The Invasion Of The Day Job is being as invasive as ever, which is why any free time Madame Persolaise and I manage to find is precious. So we weren’t pleased the other evening when a screening of Cosmopolis at our local Vue was marred by the glare of mobile phone screens, the incessant crunch of Doritos and, most annoyingly, constant, loud conversations, many of which were punctuated by expletives. As one part of my brain tried to follow the on-screen action, another grew increasingly infuriated by the blatant selfishness of my fellow punters. The Great British Public could certainly take a few refresher classes in basic courtesy.
What does this have to do with perfume? Well, not very much, apart from the fact that it made me consider the occasions when I’ve used this site as a platform from which to criticise Sales Assistants. I suspect that for every incompetent SA, there at least 10 insufferable customers, and if the rudeness that I witnessed at the cinema is the sort of behaviour that people consider acceptable in a shop, then my sympathies go out to all the patient, tongue-biting folk wielding testers behind counters. And speaking of employee welfare, I was recently given some shocking information about the manner in which a certain high-profile brand treats its staff, so watch this space…
By the way, in case you’re wondering, Cosmopolis was as watchable as it was odd. In recent years, Cronenberg’s films have become somewhat more accessible, but he is the man who gave us Crash, Naked Lunch, and eXistenZ, and in this latest effort, he returns to his roots in laudably uncompromising fashion. Its main themes are egocentrism, alienation and an inability to relate to other people… which brings us back to the paragons of politeness in the audience. You can watch life imitating art if you like; next time, I think I might stick with the DVD.
Persolaise.
PS Be sure to come back on Wednesday for the first part of my interview with Jean Guichard and Hervé Fretay of Givaudan.
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That is why I wait for the D.V.D .The last time I went to the cinema a child just missed being sick down my pack after crunching a bucket of Maltesars. The mobile phones drive me crazy .I even waited to see The Motorcycle Diaries .
Angie, hopefully, I'll never stop going to the cinema, but I might have to be a bit more careful about which venue, day and time I choose.
I wonder, regarding this particular film, if people who wouldn't ordinarily see such a movie did so because it was Pattinson. Meaning: they didn't come for the film itself so much as from a Twilight fan-base background. Just a thought.
Ronny, I have no doubt that many of the people in the audience were Twilight fans who weren't overly familiar with Mr Cronenberg's style. But I know you'll agree that this needn't have prevented them from showing some consideration to the other people in the screening room.