FILM * Quinto Potere: 'Spegnete i vostri televisori, spegneteli ora!' (Cit. 2)
" - HOWARD BEALE: Edward George Ruddy è morto oggi! Edward George Ruddy era il grande presidente della Union Broadcasting Systems ed è morto alle 11 di questa mattina di collasso cardiaco e, poveri noi, stiamo affondando nella merda! Così un ricco ometto coi capelli bianchi è morto. Cosa c'entra questo con il prezzo del riso, esatto? E perché io dico "poveri noi"? Perché voi, il pubblico, ed altri 62 milioni di americani, ascoltate me in questo istante! Perché meno del 3% di voialtri legge libri, capito? Perché meno del 15% di voi legge giornali o riviste! Perché l'unica verità che conoscete è quella che ricevete alla TV! Attualmente, c'è da noi un'intera generazione che non ha mai saputo niente che non fosse trasmesso alla TV. La TV è la loro Bibbia, la suprema rivelazione. La TV può creare o distruggere presidenti, papi, primi ministri. La TV è la più spaventosa, maledettissima forza di questo mondo senza Dio, e poveri noi, se cadesse nelle mani degli uomini sbagliati e quindi poveri noi che Edward George Ruddy è morto. Perché questa Società è ora nella mani della CCA, la Communications Corporation of America; c'è un nuovo presidente in carica, chiamato Frank Hackett, al 20° piano nell'ufficio del signor Ruddy e quando una fra le più grandi corporazioni del mondo controlla la più efficiente macchina per una propaganda fasulla e vuota, in questo mondo senza Dio, io non so quali altre cazzate verranno spacciate per verità, qui. Quindi ascoltatemi. Ascoltatemi! La televisione non è la verità! La televisione è un maledetto parco di divertimenti, la televisione è un circo, un carnevale, una troupe viaggiante di acrobati, cantastorie, ballerini, cantanti, giocolieri, fenomeni da baraccone, domatori di leoni e giocatori di calcio! Ammazzare la noia è il nostro solo mestiere. Quindi se volete la verità andate da Dio, andate dal vostro guru, andate dentro voi stessi, amici, perché quello è l'unico posto dove troverete mai la verità vera. Sapete, da noi non potrete ottenere mai la verità: vi diremo tutto quello che volete sentire mentendo senza vergogna, noi vi diremo che, che Nero Wolfe trova sempre l'assassino e che nessuno muore di cancro in casa del dottor Kildare e che per quanto si trovi nei guai il nostro eroe, non temete, guardate l'orologio, alla fine dell'ora l'eroe vince, vi diremo qualsiasi cazzata vogliate sentire. Noi commerciamo illusioni, niente di tutto questo è vero, ma voi tutti ve ne state seduti là, giorno dopo giorno, notte dopo notte, di ogni età, razza, fede... conoscete soltanto noi! Già cominciate a credere alle illusioni che fabbrichiamo qui, cominciate a credere che la TV è la realtà e che le vostre vite sono irreali. Voi fate tutto quello che la TV vi dice: vi vestite come in TV, mangiate come in TV, tirate su bambini come in TV, persino pensate come in TV. Questa è pazzia di massa, siete tutti matti! In nome di Dio, siete voialtri la realtà: noi siamo le illusioni! Quindi spegnete i vostri televisori, spegneteli ora, spegneteli immediatamente, spegneteli e lasciateli spenti, spegnete i televisori proprio a metà della frase che vi sto dicendo adesso, spegneteli subito!!! "
[ Edward George Ruddy died today! Edward George Ruddy was the Chairman of the Board of the Union Broadcasting Systems, and he died at eleven o'clock this morning of a heart condition, and woe is us! We're in a lot of trouble! So. A rich little man with white hair died. What has that got to do with the price of rice, right? And *why* is that woe to us? Because you people, and sixty-two million other Americans, are listening to me right now. Because less than three percent of you people read books! Because less than fifteen percent of you read newspapers! Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube. Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn't come out of this tube! This tube is the Gospel, the ultimate revelation. This tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers... This tube is the most awesome God-damned force in the whole godless world, and woe is us if it ever falls in to the hands of the wrong people, and that's why woe is us that Edward George Ruddy died. Because this company is now in the hands of CCA - the Communication Corporation of America. There's a new Chairman of the Board, a man called Frank Hackett, sitting in Mr. Ruddy's office on the twentieth floor. And when the twelfth largest company in the world controls the most awesome God-damned propoganda force in the whole godless world, who knows what shit will be peddled for truth on this network? So, you listen to me. Listen to me: Television is not the truth! Television is a God-damned amusement park! Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, side-show freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We're in the boredom-killing business! So if you want the truth... Go to God! Go to your gurus! Go to yourselves! Because that's the only place you're ever going to find any real truth. But, man, you're never going to get any truth from us. We'll tell you anything you want to hear; we lie like hell. We'll tell you that, uh, Kojak always gets the killer, or that nobody ever gets cancer at Archie Bunker's house, and no matter how much trouble the hero is in, don't worry, just look at your watch; at the end of the hour he's going to win. We'll tell you any shit you want to hear. We deal in *illusions*, man! None of it is true! But you people sit there, day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds... We're all you know. You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here. You're beginning to think that the tube is reality, and that your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you! You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even *think* like the tube! This is mass madness, you maniacs! In God's name, you people are the real thing! *WE* are the illusion! So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now. Turn them off right now. Turn them off and leave them off! Turn them off right in the middle of the sentence I'm speaking to you now! TURN THEM OFF... ]
[ Edward George Ruddy died today! Edward George Ruddy was the Chairman of the Board of the Union Broadcasting Systems, and he died at eleven o'clock this morning of a heart condition, and woe is us! We're in a lot of trouble! So. A rich little man with white hair died. What has that got to do with the price of rice, right? And *why* is that woe to us? Because you people, and sixty-two million other Americans, are listening to me right now. Because less than three percent of you people read books! Because less than fifteen percent of you read newspapers! Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube. Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn't come out of this tube! This tube is the Gospel, the ultimate revelation. This tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers... This tube is the most awesome God-damned force in the whole godless world, and woe is us if it ever falls in to the hands of the wrong people, and that's why woe is us that Edward George Ruddy died. Because this company is now in the hands of CCA - the Communication Corporation of America. There's a new Chairman of the Board, a man called Frank Hackett, sitting in Mr. Ruddy's office on the twentieth floor. And when the twelfth largest company in the world controls the most awesome God-damned propoganda force in the whole godless world, who knows what shit will be peddled for truth on this network? So, you listen to me. Listen to me: Television is not the truth! Television is a God-damned amusement park! Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, side-show freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We're in the boredom-killing business! So if you want the truth... Go to God! Go to your gurus! Go to yourselves! Because that's the only place you're ever going to find any real truth. But, man, you're never going to get any truth from us. We'll tell you anything you want to hear; we lie like hell. We'll tell you that, uh, Kojak always gets the killer, or that nobody ever gets cancer at Archie Bunker's house, and no matter how much trouble the hero is in, don't worry, just look at your watch; at the end of the hour he's going to win. We'll tell you any shit you want to hear. We deal in *illusions*, man! None of it is true! But you people sit there, day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds... We're all you know. You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here. You're beginning to think that the tube is reality, and that your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you! You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even *think* like the tube! This is mass madness, you maniacs! In God's name, you people are the real thing! *WE* are the illusion! So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now. Turn them off right now. Turn them off and leave them off! Turn them off right in the middle of the sentence I'm speaking to you now! TURN THEM OFF... ]
(Monologo tratto dal film "Quinto Potere" | Network | 1976, di Sidney Lumet)
Immagine tratta da 'Quinto Potere': Howard Beale, interpretato da Peter Finch, in una scena del film
Clicca qui sotto per vedere una raccolta di Citazioni Cinematografiche nella mia pagina personale su facebook:
