ThurgreedMarshall |
03-26-2014 12:11 PM |
Re: You say you want a revelation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticus Grinch
(Post 486467)
I agree it has that effect on some viewers, but if I worried too much about that, it would kill my enjoyment of movies and all art. The Catcher in the Rye had the effect of millions of idiots thinking Salinger thought Caulfield was a hero, and it’s probably the most popular book on death row. We don’t need to let the world be run by people who think Lolita "glorified" pedophilia.
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Now we're just talking past each other. I'm not sure many gangster movies intend to glorify gangster life (although, this is arguable, considering to whom they'd like to sell tickets). I am sure that they actually do in the minds of most people (and I think we're in agreement that most people are fucking stupid). I think your example of Lolita doesn't really work, but I'm fairly certain you knew that already.
What's really confusing is your reference to us letting the world be run by the idiots who turn something that should be viewed as a lesson in the consequences of criminal activity into something else. I fail to see how understanding how something affects those people grants them world-running authority. I look at it quite factually. Does Godfather have the effect of glorifying the mafia and gangsters? On most (not some) people, yes. The next two questions ("Did it intend to?" and "Are people generally stupid?") are largely irrelevant to the first.
If you'd like to have a deeper Ferrets-type conversation about whether or not the movie makers in question have some sort of duty to society given how their movie will be interpreted or whether or not there is artistic value in art that glorifies activity we can all agree is negative, that's a different story.
TM
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