Review of the movie 'The Bridge' - A critical look at the Church of Scientology

See 'The Bridge' movie at www.scientomogy.com/the_bridge.php
See what kind of cult Tom Cruise has brought Katie and Suri into.

Review of 'The Bridge' movie (First film critical of Scientology to EVER be released) and the history of the last movie that was critical of Scientology that tried getting released.
From http://www.modemac.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl/The_Bridge

In 2001, anti-Scientology crusader Bob Minton funded a $3 million movie called The Profit. Intended as an exposure of the secrets behind Scientology, The Profit was plagued with problems from the start. The Church of Scientology unleashed its dreaded attack machine in the form of litigation and dirty tricks, and while the movie was completed, no one wanted to touch it. The film did have one single screening in Clearwater, Florida (the home of Scientology's largest facility, the Fort Harrison Hotel or "Flag Land Base""); but after that it disappeared. Minton did an about-face and began working for Scientology about a year after the film's release, and since then the movie has been suppressed and has not seen the light of day.

This story was certainly in the mind of director Brett Hanover when he set out to make a film about Scientology: he certainly knew that they would be putting himself under the glare of the Church of Scientology by doing so. So, rather than go through the troubles and delays that plagued The Profit, Hanover took the guerilla-filmmaker approach. Working on a shoestring budget, he made his Scientology movie in only five days, filmed largely on location at a hotel in Norway, well out of site of Scientology's spies. And now that the movie is finished and available, he decided to avoid a theatrical release completely and make the film available for download on the Internet. Word of the movie spread like wildfire, and the film has been downloaded over 1,500 times from one mirror site at the Internet Archive ( www.archive.org/details/B...rTheBridge ) alone.

Scientology has been the subject of parodies, spoofs, and accusations of being a mind-control cult, especially in the past few years since John Travolta and Tom Cruise have worked hard to make the organization a laughing-stock and the butt of jokes and insults worldwide. Scientology's own actions to keep its deepest, darkest secrets locked away and hidden from public view (especially the infamous tale of Xenu the Galactic Overlord) have earned it a reputation of being an evil, dangerous organization that will sue you if you sneeze in a direction it doesn't like. Comedy Central's banning of the South Park episode about Scientology led to more popularity than the actual episode itself; while potshots have been taken at Scientology in movies (Bowfinger, Schizopolis), on TV (Millennium and especially South Park), and especially in lurid true-crime books with such titles as Bare-Faced Messiah and L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? If you have the guts or savvy to speak about Scientology without getting attacked, it's easy to do a "courageous exposé" of the organization as a dangerous cult.

But it's much harder to do what Brett Hanover did. Rather than go for a tabloid-style, glitzy, all-out attack on L. Ron Hubbard and his Frankenstein-like monster that outlived him, Hanover decided to take a more modest approach. He chose to focus on the life of a simple, naive Scientologist working her first steps up "the Bridge to Total Freedom" (the name given by Scientology to the path it offers to spiritual salvation). This young person, Dianne Wheat, is a staff member at a low-level Scientology org (Hubbard's name for an official Scientology church). She's pressured by money problems, and she might have to work two jobs in order to pay for her Scientology coursework. Her goal is to save up enough money to buy a silver Scientology bracelet, but it's not easy because of her money problems…and what is it with those protesters hanging around outside the org, shouting "Zeenu?"

This more modest, low-key approach is the only way a movie about Scientology could be made on a low budget – but more importantly, it means we get to look at the actual people in the organization, rather than the outrageous events that grab headlines. It's the lower-level, day-to-day staff members at the Scientology orgs who are the heart and soul of the organization, and The Bridge does its best to show us what it's really like to work in Scientology. If real life as a Scientologist is as depressing and uneventful as the movie portrays, then this may scare more people away from Scientology than Xenu ever could. (Critics and former members of Scientology have already attested to the film's accuracy of portraying everyday work at a Scientology org.)

