When art might kill you

from JoeUser Forums

I read this in yesterdays newspaper feuilleton and it made me laugh. It is quite the little annecdote.

A little provincial theatre in northern france wanted to stir some excitement for their new theatreproduction and sent several small black cardboard coffins with a bullet in it to journalists in the region. In the box was also a note  that said "You'll have a date with Ben and Gus soon". Ben and Gus are professional hitmen - out of a play by Harold Pinter called "the dumb waiter". The journalists called the police because they felt they had recieved a threat to their lives. The police department in Boulogne-sur-Mer opened an investigation.

It turnes out that the artistic director of the theatre thought that the whole cardboard coffin thing would be very clever and funny and insisted that he and his actors weren't dangerous criminals. They wanted to entice critics and journalists to come and watch their play.

Unbelievable. Imagine you recieve a little black coffin in the mail with a bullet and a threatening note in it about an impending visit by hitmen, which is easily found out with a little research... and then it is all a _prank_  or rather a clumsy attempt at promotional PR. I'd be pissed off. But it is a good story to tell.

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25,621 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

They needed that like a hole in the head. 

Sounds like the ploy was a real "hit" or miss proposition. Mostly miss. ;P

Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

They needed that like a hole in the head.

Sounds like the ploy was a real "hit" or miss proposition. Mostly miss.

:puke:  :typo: :rofl:

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top

unfortunately I only found links to this story in french and german but none in english. It's like from a detective plot straight out of a dimenovel lol

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

They're FRENCH, genug.  The only thing missing is the white flag.

Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

Quoting DrJBHL, reply 1
They needed that like a hole in the head. 

Sounds like the ploy was a real "hit" or miss proposition. Mostly miss. 
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

Quoting Big, reply 4
They're FRENCH, genug.  The only thing missing is the white flag.

Nah, the fake props were the dead give away. ;)

Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top

Well. Imagine YOU were to recieve a small cardboard black coffin with a bullet and a threatening note inside which said that someone was going to kill you (because "A hitman will visit you" pretty much means that) - would you care that it was a prop and not a real lifesize coffin? It's a deaththreat and I wouldn't be surprised if that same stunt would be viewed as a felony in the US, even if it was meant as a PR campaign. The recipient didn't know that it wasn't a serious death threat.

This story is almost too cheesy to be believable which in turn makes it credible.

Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top

Quoting utemia, reply 6
Well. Imagine YOU were to recieve a small cardboard black coffin with a bullet and a threatening note inside which said that someone was going to kill you (because "A hitman will visit you" pretty much means that) - would you care that it was a prop and not a real lifesize coffin? It's a deaththreat and I wouldn't be surprised if that same stunt would be viewed as a felony in the US, even if it was meant as a PR campaign. The recipient didn't know that it wasn't a serious death threat.

This story is almost too cheesy to be believable which in turn makes it credible.

I honestly don't know how I would react - unless I was aware of the play (which I would then associate with a publicity stunt).  But AFTER the fact, when the truth is know, it is funny!  I hope they all could laugh once they found it out.  And yes, the cheesier the more credible!

Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Frankly, if I ever get soem sort of message like that, I'd say the one who wants me dead hired some pretty sloppy hitmen