Summary
Christmas Lights The willing suspension of disbelief is crucial to our enjoyment of dramatic entertainments. When presented with developments of a fantastical nature, the rational mind must be prevented from grinding around in the lower ratios in the mental gearbox the ones that screech that real life isn't like that! In the very best fictions, this process takes place without us noticing. In less accomplished works of art, it is possible to see the machinery that drives the illusion, and this can lead to dissatisfaction, if not outright disillusionment. There is, however, a third category, in which the machinery is visible, but we are powerless to resist the direction in which it is taking us. This is called manipulation, both mental and emotional, and at its best, can be exhilirating.
Christmas Lights is an example of shameless manipulation. Colin Armstrong and Howard Scott played by Robson Green and Mark Benton respectively are lifelong friends and competitors in the game of life. They have married sisters, work for the same company, and live in the same close. Their entire adult lives have been dedicated to bumping and boring in the time-honoured configutaion of nip and tuck. The balance is crucially altered when Howard gets the promotion at work.See the full content of this document
Extract
Television ; Pick of the Week
Suddenly, he has the better car, the bigger pay packet, the...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
