Violence in the movies

BEAR

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What are your feelings about the depictions of violence and other related things in movie and television? Do you feel that filmmakers are being irresponsible when using such things in their work? What concerns do you have or do you think it is necessary? Share your thoughts.:smile: :concern:
 

D'Snowth

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My only concern is if things go too far. I mean, I know it's all fake and some of it is special effects to make things look real, but sometimes, there can be accidents (like if one guy actually knocks out another unintentionally).

I can think of one example of where the filmmakers' concern was the violence in their movie. If I remember correctly, in "A Case of Rape", Elizabeth Montgomery's character was to be beaten up and raped twice by the same man. The filmmakers felt that this might be going a little too far (especially since this was like the first movie about a woman having to defend against abuse, and this was back in the mid-70's when edgy material was just starting to flourish), and were wanting to cut the second beating/rape out of the film altogether. However, Liz actually made a list of other actresses who she felt could play the part better than her, so they re-wrote in the second rape.
 

Ilikemuppets

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I personally don't have a problem with violence in movies. Just don't let you kids watch it and don't encourage it.
 

BEAR

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Ilikemuppets said:
I personally don't have a problem with violence in movies. Just don't let you kids watch it and don't encourage it.

How can you keep your kids from watching certain things? What is a good way to do that do you propose? Obviously, parents have a little more control over what videos or DVD's are popped in the player and there is an age restriction on certain rated movies in the theater, but what about television? Kids are always turning on the tv and surfing through the channels. They could access anything. Video games have also been an issue of concern. Kids are influenced easily, right.
 

Ilikemuppets

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I guess parents could take a little more control over the television, I know when I was young, my parents had a parental control devise on the television to block out any channels they didnt want us watching, and we weren't allowed to watch certain programming. Also, we had to be in bed by a certain time.
 

Timotheus

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It depends on how it's depicted. Is it comedic violence such as Miss Piggy hitting Kermit or Gonzo or someone else, or any sort of physical, slapstick sort of comedy? What about comedic violence in what were originally theatrical shorts, like Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes (very violent bunch of theatrical shorts if you think about it)?
Is the violence condoned? Think of any non-military portrayal of the happenings of World War II, like Swing Kids, or To Be or Not To Be (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035446/), or Schindler's List. These movies I would say were definitely opposed the violence that they were depicting (I haven't seen Schindler's List, but I rather doubt it would condone that which it depicts).
Then you've got your horror movies. Those I certainly would not show to any impressionable minors, and I have to use discretion in watching them myself (although I am a big fan of B-movie horror, the violence of which is hard to even take seriously). Action movies like Terminator (any of them), the Punisher (I found that movie's violence shocking and emotional, I couldn't handle it), or any of the others, I have to use discretion and consider who is watching it or what the movie's position on the violence is (I think how often I watch movies is becoming obvious in this post).
In thinking of a movie's position on the violence, one has to figure in The Passion of the Christ. That was a terribly, incredibly violent movie, but that violence was neccessary for the movie's message and effect on the viewer (this movie's violence was neccessary for depicting the means for the world's salvation).
In short, the acceptableness (is that a word?) of a movie's violence has to consider the movie's position on the violence which it depicts, or rather its motivation for showing the violence.
 
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