As a Scientologist, Dianne is under constant pressure (as is the rest of the staff at the org) to sell, sell, sell. The movie begins with a flashy Scientology video (the marketing videos shown in this movie are genuine Scientology materials; they weren't made up for the movie) in which a smiling, earnest Scientology officer is giving a presentation that sounds more like a sales and recruitment video rather than a religious guide: the video demands that the org staff members get as many people in the door as possible and get them onto the Bridge – in other words, turn them into Scientologists. (This information is "not for the public," it's only meant for viewing by Scientology staff members.) However, recruits are few and far between: when two girls show up to see what Scientology is like, they bail out and disappear before the org's recruitment film is finished. Dianne has little to do besides sit at the front desk, greet visitors, clean the org (with a giant portrait of L. Ron Hubbard watching over her at all times), and study her training materials. As for actual church services, she notes that there really aren't any in Scientology.

One of the movie's strong points lies in the fact that it doesn't overwhelm the audience with information. It would have been easy for Dianne to click on the Operation Clambake Web site and be bombarded with repeated, shouting epithets – "Scientology is evil! It's a cult! It's the devil! It's dangerous!" Instead, the movie teases you and makes you curious to learn more. As a TV report notes, mysterious deaths have plagued the Fort Harrison Hotel, "Especially the 1995 death of…" at which point Dianne hurls her remote at the TV and turns it off. This is actually an accurate portrayal of how Scientologists are trained to treat information seen as entheta, or damaging to their advancement in Scientology: they block it out and refuse to listen to it. (It's a point lost on many of the group's critics, and indeed on many people opposed to religious fanatics in general: by beating them over the head with your message "you're in a cult," you're just going to drive them away and further into the arms of the group.) But the real in-joke here is the way the blocking of critical information comes – a Scientology software message pops up when Dianne clicks on the xenu.net Web site, saying "This site contains racist/hate-oriented material." This is actually true: Scientology really does require its members to install blocking and censoring software of this sort on their own computers.

This may be why Hanover chose to film the movie in simple black and white. While cost concerns are one reason why "underground" movies of this sort are often filmed in black and white, there's an aesthetic concern that suggests we're seeing the world in the same way Dianne is seeing hers – in true black and white, thanks to her Scientology indoctrination. One of the attractions of groups like Scientology is their simple black-and-white, "Us versus Them" view of the world. Scientology dictates to its members that Hubbard's tech is the only thing that can save the world from destruction – and if it wasn't for a massive worldwide conspiracy, they would have already done so. This take on society leads Dianne to see her world as lifeless, drained of color and energy…except for the videos she sees on her computer and in the org screening room, which appear in bright, vibrant colors. (The other item in this movie displayed in color is the letter from Sea Org member Amy Grey to her father, which we never see…though we can guess what is written there.)

The movie succeeds in creating an atmosphere of depression, and even oppression – these poor people are struggling to "clear the planet," but they're wasting their lives attempting to follow Scientology’s vision. We can see from Diane's supervisor, a white-haired senior Scientologist (played by Bill Baker), that the constant indoctrination of Scientology can even cut him off from the real world…as he is practicing a focusing drill, he doesn't even blink when Dianne enters the room to interrupt him. The only time he looses his calm demeanor is when he is forced to confront those hateful protestors outside the org – and his violent reaction catches everyone off guard. This in turn leads to his giving Dianne a sec check (a security check), which is full of such bizarre, loaded questions that we're left as confused as Dianne.

We also see hints of an Orwellian, completely controlled society within Scientology. This is suggested by the multiple shots we see of the items for sale at the org: books by Hubbard, tapes by Hubbard, videos of Hubbard, photos of Hubbard smiling or staring at you from every wall, and strict directions for every aspect of life in the org, right down to instructions on which closet the vaccuum is to be placed. A sign proclaiming "Freedom from addiction!" placed right next to the org's outdoor ashtray as Diane takes a smoke break is the movie's way of showing us the contradictions and falsehoods within Scientology – contradictions that Diane is willing to overlook at first, but which become too obvious to ignore by the time of the film's climax.

