Sex & Violence updated


Musings on American movie ratings
Last night I watched This Film Is Not Yet Rated, which offers a peek inside the MPAA ratings process. The film itself is worth your time, although there is some pretty graphic sexual footage from a number of films.

To a certain extent, the filmmakers are right. Sex in a film is more likely to NC-17 rating, particularly if it is unconventional sex. You can have bodies blown into pieces in an R rating, but show two men getting intimate and it is an instant NC-17.

The documentary is right about sex being shown in American films without pleasure, and particularly without women's pleasure. Often the women are little more than something to be used by the men.

HOWEVER...

(and you knew there was one coming there, didn't you?)

The film misses the point about violence. Like many modern liberal works, it defines violence as REALLY BAD no matter what.

And that got me to thinking. Violence in American films is usually shown as masturbation without release. Remind me to tell you about my bigger explosion theory* sometime. While I agree that violence shown without an emotional connection can numb someone to the effects of real violence, I'd argue that the same is true for sex without an emotional connection. More times than not, sex in American film is just another way to hook the audience into an emotional ride. Thrills without the commitment.

Just as sex can be appropriate under the right circumstances, so can violence. If violence is in defense of yourself or another, you won't get any argument from me. Just as I don't object to consenting partners PROVIDED everyone concerned is a legal adult and no one is breaking any promises or oaths.

I think we have done a disservice to ourselves. We repress both sex and violence so many never learn to deal with either. It's no surprise that people confuse the two, especially if they feel powerless in the rest of their lives.

The answer isn't censorship, but better writing and filmmaking.

* Ah yes, the Bigger Explosion Theory. It's what happens when special effects dominate a film, especially sequels. If the first film has three cars blowing up, the next has to have a ten cars blowing up. The new special effects must always exceed what went before because the emotional peak that the viewer gets from the same effect isn't enough anymore. It's another reason why the story is never as good as the experience, no matter how many music cues there are.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Tue - November 20, 2007 at 07:51 AM  Tag


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