As sort of an antidote to all the Bale bashing going on since his tirade leaked, I thought I'd try and go in the other direction, and while certainly I'm not apologizing for him or making excuses for his behavior, it's perhaps prudant to cut down on the vitriol.
-My main contention is that it's not real news. It's an "in the heat of the moment" conflict on set. It's taken out of context, and much like if you listened in on sporting events, there'd be heated exchanges you'd be shocked you heard. Bale may have been over the line in terms of verbal abuse, but his complaint seemed to be legit. The DP was obstructing his eyeline in what has been described as an emotional scene. He was in the moment, got thrown, and blew up. We've all been there.
-Again, I'm not defending him, but it's basically us commenting on a private moment. It just seems wrong to me. Hopefully this borderline gossip can be done with soon and we can get back to slightly less unimportant news.
-Feel free to comment and tell me if I'm completely wrong, right, in need of counseling, etc...have at it.
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Agreed. It must be an extremely slow news week if we are reporting on news that was reported on last freaking JULY!
ReplyDeletePlus, what isn't being reported on is the behavior of the DP. Shane Hulburt is infamous for being a light tweaker. Plus, you can't really hear what he was saying in the audio clip, but I'm pretty certain I could hear some pretty asinine comments being directed at Bale. In all honesty, was it really that hard for the DP to simply apologize for interrupting the scene?
Fact of the matter is, YOU DON'T TWEAK LIGHTS WHILE THE CAMERA IS ROLLING. Ask any DP with an ounce of professionalism and/or experience and they will tell you that. You take care of that stuff before the director yells "Action!" and if you feel there is a need to fix something, tell the director and have him yell "Cut!". You don't just wander into the middle of the scene and start messing around with stuff. It's a matter of respect and common sense. I'm sorry, but I don't care who you are or who the actor is, you don't fucking do that.
That being said, I personally think Bale was completely in the right here because I've had some eye-witness reports of that blow-up and all of them tell me it wasn't that the DP did it once and Bale blew up. He had been messing around with lights and walking into the middle of scenes ALL FUCKING DAY. If you ask me, it's no wonder Bale finally let him have it. I personally would have probably done the same thing. And I'm tired of all these people acting as if they wouldn't have done the same fucking thing. No one can tell me that they are above that or whatever. People get angry, people cuss others out. It's not unheard of and people are acting as if they are better than that. I'm sorry, but you aren't. People report on it because it's a cheap way to point fingers and call someone else a jackass without looking in the mirror. You wanna know how to prove that you are above it all? Don't fucking report it as if it has any kind of journalistic value or relevance. Exploiting a moment like that is far worse than any profanity or anger on Bale's part.
thanks Joey for not letting this be a one sided story!
ReplyDeleteI agree as well...we all have our bad days, lets move on!
ReplyDelete-Mike
glad to see my thoughts were not completely scoffed at...thanks!
ReplyDeleteNow that I've finished my rant, I would also like to thank Joey for at least presenting another side of the story. Plus, it's not a huge deal. I think that ultimately Bale would have just moved on quickly but from what you can hear in the audio, the ass of a DP keeps egging him on and refusing to apologize. That's the unfortunate thing is that we only hear what he is saying, not the dick things the DP is saying back to him. Unfortunately, because Bale is a more public figure given the fact that he's an A-List star, it's not "interesting news" if the media reports on the behavior of the DP. All they care about is blowing the whole thing way out of proportion and getting ratings for reporting "Christian Bale goes psycho on film set! OMGZZZZ!"
ReplyDeleteappreciate it Kevin
ReplyDeleteI suppose. But, you couple this latest tirade with his alleged assault on his mom, and his window of opportunity shrinks even more. I like to believe that Christian Bale just had a "bad" day, but a 2 minute tirade? You might be able to justify a 30 second expletive shower, but 2 minutes? Come on. I think we are being to generous to the dude. He's a great talent and all, but let's be serious. For about a month, no one posted anything about his blow up. If you check some of the popular Awards sites, there is nothing about it? Why, because it's not news? Please. For some reason, Christian Bale is treated differently. Anyway, if he had a serious problem with the DP, he could have still addressed him in a different (more respectful) manner. Even if people are subject to "blow up" from time to time, it doesn't make it right. Simply because something happens often doesn't excuse it.
ReplyDeleteagain, not making excuses for him, I just think we need to do a better job of seperating the person from the roles...his acting doesn't change if it turns out he also tortured kittens, just like even Tom Hanks, one of the supposed nicest guys out there, would have a sound bite he'd regret having been played out loud, either on a set or with his family....nobody's perfect...hell, I know when I lose my cool it isn't pretty, the test is whether or not both sides of the tale (Bale and the DP) learned anything from it or just even realized they made mistakes
ReplyDeletei agree. he is a phenomenal talent, and i hope that he continues to act. he is one of the top actors of his generation, and deserves praise. however, your concern goes both ways. sometimes people like to believe that those with great talents can do no wrong. this is the second incidence where bale is accused of losing his cool (issue with his mom). if he has an anger problem, then it is our duty as concerned fans to call him out on it. again, the dp may have triggered his anger, but that type of tirade is somewhat uncalled for.
ReplyDeleteFool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. As is reported in the clip, this isnt the first time that the DP has done this sort of thing. I'm sure the matter was addressed in a stern but respectful manner. You keep doing the same thing take after take like this DP has a history of doing (so I've been told), it gets on Bale's nerves. There are some who do what others only pretend to do, or would like to do. I'm one of those people that'll tell an obnoxious or unnerving guest at a gathering to get the fuck out. Somebody's gotta do it. And Bale just did. I'm sure as shit that the DP wont be committing a blunder as such again. It's distracting. You tweak your lights before the director calls 'action' or after he calls 'cut.' What's the point of adjusting the light if you just fucked up what could have been a perfect scene. Who knows if that was like the tenth take. Bale is an actor who takes his craft very seriously. You dont mess with that. Genius and madness, it's amazing how often those two coincide. And with Christian Bale, I think it does. Most people are upset with him, have lost respect and call him an ass. I call him an ass too. BAD ASS!
