Balancing Freedom of the Press and the Right to a Fair Trial Term Paper

Balancing Freedom of the Press and the Right to a Fair Trial - Term Paper Example Over the past several years, the US Supreme Court has decided a number of cases involving the effects of publicity before and during a hearing on the defendant’s right to a fair and impartial adjudication process (Curry, Riley, & Battistoni, 2003, p. 462). In doing so, the US Supreme Court has provided valuable guidance for trial judges to follow to provide a reasonable balance between the right to a fair and impartial adjudication process and the right to free/unrestrained press. One popular pre-trial mechanism is a change of venue. However, the US Supreme Court has emphasized that a change of venue will not automatically be necessary because of frequent or prejudicial reports in the media indicating the defendant’s culpability or guilt. The determining factor is whether or not it is possible to empanel a jury that is capable of listening to and evaluating the evidence impartially (Neitzel, 1999). Another safeguard against the potential prejudicial effects of media reports prior to a trial is for a continuance/adjournment. It is believed that a continuance/adjournment may allow for the prejudicial information to die out. However, psychologists do not believe that delaying a trial will have an appreciable effect on the ability to recall particularly unpleasant facts (Nietzel, 1999). Moreover, delays can have an impact on the integrity of the evidence and can unfairly prejudice either the defendant of the state’s right to a fair and impartial adjudication process. ... However, when inadmissible evidence is available to the jury by virtue of the press either during prior to the trial or during the trial, it is unrealistic to expect that the jury will be able to totally ignore external sources of information. Over the past several years, the US Supreme Court has decided a number of cases involving the effects of publicity before and during a hearing on the defendant’s right to a fair and impartial adjudication process (Curry, Riley, & Battistoni, 2003, p. 462). In doing so, the US Supreme Court has provided valuable guidance for trial judges to follow to provide a reasonable balance between the right to a fair and impartial adjudication process and the right to free/unrestrained press. One popular pre-trial mechanism is a change of venue. However, the US Supreme Court has emphasized that a change of venue will not automatically be necessary because of frequent or prejudicial reports in the media indicating the defendant’s culpability o r guilt. The determining factor is whether or not it is possible to empanel a jury that is capable of listening to and evaluating the evidence impartially (Neitzel, 1999). Another safeguard against the potential prejudicial effects of media reports prior to a trial is for a continuance/adjournment. It is believed that a continuance/adjournment may allow for the prejudicial information to die out. However, psychologists do not believe that delaying a trial will have an appreciable effect on the ability to recall particularly unpleasant facts (Nietzel, 1999). Moreover, delays can have an impact on the integrity of the evidence and can unfairly prejudice either the defendant of the state’s right to a fair and impartial adjudication process. For example,

Industrial Grinders' Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial Grinders' - Case Study Example Problem Statement & Analysis of Key Issues/Root Causes Industrial Grinders’ initial problem is the introduction of plastic ring, a surrogate for the steel rings effective in certain machines by the French firm Henri Poulenc. The merchandise is used for the same purpose the steel ring does, which Industrial Grinders manufactures. In analyzing the key issues and root causes, the plastic ring was new to the market and sold at a lower price than the steel ring. The plastic ring is 4 times the wearing characteristics of the steel ring that fully devastate the demand for the steel ring. Lawrence Bridgeman, the overall manager of the German plant had done a research and found out that the problem stemmed from I.G.’s large capacity of steel rings in hand, and the considerable inventory of exceptional steel for their manufacture. In analyzing the key issues and root causes after a thorough survey by Bridgeman, the problem was that the special steel could not be sold even for scr ap and the total book value of these inventories exceeded $93,000 (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). In analyzing the key issues and root causes, Industrial Grinders Company faced a competitive nature in the line of the product it was manufacturing. Competition had become fairly strong with the idea of Japan’s industries producing low-priced spare parts that successfully entered into the global business (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). Many companies had also established themselves and were producing low-quality and low-priced machines that attracted many clients across the globe. Industrial Grinders lost many clients who decided to try the cheap merchandise that had low price. Tests conducted by Ericsson and Greiner showed a critical problem faced by Industrial Grinders. In analyzing the key issues and root causes, the problem was the plastic ring produced by the French plant that had 4 times the wearing properties of the steel ring. The challenge faced by Indu strial Grinders is that it would fully devastate the demand for the steel ring