Cult-bashing aside, Carole Smith puts in a decent performance as Dianne. This is her debut performance, and her acting may be perceived as lacking in emotion, but she actually gives an accurate portrayal of the cult stare often ascribed to Scientologists. As Dianne she is quiet and soft-spoken, unquestioning, and frequently staring blankly into space; however, her personal life is in a shambles as she worries about money problems and eats ramen noodles, because that's all she can afford. Despite Scientology's portrayal of its members as always smiling and outgoing (as seen in the marketing videos), the org staff rarely smile at all during the movie. An extended scene where the org staff ritually chant "hip hip hooray!" to the giant portrait of L. Ron Hubbard with blank expressions on their faces, over and over, is one of the more disturbing moments of the film. Moments like this can make you wonder if life in Scientology really is this bizarre – are these people really this lifeless, or is it just poor acting? After all, this is a low-budget movie here, and we often forgive faults in the acting and direction in "underground" films of this sort.

However, immediately after Hubbard's birthday party, a moment in which the org director casually takes the silver "Clear bracelet" away from Dianne is just as disturbing. It's this act of Scrooge-like cheapness and greed that inspires Dianne to make her break away from Scientology – not the rude, hostile protesters outside the org, and not even the appearance of another Scientologist's father, who shows up to dump all of his daughter's Scientology books, tapes, and paraphernalia on the doorstep of the org for Dianne to clean up. This is one of the film's strong points: Dianne makes the final decision to leave on her own – she isn't forced or "deprogrammed"" into doing so. The protesters may have told her about Xenu, but she doesn't leave Scientology until she sees for herself that there's nothing there – that Ron's personal office doesn't even exist. After all, Hubbard himself dictated "if it's true for you, then it's true" – and for Dianne, the realization comes that dedicating her life to an empty promise isn't where she wants to be.

The Bridge (no relation to the other movie released this year called The Bridge, which played the Tribeca Film Festival) runs a quick 69 minutes in length. It's simply filmed and simply acted, but this lack of complexity adds to its appeal. Brett Hanover uses a lot of camera angles, and he has a fondness for filming at an angle facing up, with the camera tilted (presumably to show how out of "balance" life is in the Scientology org). The musical score has moments of cheap, home-made and produced tones (especially during the opening credits), along with inclusions of actual Scientology music (the jazz music playing during Hubbard's birthday party is by the Jive Aces, a genuine Scientology jazz band), and even a piece by "[El Queso]? All-Stars," a long-time opponent of Scientology who has made several anti-Scientology songs available online.

Hanover worked closely with several notable Scientology opponents and critics in the making of this film, especially controversial figure Tom Padgett (who plays the distraught father). While a few of Scientology's most virulent and hardcore enemies have criticized this movie for the lenient attitude it takes towards life in the Sea Org, and a few incorrect portrayals in the auditing sessions shown here, most former members of Scientology who have seen this movie have already praised it as an accurate portrayal of life at an everyday Scientology org. It's a sad, depressing thought to picture oneself leading a life like this, day after day, until the time comes when you are called to travel to Clearwater, Florida, and live at the Fort Harrison Hotel while you attest to the level of "OT" (which stands for "Operating Thetan"). Yet, thousands of Scientologists worldwide are dedicated to this ideal, and they honestly believe they are Mankind's last hope in a world doomed to destruction and control by "the psychs." At the movie's conclusion, my overriding emotion wasn't one of anger or hatred – rather, it was pity. This is what Brett Hanover deserves praise for, more than anything else: for showing us that these are people, like you and me, who have been lied to and who deserve our pity and our help.

Hanover's tactic of releasing the movie online for free has ensured his film will see a more pleasant fate than The Profit: it's already been seen by more people, and it is certain to be distrubted online forever, whether or not the Church of Scientology takes any steps to suppress this film. The fact that Hanover has given permission to download it for free and copy it for distribution also means that Scientology can't claim that he is attempting to profit from the movie…although it is certainly a worthy accomplishment, one that is likely to brighten his resumé and hopefully bring him to the attention of Hollywood.

