Beeban Kidron: The shared wonder of film

Translator: Timothy Covell Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: David J. Kreps Finnemann Reviewer: Anders Finn Jørgensen

Evidence suggests that humans in all ages and from all cultures

Beviser tyder på, at mennesker i alle aldre i alle kulturer

create their identity in some kind of narrative form.

har skabt deres identitet på en eller anden narrativ form.

From mother to daughter, preacher to congregant,

Fra mor til datter, fra præst til forsamling,

teacher to pupil, storyteller to audience.

lærer til elev, fortæller til tilhørere.

Whether in cave paintings

Hvad enten i hulemalerier

or the latest uses of the Internet,

eller den seneste brug af internettet,

human beings have always told their histories and truths

har mennesker altid fortalt deres historier og sandheder

through parable and fable.

gennem lignelse og fabel.

We are inveterate storytellers.

Vi er inkarnerede fortællere.

But where, in our increasingly secular and fragmented world,

Men hvor, i vores stigende sekulariserede og fragmenterede verden,

do we offer communality of experience,

tilbyder vi et fællesskab af erfaring,

unmediated by our own furious consumerism?

direkte af vores egen rasende forbrugerisme?

And what narrative, what history,

Og hvilken fortælling, hvilken historie,

what identity, what moral code

hvilken identitet, hvilket moralkodeks,

are we imparting to our young?

giver vi videre til vores unge?

Cinema is arguably

Filmkunst er vel sagtens

the 20th century's most influential art form.

det 20 århundredes mest indflydelsesrige kunstform.

Its artists told stories

Det er kunstnere der fortæller historier

across national boundaries,

på tværs af nationale grænser,

in as many languages, genres and philosophies

i så mange sprog, genrer og filosofier

as one can imagine.

som man kan forestille sig.

Indeed, it is hard to find a subject

Bestemt, det er svært at finde et emne

that film has yet to tackle.

som film endnu ikke har taklet.

During the last decade

I løbet af det sidste årti

we've seen a vast integration of global media,

har vi set en stor integration af globale medier,

now dominated by a culture of the Hollywood blockbuster.

nu domineret af en kultur af Hollywood blockbusteren.

We are increasingly offered a diet

Vi bliver i stigende grad tilbudt en diæt

in which sensation, not story, is king.

hvor sensation, ikke historie, er kongen.

What was common to us all 40 years ago --

Det der var almindeligt for os alle for 40 år siden --

the telling of stories between generations --

historiefortællingen mellem generationer --

is now rarified.

er nu fortyndet.

As a filmmaker, it worried me.

Som filmskaber, bekymrede det mig.

As a human being, it puts the fear of God in me.

Som menneske, gør det mig gudfrygtig.

What future could the young build

Hvilken fremtid kunne de unge bygge

with so little grasp

med så lidt forståelse

of where they've come from

af hvor vi er kommet fra,

and so few narratives of what's possible?

og så få fortællinger om hvad der er muligt?

The irony is palpable;

Ironien er tyk;

technical access has never been greater,

teknisk tilgængelighed har aldrig været større,

cultural access never weaker.

kulturel tilgængelig har aldrig været svagere.

And so in 2006 we set up FILMCLUB,

Så i 2006 startede vi FILMCLUB,

an organization that ran weekly film screenings in schools

en organisation der hver uge viste film i skoler

followed by discussions.

efterfulgt af diskussioner.

If we could raid the annals of 100 years of film,

Hvis vi kunne bruge 100 års film,

maybe we could build a narrative

kunne vi måske bygge en fortælling

that would deliver meaning

der kunne give mening

to the fragmented and restless world of the young.

til den fragmenterede og rastløse verden de unge lever i.

Given the access to technology,

Med tilgang til teknologi,

even a school in a tiny rural hamlet

selv en lille skole på landet

could project a DVD onto a white board.

kunne projektere en DVD på en hvid væg.

In the first nine months

I løbet af de første ni måneder

we ran 25 clubs across the U.K.,

havde vi 25 klubber i hele England,

with kids in age groups between five and 18

med børn i aldersgrupper mellem fem og 18

watching a film uninterrupted for 90 minutes.

der så en film, uafbrudt i 90 minutter.

The films were curated and contextualized.