in the international market, hence reducing the profits achieved annually. The production and selling rate of the steel ring will go down drastically because the plastic rings and the industry will find it difficult to operate in its full capacity and 15100 finished rings would be left on hand by the mid year. Action Plan & Alternative Courses of Action Plans and Their Associated Consequences I critically think Industrial Grinders’ alternative courses of action and their associated consequences should initiate from the management and employees efforts. They should be ready to find quick and workable solutions to their problems to become effective in their line of business (Industrial Grinders & Machining, 2012). Firstly, I.G’s initial action plan is advertising their steel rings effectively to the consumer by stating the significance and advantages of it. It should use the media and any othe r accessible means to reach out to clients and promote their merchandise effectively. Industrial Grinders’ management should not hesitate to release funds for the advertisement purpose and the department concerned should initiate the action plan. The associated consequence for this plan is that Industrial Grinders Company will be known and recognized by potential clients. These

Starbucks international business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Starbucks international business - Assignment Example The rise of business opportunity in different markets is creating a strong appeal in terms of market attractiveness to the firms located in the global markets. The factor of market attractiveness is resulting in the entry of firms in to new geographical locations. It is important to highlight that the entry of the firms in different foreign markets around the world is continuously raising the level of competition in the marketplaces. This assignment focuses on the international business aspects of Starbucks. In a more elaborate manner, it can be said that this assignment focuses on analyzing the international business activities of Starbucks as well as understanding the challenges that they face for being present in an international business. This assignment also aims to evaluate the business stage of Starbucks and make necessary recommendations. Analysis of international business activities Starbucks is a widely popular beverage brand of the United States, which has presence in mult iple markets around the world. ... In the current times, the company produces and sources its highly specific Arabica coffee from various international markets like Latin America, Africa as well as Asia (Pashman, â€Å"Do You Know Where Your Coffee Beans Come From?†). While analyzing the international business activities of Starbucks, the factor of international expansion of Starbucks also has to be taken into account. The highly popular news site Forbes has reported that under the leadership of President and CEO, Howard Schultz, the company has designed some very ambitious international expansion plans. The international expansion plans are highly organic in nature and focuses largely on penetrating in the emerging markets of the east like India and China. The company has plans of opening around 1300 stores in various markets around the world, out of which around 600 stores will be opened in the market of China (Loeb, â€Å"Starbucks: Global Coffee Giant Has New Growth Plans†). Talking in regards to the long term expansion plans of the company, it can be stated that the current management aims to open around 1500 stores in China by the close of the year 2015 (Trefis Team, â€Å"Starbucks U.S. Growth Will Remain Solid While Overseas Expansion Continues†). Challenges for Starbucks as an International Corporation While analyzing the challenges that exist for Starbucks, focus has to be given to the fact that Starbucks is an international brand which enjoys presence in multiple global markets. The most important challenge for Starbucks is the level of competition. Since the main offering of Starbucks is beverage, hence the brand faces competition of both primary and secondary nature. The primary competition of Starbucks arises from the multiple

Strategic Management - Southwest Airlines Essay

Strategic Management - Southwest Airlines - Essay Example Despite having having gone through some legal battles, it has nonetheless pulled from them to be a resounding airline company. However, there is need for a hallmark of strategies within its paradigm of domestic ridership. These strategies should be tailored around offering in flight luxuries such as in flight meals and entertainment, and providing different seating options such as first & business class accommodations (Jackson, 2011). This will go along way in providing what Karami (2003) reckons as a significant component to a firm’s achievement. His view of strategic management is of encompassing the establishment of the groundwork objectives of an organization, by selecting the best goals towards those aims, and seeking to satisfy them with time (Karami, 2003). Strategic formulation, for Southwest Airline Company which will consider and enhance competition for primary categories of customers namely: Travel agents, corporate travel managers, as well as individual travelers, should be the best way forward (Jackson, 2011). Of course, tagging them along that line would lead to adopting strategies that take care of that, and will certainly go along way in being concomitant with what Karami refers to as†¦``prioritizing strategies to pursue’’ (Karami, 2003). ... Beyond