Famous Death Threats Against Film Makers
Sacha Baron-Cohen recently became the filmmaker most likely to be murdered, when threats were tacitly made on his life. Here are some other famous names against whom threats have been made.
Sacha Baron-Cohen
The man behind Borat and, more recently, Bruno Geyhard (pronounced gay-hard, well it would be) has received what is effectively a death threat from a Palestinian militia group he was (possibly foolhardy enough) to ridicule in the eponymously named film about the Austrian supermodel.
Don’t look now, but your lady friend is reaching for her gun! It seems that Baron-Cohen is at least taking the threats seriously and has increased his security. Well, at least there is one thing he takes seriously. The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade has said in a statement that it is very upset. In terrorist speak that means Run for your life, you gonna die!
There is at least one thing of which he can be assured – he is in extremely good company. Here are a few film-makers who famously received death threats.
Martin Scorsese
You may well have guessed that Mr Scorsese had his life threatened over his film adaptation of the Kazantzaki novel The Last Temptation of Christ and you would be correct. The film which showed Jesus thinking impure thoughts about Mary Magdalene roused the ire of fundamental Christians the world over. One or two death threats against Scorsese followed. Although these threats never transpired in to an assault on the film-maker, it was not something new to him. He had, strangely enough, been offered to play mass murderer and all round loony tune Charles Manson in a TV Movie planned to give the public the low down on Manson’s seventies killing spree. Scorsese turned the part down but was plagued by threats for several years by members of the Manson family. Spooky.
Michael Moore
No real surprise here: if asked who was the film-maker most likely to receive death threats most people would put Moore in the top, well, one. He has not gone out of his way to make himself popular during his career and has upset many powerful people as well as those who have been occasionally sectioned by their family doctor. When he spoke out against W at the Oscars in 2003 the threats began. When Fahrenheit 9/11 was released the next year Moore felt it necessary in public to surround himself with large burly men with beards (and not the type that Baron-Cohen has just upset either). Moore is still, happily, alive but there will always the Lennon Stratagem that could be adopted by some idiot at any time and Moore would be no more. A weak joke aside, assassination of celebrities has almost never happened when they are surrounded by big hairy bodyguards. In fact, never.
Stanley Kubrick
Some people may have wanted to kill Stanley Kubrick for the really long and boring bits without dialogue in 2001: A Space Odyssey (sacrilege, I know) but the film that he received the most threats for was A Clockwork Orange. The 1971 film saw moral outrage in the papers and this was quickly picked up by the lunatic fringe. The amount of death threats against the director and his family finally proved too much and Kubrick bowed to pressure from the marauding critics and withdrew the film from circulation. People were unable to see the film legally in the UK for over twenty years.
Theo van Gogh
Sometimes the threats become a reality. In 2004 the Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh was on his bicycle when he was attacked by Mohammed Bouyeri. Bouyeri stabbed him and then shot him. In case you were wondering, yes. He was the great-grandson of the famous artist’s brother, also named Theo. His crime? He had made a film about the treatment of Muslim women both in their home countries and abroad. This was seen by Bouyeri, who allegedly had links with Islamic extremist groups, as an affront to Islam. The least fortunate of this particular group, van Gogh is proof that sometimes people will go to extremes in defiance of the laws of free speech that still, just barely, cling on to the legislation of democratic countries.
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User Comments
DA Cournean
On July 30, 2009 at 11:33 am
Why not? This is the way the world has come to solve their problems and disputes. Very sad to say the least..
Johanny Lisbeth
On July 30, 2009 at 11:37 am
great article, very informative, it’s sad and nerver-wrecking for them, though.
sheba
On July 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Very interesting. sad. but true. Thanks for sharing! You got my like! Thanks!
Peter Cimino
On July 30, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Very cool article as always. Enjoyable read and very interesting.
lindalulu
On July 30, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Interesting article but not surprised at the threats.
Jamie Myles
On July 30, 2009 at 3:08 pm
It’s an Indictment of our times. People are still trying control what others say and do by using fear. And what better threat then death? Whats next? the thought police? will extremists try to control our private thoughts with their threats?
Rana Sinha
On July 30, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Very interesting read. Thanks.
Indian film directors Kabir Khan got death threats from the Taliban, Deepa Mehta from Hindu Taliban or fundamentalists and Krishna Misra from the husband of a dacoit queen he was making a film about.
cebuanaeyez
On July 30, 2009 at 7:11 pm
This is intriguing. This is the other side of fame.
Juancav
On July 30, 2009 at 9:45 pm
The price of fame.
Liane Schmidt
On July 31, 2009 at 12:05 am
Unique work, thanks for sharing.
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
papaleng
On July 31, 2009 at 12:48 am
very informative, I like it!
deep blue
On July 31, 2009 at 4:47 am
Nicely thought article, RJ. Well if you have version for writers under threat in your next issue just don’t forget Salman Rushdie. The man really had that odd last syllable on the family name to have come up with the Satanic Verses.
Cheers,
Will
Ronald Marbles
On July 31, 2009 at 5:11 am
I have watched the Theo Van Gogh movie and sadly but true all we see in his docu-movie is true. Most islams pride themselves in violence (and yes what I just said might cause political debates) but come on…we all know it’s true and that doesn’t really make us racists.
B Nelson
On July 31, 2009 at 11:42 pm
the more closer to the truth you are.. the more they want to take you down…
I love Sacha and Michael Moore (not in the intimate sense of the word)
to the comment by Ronald, no, Most islams do not pride themselves on violence. That is a real stretch of imagination, many Islamic people live in North America, and the UK, and you wouldnt even know it, heck you might think they are Christians unless you asked..
it is the FUNDIMENTALIST Islamics that are a concern, as are Fundimentalists of ANY religion, and even then I wouldnt dare say MOST of them are wanting violence, oppressing women is WRONG, but to lump everyone of one religion into a particular mind set is equally wrong.
Raven
On August 2, 2009 at 2:21 pm
I really wonder if people understand just how pathetic it makes their causes seem when they feel the need to resort to violence to silence their critics. Any message worth listening to can make it through without any need whatsoever for death threats.
Micowoco
On August 3, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Japanese director Juzo Itami (Tampopo, A taxing Woman) mocked the Yakuza and was attacked by hoodlums. His death in 1997 was ruled a suicide but might have been a hit.
Justin
On August 4, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Kevin Smith and company got a lot of hate for DOGMA, as well.
RJ Chamberlain
On August 13, 2009 at 5:30 am
Sacha Baron-Cohen has put some peoples necks slightly out of joint with his twisted humour. I doubt the death threats will ever come to the fore however. And anyway he sure has provided some laughs even if it was at other peoples expense. You either love him or hate him.
RJ
Anne McNew
On August 14, 2009 at 1:54 am
great post
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