Thursday, November 6, 1997
Program pays tribute to films exposing paparazzi
FILM: Nine movies look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the
media
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
Murder. Intrigue. Scandal. The subject matter the tabloid
industry thrives on is also popular fodder for filmmakers. It’s no
wonder then, that filmmakers have been making movies for years
about the paparazzi and the drama which surrounds it.
Honoring the many acclaimed films about this hectic business,
the UCLA Film and Television Archive is screening nine movies from
the past 65 years that have shown these story-hungry reporters in
both good and bad lights.
Andrea Alsberg, head of programming at the UCLA Film and
Television Archive, envisioned the program after expressing a
desire to gather films such as "La Dolce Vita" and "Sweet Smell of
Success" together in a festival. She has always appreciated the
cynical elements in these films about the tabloid business.
"I liked their darkness in the eye of the paparazzi’s world,"
Alsberg says. "This is very timely considering what happened to
(Princess) Diana to look at how the cinema sees these people and
what a sleazy reporter will do and how low he will go for a
story."
The program focuses mostly on sensationalism, starting with the
genesis of yellow journalism, when outrageous headlines determined
newspaper circulation. Most of the films revolve around the ethical
dilemmas and ambitions of tabloid reporters fighting for the
ultimate scoop.
"These films are risky and very black, taking a look at the
darker side of nature," Alsberg says. "These films are about
individuals and seeing why people do the things they do. It’s about
why a person would want to create calamity in order to get a scoop.
And we all eat it up. Gossip is indigenous to being alive."
The films in the program include Joseph Blasioli’s "Blast ‘Em,"
Lewis Milestone’s "The Front Page," Billy Wilder’s "Ace in the
Hole" and Frederico Fellini’s celebrated "La Dolce Vita."
Alsberg believes that directors are drawn to making movies about
the tabloid industry because of the high dramatic possibilities and
the tantalizing subject of one’s moral values in the face of career
aspiration.
"Many of the most brilliant directors have made films about the
paparazzi, all taking a smart look at what a sleazy reporter will
do to get ahead," Alsberg says. "They sometimes sell their souls
and ruin other people’s lives to get a big scoop."
Cheng-Sim Lim, programmer of the UCLA Film and Television
Archive, agrees that the excitement of chasing a story can be an
attractive subject to filmmakers.
"The films can be critical and enraptured by the whole spectacle
of tabloid journalism," Lim says. "There’s a fascination with the
drama of journalism itself."
The plotlines for many films follow ambitious reporters living
in a cutthroat business who will do next to anything in order to
outscoop their rivals. From classic films from the 1930s ("The
Front Page" which was remade several times) to biting documentaries
featuring today’s paparazzi ("Blast ‘Em"), most movies shine an
unflattering light at the people who bring us the secrets we crave
to know about.
In "While the City Sleeps," three newspaper reporters are
chasing after the sensational story of a city under the clutches of
a roving sex murderer. The reward for whoever gets the first scoop
of learning the killer’s identity? The Holy Grail of becoming
editor in chief. Throughout the film, the reporters abandon their
morals and ethics to their ambitions, putting everything they value
on the line in order to further their careers.
While this synopsis may seem to exaggerate the burning
enterprise of the paparazzi, Lim believes that the melodramatic
quality is being used to send out a message of the battles between
two human natures that occur not only in journalism, but other
professions as well.
"Some of these films are deliberately over the top to make a
point," Lim says. "The underbelly of certain journalistic practices
are exposed, but at the same time, there is a kind of love
expressed for these characters. These movies are about complex
characters who may have ethical lapses."
FILM: UCLA Film and Television Archive’s "World without Pity:
Tabloids and Film" series begins screenings this weekend. For more
information, call (310) 206-FILM.