New Charles Darwin film is 'too controversial' for religious American audiences

Something is still missing from this theory.. we still dont know what we truly came from...

im a american but the reason i dont want to see it bc it sounds boring as fuck, like all religious movies,,,they suck

This sounds more like something that should be released in Indie theaters and Imax for select audiences.

1)It prolly wont draw very large crowds to make much money in a theater.

2)If it does cause controversy(doubt it), it will be a small enough release for most people not to care.

Also, why not just release it to DVD so that the consumers can decide without Hollywood making a big deal out of it? I'd gladly rent it or buy it if it proves to be as interesting as it sounds.

It's hard not to think of this "outrage" as a gimmick to make the film seem more interesting in order to gain a crowd before deciding to release it and overall this is quite a bit silly.

It's a bit of a sad state. How is it as a nation we can't watch something that (even if you don't agree with the views) can be considered at the very least a conversation starter. Maybe those who feel that they would be offended, should watch this film in order to reinforce their own beliefs? Just a thought. Until then, I'll go back to watching Darwin in "The Fall"

I am embarrassed.

we still got a way to go get to let the slower ones catch up :)

bit silly really

religious audiences don't make up the entire audience.
fuck that shit.

They've released Fast & Furious. They've released Transformers II.

What more trash could they release? Why not this movie about Charles Darwin? His life seems pretty boring. Just let go into the world.....

....the last time Jeniffer Connelly had a good film was....

let the film be released. Goodlordinheaven....

So much for the rise of atheism in America. Guess there's not enough to make a difference.

Keep preaching.....get more numbers...make a difference.

Could everyone slow his or her role on this one? Not everyone in the States discredits science or evolution. Most of us agree with the rest of the civilized world and take Darwin’s theory as the precedent. We just aren’t as loud as the small group of unfortunate people who think this was some sort of one-week deal. You know, we aren’t burning witches over here anymore.

The reason that movie didn’t get distribution in the States has to do with some other reason why we suck…not the religious right. We stopped caring what they thought a while ago. My guess is some shmuck didn’t think he could make any money off of it.

And one other thing… I’ve been living in this country all my life (Not NY or CA). If you want us to change you better prepare yourselves for a marathon not a sprint. We elected Obama and we are exhausted… give us a breather.

This is the funniest thing I've heard for a while....

As an American, I do not dismiss scientific theories of the way we evolved. To say that "in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules. " is false. I can only assume that the US distributors of this film reside in Kansas or the Deep South. I think they need to crawl out from the caves they live in, and discover that MANY Americans are open-minded and free-thinking.

the religious right in this country is embarrassing

Everyone's acting like these hordes of crazy religious zealots are just sitting ready to riot once this film hits U.S. shores. Anyone think that maybe the movie just isn't that good? Maybe even with Christians discounted, the movie isn't a big enough draw for a studio to put down the money to distribute it?

I mean major book stores sell the "Satanic Bible." Christians or no, if it'll make money it will come to the U.S. All this "too controversial" crap is only here people on the internet riled up.

The good ol' USA, which supposedly has free speech, free will, etc. doesn't want it, makes me want to see it.
If I have to, I'll order from Europe and these distributors can kiss their take goodbye.
But Hollywood can crank out crappy reality shows and extreme violence in movies...and that's OK.
Go figure.

If distributors refuse to pick up the film, it's because they believe it's in their own financial interest, and therefore they are most guilty for stereotyping the society of the United States as hyper-religious and close-minded, unwilling to even try to promote something controversial. Though perhaps there are more than a fair share of ignorant people in this county, Canada has a very similar cultural makeup to the United States, and clearly it must have found distributors there.

I feel that the article is also hyping up the ignorance as well, citing a religious movie review as a significant piece of evidence for the article's thesis, which was a pretty easy target. I have already seem trailers for this film in the United States, and so I can't imagine that it won't circulate by some means in this country, perhaps on a smaller select circuit. I wasn't particularly interested in seeing the film regardless, but perhaps I will if the need to support it is an actual issue.

So does this mean people in Europe are more tolerant to people with other beliefs?

but bruno got ditributed and its just a couple hours of gay bashing..... damn christians,

I'm Shocked!! I say let's get this thing released in America by way of petitions or boycott; something has to let these people know we are just as advanced as most Countries and demand to make our own decisions about religious matters!

if its true the movie wont play here maybe its due to a combination of disrespect for science or fear of offending people. but its probably due to an assumed lack of interest (therefore $$$) because us yanks find science too hard to follow/boring. in a way that may be true since so many americans dont believe or understand evolution. evolution by natural selection is a fact that in no way disproves god's existence. very smart people spend their whole lives studying this subject (and science in general) and have generated a mountain of evidence through repeatable experiments. but what do scientist know, right?

