RePortersNoteBook.com: The Nutcracker 3-D

From: Manuel Sotil <msotil@gmail.com>
Date: November 30, 2010 5:19:31 PM

I thought you could never underestimate the bad taste of the American public. At least that is the conclusion H.L. Mencken once came up to.

This Nutcracker 3-D movie release, which one might be forgiven for believing might have some connection with Tchaikovsky's endearing work, is another nightmare infested with Nazi baddies (and, of course, Jewish underdogs).

It is advertised as for "This Christmas".

It appears, however, that the public has shown its contempt for this bizarre production by giving little of their hard-earned money to the film's investors during opening weekend.

I would not have been too surprised if something like this film had hailed out of the Disney's or Spielberg's studios, but the rats involved in this production are not the customary ones from Hollywood, this one being Hungarian / UK.

http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/201-christmas-favorite-nutcracker-gone-horribly-wrong

I am glad that we do not have a monopoly on bad taste.

Once a Swiss friend of mine who worked for a large American multi-national pharmaceutical was visiting the US main office on business and local management treated her to a theater production of "Springtime for Hitler".

My friend felt that in order to show gratitude for the treat, she would be expected to say something complimentary about the production. But she was so puzzled and embarrassed that the best she could do was to remain speechless.

I suppose that more than a few people will have similar feelings about this rotten tomato.

Manuel Sotil