On a recent podcast, filmmaker Steven Soderbergh pivoted the conversation to Alfred Hitchcock’s work, examining why, decades later, the auteur’s grip on audiences remains so tight. “[The reason] we still watch Hitchcock movies, and that they don’t feel as dated as some other films, is that they’re all about guilt,” Soderbergh posited. “Every Hitchcock movie is about guilt — and guilt’s not going anywhere.” If what Soderbergh says is true, then why is guilt so evergreen?
I listened to the podcast after watching Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, a masterpiece that belongs in the category of Great Art (an imperfect term, but one I stand by). I wondered why Glazer’s film — about a German family attempting to build a normal life in the shadow of Auschwitz during World War II — seemed to rise above the competition in a very strong year for movies. I believe that Hitchcock’s preoccupation with guilt, and Glazer’s sharp gaze on how we bury that emotion, play into a similar fear of ostracism. Guilt taps into something that’s difficult to express out loud. It is an “unsafe” feeling — if uttered, it could lead to being shunned. It causes us to keep secrets.
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Great Art taps into those hidden feelings, offering an emotional space that can’t exist in public life. Many well-meaning movies don’t reach greatness because they express values that are already safe to say out loud at a dinner party. “War is a terrible thing to experience,” for example, is easier to affirm than what The Zone of Interest says: We are willing to ignore atrocity to preserve our personal comfort.
Such unsafe ideas appear throughout film history. They can be found in recent titles like the Argentinean film The Delinquents (freedom from white-collar work is worth literal jail time) and the French film Saint Omer (motherhood can ignite the urge to destroy, not protect) as well as in classics like The Godfather (loyalty to your family can kill you), When Harry Met Sally (men and women can’t be friends without sex getting in the way) and The Shining (the most dangerous person in a woman or child’s life can be the husband or father protecting them). As obvious as they might seem, these ideas are difficult for us to express outside the protective bubble of entertainment: They explore value systems that disrupt the fragile order to which Western culture adheres. They threaten our own sense of safety, our intrinsic sense that we are good people and allow us to publicly live for a couple of hours in a space we privately all know exists.
One ringing example is the American cultural conversation around race. We live in a world in which the idea that “racism exists,” or “racism is bad,” are no longer radical to express on film. They form the core of such morally safe films as Paul Haggis’ Crash and Peter Farrelly’s Green Book, and well intentioned biopics and histories, movies that reinforce the visibility of bad vs good, movies that suggest we can neatly separate racists from anti-racists.
By contrast, Jordan Peele’s Get Out was a major commercial success that broached a truly unsafe racial idea: that Black people should never fully trust white people, even the ones who perform as allies. It’s an idea our society can’t truly accept while still functioning as is. Get Out remains frighteningly relevant because it doesn’t just remind us that racism is real: it reminds Black people they can’t escape it. Almost three decades before, Spike Lee’s similarly provocative Do The Right Thing articulated its own unsafe idea (riotous anger is warranted) so effectively that people feared the movie would incite violence.
With notable exceptions, contemporary American films tend to affirm cultural ideas that are already safe to say. It is no coincidence that this is happening while conservatism is rising, in the form of consolidated media companies, slashed DEI initiatives, banned books and the persistence of right-wing extremism. We are losing our capacity for cultural discomfort, and more crucially, we are losing the space to hold secrets in community — a key component of the movie-going experience.
Two thousand twenty three was a good year for unsafe ideas becoming visible and Oscar nominations reflect a few of those works. But we must be rigorous in holding the Academy accountable in prioritizing truly great, risky films. “Oscar bait” is a pejorative term for a reason, as it generally refers to a comfortingly familiar type of drama or spectacle. But when we reaffirm cultural values that feel safe to say out loud, the impact of that movie becomes more superficial. Great movies are the ones that leave a residue: They provide a pond for our biggest secrets to swim in.
Kishori Rajan is the SVP of Production and Development at Viva Maude, a production company founded by actress and producer Tessa Thompson. Previously, she won a Peabody Award as an Executive Producer of the HBO series Random Acts of Flyness.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
