Danny Boyle Defends Journalism And Rupert Murdoch At Venice Premiere

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Director Danny Boyle has defended journalism and explored the complex figure of Rupert Murdoch in his new film,“Ink,” which opened the Venice Film Festival this week. The movie, which centers on the origins of modern tabloid journalism in 1969 England, will be released theatrically by Netflix on December 11, with streaming to follow on January 8.

“Ink” delves into how Australian news mogul Rupert Murdoch, portrayed by Guy Pearce, and editor Larry Lamb, played by Jack O'Connell, transformed the British broadsheet The Sun into the world's highest-selling daily within 12 months. Lamb, a Yorkshireman, was reportedly encouraged by Murdoch to pursue his instincts for edgy entertainment and to challenge the established Fleet Street newspapers.

At the“Ink” press conference before its world premiere, Boyle explained the film's broader themes.“This isn't a film about tattoos!” he said, clarifying,“It's about Britain, and it's about Fleet Street, though no one knows what Fleet Street is anymore. We feel like we updated it to make a connection to the modern world.”

The film adapts James Graham's acclaimed 2017 play of the same name, which premiered in the West End before transferring to Broadway in 2019. Graham noted the journey from a 300-person theater to the Venice Film Festival as“extraordinary.” Boyle praised Graham's writing, stating that in adapting a stage play, the key is not to cut the excellent dialogue, but to ask the writer for more.

A new character, Jules Davies, played by Claire Foy, was invented for the film. Based on various female reporters from Fleet Street, Davies serves as the film's conscience as The Sun ventures into ethically ambiguous territory. Boyle mentioned that this character helped to“rebalance these two extraordinary figures, Larry Lamb and Rupert Murdoch,” and provided an opportunity to address the“disturbingly male ecosystem” of the era, making the film relevant to the modern world.

Foy described the world depicted in the film as“intoxicating,” highlighting the camaraderie among journalists who wielded immense power through their writing. While Lamb is lesser known today, the 95-year-old billionaire Murdoch remains infamous for his brand of populist conservatism, which influenced Thatcherite England in 1979 and extends to contemporary Fox News and MAGA Republicanism.

Boyle emphasized that the film and play avoid“monster-izing” Murdoch, presenting him instead as a“breath of fresh air” in a rigid society, dealing with prejudice as an Australian and sharing a disdain for the British establishment. Graham recounted that Murdoch saw the play twice and was particularly charmed by scenes depicting the hot metal press. Pearce, who portrays Murdoch, received a message from Murdoch's daughter, Elizabeth, confirming her father's pleasure at the casting, though Murdoch had not yet seen the film.

“Ink” explores the seductive impulses that led The Sun's staff to fill its pages with content the public craved, such as television, violent sports, horoscopes, and sensational crime stories. Boyle noted that while the play implied the darker aspects of this shift, the film directly depicts the journey into darkness, a quality he attributed to O'Connell's performance. Boyle previously cast O'Connell as the villainous Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal in“28 Years Later” and compared his ability to draw audiences into dark places to Al Pacino in“Godfather Part II.” He even instructed production designers Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh to design Lamb's office to evoke Michael Corleone's.

Boyle views“Ink” as both a historical record and a forward-looking caution about the rapid evolution of news content. He stressed the vital role of journalism in civilization, arguing that journalists must“stand up to power and speak truth to power.” Boyle raised concerns about the potential for AI journalists to replace human reporters, questioning whether AI will speak truth to the power that created it, a prospect he finds“very interesting.”

Source: Observer Arts

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