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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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64

Religious America Snubs Darwin Film: Producer

Brits 'can't imagine religion in America': Jeremy Thomas

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(Newser) – The producer of a new film about Charles Darwin says he hasn't landed a US distribution deal because Americans can't stand the theory of evolution, the Daily Mail reports. Creation, the story of Darwin's struggle between reason and faith as he wrote The Origin of Species, has opened the Toronto Film Festival and sold to several other countries. "It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America," says Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas.

A Christian film review site has linked the theory of evolution to Nazi crimes and called Darwin "a racist, a bigot and a 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder"—opinions that stun Thomas. "It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America," he says. "We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules."

Original letters from Charles Darwin are displayed at the Herbaruim library on March 25, 2009 at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.
Original letters from Charles Darwin are displayed at the Herbaruim library on March 25, 2009 at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.   (Getty Images)
Jeremy Thomas holds his Award for 'European Achievement In World Cinema 2006' during the European Film Awards 2006 on December 2, 2006 in Warsaw, Poland.
Jeremy Thomas holds his Award for 'European Achievement In World Cinema 2006' during the European Film Awards 2006 on December 2, 2006 in Warsaw, Poland.   (Getty Images)
The poster for
The poster for "Creation."   (Shutterstock)
British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) depicted with an ape's body while holding a mirror up to another ape.
British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) depicted with an ape's body while holding a mirror up to another ape.   (Getty Images)
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64 comments
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reasonator
Sep 12, 09 6:29 PM CDT
I think he has a narrow view of the U.S. He probably hasn't tried hard enough for a distribution deal. If Milk can be distributed, then I don't see the difficulty in getting a Darwin movie distributed, if it is a good movie done well. His statement is probably a publicity stunt more than anything. Reply
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2-bits
Sep 12, 09 10:29 PM CDT
I think the producer may be right. It might be just me (or maybe I was looking too late), but the only theatre I could find screening "Religulous" in Atlanta was one that normally screens indie films.
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BoZo
Sep 12, 09 11:52 PM CDT
2-bits is right about that one. You can barely find a DVD to rent of the movie "Religulous". No theatre that I knew of played it. And it was a pretty good movie too.
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Robert_Dada
Sep 12, 09 11:54 PM CDT
Same here in Richmond, VA 2-bits. This place is infested with Christians like an insidious virus.
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Ptoadstool
Sep 13, 09 7:26 AM CDT
Theater owners are afraid of the American Taliban - the religious right. Irrational, over the top reactions to anything that threatens their dogma stifle free speech. It is truly amazing that Darwin is even controversial in a supposedly technologically advanced western democracy.
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