My first boyfriend was from Arkansas. We, very briefly, lived together in Long Beach, California. I once asked him if we could watch a Merchant-Ivory film. At the end of it he was so offended that I made him "watch the f****ing movie!" His mom was with us as well and she said I "had no mercy." Gollee! And I actually thought it was nice watchable story, not a big deal! But they thought it was too much.

Brits should know that, if they want to bring one of their smart movies over, they have to start us slow, beginning at the independent movie theaters. Maybe the problem is that those don't exist anymore.

I bet it will be on iTunes anyway. I'll rent it there.

That isn't fair. "The Passion" got produced and not this? At least this wouldn't have been a near snuff film.

Sigh. . .

Don't like it? Don't watch it. Problem solved.

what do you expect? censorship by an oppressive corporate machine

Bollocks.

So what?

In the US we need to show that evolution chart headfing back to apes. That is where we are headed. Our country is ass backwards.

I'm sick of a lot of people overseas talking shit about Americans. We do not all believe the same thing. Stereotyping a huge, diverse country is as wrong as a disbelief in the (basically indisputable) principles of evolution. I am from Nebraska. I am also a liberal. So, stop trash-talking US, because WE are not any one thing.

Is this a what would Jesus watch situation or a 500 people didn't like janett Jackson tit situation
I Kidd no this is truly an embarrassment to any one in the U.S. who wants to make a name for themselvesin Science.

The Religious Reich are the USA's #1 terrorist group.

This is perhaps a bit of storm and fury signifying, if not nothing, at least quite a bit less.
The film's producer attributes the fact that American film distributors aren't picking up on the Darwin film due to the hostility of US religious fundamentalists.
A far more likely explanation is that most US distributors, knowing US audience "tastes," (such as they are), think re-cycled horror movies and animated game tales are more certain box-office in the US than a biography of Charles Darwin and his inner struggles to present the Theory of Evolution.
It's a pity in several directions.
Charles Darwin is one of my all time heroes.
And, Jennifer Connelly, (as Emma Darwin in this film) is certainly not far behind in my humble appreciation.
(One has to forgive her for "The Day the Earth Stood Still")
Much as I'd love to add more righteous resentment to the wacky Christian Right, that resentment may perhaps be better directed to fact that many media professionals think American film audiences are spoiled and stupid.
It's tragic that that may be a perfectly realistic judgment.

Religion rules us in the U.S. How long are we going to allow it. It HAS to end.

Then I will make sure I see this film and give it my financial support.

However, there has been significantly more advances to the theory of evolution since Darwin's day. He was just the guy that put 2 and 2 together and set the foundation to come.

Actually, the real title is "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life."

His theroy is a HELL more plausable then the Bible and it's fairy tales.

eden49, I wrong - You right: "Origin of Species".

well, it certainly will be shown Down Under...

well...I just googled it several times, and I'm getting..."Origin of Species"...which is correct??????

Observant of you numinant. "Origin of the Species" is the correct title of Darwin's Book.

The term scientific theory is usually reserved for historic themes of thought with explanatory and predictive values that have survived the test of long detailed examination. Examples are the kinetic molecular theory, the atomic theory, and theories about light. These theories, along with the theory of evolution, form the framework of scientific thought and experimentation. To dismiss the theory of evolution is the same as dismissing atomic theory. The world is watching the US display it's ignorance by rejecting this film. What a disgrace.

Anyone else notice that the article got the name of Darwin's book wrong?

Actually, they will burn books...any book that debunks Evolution, the Big Bang, Black Holes, Dark Matter, String Theory and all that other Vatican/NASA (NAZI) junk math posing as science. Big Bang=Immaculate Conception.

Try finding a Velikovsky book or at least watch a video from a Google search. But you don't want to know the truth, you'd rather have it told to you. And if any American scientist tried to teach Velikovsky in a university, he'll be kicked out, suffer character assassination, never receive grant money or access to NASA space images.

So, you may want to ask some questions and figure out the difference between abstract math and real science before entering the Church of Darwin.

If it's controversial for you, don't watch it... easy.

theories are interesting...evolution,religion,conspeiracy...show apreciation for what we've got...earth,the good in people,imagination,a body that's fighting to be healthy.heaven and hell is here and now.We're married 'cause we just knew,seen orahs etc.,weird but true...so there's lots we do'nt know...

Clever ruse by the distributors. Whip up a frenzy of us believers in Darwin. Whip up protests by the angry zealots. Promote the film through criticism of the decision to not distribute (cheap advertising). Then agree to distribute the film later. Brilliant. Or maybe not...oh well, either way we are being duped by somebody. I am going to throw my cell, TV, computer in the river and go raise organic free range hogs. Anything you call organic, free range sells. But even then I am surrounded by hog shit. At least real hog shit is easier to see.

