Here is just a little rant about disturbing 1970's movies and censorship.

[Zeeboe]

Okay, after all the world has been through.....you would think that in the year 2004, filmmakers could make anything and get away with anything in their movies.

But as you all know, that is actually not the case. Let's face it. We live in very PC times. And every other time before the 70's, flicks were heavily censored.

It seemed that the only time you could literally do anything in films was from the late 1960s all the way to the early 1980s.

And I find that odd. You'd think it would be the other way around.

You'd think it would all still be PC back then....and now...in 2004 directors can get away with anything but the littlest things can get a flicker show into a lot of trouble these days.

But some of the most disturbing pictures ever all took place during a time when most of us were not even born.

If picture shows such as....."A Clockwork Orange", "Straw Dogs", "Deliverance", "The Last House on the Left", "Fight for Your Life", "I Spit on your Grave", "Mother's Day", "Bullies", etc, etc and other movies like that were made today, they'd probably all get banned.

Now what do all those movies above have in common? They all have very graphic rape scenes.

Don't get the wrong idea. I am not saying movies that have brutal rape scenes should be seen by all.

But maybe someone can explain why movies that have brutal rape scenes were allowed during the 70's.....a time when just ten years before that, a film could not even have a curse words in it......but a decade later, you got curse words, racial slurs, and realistic rape scenes.

And now in 2004, it's back to strong PC censorship again.

My only guess is that the reason why you could get away with anything during the 1970's was because that era a rebel's decade.

Blacks and women were finally starting to get equal rights. Gays were coming out, etc.

[I am shocked there was not a lot of cursing in 70's music, or that Rap and Goth music wasn't born right there and then during the 70's.]

Rebel fever even caught it's way into Hollywood and "the man" was too scared to take on any rebels since every other type of rebel had taken names and kicked butt, so Hollywood assumed it would be no different in flicks.

Any other movie buffs have any thoughts on this?

[shane_o_mac]

I agree with most of what you are saying, feeling strongly against censorship in movies, however i dont actually think movies are becoming stricter in censoring, rather that movie makers (producing companies) are actually choosing not to have extreme scenes in their movies.

Most movies now are trying to appeal to a younger audience (teenagers) as by making movies with a 12A rating (PG-13 in america) the movie company can appeal to a wider audience and therefore make more money on the movie.

If you were to watch some less mainstream movies they would probably be a lot more extreme, however making less money for this reason.

A good example of this would be the recent terminator movie which was scraped of all real violence, which came with the first 2, in order to put the movie down to a much lower age rating, and it is for this reason the movie did well in the box office.

A recent movie has been brought out here which was made in the 70s however was unrealeased due to extreme content with drugs (cant remember name of movie), but this shows that movie censorship may actually be becomming more leniant.

There are still extreme movies about with quentin tarrintino's or Oliver Stone's for example but I think that due to the recent mainstreaming of the movie industry, there is more money to be made in not raising the bar when it comes to movie censorship.

[afireinside4848]

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i dunt see y nudity in movies make rated r. most ppl have comps or can see porn so y does it matter.if they want ppl to see the movie then put in sum nudity and make it pg 13.a few days ago i heard a five yr. old kid say suck my dick bitch.ppl r gunna see nudilty sooner or later and if they want to see it sooner let them.

[shane_o_mac]

Thats a load of bollocks man. You dont go to a movie for nudity u go for the acting, story and directing. You looking for porn a gud place to start would b porno movies, which really is a whole different industry altogether.

As for puttin em down to a PG-13 level
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LMAO!!!!! :D

[Zeeboe]

I'd like to see a little more shock in movies. I think that could be the next big thing.....but most directors ain't gonna have the balls to do such a thing and honestly, if there was a movie that included a brutal rape scene it'd get a banning.

[Jagang]

It maybe true that less movie makers decide to use graphic scenes, but I know some still try but have to cut back. Like on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there were MANY things that had to get dulled down because they said it would make the movie NC-17 if they put some of the stuff they wanted to put in there, just because of more blood, not even any nudity or sex or anything, wtf is up with that? Also, the stupid censors wouldn't let them do a certain trailer for the film, which included no video at all. It was a girl running basically around the theater (sounds like it because of the surround) and then finding a place to hide, and staying quite for a couple seconds, then you hear heavy footsteps (leatherface) and then the door being knocked down or something like that, I don't quite remember it perfectly it's been awhile since I've watched the DVD, but that is pretty stupid, since it was implied killing or whatever? Give me a break!