that is used to reflect on the Opportunities and Threats exposed by information accrued usually through an evaluation research, the outside environment and by means of comparative studies. In so doing, the team members of an organization as well as the managers employ its usage in the development of a plan (Bohm, 2008). Indeed, it is used in the circumstances of wanting to formulate a strategic plan or often times, crafting out a solution to revert a situation. (Bohm, 2008) So how is SWOT analysis being useful is Southwest Airline? First has been its usefulness in Internal Analysis, which involves the study of the organization’s strengths and weaknesses in a number of theoretically formulated ways (Bohm, 2008). a. Management Capabilities One such is on organizational structure, where the point of focus is usually to examine if the structure limits or enhances flow of information and client responsive mechanisms are in place (Bohm, 2008). Southwest has often demonstrated quick response to clients when their flight delays or a possibility of a flight not taking off due to weather conditions. Besides, the organizational organ gram is such the pecking order is clear and so flow of information to the right people is promptly facilitated for action (Daft, 2008). Beyond this, the strength in communication is further compounded by the fact that Southwest Airline has internet presence. It was indeed one of the first airlines to have a website. However, one the weakness within its website is that prices are not outlined to enable customers have knowledge in advance just by the click of ‘mouse’. Regardless of this, it is reported that it is so far the largest in terms of

Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Case analysis - Essay Example It operates under a decentralized management approach based on the belief that the leaders maintain a close contact with patients and customers by addressing their needs. The company has maintained the values of their customers employing a business performance in providing its services. The strategic move adopted by J&J to reach this position is the operation under a competent diverse board of directors. The corporate strategy of J&J has enabled it expand its markets in America’s competitive health sector. It currently operates 134 manufacturing facilities and 8 innovation centers globally. That enables it to innovate new products and achieve customer satisfaction in service delivery. Synergy has helped J&J manufacture and produce better products and deliver services that satisfy customers’ demands through improved growth and innovation. CEO Weldon formed a corporate office that encouraged J&J’s business units to work with other firms in promoting and identifying opportunities. The cooperation between J&J and H4+ has helped reduce mortality rate in children and reduce pregnancy and birth related complications in women. Weldon employs his persuasive skills in luring firms to work with them and convince Doctors and Hospitals to try their products. Weldon uses his leadership skills to implement synergy at J&J by promoting collaboration and participation within and across cross-functional business units. Weldon has succeeded in drawing the diverse skills of J&J’s business units across the three divisions as a way of promoting innovation. Gorsky needs to maintain good communication with other firms to promote synergy. That consequently expands J&J’s domination in the economic

Humor and the lower class in Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Humor and the lower class in Shakespeare Essay From the jigging veins springs the flow and creates a hilarious touch in the rhythm of souls- This is incredulous the power of no body else except Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a truly amazing 17th Century literary dude, creating the whole new gamut of human experience and emotions of both high and low, royal and sundry, bringing their lives in the fold of his words through his tragedy, romantic, history and comedy plays. Shakespeare is an appropriate symbol of human life which brings tears and smiles, sighs and shouts of joys. So beyond bringing the tears and pondering over the history, he reaches the heart of man with his comedy plays. Comedy of Shakespeare moves in a world of its own away from satire or moral reforms. The comedy appears in the Renaissance period in its new form breaking from its conventional mode. Since sixteenth century this term was in use but to incorporate numerous types among whom many resembled the Greek and Latin comedies. The renaissance though saw the slight change in the trend of the comic strip but the spirit remained the same. Before it, comedy was performed in the form of farce and clown-age by roaming entertainers and captured the morality completely due to its popularity. The comedy espouses the influence of not only with the plays of Plautus and Terence, but also showed the signs of Latin forms, the biblical Terentian plays, and the story with the theme of the Prodigal Son. The result was quite visible as there on the stages were seen the entire new style of dramatization of story and scenic entertainments which were full of fun and frolic. Shakespeare also used what has become the tradition in the British Society, to laugh at a character’s lack of intellect. Shakespeare uses fools who were considered to be lacking in intelligence but are actually wiser, and clowns. These clowns were generally innocent characters, ignorant, sometimes dull witted and created a situation that is almost out his scope