No SHAME In Drumming Up False Controversy
There's a lot that's shocking about Shame, but what is most surprising is the way the film has caused almost no social ripples. In a time when our elected officials are debating birth control, this film has sort of slid under the radar despite its debaucherous content.
The folks at the Nickelodeon Theater in Columbia, South Carolina, decided to try and stir the pot a little bit on their own for their recent booking of the movie. They put up flyers around town warning people that Shame was NC-17 and morally dangerous."Our youth are at great risk" warned the flyers. There were a lot of people who beleved these flyers to be the work of real evangelical types, and I first saw them on Twitter when people were complaining about how close-minded the local community was. But of course the flyers contain not just the exact dates for Shame, but also the Nickelodeon's exact address, making me think that this was more of a prank than a real campaign, and a local news report proved that right.
"Its certainly stirred up a little bit of controversy," explained [Nickelodeon executive director Andy] Smith referencing the film, "so we thought we'd play up the hype a little bit by just making clear that they should not come see this movie if they are in any way offended by this sort of material."
The ploy worked.
"We had great numbers over the weekend!"
Whatever it takes to get people in the theater. That's showmanship!
