Borat - was the church in the movie real?

[cardaway]

It's possible some things were staged or totally made up but it did look like they went to a real church (and eneded up traveling with some of them). This place is waaaaay over the top. Maybe they found this place beforehand and visited it on purpose.

 

[dcgrumpy]

according the this it was real http://www.spiritualabuse.org/issues/borat.html

Of course I have no idea how reliable that website is

 

[TigerBear]

That was my problem with the movie - I couldn't tell what was real and what was not. I think everything with the other guy was scripted. What about the Pam Anderson stunt? The lady teaching him to use the restroom was hilarious - but is anyone really *that* nice.

 

[Fitswimmer]

interesting. I haven't seen Borat, and I really wasn't sure I was going to because a friend who did see it told me it was VERY anti-semitic and I really don't find much humor in that. She didn't mention the part about the Church. Is the anti-semitism charge accurate?

 

[CheshireVal]

I think a lot of the stuff in Borat was staged. Even if the people were real, I think a lot more of the movie was scripted than not.

As for the anti-Semitism.... Borat himself (well, the actor) is Jewish. He played Borat as anti-semitic but in a "geez this guy is really ignorant" sort of way. I never thought the movie itself had an anti-semitic message.

And for the record, I hated every single minute of the movie. I thought it was stupid.

 

[Bichon Barb]

I read an article a while back about this, and much of it was not staged--the idiot college kids, the Newt Gingrinch scene, the language coach--those were all real.

I didn't see the movie as being anti semitic. I thought it was making fun of the anti semites.

 

[ashjohnson80]

the frat guys i know for a fact were real, unfortunately. i know one of them.

 

[cardaway]

I think a lot of the stuff in Borat was staged. Even if the people were real, I think a lot more of the movie was scripted than not.

I agree, especially the Pam Anderson part, but the church stuff looked real. I was wondering how they could get that many people to go along with it, so maybe it had to be real.

As for the anti-Semitism.... Borat himself (well, the actor) is Jewish. He played Borat as anti-semitic but in a "geez this guy is really ignorant" sort of way. I never thought the movie itself had an anti-semitic message.

Yes, that part was very obvious. If anything it's making fun of anti-semitic folks that played along without knowing they were being had.

And for the record, I hated every single minute of the movie. I thought it was stupid.

I liked it, although there were parts I'll skip the next time I watch. I never need to see that naked wrestling chpater ever again.

 

[Fitswimmer]

Thanks. I'll try it for myself, that's always the best anyway.

 

[Maggimus]

I, too, am interested in finding out what was real and what wasnt.

The lady who went upstairs during the dinner party to show him how to 'wipe' is the woman who is causing the big uproar and suing the film because she 'didnt know'. I believe those in the movie had to know they were being filmed for a reason.. possibly an actual movie to be taken to khazakhstan to show american culture-- but I dont know if they knew it was used for this purpose.

I do believe Amazaht (or whatever his name was)-- was OFCOURSE in on the movie, as was the prostitute. As for Pam Anderson-- I couldnt imagine her not knowing--- otherwise he would be in jail right now.

Im interested in knowing if the church was in on it too. What about the yard sale lady? Or the political african -american guy? Or the people at the gay party? Or the frat guys on the rv? Hmm... Did the jewish family know? And did they really just run out of their house like that??

im sure they had to sign SOME sort of release to have their face shown on camera-- which leads me to wonder what they were told.

I think this movie was the epitomy of STUPID and my DH and I watched it only to see what all the controversy was about. I didnt find it funny and cant say I laughed. I did open my mouth in shock many times though . Especially whenever Borats friend was caught with the baywatch magazine and they 'wrestled' around naked.

Now did the people in that conference know about the movie?? How was he not arrested??

makes me wonder...

 

[cardaway]

according the this it was real http://www.spiritualabuse.org/issues/borat.html

Of course I have no idea how reliable that website is

The site doesn't exactly scream credible does it?

I was hoping to find some website, or even people that go to that church on a regular basis, to say if they edited things to look strange. The whole scene was quite disturbing, and even more so if it's real.

