This magazine was suppose to be a part of the Terminator 2: Judgment Day Anniversary article, which focused on a European perspective of T2's arrival (See HERE). However, throwing it in anywhere there didn't quite gel and felt like sidetracking, therefore it was reduced to a brief mention: "It has become and remained my all time favorite film and engraved the name James Cameron in my mind, especially since the very same year I saw magazine articles about him"
As in the US, the T2 media blitz was in full swing, and all the entertainment magazines were loaded with issue after issue, from late 1991 to mid 1992 (yes, that long. Again, see the article mentioned/linked above). The magazine I'm showcasing here was part of that blitz, and it's a Polish magazine called "Nowa Fantastyka" (New Fantasy) from February of 1992. Now, I wasn't originally going to do a feature on that one because it's subject isn't solely T2, but it was a part of the Terminator 2 media avalanche, and it was about James Cameron, so why not.
Now, let me clarify something - I'm not a nostalgic person. Sure, it is believed that a diehard "Trekkie" fan of a classic that has few years attaches a significant nostalgic value to the film, but I really don't - it blew me away then, it blows me away now. Not that there's anything wrong with nostalgia, but I don't believe either way that it affects one's opinion on the quality of the film. Great classics are great classics that cemented their place in movie history for a reason. Anyway, the reason I'm digging into those vintage magazines from my childhood (like those European ones) isn't for nostalgic reasons - I just find it very interesting how different cultures promoted, greeted and dissected my favorite film. And I like time capsules, again - not to be transported back in time for nostalgic reasons, because that's not the only thing a 'time capsule' does. It also helps you give a prism and perspective of the time. And I just love vintage collectibles.
Anyway. Media wasn't the same for us Sci-fi fans in mid Europe (again, I grew up in Europe until my late teens) at the dawn of 90's. US had so many great publications like Starlog, Fangoria, Cinefex, StarBlazer, Fantastic Films, Famous Monsters of Filmland, SF Movie, Fear, Fantazone and more. Even UK had great stuff like Starburst or Fantazia mags. In Poland we only had the New Fantasy, which wasn't really a magazine on scifi movies, it was more a collection of short scifi and fantasy stories with a film article thrown in. This particular issue has a story by the creator of the now famous Witcher and a story from Robert Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land)
The point is, we didn't have such an easy access to interviews with directors and stars, or countless articles on the films. This particular issue from February 1992 was the first time I saw how both Jim Cameron and Steven Spielberg look (Cameron’s photo is from the shooting of the arm skinning scene at Dyson’s house). On the top of the front page it displays the title of its inside article, "Spielberg vs Cameron". While you may be thinking, did these two ever had a feud, it's not your memory failing - they didn't. Instead, the article compares, or rather states, who's a better director. Unfortunately the author of the article, Dorota Malinowska, is not a fan of Cameron at all, and she is as clear on that in the article as can be.
The headline says:
"Among many directors who foray into Sci-Fi, the strongest position throughout the last couple of years reached only two: Steven SPIELBERG and James CAMERON. They both specialize in grand visuals, stunning with visionary expansion, both are into the genre because they like it and feel good in it. For both, making movies is realizing and extending their childhood dreams. With that in mind, it would seem that their films should be similar. Nothing furthest from truth."
The author then proceeds to proclaim that Spielberg is the only one of the two with a heart, and the one who isn't shy to show that good is beautiful. She likeness him to Disney, writing that he shares the same values. But when the rant on Cameron starts, she claims he's fascinated with violence, that his scenes are soaked with cruelty. Shockingly for me, something I haven't seen since, is that the author of the article, who's a female, is actually complaining about the existence of the strong female characters in Cameron's films! She says they're all the same character just played by a different actresses, and that they're a result of some troubled childhood relationship with mother. Lastly, she compares Cameron to USSR - talking a lot about peace while waving a gun. She also prints out a comparison list of the films Cameron directed, which was four at the time to the list of films directed and/or produced by Spielberg. Funnily enough, the article barely talks about Spielberg, and is simply a disguised, misguided and faulty criticism gearing towards Cameron. It seems to me like Ms Malinowska was one of those people that get irked by someone's success or popularity. She does mention Cameron's universal praise and his success from the beginning ("from the beginning the movies he did were making huge amounts of money, and criticism didn't really go his way"), while comparing a hard working Spielberg who "has always been a whipping boy for critics", so I may be on to something.
I looked her up and since then she got married of course, became a publisher and a translator, and is currently a politician in a city council of Warsaw, Poland
I read the article when I was very young and was a bit confused about the negativity toward Cameron, who was already my favorite director, but attributed it to the "old people who don't know what cool is". I was just happy to see how the two great wizards of cinema looked like, and to have their full filmographies listed along with some cool stills from their films
Go back to http://www.jamescamerononline.com/TerminatorTrilogy.htm
