligence and CGI have pushed the cinematic experience to the edge of an uncanny valley. But is there hope in looking to the past?
We live at the end of history and the edge of calamity. What we see is an artificially created mirage pushed by media companies to keep us plugged into the information machine. Our passive servile engagement powers a complex feedback loop where advertisers pay for our attention, creators deliver moments that drive us to the advertisers, and programmers increasingly segment us more effectively to tighten the noose around our wallets.
Don’t worry. None of this is new. C.S. Lewis wrote about it in That Hideous Strength. Yes, Lewis did write something other than the Narnia Series (if you’re in the homeschool crowd) and Mere Christianity (if you’re in the bible college crowd). Homer talked about it in The Odyssey when Alcinous poetically called Odysseus a liar for his fantastic tales.
Put down the black pill and let’s talk about an old movie.
Ace in the Hole is a noir classic that was unappreciated in its time. Kirk Douglas plays a jaded newspaper man who has written for a series of major publications and been fired from them all. He rolls into Albuquerque and tries to bully/scam his way into a job as a staff writer for a paper run by an honest and good-natured local attorney. Conditions for employment: No libel, no philandering, and no drinking on the job.
Flash forward a year and Chuck (Kirk Douglas’ character) is stuck in New Mexico still looking for that major story to bring him back to the big time. One day, while he and a naïve young photographer are on assignment for a local interest story the opportunity of a lifetime falls in his lap. We watch as lives are destroyed and narratives are built. Chuck becomes the ringmaster at a circus filled with people he despises.
Kirk Douglas plays it masterfully under Billy Wilder’s direction. The supporting cast delivers nuanced performances. There are a few people that Chuck has completely under his spell, but most allow themselves to be lead. It’s a story telling choice that deepens the commentary on our relationship to the news.
If you’re looking to watch you may find it under the name, The Big Carnaval. Whatever it’s called, Ace in the Hole is worth a watch.
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