Talk Radio
by Paul Chaderjian
What is the cost of America’s obsession with media content? This is the question that Eric Bogosian asks in his film “Talk Radio,” and this potent question to his question is death.
Bogosian, the writer and star of the film, speaks to the viewers through intense monologues about the issues that plague society. From drug abuse to people’s fascination with the famous, Bogosian’s character, radio personality Barry Champlain, tackles these societal issues, allowing lonesome and anonymous voices to articulate a range of opinions.
Public dialogue may be healthy for a democracy, but the value that listeners of Champlain’s radio show place on the subjects and opinions contained in the radio show is what Bogosian questions.
Several of the callers Champlain talks with on the air continue to call to preach their politics or win empathy or love from nameless strangers listening to the radio. Champlain’s ability to create live drama on the air by negating and arguing with his callers is what leads to his death.
Director Oliver Stone is a gifted filmmaker, and he manages to capture a rhythm and movement in scenes that take place in the studio of a radio station. With moving shots, cameras placed on tracks, focus shifts showing background and foregrounds at the same time, Stone is able to slowly limit the space in which we see Champlain. As the camera moves in to suffocate the radio host, the radio host lashes out at the callers whom he calls pathetic.
Both Stone and Bogosian know the truth about how easily the masses are influenced by media products, and they demonstrate a passive acceptance of what corporate America feeds the masses as entertainment or news. Caller after caller is challenged by Champlain to stop listening to the program, yet no caller turns away and admits defeat. They continue to call back, to threaten and to hate.
When Champlain is killed, the media product that resulted in his death finds yet another topic to deliberate – his fame and his role in their lives. As the credits roll, Stone and Bogosian allow us to hear their caller’s fascination with the death of Barry Champlain, talking about him in a disconnected manner, unaware that the very product that made Champlain a source of revenue for corporate America, the product that they participated in creating is what eventually killed the former suit salesman with a big mouth.
What is the cost of America’s obsession with media content? This is the question that Eric Bogosian asks in his film “Talk Radio,” and this potent question to his question is death.
Bogosian, the writer and star of the film, speaks to the viewers through intense monologues about the issues that plague society. From drug abuse to people’s fascination with the famous, Bogosian’s character, radio personality Barry Champlain, tackles these societal issues, allowing lonesome and anonymous voices to articulate a range of opinions.
Public dialogue may be healthy for a democracy, but the value that listeners of Champlain’s radio show place on the subjects and opinions contained in the radio show is what Bogosian questions.
Several of the callers Champlain talks with on the air continue to call to preach their politics or win empathy or love from nameless strangers listening to the radio. Champlain’s ability to create live drama on the air by negating and arguing with his callers is what leads to his death.
Director Oliver Stone is a gifted filmmaker, and he manages to capture a rhythm and movement in scenes that take place in the studio of a radio station. With moving shots, cameras placed on tracks, focus shifts showing background and foregrounds at the same time, Stone is able to slowly limit the space in which we see Champlain. As the camera moves in to suffocate the radio host, the radio host lashes out at the callers whom he calls pathetic.
Both Stone and Bogosian know the truth about how easily the masses are influenced by media products, and they demonstrate a passive acceptance of what corporate America feeds the masses as entertainment or news. Caller after caller is challenged by Champlain to stop listening to the program, yet no caller turns away and admits defeat. They continue to call back, to threaten and to hate.
When Champlain is killed, the media product that resulted in his death finds yet another topic to deliberate – his fame and his role in their lives. As the credits roll, Stone and Bogosian allow us to hear their caller’s fascination with the death of Barry Champlain, talking about him in a disconnected manner, unaware that the very product that made Champlain a source of revenue for corporate America, the product that they participated in creating is what eventually killed the former suit salesman with a big mouth.