and thus keeps the comic actions going. By using the fools he sprinkled his plays with Jokes meant for the common man touching the audience’s intellectual level. The best example of the use of the fools is Falstaff in I Henry IV. Falstaff is an embodiment of the vice of vanity, dishonest, proud and pretentious but on the other hand coward also, thus providing an entertainment value. The brothers Dromio in the Comedy of Errors is also fine example of the fools. Comedy of Error is Shakespeare’s earliest and classically inspired comedy particularly using the Plautus’s farcical play Menaechmi ( Twins). He created the comic scenes with the common people who found themselves engulfed in a farce of mistaken identities, due to the two pairs of twins who were separated because of the storm in the sea. Some of the humor in Comedy of error is derived from the puns and wordplay, but the large part of it comes from slapstick and mistaken identity, and it’s distinct in the sense that it observes classical unities. This complete play is entertainment, but under the layers of the fun also lays the deeper themes, which includes the feeling of self identity versus reality, the essence of time, coincidence and love. Because of the confusion, both the Syracusan and Ephesan twins sometimes think they have gone insane which shows the Shakespeare’s keen interest in showing the characters tortuous soul. The play also highlights the fact that even the lightest farce can create emotional resonance. This play was first published in the first Folio in 1623 and is considered as Shakespeare shortest play. The comedy ends when both sets of twins were reunited. Shakespeare made his play more complex than Plautus by adding second set of twins. The other plays that can be considered nearer to the Comedy of errors in the model are the two gentleman of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew and A Love’s Labor’s lost. The 1590’s era saw changes in trend in the plays Mid Summers Night Dreams and the Merchant of Venice. These plays were different in tone coming under the category of Middle Comedies and are the proof of the Shakespeare’s genius to experiment with the plays. Mid Summers Night Dreams beautifully presents the bumbling and unconsciously comic townspeople, creating yet another chapter of bringing the common frivolities, vices, situations and circumstances that these townspeople creates for themselves and thus is emerged the amusing scenes. But these plays not only arouse the comic relief but also create the sympathetic feelings. We can also see what is known as the Mature Comedies in this the most popular The romantic plays Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Twelfth Night. All these plays are considered as joyous comedies with characters always smiling and are sympathetic. Written around 1599 and 1600, these plays were at the peak of the Shakespeare’s career in the field of high comedy with generally having beautiful, intelligent, and strong-minded heroines, as the central characters. These plays were in sharp contrast to the satire, and reflect Shakespeare’s not only the mastery of his art but also congenial temperament that he shows towards his characters. Soon after mature comedies, Shakespeare produced problem comedies in his three plays—All’s Well That Ends Well, Troilus and Cressida, and Measure for Measure. The problem comedies deals with the complex and unpleasant themes and its characters have certain amount of moral flaws which are more severe and difficult to change than the characters in the farces or the joyous comedies. Light hearted humor is seen in these plays which are emotionally rich and dramatically exciting and stimulating to the readers. All’s Well That Ends Well, written around 1603 follows the conventional pattern of comedy, and as its title suggests the play ends with the reunion of a separated couple, but this reunion is deeply troubling. Hereby Troilus and Cressida are totally different in the sense that for many days it was unknown whether it was tragedy, history or comedy. The essence of Romanticism showers in the comedy of the Shakespeare’s plays, and the lives hovers over the back ground and atmosphere of Shakespeare. Shakespearean comedy is primarily the comedy of love. The atmosphere is full of the genial of love and friendship. In his comedy love is a means of human fulfillment, and far from raising the lovers thoughts about basic desires, the romantic inserts the feeling of passion. The romantic comedy has characters ranging from servants, drunkards, constables and clowns. The main characteristic feature of the Shakespeare comedy is the beautiful combination of realism and fancy. The characters are drawn from the world of men and women. They have to suffer like ordinary mortals experiencing adversity, separation and disappointments. The characters and scenes though are viewed through magic casements which transforms reality, the settings in his plays are generally imaginative- an unknown island, Thebes, Arden, Illyria, and Venice each are conceived in the sparkling light of a beautiful fancy, yet they are all real and sheer from our daily real lives. The contemporary figures and fashions as in Love’s Labor’s Lost; Bottom and his companions mingling with the fairies, this union of realism and fantasy is the cardinal characteristic feature of Shakespeare romantic world. The worldly wisdom and deep comprehension of life made his comedies more realistic. Under the humor and fun there lies the tone of didacticism with the complex moods and subtlety