Deceptive film

To quote Network, the famous American film of the mid-1970's, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." On Friday, Dec. 11, I took my wife and eldest son to see the long- anticipated and highly lauded new film by Stephen Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan. To my great surprise and rapidly growing anger, the film's language soundtrack changed from English to French just as the film was approaching its climax and resolution. While clearly unsatisfactory, the manner in which the management of the theater, Planet Hollywood KC21, handled the problem turned this fiasco from a French farce to a cynical and sleazy exercise in deception.

After about five minutes of putting up with the obvious mistake, myself and a number of patrons, both Indonesians and expats, approached the manager with our complaints and demanded a refund. Part way through my conversation with the manager, he claimed not to speak English, although he demonstrated admirable fluency later when it suited his purpose. An Indonesian took up the demand for a refund as the manager scuttled off to his office for refuge, only to return when it was apparent that the gathering crowd was not going to take his feeble brush-off. At first he claimed that it was the distributor's fault, then to our combined amazement he claimed that it was Spielberg's intention that the finale was meant to be in French. At all times he refused to refund our money. At the very least, the film had run twice that day, and I understand that the same version had been shown for most of the week.

I therefore accuse the distributor of gross incompetence and cynical indifference, as, even though it is obvious that they received mixed reels, they proceeded to translate and distribute the film. I accuse the theater of deceitfulness and cynicism for not postponing the film's presentation when they obviously knew the fault. Finally, I suggest that if the current manager is so ill equipped to handle legitimate customer complaints without resorting to deception, he should step aside and let someone who has the necessary skills and integrity assume his position.

I gather by the tone of a number of letters to the Editor published recently that I, as an expat, have never had it so good, and should shut up and accept this type of behavior as a cultural point of difference.

From what I did see of the film, this gross act of incompetence was akin to hanging a Monet upside down.

GARY STANFORD

Jakarta