ReplyDeleteWhile we're at it, we might as slap people like Poe, Hemingway, Dickinson, Van Gogh, and T.S. Eliot with some anti-depressants. Should have put Hunter S. Thompson through rehab.
ReplyDeleteAristotle once said "No great genius was without a mixture of insanity"
ReplyDeleteKeith, none of us are really excusing the behavior, but rather just trying to see things from his point of view and maybe take the whole thing for what it is: a moment taken out of context and blown out pf proportion. Also, I'm kind of tired of people saying "There's no excuse for that kind of tirade" or "His behavior is completely inexcusable" or "I could understand a 30 second rant but he goes on for 2 minutes"; no one can tell me that they haven't had moments where they totally lost it and went on an expletive rant. Plus, he wouldn't have gone on for the 2 minutes if the DP hadn't continuously argued with him and egged him on for those 2 minutes, and McG didn't do anything to try to get control of the situation. I just don't think we should all be so quick to try and tear him down when e really don't know anything close to the whole story.
ReplyDeleteP.S. One more thing Keith, the allegations of abuse against his mother and sister were dis-proven way back in July, and discovered that he merely stormed out of the hotel because his mother and sister barged into his hotel room drunk and yelled at him asking for money, then proceeding to insult and threaten Bale's wife with slander. He basically responded to by yelling back and telling them to get out of his way so he could get to the TDK premiere on time. That situation, in my opinion, probably called for some yelling. he may have overreacted here, but in my opinion, it's better to sometimes just let loose than bottle everything up.
Even if it's a moment "out of context", it doesn't mean it's not wrong. I respect Bale like the next person, but given his stature as an actor, he has no business blowing up like that. perhaps the dp was annoying. sure. whatever. but you don't think he would've got the point if he pulled him aside or spoke with the director. of, even if he did all of that, what do you accomplish by screaming at a dude? violent behavior doesn't solve anything, it just makes matters worst. my analysis is more normative. i understand why he did it, but i don't think he should have done it.
ReplyDeleteBale's a douche. No one deserves that, I don't care how many screws up you commit. He was talking to him like he wasn't a fucking person.
ReplyDeleteHe should be held accountable. He's one of the most respected actors for one of the most respected franchises in cinema right now. A high standard is placed on him. We expect behavior like that from Paris Hilton.
He's a douche. Just like the guys defending him.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteYou're on Christian Bale's nuts. I'm pretty sure he's probably your favorite actor. If Dev Patel blew up at someone, you'd probably want him to be crucified. Bitter about TDK snub?
Keith,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you're saying from a logical point of view, but the whole point of this tirade was that Bale responded emotionally. If everyone reacted to situations in the logical fashion, there would never be any conflict ever about anything. Did he overreact? Absolutely. Did the DP egg him on? It seems so. The point is, we weren't there, and it's not our place to be passing judgement when we don't know the context, and the whole thing has just been blown out of proportion.
Also, as Kevin pointed out, the thing with his mom and sister was disproved ages ago, so we can't hold that against him. From the sound of it, he's just a method actor under a lot of stress with possible emotional problems. Doesn't make him a douche or a jerk or a bad person. I'm not trying to go out of my way to defend him, nor am I on a fanboy rant (I for one feel like he's been slumming since The Machinist to begin with), but it's not fair to judge him on this outburst when we don't know the full story behind it.
Violence, solves everything. If the United States had peace talks with Japan, not sure that would have worked. You drop a goddamn A-bomb and shut them the hell up. And Christian Bale definitely exploded.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1,
ReplyDeleteI think that it's pretty childish to assume that someone is a "douche" simply because of one outburst. Every single other person who has worked with him has had nothing but great things to say about him. But regardless, it's not like you know him. So why are you so quick to crucify him? Obviously, one angry outburst defines an entire person's character, but I guess I didn't get the memo.
Anonymous 2,
No, Christian Bale is NOT my favorite actor. Johnny Depp is my favorite actor.
Yes, I was pissed about the TDK snub, but what the hell does that have to do with anything?
No, I would not be rushing to crucify Dev Patel or any other actor for that matter. As I stated before, I don't believe in "crucifying" anyone based on one angry outburst, soundclip, or otherwise.
I for one am ready for people to move on to more important things. Our economy is in serious crisis and all we care about is one angry outburst on a film set that occurred nearly 7 months ago.
I don't think we are in the position to judge his character. However, we are in a position to judge his response to stressful situations. We all go through stressful periods. However, that shouldn't give someone the right to dehumanize someone on set because he added to the stress. How far reaching could this go? What if Bale punched the dude in the face for causing a disturbance? We've all been annoyed to a breaking point. But, Christian Bale knew, or should have known, that his reaction would make headlines. The point is, he is responsible for the reaction of the fans. He should have been more careful and controlled his emotions. Or, at least, lashed out on the dude in private. There were better ways to handle the situation.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you're taking a mature and logical stance on this Keith. I'm sick of people rushing to use the same kind of expletives to cuss out Bale that they are mad at him for using. Talk about hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteI've been sort of staying out of it, but yea, basically as long as neither side of the coin is being illogical or unreasonable, it's an open subject to debate, I just fall under the category of leaving the personal lives of people alone...critique a bad performance, but not a bad day, but again, that's just me
ReplyDeleteJoey, you and I are often in the same school of thought, lol.
ReplyDelete