IP: d: PH: A free, better alternative

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

The National Geographic presentation is wonderful. Take a look djf



>From: "Janos Gereben" <janos451@earthlink.net>
>To: "jg" <janos451@earthlink.net>
>Subject: PH: A free, better alternative
>Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 16:54:28 -0700
>
>Somewhere between aft and stage-left of the USS John C. Stennis, in Pearl
>Harbor - Like it not, you'll be stuck with the "Pearl Harbor promotion" at
>least through Dec. 7 and the 60th anniversary.
>
>For the immediate future, it'll be the whoopla generated by Disney's
>$5-million "Pearl Harbor" premiere party on board this 97,000-ton aircraft
>carrier - a weekend of dealing with 600 invited media from around the world
>(including Japan, contrary to my earlier report), and then the flight-deck
>screening on Monday for 2,000 guests, including a certain, yet unknown,
>number of Bushes. The price tag does not include "rental" of the Stennis'
>enormous expanse and 2,500-crew - apparently, the Navy is participating in
>order to gain publicity and step up recruiting. (Does the Navy anticipation,
>intelligence, handling of Pearl Harbor, with the enormous - partly
>unnecessary - losses of lives and ships really make for a valid marketing
>approach?)
>
>Then next Friday, it'll be the opening of the movie itself, not a product
>likely to stand up well under such scrutiny and hype, although most reviews
>will be kinder than mine.
>
>Here's some good news: you can see a fine new in-depth account of the attack
>on Pearl Harbor for free. National Geographic Television is launching a new
>series - "National Geographic Beyond the Movie" - starting with a
>  "companion" to "Pearl Harbor," to be shown on NGT cable and on NBC on May
>27. I saw a sneak preview of the "companion," and it is far superior to the
>so-called main event. You give up "Star Wars" dogfights and a poorly
>constructed romance with a mediocre cast, and get instead the real story,
>with a great deal of information never presented before. I can't imagine
>what National Geographic could have done if Disney just turned over the $135
>million it spent on "Pearl Harbor". but it doesn't matter - without
>conspicuous spending or a media circus, "Beyond the Movie" towers well above
>the movie. (See www.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor, and let me know if
>you need information about the CD-ROM edition.)
>
>The next National Geographic project in the series will be the companion
>piece to "K-19: The Widowmaker," an upcoming 20th Century Fox movie
>(Harrrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard) about the 1961 Soviet nuclear
>sub disaster. One hopes National Geographic will not get stuck with naval
>tragedies for the whole series.
>
>
>===================
>Janos Gereben/SF
>janos451@earthlink.net



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