in the characters. His comedies are also marked by the optimism and are the pictures of life in sunnier aspects. Shakespeare began his journey of comedy where Lyly left, and he was able to find his way to create an intense mood of seriousness in the comedy. It is said that in comedy, Lyly is Shakespeares model and its influence is far more permanent than any other. Shakespeare imitates the grouping style of Lyly and consequently repeats the relation or situation in successive plays. It was from Lyly that Shakespeare learned unity and coherence of plot-construction, basically in the introduction of songs and fairies. (Looney, 1997-2002). And the fine example is â€Å"Love and Labor’s lost†. He was also influenced with Greene which led to the creation of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. But the most influence that is created on his works is from Plautus and Terence. Plautus devices used in the plots reads like ten-twenty-thirty thrillers of the nineteenth century: involving abandonment of infants, kidnapping, piracy, shipwreck, tokens of recognition, changes of identity, keyhole listenings and strange rescues. His world constitutes the characters ranging from scolding matrons, lying and thievish servants, money lenders, procurers and sycophants, all belong to the lower or middle strata of the society but in the end always the knaves are punished and its titles reflects the plot like The Play of the Hidden Pot of Gold, The Haunted House, How the Sham Steward Got Paid for His Asses, and The Play of the Caskets. The same is true with Comedy of Error which is derived from the Plautus’s farcical play Menaechmi (Twins). In this play Plautus uses laughter to dwell and come out with the human foibles including the mistaken identity. As in Comedy of Errors in Plautus play, only one servant appears and he is traveling with a twin who stays outside their native country. The citizen twin has a shrewd wife, a father-in-law and a mistress named Erotium, and thus all these involves trickery, sex intrigue with the husband’s blatant infidelity. And this mistaken identity are wrangled a jeweler, a merchant, parasite, a physician and the courtesan. Thus the story and plot of the Shakespeare and Plautus are same but Shakespeare gives very little of farce. There are two distinct patterns in which Shakespeare comedy moves, one from society to wilderness and then back to the better society and the second pattern is from union to wandering and then back to union. (Flachman from midsummer magazine, 2001). The first model emerges in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This play takes its characters from the urban lands to the green world of forest and then back to the original society whereby they have learned the true way of living from the freedom that they enjoyed in green world of the Forest. In the Midsummer Night Dreams all attained the good fortune only by staying one night in enchanted woods. As opposed to these plays, the other plays like in Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, and All’s Well That Ends Well, specifically in the comedy of errors the characters first are united, separated and then united. In, many of the comedies the conclusion is the happy marriage. These patterns help us to read in depth the chapters of our lives and try to solve the problems faced by us in a much comic manner. The Midsummers Night Dreams is different then the Comedy of Errors in the sense that its the Bards original wedding play. According to many scholars it is a light entertainment to accompany a marriage celebration; and unlike Comedy of Errors Shakespeare does not rely on existing plays, narrative poetry, historical chronicles or any other source materials, making it an absolutely original piece. The main plot of the play involves the two set of couples The Hermia and Lysander, and Helena and Demetrius whose romantic endeavors are complicated due to their entry into the fairyland woods where the King and Queen of the Fairies Oberon and Titania rules and the Puck or Robin Goodfellow, who are the folk characters plies his trade. Thus there is also an element of fantasy in this play which is totally absent in the Comedy of Errors with an exception of twins. A Midsummer Nights Dream contains lyrical expressions of love and dreams, and the creative imagination of both. These two patterns, are born from the plays, the Jorge de Montemayor’s Diana, which is a Spanish pastoral romance who in celebrating the love, moves from society to wilderness and then back to the reformed and much cherished society, and the second posters from the story of â€Å"Titus and Gisippus† in Sir Thomas Elyot’s The Governor, and its plot moves uniting the characters and then leave them to wander and again back reuniting them. Shakespeare was a versatile character and the growth his career lies in its model of versatility which is amply clear in all his plays whether it is tragic, history or comedy, versatility lies in all and he is always experimenting with the words so close to the human heart and that makes the Shakespeare unique. BIBILIOGRAPHY 1. Flachmann Michael, (2001), The two Comic plots of Verona, From Midsummer Magazine, Utah Shakespearean Festival Home Page, Retrieved on 19th March 2007 from W. W. W: http://www. bard. org/education/resources/shakespeare/twogentscomic. html 2. Looney J Thomas, Shakespeare Identified, Chapter XI, Edward De Vere — Middle Period: Dramatic Foreground, Retrieved on 19th March 2007 from W. W. W: http://www. shakespearefellowship. org/etexts/si/11-5. htm.

