Post by Kerrick on Jan 17, 2017 14:08:30 GMT -6
Sparked by a discussion in the Movie thread on the Metal Archives about a particularly brutally violent scene in (the very well-done, IMO) Bone Tomahawk, I thought I’d start a new thread about violence in movies and its effect on and implications of the viewers. Do brutal, violent movies effect those who watch it (positively or negatively)? Is seeing someone [acting as if they are being] tortured, raped, disfigured, or murdered something harmful to us? Does it depend on the context of the scene/movie? What does it say/imply about the viewer who enjoys that, if anything at all?
Personally, my viewpoint was very affected by the movie Funny Games. If you haven’t seen it, I cautiously recommend watching it. It’s intentionally psychologically disturbing, but also provokes much thought and introspection. [STOP READING NOW IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS.] Brief synopsis: on the surface it’s about a well-to-do family is terrorized by two psychopath teenage boys in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. But what it’s really about (I believe) is a study on violence in film. In a pivotal scene, after the boys have proven their sadism and evil and already murdered one of the family members, the heroine grabs a shotgun and in explicit violence blasts one of them. (This is the only scene of violence shown on screen, all others are not shown.) I as the viewer took great pleasure in seeing her brutally kill the evil antagonist, gloriously spraying his blood everywhere. Justice was served, and then some. But the other antagonist breaks the third (or fourth?) wall and rewinds the movie, starting that scene over and grabs the gun before she can get to it, thus “saving” his partner and completely stealing away all the satisfaction I had. After the movie was over, I reflected upon how much I wanted to see someone – a kid nonetheless - brutally killed and the bitter frustration I experienced when that was taken away from me. Afterwards, I found myself enjoying films like Taken – where the whole draw is watching someone systematically kill a ton of sex-trade henchmen - so much less than I might have otherwise. And that’s not something I regret or wish otherwise.
Thoughts? I have a feeling I know what Thomas will say haha but I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts nonetheless. I also made this thread on the Metal Archives and am additionally curious how these two conversations will differ.
Personally, my viewpoint was very affected by the movie Funny Games. If you haven’t seen it, I cautiously recommend watching it. It’s intentionally psychologically disturbing, but also provokes much thought and introspection. [STOP READING NOW IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS.] Brief synopsis: on the surface it’s about a well-to-do family is terrorized by two psychopath teenage boys in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. But what it’s really about (I believe) is a study on violence in film. In a pivotal scene, after the boys have proven their sadism and evil and already murdered one of the family members, the heroine grabs a shotgun and in explicit violence blasts one of them. (This is the only scene of violence shown on screen, all others are not shown.) I as the viewer took great pleasure in seeing her brutally kill the evil antagonist, gloriously spraying his blood everywhere. Justice was served, and then some. But the other antagonist breaks the third (or fourth?) wall and rewinds the movie, starting that scene over and grabs the gun before she can get to it, thus “saving” his partner and completely stealing away all the satisfaction I had. After the movie was over, I reflected upon how much I wanted to see someone – a kid nonetheless - brutally killed and the bitter frustration I experienced when that was taken away from me. Afterwards, I found myself enjoying films like Taken – where the whole draw is watching someone systematically kill a ton of sex-trade henchmen - so much less than I might have otherwise. And that’s not something I regret or wish otherwise.
Thoughts? I have a feeling I know what Thomas will say haha but I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts nonetheless. I also made this thread on the Metal Archives and am additionally curious how these two conversations will differ.