Ellen had looked forward to this movie since she first heard about it. Her sources said it was the first Alternate History flick ever made. That excited her as reading in that sub-genre was a long-standing vice for her. To make things even sweeter, her job required this to be a private screening. She would be the first person in the nation to see it. Most days her job felt like a burden. This day instead found her full of hope and eagerness.
As the movie progressed her mood changed. It went from hopeful expectation to disappointment. Then from disappointment to disgust and even despair. This time she desperately wanted the film to be acceptable. Maybe she had wanted that too much.
Still she could not ignore the faults. It imagined the Axis powers ruling America for decades. A ridiculous idea on the face of it, but not an irredeemable one. The way it handled the subject was a different matter. She found the story bourgeois and cliche. Worse yet, it portrayed Americans acquiescing to Axis rule. Despite American racism her land always triumphed in the revolutionary spirit. For its workers to accept Fascist rule denied the historical process. She dreaded what must happen next.
“What is to be done?” asked Chernyshevsky once she went outside. He implemented her orders and needed an answer.
She then began what felt like a prepared speech. “The film gave excessive credit to counter-revolutionary forces. It also operates under incorrect theories of history. Thus it is clear what must be done.” She sighed then continued. “All copies must be destroyed to protect the proletariat. The script bears the sole blame for this travesty. As such the writers must bear the sole punishment. Send them to the Appalachian gulags.”
He seemed disappointed. “If it is as you say, the director must also face punishment.”
She glared at him. “You forget yourself. Remember that when it comes to film I am the Censorate. You either obey my orders or I shall find someone who can! Is that clear?”
For a brief moment he felt terror, but her threats had lost some of their old sting. Once recovered, he informed her: “Remember that you answer to higher authorities as well. Some day they will turn against you for such softness.”
She nodded. “Perhaps. But not today.” Then she added in irritation, “I gave you your orders. Now go.”
He saluted and marched off. That night the Censorate to the Film Ministry of the People’s Republic of America cried herself to sleep. It was not the first time, and it would not be the last, either.
Copyright © 2003 by Thomas R.