Filmene blev organiseret og sat i kontekst.

But the choice was theirs,

Men det var deres valg,

and our audience quickly grew

og vores publikum voksede hurtigt

to choose the richest and most varied diet that we could provide.

til at vælge den rigeste mest varierede kost som vi kunne give.

The outcome, immediate.

Resultatet, med det samme.

It was an education of the most profound and transformative kind.

Det var en uddannelse af den mest overraskende og ændrende måde.

In groups as large as 150 and as small as three,

I grupper så store som 150 og så små som tre,

these young people discovered new places,

opdagede disse unge mennesker nye steder,

new thoughts, new perspectives.

nye tanker, nye perspektiver.

By the time the pilot had finished,

Da den første udsendelse var slut,

we had the names of a thousand schools

havde vi navnene på tusind skoler

that wished to join.

der ville være med.

The film that changed my life

Den film der ændrede mit liv

is a 1951 film by Vittorio De Sica, "Miracle in Milan."

er en film fra 1951 af Vittorio De Sica, "Miraklet i Milano."

It's a remarkable comment

Det er en bemærkelsesværdig kommentar

on slums, poverty and aspiration.

på slum, fattigdom og ambition.

I had seen the film on the occasion of my father's 50th birthday.

Jeg så filmen i anledning af min fars 50 års fødselsdag.

Technology then meant we had to hire a viewing cinema,

Datidens teknologi gjorde at vi måtte leje en biograf,

find and pay for the print and the projectionist.

finde og betale for printet og operatøren.

But for my father,

Men for min far,

the emotional and artistic importance of De Sica's vision was so great

var den følelsesmæssige og artistiske vigtighed af De Sicas vision så stor

that he chose to celebrate his half-century

at han valgte at fejre hans halve århundrede

with his three teenage children and 30 of their friends,

med hans tre børn og 30 af deres venner.

"In order," he said,

"For at," sagde han,

"to pass the baton of concern and hope

"videregive stafetten af bekymring og håb

on to the next generation."

til den næste generation."

In the last shot of "Miracle in Milan,"

I den sidste scene af "Miraklet i Milano,"

slum-dwellers float skyward on flying brooms.

flyver folk fra slummen på flyvende koste.

Sixty years after the film was made

Tres år efter filmen blev lavet

and 30 years after I first saw it,

og tredive år efter jeg først så den,

I see young faces tilt up in awe,

ser jeg unge ansigter kigge op i dyb respekt

their incredulity matching mine.

deres skepsis matcher min.

And the speed with which they associate it

Og hastigheden hvormed de associerer det

with "Slumdog Millionaire" or the favelas in Rio

med "Slumdog Millionaire" eller favelaerne i Rio

speaks to the enduring nature.

taler til det varige væsen.

In a FILMCLUB season about democracy and government,

I en FILMCLUB sæson om demokrati og regering,

we screened "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

vi viste "Mr. Smith kommer til byen."

Made in 1939, the film is older than most of our members' grandparents.

Lavet i 1939, filmen er ældre end de fleste af vores medlemmers bedsteforældre.

Frank Capra's classic values independence and propriety.

Frank Capras klassiske værdier om uafhængighed og anstændighed.

It shows how to do right,

Det viser hvordan man gør det rigtigt,

how to be heroically awkward.

hvordan man er heroisk akavet.

It is also an expression of faith

Det er også et udtryk for tro

in the political machine as a force of honor.

på den politiske maskine som en ærens kraft.

Shortly after "Mr. Smith" became a FILMCLUB classic,

Kort efter "Mr. Smith" blev en FILMCLUB klassiker,

there was a week of all-night filibustering in the House of Lords.

der var en uges med nætter af filibustering i Overhuset.

And it was with great delight

Og det var med stor fornøjelse

that we found young people up and down the country

at vi fandt ud af at unge mennesker fra hele landet

explaining with authority

med kompetent myndighed forklarede

what filibustering was

hvad filibustering var

and why the Lords might defy their bedtime on a point of principle.

og hvorfor medemmer af Overhuset trodsede deres sengetid på grund af et princip.

After all, Jimmy Stewart filibustered for two entire reels.

Jimmi Stewart havde trods alt filibustered to hele filmruller.