 

[Maggimus]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/11/the_real_storie.html

 

[dcgrumpy]

Here's another story. I skimmed it but didn't notice mention of the church. http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/11/the_real_storie.html

Maggimus-supposedly they all thought they were doing a real documentary

 

[RachelEllen]

I heard an interview that Terry Gross had Sasha Baron Cohen. I'm sure it's available on an NPR archive and I know it's at audible.com if anyone's interested. He's answers many of these questions. It's also kind of fun to hear how much of a fan Terry Gross is.

If you take him at his word, almost nothing in the movie was "faked." The only person, outside production, who knew what was going on was Pam Anderson. Even at that convention none of the other conventioneers (or security, I believe) knew what was up. He considers that the most dangerous "stunt" in the movie.


He came very close to being arrested many times. The police were called over 20 times during production. There were plans in place to put other people "between" Cohen and the police so that other productions members would be arrested instead of the main actor. Law enforcement in several areas (including the FBI, as I remember) became aware of what was going on, forcing them to change locations.

Things were scripted to the extent that they were plan, and locations were sited extensively by production before Cohen came on scene. For example, the antique shop was sited out, every move and fall was preplanned, and the broken items were payed for off camera.

It's a really interstesting interview for folks interested in how the movie worked. I found the movie alternately hilarious and very uncomfortable. I didn't find it a bit antisemetic (I'm Jewish), but, I knew Cohen was Jewish, so I interpreted it as extremely satiric and mocking of antisemetism. The interview with the gun shop owner, for example, went on much longer than was shown in the movie. It's actually chilling to learn how far he went in going along with Cohen's antisemetism.

 

[Maggimus]

I wonder how the waiver was written up so that they could 'trick' these people into thinking it was one thing, but still be legal to use it for these purposes

 

[cardaway]

Things were scripted to the extent that they were plan, and locations were sited extensively by production before Cohen came on scene. For example, the antique shop was sited out, every move and fall was preplanned, and the broken items were payed for off camera.

That's what I was thinking, that things had to have been scouted beforehand, amybe even the church.

I figured they paid the antqiue dealer off camera. At least I certainly hope so.

 

[letterdavidman]

interesting. I haven't seen Borat, and I really wasn't sure I was going to because a friend who did see it told me it was VERY anti-semitic and I really don't find much humor in that. She didn't mention the part about the Church. Is the anti-semitism charge accurate?

Well, yes. But by Sacha Baron Cohen (himself a devout Jew) portraying a character who's a virulent antisemite, it brings out the latent antisemitism (and homophobia, xenophobia, etc.) in the real people he interacts with.

(And, as you can plainly see by my avatar and tag, I'm a fairly large Cohen fan/apologist.)

 

[Maggimus]

That's what I was thinking, that things had to have been scouted beforehand, amybe even the church.

I figured they paid the antqiue dealer off camera. At least I certainly hope so.

I hope so too-- lol if not and I was the owner of that antique shop id be really upset to know that the movie is making millions and i was stiffed on getting paid for the broken antiques.

This blog really has me wondering about that church though..

 

[stargrazer]

Couple of comments...

As far as permission to use your image, that's not hard. When you sign a permission form for footage to be used, it almost never specifies what it is to be used for. It just gives permission to the person taping. It is to protect them, not you. I used to be involved in television and people were usually so excited to be taped they never asked many questions.

And as far as the church...why is it so hard to believe it's real? I've attended MANY churches like that and some that were far more...er...um...radical in their beliefs (speaking in tounges, handling snakes, etc). I have NO DOUBT that church was for real.

This isn't a flame at all, just sharing what I know (which, granted, isn't much LOL).

 

[cardaway]

And as far as the church...why is it so hard to believe it's real? I've attended MANY churches like that and some that were far more...er...um...radical in their beliefs (speaking in tounges, handling snakes, etc). I have NO DOUBT that church was for real.

Looked far too radical to be real. Especially expecting Borat himself to start "speaking in tougues", which of course he did, mimicking the gibberish coming from the person holding his hand on his head.