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August 1997, Week 3

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Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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Tue, 19 Aug 1997 21:55:17 -0500
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I have been following the list's discussion of violence with great
interest.
 
It seems to me that our perception of the relationship between TV/film
violence and real violence is part of the broader question of the
relationship between what we see and what we do as a result of what we
see.
 
We appear to accept a causal relationship in some cases and reject it in
others.
 
In this connection, I offer the example of The English Patient. I
recently learned of an objection to The English Patient. The objection
voiced was that the film stressed the predominance of love over all
boundaries, including those of nationality and politics, and consequently
that it portrayed a Nazi collaborator in a sympathetic light which might
appeal to others.
 
I was inclined to dismiss  these concerns, but I realized that I did so
because I saw the film (like most of us I think) as an homage to the
human spirit, not a testament to the propriety of collaboration. Had
audiences seen it as an endorsement of collaboration, I believe they
would have reacted otherwise. I know I would.
 
The same is true, I think of violence. Whether TV/film violence is
acceptable depends in part on the overall context that is provided by the
film. If the message is acceptable, we see the possibility that the film
will be emulated as either a positive good, or a negative side-effect
which is either minimal or tolerable because of some greater good, such
as freedom of speech. If the context is unacceptable, then the
possibility of emulation is also.
 
If this analysis is correct, we can agree on what is acceptable TV/film
violence only if we first have general agreement on the themes presented.
There could still be differences as to the appropriate level of violence
for an agreed on theme, but the scope of the disagreement would be
narrowed considerably.
 
Hope this sounds reasonable.
 
Peter S. Latham
 
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