The only reasonably unbiased review of The Profit to appear in public during that film's brief lifetime suggests it was overlong, overly sensationalist, and badly in need of editing. The Bridge doesn't suffer from those weaknesses: while it doesn't move at a breakneck pace, it doesn't come to a halt at any point, and the modest acting isn't over the top or laughably bad. It may not win any awards for ground-breaking cinematography or writing, but its subject matter certainly guarantees it to be a film that will be remembered…at least among people who've had experience with Scientology, or want to know more about it.

See 'The Bridge' movie at www.scientomogy.com/the_bridge.php

The Bridge movie is the NEW and first film about Scientology

The Bridge movie is a new film written and directed by Brett Hanover, starring first-time actress Carole Smith and local playwright Bill Baker. While produced on a shoestring budget, The Bridge is (amazingly) the first feature film about the controversial Church of Scientology. Written with the help of several ex-members, and incorporating actual Scientology materials, the film depicts life inside the organization - and the reason Dianne Wheat (Smith) wants out. This film is a free-media online release. Copyrighted material is included in accordance with the Fair Use doctrine. Brett Hanover is not responsible for the distribution or promotion of this film, and makes no claims as to its content. However, you may direct any comments or questions to thebridgemovie@gmail.com.

Brett's film covers important issues such as disconnection of family members, Suppressive Person Declares and the use of training routines and security checks.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BRIDGE MOVIE

My www.whatisscientology.net site is now coming up #9 on Google for the search term "what is scientology".

So, What is scientology?

Also, my www.religiousfreedomwatch.info site is coming up 4th on the search for "religious freedom watch" and number two for "religiousfreedomwatch".

So, what is religious freedom watch? Or, what is religiousfreedomwatch?

Tom Cruise Fired from Paramount after 14 years!!!

Sumner Redstone, chief honcho at Viacom, the parent company of Paramount, has ended the 14-year relationship with Cruise's production company, Cruise/Wagner Productions. According to The Wall Street Journal, Redstone cited Cruise's controversial conduct and behavior over the last year as the reason for the split.

Redstone reportedly believed Cruise's antics -- including his now infamous appearances on "Oprah" and "Today" -- had a negative impact on the bottom line for "Mission Impossible III." Redstone said, "As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal." Redstone told The Wall Street Journal: "His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."

Click here to read more on this

Peaceful protester assaulted by a Scientologist A man filming a documentary outside the Church of Scientology in Clearwater, Florida was attacked and assaulted by a Scientologist. Michael Fitzgerald was caught on camera attacking peaceful protestor Shawn Lonsdale who was there in Clearwater filming a documentary on The Church of Scientology. Fellow Scientologists were quick to come to the aid of Michael Fitzgerald by lying to cops saying Shawn Lonsdale was the one who attacked and assaulted Fitzgerald. Non Scientologist and the video that Shawn was shooting proved otherwise. Scientologist Michael Fitzgerald was then taken to jail and released on bail. Click here to read more on this assault by a Scientologist

South Park Scientology episode nominated for EMMY NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. One of the Emmy nominees for best animated program is the "Trapped in the closet" episode of "South Park" that's said to have angered Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes. Cruise's fellow Scientologist Isaac Hayes reportedly quit because he was upset.... Click here to read more on all of this

FREE XENU!

Isn't it time to let Xenu go free? He's been locked up for like 75 million years. So what if he blew up trillions of people, implanted their souls into our human bodies and this is now the main cause of all our problems today. Hey, we all make mistakes.

I feel he's paid his debt to society 10 times over. I say, "FREE XENU"!!

Here's a letter from Xenu's brother, Xarko, pleading for his safe release-
http://xarko.ytmnd.com

HAIL XENU! The First Church of Xenu

The First Church of Xenu


Read the full Xenu story here

Scientologists are freakin' crazy

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Indie film director John Roecker tells TMZ he was walking to his car with a female friend in LA's trendy Los Feliz neighborhood last Sunday when he was approached by a shirtless man and a tall blonde. "Hey, man, you're making fun of my religion," said the stranger angrily.

