IMGpapers 1976–79

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1976–79

Letters RISK ECONOMISM ELECTIONS Movie Disasters

· Red Weekly No. 196, 28 April 1977 · p. 8 of the scan · 735 words

The scan: rw-no196-apr-28-1977.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

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page 8 of the scan

Those frequenting the cinema and not hampered in their choice of what to see by the prejudice that hims ougnt to be very SCHIOUS slow-moving, uneventful and/or unstructured, won't have failed to notice the recent phenomenon of the 'disaster movie. This involves a group or crowd of people in some typically modern setting in which the social routines usual to it are suddenly upset by freak accident, natural calamity or criminal The formula has so far been used to put air travellers in danger of dropping out of the sky, by bomb (Airport) or mid-air collision (Airport 1975); to imperil the lives of ocean liner passengers, Dy bomb (Juggernaut] or tidal wave (The Poseidon Adventure); and to distress the unfortunate occupants of a train hijacked on the New York subway (The Taking Pelham 123).

scraper at great cost to life and even property (Towering Inferno), and has devastated the whole city of San Francisco by Earthquake. In this last case, the realism of the spectacle was enhanced by "Sensurround' which sent vibrations of low frequency sound rumbling through the cinema, though so tar as 1 know this rumbling nowhere WHAT'S ON Saturday before publi sooter wwere yellie.

BIG IMG Caxton House, Socialis meets first Monday in each month a National Abortion Campaign. Live band ermite Hotel' 3.30 till 1.30 nor for a Woman Fright to VORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE Ma Dotel, Greal Russell Street, Limorth Kenilworth Luncheon ay by Pirate Jenny Bounc produced the ultimate of realistic effects by bringing the house down on top of the audience viewing the earthquake. Ordinary commercial consiceratons may surlice 1o caplain, too, why there has not yet been a 'cinema-disaster" movie showing, say. some unsuspecting audience suddenly deadly spiders.

In any case, the latest in this series of disaster, Warning (Director, Larry Pearce), now on general release, concerns a sniper occupying an impregnable vantage point on the tower of a football stadium who begins to fire into a capacity crowd watching the closing minutes of an impor tant game. Despite the best efforts of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, called in after the sniper has been spotted on TV cameras, he wreaks havoc before being himself dispatched. There is panic, screaming, a lot of running away and trampling underfoot. Many people die.

More subtle than this is that the random shots of the sniper conspire to produce a wonderful pattern of death. Amongst the spectators we know. pocket and the gambler are killed OUCLUChMAnT, Conorence of •Wast GArm Group Mam 021-454-5184 To Without wishino to disper the oo timism in respect of united far left slates in elections after the Stechford results i would like to raise some criticisms on ine camoans of the IMG and the SWP.

An election not only offers an opportunity to step cally the struggle to organise a socialist opposition in the labou movement to the Government's policies, it further raises all the problems of political democracy in onush socidly. nevoutonarios nave to seize the opportunity speak to tens of thousands vorking class people to popularise and explain their answers to inese orobiems ror examoie.

phere central more tree ward by the Revolutionaries should raise need to tent to impiemen! skve acvice to ramsay Donald - - for the abolition of the [unelected] House of Lords and all the trappings of the The money saved could be used to finance a vast schools, houses for working people secondlys been mall attacks on black people been the principal instrument in most waty ine Dostal WOrKerS South African mail. The fight the election and recall of the judiWhile the priest goes unscathed.

The family, a married couple and two small children, come out all right in the end after she has been SHELLY sence.

engaging in an obviously healthy flirtation, likewise survive after he rescues her from what could have been a nasty fall. But a middleaged car salesman who has been living out of wedlock late!) proposes marriage to her.

In Towering Inferno too, virtually the first people to burn are invaded by OF pickspeaker tions like the courts' intervention

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More spectacularly, it has led to fire sweeping through a giant sky-

Mise, St Social: • Way

Finch Road, Bham, 8pm. Tel Peace Centre, 021-643am, 8pm. The Middle East: The Peace of th MAYDAY PARTY CI

woman for years is struck down seconds after he finally (alas too

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