In choosing "Hotel Rwanda,"

Da vi valgte "Hotel Rwanda",

they explored genocide of the most brutal kind.

udforskede de folkemordets brutale natur.

It provoked tears as well as incisive questions

Det fremprovokerede tårer lige så vel som skarpe spørgsmål

about unarmed peace-keeping forces

om ubevæbnede fredsbevarende styrker

and the double-dealing of a Western society

og det dobbeltmoralske vestlige samfund

that picks its moral fights with commodities in mind.

der vælger dens moralske kampe med forbrugsartikler i tankerne.

And when "Schindler's List" demanded that they never forget,

Og da "Schindlers Liste" krævede at de aldrig ville glemme,

one child, full of the pain of consciousness, remarked,

et barn, fuldt med smerten om bevidstheden, bemærkede,

"We already forgot,

"Vi havde allerede glemt det,

otherwise how did 'Hotel Rwanda' happen?"

hvordan kunne 'Hotel Rwanda' ske?"

As they watch more films their lives got palpably richer.

I takt med at de så flere film, blev deres liv mærkbart rigere.

"Pickpocket" started a debate about criminality disenfranchisement.

"Lommetyven" startede en debat om kriminel fratagelse af stemmeretten.

"To Sir, with Love" ignited its teen audience.

"Den hårde klasse" tændte sig teenager tilskuerne.

They celebrated a change in attitude

De fejrede en holdningsændring

towards non-white Britons,

til ikke-hvide englændere,

but railed against our restless school system

men rasede over vores rastløse skole system

that does not value collective identity,

der ikke værdsætter vores kollektive identitet,

unlike that offered by Sidney Poitier's careful tutelage.

i modsætning til Sidney Poitiers forsigtige vejledning.

By now, these thoughtful, opinionated, curious young people

Nu havde disse eftertænksomme, påståelige, nysgerrige, unge mennesker

thought nothing of tackling films of all forms --

ikke nogen betænkeligheder ved at tackle alle former for film --

black and white, subtitled,

sort og hvid, undertekster,

documentary, non-narrative, fantasy --

dokumentarer, ikke-narrativer, fantasier --

and thought nothing of writing detailed reviews

og så det som en selvfølge at skrive detaljerede anmeldelser

that competed to favor one film over another

der konkurrerede om at favorisere en film frem for en anden

in passionate and increasingly sophisticated prose.

i passioneret og stigende sofistikeret prosa.

Six thousand reviews each school week

Seks tusinde anmeldelser per skoleuge

vying for the honor of being review of the week.

konkurrerede hver uge efter æren af et være ugens anmeldelse.

From 25 clubs, we became hundreds, then thousands,

Fra 25 klubber, blev vi hundrede, derefter tusinde,

until we were nearly a quarter of a million kids

indtil vi næsten hver en kvart million børn

in 7,000 clubs right across the country.

i 7.000 klubber over hele landet.

And although the numbers were, and continue to be, extraordinary,

Og selv antallet var, og stadig er, forbløffende,

what became more extraordinary

det der var mere forbløffende

was how the experience of critical and curious questioning

var oplevelsen af kritiske og nysgerrige spørgsmål

translated into life.

oversat til liv.

Some of our kids started talking with their parents,

Nogle af vores børn begyndte at tale med deres forældre,

others with their teachers,

andre med deres lærere,

or with their friends.

eller med deres venner.

And those without friends

Og dem uden venner

started making them.

begyndte at få dem.

The films provided communality across all manner of divide.

Filmene sørgede for fællesskab tværs over alle slags skel.

And the stories they held provided a shared experience.

Og historierne de fortalte gav en delt oplevelse.

"Persepolis" brought a daughter closer to her Iranian mother,

"Persepolis" bragte en datter tættere på hendes mor,

and "Jaws" became the way in which one young boy

og "Dødens Gab" blev måden hvorpå en ung dreng

was able to articulate the fear he'd experienced

var i stand til at udtrykke den skræk han havde oplevet

in flight from violence

i flugten fra volden

that killed first his father then his mother,

der først dræbte hans far, derefter hans mor,

the latter thrown overboard on a boat journey.

den sidstnævnte blev smidt overbord på en bådtur.

Who was right, who wrong?

Hvem havde ret, hvem havde uret?

What would they do under the same conditions?