Roecker says Jenna Elfman, from Dharma and Greg, repeatedly said "What crimes have you committed?" and began screaming at Roecker, "Have you raped a baby?" as motorists on Los Feliz Boulevard drove by in snarled traffic.

www.scientomogy.com/dharma.php

YTMND.com receives C&D letter from Scientology

A popular online site for posting humorous images and sound has received a cease and desist letter from the church of scientology. Apparently they are not pleased with the content provided by some of the users on the site. Max Goldberg, creator of YTMND.com had this to say, "I think I've made it pretty clear that my users are partaking in fair use parody and criticism of any possible copyrighted images. "

Click here to read more on all of this

Everyone should join Scientology. I personally think you are really stupid if you don't. Why don't people just give Dianetics a chance? I mean, L. Ron Hubbard was a great man. Besides being a huge war hero, a great father, he also never used drugs.

People that give Scientology a chance are awesome. We can save the planet. Everyone needs to stop taking their necessary medication and start taking large amounts of niacin and hot saunas. It is up to us to save this planet! Stories in Time Magazine, Rolling Stone and even South Park have it all wrong. We are right, they are wrong, it's that simple.

I'm so tired of people saying scientology lies and is full of hate. Sites like xenu.net and lermanet.com have it all backwords. Some day when these ex-scientologist want to rejoin, they'll learn they can't for atleast a billion years. HA! That'll teach them.

Who cares if scientology has killed a few people, and many people have lost all their money to it, that's what happens with religions, duh! If you're not prepared to lose your family and friends over a 1950's science fiction writers beliefs, then it's time to maybe think about joining a bowling league or something. Hail Xenu!


PWNT!

_________________
My sites to educate the public about this evil cult
www.religiousfreedomwatch.info
www.boycottMI3.com
www.stopscientology.com
Stop Scientology!

Religious Freedom Watch - Defending the rights of the critics of the church of scientology

Religious Freedom Watch .info: Scientology, Scientology experts, Defending the rights of the critics of the cult on ReligiousFreedomWatch / church of scientology, religiousfreedomwatch.

ShowBiz Show star David Spade plays out the birth of Suri

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Kirstie Allie and the placenta brownies. YUM!

www.scientomogy.com/david_spade.php

Katie Holmes gives birth to a little baby alien, Suri

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Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have alien baby!

On the same day as Brooke Shields gives birth (ironically), Katie Holmes gives birth to 7 pound Suri. Xenu and the evil galactic confederacy are said to be proud with the new edition to their family.

www.scientomogy.com/suri.php

Boycott MI3 - Do not pay to Mission Impossible 3

BOYCOTT MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3
DON'T GIVE YOUR MONEY TO TOM CRUISE AND THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY
Tom Cruise will receive almost 25% of the money made from Mission Impossible 3.
Tom Cruise is the biggest contributor to the Church of Scientology.
http://www.BoycottMI3.com

I say that when MI:3 releases we show our support for Hollywood and for theater owners by simply going to the theater and watching a movie other than MI:3. In this way, we support all of the little people behind the scenes who work in Hollywood and in the theaters and depend upon a paycheck like the rest of us. -j swift

Sign the petition to show your support
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/boycottmi3


Stop Scientology!
www.stopscientology.com
www.scienTOMogy.com

Isaac Hayes did not quit South Park

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Who Quit South Park for Isaac Hayes?

Via Reddit comes this Fox News piece suggesting that Isaac Hayes, who suffered a stroke in January, didn't quit South Park over the show's recent episode mocking Scientology. Rather, writes, Roger Friedman, one of the Shaft composer's Scientologist handlers did the quitting:

Who quit South Park for Chef, Isaac Hayes?

The South Park Scientology Episode in Flash

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Having problems with the youtube South Park Scientology Episode. Here it is in Flash. It takes a second to load.

The South Park Scientology Episode in Flash

South Park vs The Church of Scientology

TOM CRUISE IS A BIGGER GAY BITCH THAN WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT

(I hope he still promotes his MI3 movie on my sites)
"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies.
Signed: "Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu."

