”Babies,” a documentary movie by Thomas Balmes, tells the tale of four little babies from four corners of the world. No dialogue is present, but strains of upbeat music score scenes of the children within the care of their families. ”Babies” reviews make a point of reminding how cute it all is, but the 80-minute film distributed by Focus Features may not have that additional something that goes beyond the surface goo-goo. Showing cute infants and heightening the mood with upbeat music may work in commercials, but in a documentary this tactic offers little insight into an infant’s life. In fact, less attention is being paid to whatever message the “Babies” movie may offer than whether the documentary violates child labor laws in its handling of the youngsters – and whether ! Focus Features will need instant cash to cover potential fines.
Were the ‘Babies’ within the movie exploited?
As outlined by USA Today , “Babies” baby little Hattie of San Francisco may not have been used in a manner in synch with California child labor laws. California infants that are to appear in commercial films like “Babies” must have doctor and legal permission, plus they must be at least 15 days old. They’re only allowed on camera 20 minutes per day, and throughout that time a studio teacher and nurse (paid for by the film’s production business) must be present. In the case of the “Babies” movie, critics claim they didn’t follow the rules with little Hattie.
Film’s producer said those rules did not apply
The producer’s actual reason was much less standoffish. The subject infants in “Babies” were cast before they were born, said producer Amandine Billot to the Associated Press. After their birth, they were filmed “in their natural environments, like a wildlife film of human babies,” Billot said. If the California Labor Board were to open an investigation, it could cost “Babies” anywhere from $ 50 to $ 5,000 per individual instance of child labor law violation.
California, the anti-’Babies’ state
With all of the red tape and debt in California government, this could turn out to be quite a bad thing for Focus Features. CEO James Schamus is ready for a fight, however. The “Babies” movie did not do this, he says; the allegations are “irresponsible conjectures,” as he told the AP. Schamus underscored that “the filmmakers a lot more than adhered to both the letter and spirit of the law”.
Ready to go see what the ‘Babies’ fuss is about?
Not all the “Babies” reviews are negative. Beliefnet.com maintains in their good review the point of the film is to “revel within the miracles, radiant innocence and fun nature of babies. You won’t be able to leave the theater without feelings of warmth, happiness and delight”. It’s a flick Sandra Bullock could probably use right about now.
Resources for the article
USA Today
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/05/did-babies-break-the-law-/1
Beliefnet.com
http://blog.beliefnet.com/yourlittlecuties/2010/05/movie-review-babies.html
No comments:
Post a Comment