David Cronenbergs A History Of Violence Film Studies Essay

David Cronenbergs A History Of Violence Film Studies Essay In my presentation about Cronenbergs A History of Violence I discussed the human relationships, the importance of recurring scenes and the question of genetics, parental example and conscious choice. Cronenbergs movie is extremely complex and there are still plenty of topics which can be further analysed, so this time I would like to examine topics like the question of identity or the nature of violence. Furthermore, as A History of Violence is said to be no typical Cronenbergian movie, I would like to compare it with one of his earlier, more characteristic movies, eXistenZ, and demonstrate with it the above statement. When we first meet the Stall family, we have no idea that violence will have something to do with one of the members. Cronenberg uses very professionally a kind of diverting action by introducing first the two mob guys whose appearance will have such vital consequences. The Stall family seems to be a model family with a happy life in a small town. Tom Stall is running a successful, little diner, has two model children and a beautiful, clever wife, with whom their relationship is just as content and intimate as it was 20 years ago in the beginning of their marriage. His wife is certainly satisfied with their life together and thinks that her husband is the best man in the world. Their life changes significantly as the plot develops. One evening the two mob figures, which can be seen in the first scene arrive in Millbrook and go into Toms diner. When they attack the staff, Tom Stall transforms in no time into a local hero and killing the two assaulters saves the lives of those present. Of course, these events put Tom immediately into the limelight; his picture appears in the newspaper and reporters arrive in Millbrook to make an interview with him. The family hopes that this curiosity will soon wane, however it rather leads to the turning point in their life. In a few days time some more mob guys appear in the diner under the leadership of a certain Carl Fogarty, claiming that they know Tom, who is indeed not Tom but Joey and is from Philadelphia. Although Tom denies everything they are not willing to take notice of it and get off the family even after the warning of the local sheriff. There is a turning point in Toms attitude when Fogarty and his man catch Jack after a quarrel between him and his father. They offer to let Jack go if Tom is willing to go with them to Philadelphia for a trip down Memory Lane. Although with Jacks help Tom manages to kill all the three mob guys, this is the point in the movie when it becomes clear both for Toms family and for the viewers that he must have been Joey once. Later we learn that most probably he was born into a gangster family and naturally he also became a violent figure, however when he grew older he decided to give up the way he lived before and spent three years becoming Tom. He decided to take on the name Stall, simply because it was available. It was his meeting with his future wife Edie that helped him to take leave from Joey and adopt a normal lifestyle. Tom seems to be able to draw a distinct line between the two periods of his life when he says that it was Joey who did those violent actions and never Tom. When we watch the events Tom has already spent almost as many years being Tom as being Joey. But is it possible to leave behind everything and become a completely new person from one day to another? Watching the film, it is, however i n Toms case it had an influence not only on his life but also on his familys. It is especially interesting to examine this question from Edies and the childrens point of view: What do you do when you discover that your husband or father has concealed everything about his early life? Was he lying to you, or protecting you? Did you love someone who didnt really exist? (Roger Ebert, 2005). Looking at these question the confusion and shock of the family is easily understandable, but on the other hand, we have to mention that on the evening when the two criminals showed up in the diner it was Joey who saved Tom. If Tom hadnt been Joey earlier, most probably he would have been killed in that incident. It is also interesting to observe how Tom transforms back to Joey when he returns to Philadelphia. The two characters are absolutely different: Tom is a classical, stoic American patriarch while Joey is an active, strong, effective anti-hero (Beaty, 2008.). Going back to Philadelphia and transform once again into Joey is necessary und unavoidable for Tom as he wants to protect his family from the fatal consequences of his brothers visit into Millbrook. This way, he has no other choice than to go but it is also important to mention that his only motif is to get back safely and repair his life with his broken family. It is well-known that A History of violence is not a typical Cronenbergian film, it is difficult to establish even its genre. It can easily be a thriller, action-movie, or a family drama containing horror elements. According to Beaty (2008), the movie is about disguises and a network of lies. Its core story is about a man masking his true identity. Tom Stall isnt what he first appears to be and the film isnt what it first appears to be.(p.12). This leads us to ask two main question during and after the film: 1. Who is Tom Stall? 