Click here to read more

Scientologist Isaac Hayes quits South Park

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Soul singer Isaac Hayes quits 'South Park'

Isaac Hayes quites South Park because of Scientology episode last November

"In ten years and over 150 episodes of 'South Park,' Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslim, Mormons or Jews," Matt Stone said in a statement issued by the Comedy Central network.

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Soul singer Isaac Hayes said Monday he was quitting his job as the voice of the lusty character "Chef" on the satiric cable TV cartoon "South Park," citing the show's "inappropriate ridicule" of religion.


Read the full article on Isaac Hayes leaving South Park- Click Here

BOYCOTT MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 -
DON'T GIVE YOUR MONEY TO TOM CRUISE AND THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY -
Tom Cruise will receive almost 25% of the money made from Mission Impossible 3.
Tom Cruise is the biggest contributor to the Church of Scientology.

BY PAYING TO SEE THIS MOVIE, YOU ARE DIRECTLY PROMOTING TOM CRUISE AND HIS CULT THAT HE BELONGS TO. TOM CRUISE PROMOTES THIS EVIL, BRAINWASHING, DEADLY "CHURCH" OF SCIENTOLOGY TO YOUNG CHILDREN. KIDS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE AND SUSCEPTIBLE TO JOINING A CULT.
www.boycottMI3.com

Sign the New petition just created to show your support-
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/boycottmi3


Stop Scientology!
www.stopscientology.com
www.scienTOMogy.com

Thanks to eveyone that has sent a picture and information in. Religious Freedom Watch is now ranking in the top 10 on Google for the search (Religious Freedom Watch).

It'll be interesting to see if the church of scientology says anything to me for using their images that are copyrighted and belong to them. They have never claimed ownership of the hate site they created at religiousfreedomwatch .org, maybe they will now.

www.religiousfreedomwatch.info

www.parishioners.info

Thanks to Mohammed and the super best friends searches and websites, especially-
www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/modern_satires/

Thanks to Tom Cruise and Glen Stollery
www.scientomogy.info

Thanks to South Park and Factnet.org
www.factnet.org/Scientology/South_Park_Scientology.html

Thanks to all the people that put my sites on blogs and news sites. Thanks to all the people sending my sites via email. Thanks to all the great searches by Yahoo, MSN and Google. They made typing any wording of "tom cruise katie holmes breakup" easy to get in the top 10.

10 sites, over 100,000 visitors for Feb.

JANET REITMAN has written a Story in Rolling Stone about The Church of Scientology. This is a very well written article that does an awesome job of explaining this scam.
Rolling Stone Scientology article exposing this con

The OT8 doctrine of the Church of Scientology illustrated - Normally it would cost you $360,000 to read this page, but today only, it's FREE! Now you have plenty of extra money to buy that new house, car, or even join a different dangerous evil brainwashing cult.
The Church of Scientology OT8 doctrine, their highest level

The Petition to have The Church of Scientology tax-exemption status removed has over 5,000 signatures now.
Petition to have The Church of Scientology tax-exemption status removed

Petition to revoke Tom Cruises citizenship has over 2600 signatures now
Petition to revoke Tom Cruises citizenship

Mohammed Images on the cult of Blaintology

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This South Park Episode shows controversial images of Mohammed

Before South Park did the episode that told the secrets behind the scam/cult Church of Scientology, there was Blaintology. This expisode has an image of Mohammed with Super Powers.

www.scientomogy.com/south_park_scientology.php

I've been reading and following xenu.net and ARS on Google for quite some time now. As an older gentleman, I can tell that parishioners.org is full of lies and misrepresents the critics that the Church of Scientology targets.

This new site of mine, www.parishioners.info seems a little more accurate.

If anyone on the site would like to have your picture updated or have a different link, please email me at darude@parishioners.info. Also if you have any suggestions or additions to the site it would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance-
_________________
Scientology poses as a religion but really is a ruthless global scam
www.religiousfreedomwatch.info

Website that has the experts of the church of scientology on it.
The information is real, not just the made up info that is in on www.religiousfreedomwatch. com

www.religiousfreedomwatch.info/
Experts of the Church of Scientology