Its a sad day in the world when a MOVIE is deemed to controversial for AMERICA!?

Are we slowly turning into Middle Eastern theocracy or something? What's next no mini skirts and burning books? WTF?

I am tired of the evangelicals telling us a movie we shoundn't see or that is bad because it is science OMG!
Or the passion of the Christ.i don't understand their resoning for that one except it was a boring movie. They sould have just told us that and we wouldn't have seen it.

I wanted to repeat the post I made to goodgodguy in case anyone else was interested in the "it's only a theory" argument...

The use of the word "theory" is a bit difference in science than it is in everyday speech. Stephen J. Gould, an evolutionary biologists, explains it better than I can:

"Evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts don't go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's in this century, but apples didn't suspend themselves in midair, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape-like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered.

Moreover, "fact" doesn't mean "absolute certainty"; there ain't no such animal in an exciting and complex world. The final proofs of logic and mathematics flow deductively from stated premises and achieve certainty only because they are not about the empirical world... In science "fact" can only mean "confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional consent." I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms."

To scientists (especially biologists), evolution is a fact.

And yet they are willing to show religious movies..........Makes no sense.....

Show it anyway.

I also think that just believing in a deity makes you susceptible to believing in BS. One supports the other.
Yes, I am agnostic and think that belief in a being that has ultimate power is kind of stretching things. But with reason comes knowledge that if in fact there were such a being, it would be the most evil and uncaring thing in the universe.

So let me get this straight, the RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS of America are fine with movies containing overt graphic violence, murder amd mass killing, gross distorted abherrent behavior, promotion of alcoholism and smoking from our "HOLLY WOOD" corporate owned, destructive , terrorizing, brainwashing media, ........!!!!!!!! ........But they would have a problem with the theory of evolution??????
Give us all a break from the BS of the terrorizing religious zealots and let us decide for ourselves about this film. What next??? Witch hunts and book burning/ America is a sad shadow of it's potential as the land of the free, if the zealots succeed in this attitude and the movie distributors swallow it. This really pisses me off...obviously.

I never understood why the religious right always was so afraid of evolution as a theory. I am not a religious man, but couldnt that be God's greatest design? A naturally changing and forming environment and fauna? I think for too long science and spirituality have been kept apart.

With that in mind, if the religious base had a more lenient view on evolution (and science in general) I think there would be more religious people. The fact that it tries to discredit science much of the time pushes open minded people away from it.

I would really like to see the movie and those like me will see it. I am just sorry it won't make any money. The movie industry (the media overall) really does restrict our access to good movies and controls what the majority of this country watches.

God Damn it!

"It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules."

Yeah, that's one of the few down sides to living in the south. It's a beautiful place, but the churches are EVERYWHERE! It's a little overwhelming... When I was in high school and someone would ask if I was a Christian, I'd automatically respond "yes" just so that I would not have to deal with being bombarded with questions as to why I had "lost my faith" (my parents are Christians... haven't told them that I don't believe in Santa, either).

PBS is airing a 2 hour movie about Darwin on October 6th starring Henry Ian Cusick from LOST (he plays Desmond) so I guess that wasn't too contoversial..

i love that "freedom from religion" is used to justify our "need" to slaughter and colonize the new world, but we cant get our heads around the production of a film. weep.

Wow! I would've loved to see this film,... but unfortunately I have to suffer at the hands of some religious folks, who refuse to evolve.
It's weird how some people will not only automatically denounce other points of view,... but also try their gull-durndest to prevent a third-party thought from being offered.
There IS a difference betwixt hearing and THEN dismissing another POV,... and not having enough brain-smarts to even consider another POV.

Two opposable thumbs down to those who will not give this movie, evolution or other views a chance.

It's still just a theory right? Darwin was a great scientist and evaluated all the reasons for his theory but it is still just a theory which can not be proved unless a "god" testifies.
I will wait patiently for history to prove itself.

absolutely, Delia...mushroom treatment yet again...

Whatever happened to freedom of SPEECH?

that's utter BS

Craziness.

What I really don't like is that it's not even getting a chance. There are plenty of religious people who believe in evolution- it's true that America's evolution education and understanding is pretty poor, but that's exactly why movies like this need to be seen. We need "uproar" to bring issues like this into the public eye. Having said that, who's to say there would even be an uproar? I bet a few religious groups would protest the movie, and that's about it.

I added this to the Science group (http://current.com/groups/science/)... I hope at least one US distributor changes their mind and picks this up.

well the rest of the world has evolved idk about America though