Last Friday at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, the most prestigious, most coveted prize, the Grand Prix for film, was awarded. This is Fallon London's synopsis of their entry, "Gorilla," which took the prize:
"We hear 'In the air tonight' by Phil Collins as we realize we're in front of a calm looking gorilla. 'I've been waiting for this moment for all of my life…' The ape stretches its neck like a heavyweight boxer would do before a fight. He's sitting in front of a massive drum kit as the best drum fill of the history of rock is coming. The Gorilla knows this. He smashes the drums phenomenally - feeling every beat. The camera leaves the ape and his drum. United, the way they are meant to be."
Huh?
This ad isn't postmodern, it's just ridiculous.
The problem, for me, is that it's not a gorilla, it's a guy in a gorilla suit — I mean, that's obvious, isn't it? Does anyone really believe for one second that it's a real gorilla?
And don't say of course not. Go ask your English teacher what suspension of disbelief means. In order for us, the audience, to believe the story (and a good advertisement is simply a very concisely told story) we must believe that what we are seeing is possible.
I believed the apes in Planet of the Apes. I believed the Borg, and Q. I didn't believe Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (or in Michael Collins, for that matter).
The gorilla in this ad might as well be wearing a Julia Roberts suit.
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