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The Combination closes at Greater Union
Why oh why did this new Australian film get suspended from Greater Union?
The closing of The Combination at Greater Union cinemas over the weekend has left the filmmakers David Field and George Basha utterly dismayed. No more so than me. What is the reasoning behind closing the film?
Despite the fact that police who appeared at the scenes of the violence on the weekend claimed that the assaults were not linked to the film, the jumpy chain decided that pulling the first Australian release of the year was their only option.
Allanah Zitserman, the managing director of distributor Australian Film Syndicate told the Sydney Morning Herald, "It's unprecedented. This is the first time a film has been pulled in these kind of circumstances.
"This is really devastating for us, for everybody involved. It was the first [Australian] film released this year. It was doing well. It was connecting with the audience. It was well reviewed."
With an MA rating, the film could hardly be more violent than most Tarantino releases, and no matter how violent the film might be, the suggestion or apparent assumption that Greater Union has taken, that the film provoked violence which broke out at the cinemas, is ludicrous. It reminds me of the banning of dancing and rock n roll in Footloose as it might incite teenage orgies. Or the presumptive outcry over violence in video games encouraging young boys to repeat it in real life.
According to smh.com.au, Greater Union's decision has not been clarified; if the film was suspended because it encouraged violence or because it encouraged violent cinema patrons. Either way, the chain needs to defend their actions, because from where it stands now, the suspension of screening the film seems like a knee-jerk reaction to some unfortunate events.