Hvad ville de gøre under de samme vilkår?

Was the tale told well?

Var historien godt fortalt?

Was there a hidden message?

Var det et skjult budskab?

How has the world changed? How could it be different?

Hvordan har verden ændret sig? Hvordan kunne det være anderledes?

A tsunami of questions flew out of the mouths of children

En tsunami af spørgsmål fløj ud af munden på børnene

who the world didn't think were interested.

som verden ikke troede der var interesserede.

And they themselves had not known they cared.

Og de troede selv de ikke havde bekymret sig om det.

And as they wrote and debated,

Og som de skrev og debatterede,

rather than seeing the films as artifacts,

i stedet for at se filmene som produkter,

they began to see themselves.

begyndte de at se sig selv.

I have an aunt who is a wonderful storyteller.

Jeg har en tante der er en vidunderlig historiefortæller.

In a moment she can invoke images

På et øjeblik kan hun fremkalde billeder

of running barefoot on Table Mountain and playing cops and robbers.

af at løbe barfodet på Table Mountain og lege røvere og soldater.

Quite recently she told me

For nylig fortalte hun mig

that in 1948, two of her sisters and my father

at i 1948, rejste to af hendes søstre og min far

traveled on a boat to Israel without my grandparents.

på en båd til Israel uden mine bedsteforældre.

When the sailors mutinied at sea in a demand for humane conditions,

Da søfolkene begik mytteri på åbent hav, med krav om menneskelige forhold,

it was these teenagers that fed the crew.

var det disse teenagere der fodrede bemandingen.

I was past 40 when my father died.

Jeg var forbi de 40 da min far døde.

He never mentioned that journey.

Han nævnte aldrig den rejse.

My mother's mother left Europe in a hurry

Min moders moder forlod Europa i en fart

without her husband, but with her three-year-old daughter

uden hendes mand, men med hendes tre-årige datter

and diamonds sewn into the hem of her skirt.

og diamanter der var syet ind i folderne i hendes nederdel.

After two years in hiding,

Efter at være under jorden i to år,

my grandfather appeared in London.

dukke min farfar om i London.

He was never right again.

Han blev aldrig normal igen.

And his story was hushed as he assimilated.

Og hans historie blev holdt hemmelig i takt med at han blev integreret.

My story started in England

Min historie startede i England

with a clean slate and the silence of immigrant parents.

med en ren tavle og tavsheden fra de immigrerede forældre.

I had "Anne Frank," "The Great Escape,"

Jeg havde "Anne Frank", "Den store flugt",

"Shoah," "Triumph of the Will."

"Shoah", "Viljens triumf".

It was Leni Riefenstahl

Det var Leni Riefenstahl

in her elegant Nazi propaganda

i hendes elegante Nazi propaganda

who gave context to what the family had to endure.

der gav en kontekst til det familien skulle udholde.

These films held what was too hurtful to say out loud,

Disse film indholdte det der var for sårende at sige højt,

and they became more useful to me

og de blev mere nyttige for mig

than the whispers of survivors

end de overlevendes hvisken

and the occasional glimpse of a tattoo

og det lejlighedsvise glimt af en tatovering

on a maiden aunt's wrist.

på en ugift tantes håndled.

Purists may feel that fiction dissipates

Purister føler måske at fiktion formøbler

the quest of real human understanding,

en søgen efter virkelig, menneskelig forståelse,

that film is too crude

at film er for primitive

to tell a complex and detailed history,

til at fortælle en kompleks og detaljeret historie,

or that filmmakers always serve drama over truth.

eller at filmskabere altid serverer drama frem for sandhed.

But within the reels lie purpose and meaning.

Men i disse filmruller, ligger der et formål og en mening.

As one 12-year-old said after watching "Wizard of Oz,"

Som en 12-årig sagde efter at have set "Troldmanden fra Oz",

"Every person should watch this,

"Alle mennesker skulle se den,

because unless you do

fordi hvis man ikke gør

you may not know that you too have a heart."

finder man måske aldrig ud af at man også har et hjerte".

We honor reading, why not honor watching with the same passion?

Vi honorerer læsning, hvorfor ikke også honorere kigning med samme passion?

Consider "Citizen Kane" as valuable as Jane Austen.