2. What really is this film? For the second question David Cronenberg gave the following answer: A History of Violence is a kind of inside-out version of what I normally do (Beaty, 2008, p.15). Last but not least, it is also important to mention that playing such a double character is no easy task. Viggo Mortensen made a very good job and it was not by accident that Cronenberg fixed his choice on him: I need a kind of eccentricity that is more typical of a character actor than a leading man and yet still has a leading man presence and charisma. (Beaty, 2008, p.21). David Cronenberg had to find an actor who could play with equal skill both a small-town man and a violent criminal and as Beaty mentions it was Mortensen who combined both traits of the leading man and the character actor (p.21). Violence Already the title of Cronenbergs movie contains the keywords of its story. The title A History of Violence lets the viewers to suspect a number of things about the film. This title can mean at least three things. It can refer to the historical custom of settling disputes by using violence (e.g. war, duals), but it can also refer to a person having a history of violence, that is, a past full of violent actions. In addition, it can refer to the fact that throughout the evolution violence was carried on from father to son, from generation to generation (Ebert, 2005). I think at least two of these topics can be found in the movie. Throughout the history of humanity, violence was always present. We are all naturally partial to violence even if in our day committing violence is no more acceptable except for some good reasons. Such reasons are, for example, when we want to defend ourselves, someone else or our property. In the US, for example, you are allowed to defend your property with a gun. Another acceptable however still controversial reason for committing violence is war and wartime situations and a third one is when we use violence as a punishment, although this is not everywhere an acceptable form of punishment (for example, death penalty is in practice only in some countries of the world). Even if acting violently is not acceptable in a number of situations, we cannot break away from it and more or less we all have a propensity for it. We watch it in the cinema, in television, there is a whole movie industry built on it with innumerable action, thriller and horror films (at this point I have to mention that A History of Violence is also one of them). Throughout the history before the emergence of the movie industry such events as bloody executions and torturing of convicts served as public entertainment. Warfare and duals were another examples. As Desson Thomson (2005) writes, A History of Violence forces us to confront this Pavlovian conditioning to violence. According to scientist, this attachment of ours to violence comes from our animal past, our need to find food and defend ourselves by killing the enemy if we want to survive. Genetically this propensity for violence is still in us and it is carried over from generation to generation (Baumgarten, 2005). However, even if violence is in connection with our animal past and animal instincts we have something else that makes us different from animals and this is the ability to make conscious choices and say no to our instincts. This ability together with a good family example can lead to the right path. As David Cronenberg put it: Genetically, I have to say yes, it is obvious that people have a propensity for violence. It comes from our animal past, our need to survive. But we also have that other thing, that imagination to abstract and say: well we can imagine a world in which we dont do these things that we find abhorrent by negotiation, by diplomacy, by compassion, by empathy. (OHehir, 2005) Toms/Joeys and Jacks example illustrates very well the above idea. From the movie it becomes clear that most probably Joey was born into a gangster family where violence was an everyday thing. On the one hand, this served as an example for him; while on the other hand, violence was also in his genes. This way, it was almost unavoidable for him to become just the same as his family. However, as he grew older he became able to make a conscious choice and decided to leave behind his previous lifestyle. As opposed to this, Jack, his son was born into a normal family and had a normal parental example. As a consequence, he could avoid becoming violent even if it was also in his genes via his father. But the importance of example is very well demonstrated by the events in the film if take a closer look on them. Jack is still very young and therefore easy to influence. So when he sees what a hero his father becomes after he kills those two criminals his attitude towards violence changes radically, although until then he tried to avoid confrontation and violent situations. This is what Cronenberg said about him and about the question of our propensity for violence in an interview: You have the story of the son who avenges himself against a bully () When we first meet him, the boy seems to be a pretty good politician. he can talk his way out of a violent confrontation. He uses his wits, he uses his humour and () therefore he avoids violence. () Then he sees the celebrity his father attains after his acts of violence and hes intrigued by that. () Are we talking about a genetic propensity to violence or is it a cultural one? He feels that he wouldnt mind some of that celebrity on his own level. Therefore, the next opportunity he has, he ends up committing violence. Hes unrepentant afterwards and does connect it to his father (OHehir, 2005). According to Beaty, Cronenberg used the violent scenes in a conscious way. It is not by accident that we see mutilated bodies and faces but rather because the director wanted the viewers to see the brutal consequences of violence. This is not characteristic of every action film. Cronenberg wanted us to realize what we see in those films is only half the truth, that action films build on our desire to see violence in an attractive way. As opposed to those films, Cronenberg wanted to show us what real violence looks like and what the real consequences of it are. As Renà ©e Rodrigues put it: he forces you to consider what it means exactly, to shoot someone in the face and how once that line is crossed, it becomes much easier to do it again (Beaty, 2008, p.7). As violence is a crucial point in the movie, mob figures have a very important role in it. The two such figures are Carl Fogarty, played by Ed Harris and Richi Cusack, played by William Hurt, both of them famous and highly acclaimed actors. Although they spend only very short time on screen, both of them have a critical role. According to Beaty, for the role of Richi Cusack Cronenberg did not need a typical gangster or a clichà © mob figure but a character that can be taken seriously. He had to be compelling, convincing, charismatic, scary, profound and ironic at the same time (2008, p.24). William Hurt was a perfect choice. A History of Violence versus eXistenZ, a typical Cronenberg movie If we take a closer look on the list of