A lot has been said about Ben Stein's "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed." A lot of criticism has been thrown at this too. Many of them are right. Okay, so maybe this film is biased. Maybe it is one-sided. Maybe it is dishonest, telling half-truths and twisting the facts to better suit its agenda. Maybe this film is in fact propaganda.
And yes, this *is* propaganda. Therefore, I will review this as such, because after all, that's what it's probably meant to be.
By now, everyone who's heard of this film should have a good idea of its topic is: intelligent design and all that, teachers being "expelled" from their jobs for teaching it, the connection between Darwinism and the Holocaust, etc. There's probably no need to go over those topics, so say what you will about the them, but I'll skim over them.
So ignoring this film's themes, the real question is, what about the film quality? As far as documentaries go, this one doesn't seem so bad. It's actually pretty typical of films of this genre. The production values are pretty acceptable. The use of black and white footage does in fact help illustrate and enhances the points being made. The music is acceptable; although the choice of the Killers' "All These Things That I've Done" in the end does seem odd. The photography and cinematography, though, are good, and there is use of the typical "fast-moving images" technique (for lack of a better term) used is many documentaries.
The scene at the concentration camp may be a tad long in that they spend time explaining how the tortures and carried out and such, and Ben Stein's questions on why these prisoners were treated so is rather unnecessary because the audience already knows why. Nevertheless, it is probable that this scene was created for the sole purpose of inciting an emotional response from the viewer.
And that perhaps this film's strength as a propaganda. And for Creationists, anti-Darwinists, or pro-ID people, they will most especially feel this film. The linking of Darwinism with Hitler and all the atrocities out there, the scenes in the end, with all that talk of academic freedom and freedom general (and the use of the Berlin Wall to illustrate this), and Ben Stein's speech in the end (combined with shots of Ronald Reagan's anti-Communist speech) and his final narration, combined with the triumphant music, will be nonetheless powerful to the people this film is trying to connect to. For those who aren't any of the people mentioned, they may not feel an emotional connection to this film whatsoever.
The biggest flaw of this film is probably the Richard Dawkins scene near the end. While it does do a good job at being the "big climactic scene" a.k.a. the showdown or final battle between good and evil (at least for the intended viewer) its main purpose seemed to be get Professor Dawkins to say that aliens quote. Other than these reasons, it seems unnecessary, and seems to be nothing more than an ad hominem argument against Darwinists and advocates of Panspermia. It becomes a personal attack against Dawkins when Steins asks him questions about his beliefs. This scene does not contribute to the film's point about ID, the teachers getting expelled, and the Hitler-Darwin connection.
Before I saw this film, I had already heard a lot about it, many of them negative. Then I decided to see it myself and make up my own mind on it. I saw decent documentary (not the best, but not the worst either) and a well-made propaganda piece. For all its flaws, it will nonetheless serve its purpose well to the audience it's trying to reach. And while I am not a part of that audience, I'm at least trying to get it that credit.
And yes, this *is* propaganda. Therefore, I will review this as such, because after all, that's what it's probably meant to be.
By now, everyone who's heard of this film should have a good idea of its topic is: intelligent design and all that, teachers being "expelled" from their jobs for teaching it, the connection between Darwinism and the Holocaust, etc. There's probably no need to go over those topics, so say what you will about the them, but I'll skim over them.
So ignoring this film's themes, the real question is, what about the film quality? As far as documentaries go, this one doesn't seem so bad. It's actually pretty typical of films of this genre. The production values are pretty acceptable. The use of black and white footage does in fact help illustrate and enhances the points being made. The music is acceptable; although the choice of the Killers' "All These Things That I've Done" in the end does seem odd. The photography and cinematography, though, are good, and there is use of the typical "fast-moving images" technique (for lack of a better term) used is many documentaries.
The scene at the concentration camp may be a tad long in that they spend time explaining how the tortures and carried out and such, and Ben Stein's questions on why these prisoners were treated so is rather unnecessary because the audience already knows why. Nevertheless, it is probable that this scene was created for the sole purpose of inciting an emotional response from the viewer.
And that perhaps this film's strength as a propaganda. And for Creationists, anti-Darwinists, or pro-ID people, they will most especially feel this film. The linking of Darwinism with Hitler and all the atrocities out there, the scenes in the end, with all that talk of academic freedom and freedom general (and the use of the Berlin Wall to illustrate this), and Ben Stein's speech in the end (combined with shots of Ronald Reagan's anti-Communist speech) and his final narration, combined with the triumphant music, will be nonetheless powerful to the people this film is trying to connect to. For those who aren't any of the people mentioned, they may not feel an emotional connection to this film whatsoever.
The biggest flaw of this film is probably the Richard Dawkins scene near the end. While it does do a good job at being the "big climactic scene" a.k.a. the showdown or final battle between good and evil (at least for the intended viewer) its main purpose seemed to be get Professor Dawkins to say that aliens quote. Other than these reasons, it seems unnecessary, and seems to be nothing more than an ad hominem argument against Darwinists and advocates of Panspermia. It becomes a personal attack against Dawkins when Steins asks him questions about his beliefs. This scene does not contribute to the film's point about ID, the teachers getting expelled, and the Hitler-Darwin connection.
Before I saw this film, I had already heard a lot about it, many of them negative. Then I decided to see it myself and make up my own mind on it. I saw decent documentary (not the best, but not the worst either) and a well-made propaganda piece. For all its flaws, it will nonetheless serve its purpose well to the audience it's trying to reach. And while I am not a part of that audience, I'm at least trying to get it that credit.