Overvej "Den store mand" værende lige så værdifuldt som Jane Austen.

Agree that "Boyz n the Hood," like Tennyson,

Være enig i, at "Boyz n the Hood", ligesom Tennyson,

offers an emotional landscape and a heightened understanding

tilbyder et følelsesmæssigt landskab og en forøget forståelse

that work together.

der arbejder sammen.

Each a piece of memorable art,

Hvert et billede af mindeværdig kunst,

each a brick in the wall of who we are.

hvert en mursten i væggen af hvem vi er.

And it's okay if we remember Tom Hanks

Og det er okay hvis vi husker Tom Hanks

better than astronaut Jim Lovell

bedre end astronauten Jom Lovell

or have Ben Kingsley's face superimposed onto that of Gandhi's.

eller at Ben Kingsleys ansigt huskes bedre end Gandhis.

And though not real, Eve Harrington, Howard Beale, Mildred Pierce

Og selvom de ikke er ægte, Eve Harrington, Howard Beale, Mildred Pierce

are an opportunity to discover

er en mulighed for at opdage

what it is to be human,

hvad det er at være et menneske,

and no less helpful to understanding our life and times

og ikke mindre nyttigt til at forstå vores liv og vores tid

as Shakespeare is in illuminating the world of Elizabethan England.

ligesom Shakespeare oplyste det elizabethianske England.

We guessed that film,

Vi gættede på at film,

whose stories are a meeting place

hvis historie er et mødested

of drama, music, literature and human experience,

for drama, musik, litteratur og menneskelige oplevelser,

would engage and inspire the young people participating in FILMCLUB.

ville engagere og inspirere de unge mennesker der deltog i FILMCLUB.

What we could not have foreseen

Hvad vi ikke kunne have forudset

was the measurable improvements

var de målelige forbedringer

in behavior, confidence and academic achievement.

i opførsel, selvtillid, og akademiske præstationer.

Once-reluctant students now race to school, talk to their teachers,

Tidligere tilbageholdende studerende skynder sig nu i skole, taler med deres lærere,

fight, not on the playground,

slås, ikke på legepladsen,

but to choose next week's film --

men om at vælge næste uges film --

young people who have found self-definition, ambition

unge mennesker der har fundet selv-definition, ambition

and an appetite for education and social engagement

og en appetit for uddannelse og social engagement

from the stories they have witnessed.

fra de historier de har været vidner til.

Our members defy the binary description

Vores medlemmer trodser den smalsporede beskrivelse

of how we so often describe our young.

af hvordan vi så tit beskriver vores unge.

They are neither feral nor myopically self-absorbed.

De er hverken vilde eller snæversynede og selvoptagede.

They are, like other young people,

De, ligesom andre unge mennesker,

negotiating a world with infinite choice,

forhandler med en verden med uendelige muligheder,

but little culture of how to find meaningful experience.

men meget lidt kultur i hvordan man finder en meningsfyldt oplevelse.

We appeared surprised at the behaviors

Vi synede overraskede over deres opførsel

of those who define themselves

af dem der definerede sig selv

by the size of the tick on their shoes,

på størrelsen af mærket på deres sko,

yet acquisition has been the narrative we have offered.

men tilegnelsen har været den narrativ vi har tilbudt.

If we want different values

Hvis vi vil have andre værdier

we have to tell a different story,

må vi fortælle en anden fortælling,

a story that understands that an individual narrative

en fortælling der forstår at en individuel narrativ

is an essential component of a person's identity,

er en essentiel del af et menneskes identitet,

that a collective narrative

at en kollektiv narrativ

is an essential component of a cultural identity,

er en essentiel del af en kulturel identitet,

and without it it is impossible to imagine yourself

og uden det er det umuligt at forestille en selv

as part of a group.

som en del af en gruppe.

Because when these people get home

Fordi disse mennesker kommer hjem

after a screening of "Rear Window"

efter en visning af "Skjulte øjne",

and raise their gaze to the building next door,

og løfter blikket mod bygningen ved siden af,

they have the tools to wonder who, apart from them,

har de værktøjerne til at undre sig over hvem, ud over sig selv,

is out there

er derude

and what is their story.

og hvad deres historie er.

Thank you.

Tak.

(Applause)

(Bifald)