Cronenbergs previous films, it is clear that A History of Violence is not a typical one. Before 2005 Cronenberg made mainly abstract, weird films, the topics of which dealt with scientific, psychological, medical or virtual issues. Although a slight minority of the viewers praised loudly these films, most of them were no box-offices. In a way, this is understandable as these films were not the typical Hollywood movies. They were difficult to apprehend, had multiple layers and needed the viewer to think hard if he wanted to understand the message. Of course, this is also characteristic of A History of Violence, in which we can find a number of topics relevant for discussion, for example the nature and the consequences of violence, genetic heritage, the changing nature of personal relationships, the question of identity or the importance of parental example, just to mention a few. Cronenbergs 1999 movie eXistenZ is a very good example for his earlier and more characteristic style. There are huge differences between eXistenZ and A History of Violence. eXistenZ is taking place in a dark future where people are no more contented with their real life, instead they are obsessed with playing virtual games. These virtual games are not the nowadays fashionable mechanical computer games, but instead organic virtual reality games. According to Howe (1999), In this society, people get bioported, so they can plug in to the largest game system of ecstatic hyper-reality. They tap directly into their nervous systems, by connecting their bioports to flesh-textured pods (containing the game software, as it were) by means of an umbilical-like Umby-Cord'. In this near future there are two big video game companies competing with each other and Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) became a kind of superstar by inventing the latest world famous game, called eXistenZ. The opening s cene of the movie takes place in a church where a small group of people is testing her game, when Allegra is attacked and has to flee with the help of security guard Ted Pikul (Jude Law). The movie becomes weirder and weirder when they find out that Allegra was shot with an organic pistol made of bones and teeth and this is why it wasnt detected by Ted. A bit later Allegra discovers that most probably her pod containing the only copy of her game was damaged. She wants to test it by playing the game with Ted when he admits that he has no bioport saying: I have this phobia about having my body penetrated surgically. After Allegra convinces him that getting bioported will change his life they head to a gas station where a service station operator performs the bizarre procedure (Howe, 1999). After overcoming some more difficulties there is nothing to prevent them from playing. From this point it becomes more and more difficult to decide what is reality and what is game and in the virtua l world Ted and Allegra discover new characteristics of their personality. At the end of the film it becomes clear that the viewer was intentionally mislead when we find out that we have seen the world of the virtual game right from the beginning. The world of eXistenZ is altogether different from the world of A History of Violence. Not knowing it as a fact, the unsuspecting viewer would never presume that both of these films were directed by one person. While A History of violence mainly concentrates on issues like violence, identity and the family in a moment of crisis, eXistenZ examines the individual in transformation and the question What is reality?. (Beaty, 2008) As opposed to eXistenZ, A History of Violence is taking place in these days, the events follow each other in strict chronological order, it shows the real world and we do not have to suspect what is reality and what is not. Compared to eXistenZ, the plot is easy to follow and understand. There are major differences in visual and sound effects, too. On the one hand, while in A History of Violence music plays an important role in many decisive scenes (like the closing one), it is not characteristic of eXistenZ. On the other hand, while the first is characterised by colourful, clear images, the second one has mainly dark and dim pictures as a lot of events happen at night. But why is A History of Violence so different from the characteristic movies of Cronenberg? As I have already written above, even if some people praised his earlier works, these became almost never box-offices. By 2005 already two decades passed since his last big success and according to Beaty (2008, p. 19), Although critics and film festival audiences were more and more fond of his work the commercial cinema audience turned away from him. By this time Cronenberg was very short of money and he knew that he was desperately in need of a hit to raise funds. Basically, that is why he decided to direct A History of Violence. I needed the money- he said. (Beaty, 2008, p. 19). A History of Violence is a radical break from the past (Beaty, 2008, p. 11). Compared to eXistenZ, it was made in Cronenbergs most realist style and according to Beaty, it is not only Tom Stall/Joey Cusack in the film who is playing a role but also David Cronenberg who is playing the role of a Hollywood filmmaker: In the end we are left with a film in which a maker of some of the most grotesque films in history suppresses the grotesqueries of the plot in order to tell the story of a man who is suppressing his true (and rather grotesque) nature. It is striking that, in playing to Middle America, Cronenberg hided his true self in a film about a man hiding his true self in the middle of America. (Beaty, 2008, p. 12). Conclusion In my essay I wanted to demonstrate that Cronenbergs A History of Violence is a very complex film, having many topics fit for discussion and debate, of which I wrote now extensively only about three: the nature of violence, identity and the differences between A History of Violence and other films of Cronenberg. I hope that with my presentation and my essay together I could illustrate that although David Cronenberg is not a common film director, he deserves to be called one of the most important Canadian film directors, whose aim is not only to entertain but also to raise significant topics and make his audience think about them.