Volume CXXXIII, Number 7 October 26, 2001 f

HBO VP gives Common Hour talk
MATT SPOONER
STAFF WRITER

If you are interested in something besides sex and violence, you may be disappointed by what's showing at your local Mega-Plex. In his common hour lecture last week, Kary Antholis '86, vice president of Home Box Office (HBO) films, explained how quiet dramas and lyrical romances are being disregarded in favor of the extravagant blockbusters as studios and theater chains push to maximize box office figures.

Antholis discussed how marketing trends have largely eliminated the opportunity for "film-artists" to express themselves in major motion pictures, but he did offer hope to independent-film lovers as he explained how he felt HBO balances commercial interests while still allowing artistic integrity.

Upon joining HBO in 1992 as the director of documentary programming, Antholis oversaw some of HBO's most touching and important documentaries, including Gang War: Bangin' in Little Rock, The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter, and Educating Peter. He took a brief respite from pay television to produce the syndicated television series "The Cape," and to direct the Academy Award® winning Holocaust documentary "One Survivor Remembers."

He rejoined HBO in 1997 as a consultant for Tom Hank's documentary on the Apollo Space Program, "From Earth to the Moon," and was quickly promoted to Vice President in 1999. Antholis explained how HBO ascribes to the same philosophy of yesteryear's major studios: "Rather than focusing on opening weekend receipts, HBO is concerned with "the aesthetics of story-telling," he said. Such an attitude allows the network to show movies, such as Antholis's Emmy-award winning Wit, that would never make it to the big screen.

"I became aware of films during an era that gave us movies like The Godfather and The Deer Hunter - the last time corporate decisions were made by a small handful who based their decisions on things like artistic credibility and the chance that it would be a good movie."

That mentality changed with the arrival of blockbusters such as Jaws and Star Wars, and "green-lighting" a film was determined by its marketability instead. "When a film becomes a property, it ceases to be art," Antholis said.

The role of artistic film creation then fell to television, but after T.V. networks noticed the success of shows such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Survivor, television has moved away from movie-making.

"Where does the artistic filmmaker go?" Antholis asked. "To pay cable television."

HBO, he explained, is able to make profits while still allowing artistic expression by marketing the channel as one product, instead of marketing individual shows. "Even if a show does not attract a large audience, it might still add to the overall product by garnering awards, adding to the 'Tiffany' image," he said.

HBO, according to Antholis, proves that artistic integrity can successfully coexist with a capitalist system, and the popularity of shows like The Sopranos and movies like Wit support this belief.

Antholis admitted that if he were not able to work at HBO, he would probably not be in the entertainment industry at all because he said he saw no hope in the near future for films to return to their previous, albeit less profitable, glory.

However, Antholis said he is fortunate enough to work in an environment where he does not feel as though he has to undermine the artist for the sake of the all-mighty dollar - an example he hopes the rest of the entertainment industry will follow.