Hollywood, a tool of Satan?

[Starfish]

I recently watched a couple movies filmed in the 50's. Both had a similar theme. The leading man was happily married, but had a brief affair, and in one movie it destroyed the marriage, in the other it nearly did. But the thing I noticed was that both movies REALLY showed the consequences. They showed the pain and sheer agony of the betrayed wife and the deep regret and shame of the husband.

It really jumped out at me because you don't see this in today's movies. You might see anger, but not the gut-wrenching pain shown in the old movies.

Also, I've noticed in old movies a much more God-centered theme. God, religion and morals just seemed to be expected.

Hollywood has been feeding us poisen bit by bit over the past several decades, and we just open our mouths and swallow.

Now that our sense are deadened and society is a crumbling mess, we run around and try to plug all the leaks in the dam, with many giving up, knowing it's going to inevitably burst.

How do we fix the dam? Government used to be on our side. They regulated the moral level of movies and TV. Am I for censorship? I guess I am!

[Guest The_Doctor]

What's new? Also I don't think it can be fixed, this is a problem of culture/society.

[Palerider]

It will get alot worse....our morals as a country decay each year...

[Captain_Curmudgeon]

Hey. Less smoking now than in the 50s.

[AngelLynn]

It's not just movies you know. It's also books and stories. Unless you plan on writing YA (Young Adult) books. Good luck on the story circuit. A lot of people think that stories have to have sex and graphic descriptions. I refuse to go there in writing. I lke the tameness of Young Adult literature. There are good morals and good decent characterizations.

I am also writing a screenplay for my last semester of my university life. Now the things in my screenwriting class, some of the scripts are enough to make a sailor blush. Now I am only writing a 25 page script, but my material is good and clean. Their is no sex, and the romance is a cheesy teen comedy story, which is in the style of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and pehaps a bit of Ugly Betty. But it's all clean and nothing dirty. It's possible to write something clean, but I doubt he writers will do it.

I cringe at the word censorship. I want to write whatever comes into my head, but just to let you know my head is mostly clean. One has to wonder what is in the heads of other writers.

[Maya]

I would LOVE to make or at least someopne to make a family videosite where you could by to see a good... I mean GOOD film. All those bad ones would be not on te site. Some good ones with foul language would be moderated. I am also SOOO sick and tired of that fould speach that destroys a good movey... I am not that much against of nblood swet and tears in teh moovey if it is for a good purpose like the mortal combat But too much blood or sexis not nice.

Like my DH says in olden tiomes the cowboys shot someone and that was it... he fell and did not get up... today they ahve to show how the bullet goes inb teh body and tears half of the body with when it comes out... HEY I played always cowboys and indians whenI was little ansd I never killed anyone or wished someone dead.... I hope... ... maybe just a couple ... but the are still alive... unfortunately...

Honestly I am a VERY peacefull person... ask my DH and kids.. the youngets just got his hand off the cast...

[Maya]

Worst I think is that the kids at least here are forced to read this new literary work with a lot of swear words sex aso... I had to read a book like that in school I dont think I ever got through it... I think I skipped it...

And the films they see in school are the ones world thinks are good, not perticularly LDS point of view...

[AngelLynn]

Worst I think is that the kids at least here are forced to read this new literary work with a lot of swear words sex aso... I had to read a book like that in school I dont think I ever got through it... I think I skipped it...

And the films they see in school are the ones world thinks are good, not perticularly LDS point of view...

I remember I had to read a book in Middle School that had a lot of Lord's name in vain and a lot of other profanities. I managed to get through it. The thing that made me mad was the teacher never warned us about that. If she had warned us, I am sure my parents would have never let me read it. But I was already into the text and so I begrudingly read it. Too late to get out of it. The thing is, that society is teaching us that these things are normal. So it gets passed on as normal. It isn't normal. As followers of the Church we have to break this cycle and make sure to reiterate that the stuff in books and on tv and film screens are not normal and not the way things should be.

[lilered]

The fact remains that they are all businesses that give the majority of the public what they want.

The defenses we have are we don't have to patronize the movies that we feel are not up to our standards. The same is true with books, magazines, mustic, videos, etc.. There are still a lot of great books and literatur that is worth reading as well as a lot of good music to listen to. We still have our agency.

[Elgama]

you could get dodgy films in the 1950s the first Carry On Films started in 1958 (admittedly not Hollywood), but there have been some eye openers on in the afternoon on our Channel 4 over the year, as well and some beauties from the silent era. Porn movies have been made since Queen Victoria was on the Throne. There are more films made now but you can still find some great films around, with really motivating stories. Although personally I prefer Bollywood over Hollywood.

I have just read a couple of amazing books The Memory Keepers Daughter and The Forgotten Garden both showed awful consequences for immoral decisions.

-Charley

Edited November 29, 2008 by Elgama

[BenRaines]

They have little success if people do not buy them or buy tickets to see them. I practice censorship. I don't buy it, don't go to see it or watch it. That is how I keep trash out of my house. Just like I don't keep an open garbage can in my family room I don't allow questionable material in my family room.

Ben Raines

[Maya]

Ben yes taht is a good way and wroks well at least in places where there are some others too that do the same thing... It mihgt even affect the wotrld around, but if you are about 4500 in 3. 5 million you really dont affect much to what is happening around you. And not even all those would even consider not to go see some films that are a bit on the edge.

If you are the ONLY kid in school and your parents are not allowing you to go see a special film, or to read a book the kids are told to read, or attend the sex lessons... the kid is made fun of, his parents are labled to religious, brainwashed maiacs and it is VERY close that the officials dont come and take the kids to an other home that is not so strict and making such ridiculaus rules! They teach the kids to do excasctly as they want to and not to listen to their parents!

[Fiannan]

What Scandinavia needs is for the various conservative Christian groups and the Muslim fundamentalists immigrants to unite (politically) and counter these trends. Look, you know as well as I do that most parliament members in Scandinavia would cry like little girls if they knew Muslims were getting mad at them -- and if Christians and Muslims can exercise unity to push for more parental rights and less ammorality in the culture maybe something could be done.

As for entertainment I am not sure. The sad irony is that there is less explicite sex scenes in movies today than in the 1970s because when people want that they can just watch porn on the net. So moviemakers have toned that down but increased the violence. Not sure that is any better though. Once heard a film critic say the irony is (at least in America) that if a woman's breasts are exposed people get more squimish than if a movie has a killer chop the woman's breasts off in the course of a murder.

Weren't the people before the flood condemned for allways having violence in their hearts?

[Elphaba]

It really jumped out at me because you don't see this in today's movies. You might see anger, but not the gut-wrenching pain shown in the old movies.

I think you see just as much anger and gut-wrenching pain as you did in the ‘50s. In fact, I think the plots are far more complicated, and far more realistic, than the were in the ‘50s. Actually, I‘m surprised at your observation, because, to me, it seems backward.

Also, I've noticed in old movies a much more God-centered theme. God, religion and morals just seemed to be expected.

People are still making movies about Christ, analogies of Christ, metaphors of Christ, other religious persuasions, and redemption. It took me an hour to come up with the first section on my own. Then I googled Christian/religious/redemption films, and came up with those in the second list. Most of them are about redemption, but not all of them.

The Mission, Tender Mercies, Dead Man Walking, The Passion of the Christ, Where the Heart Is, The World According to Garp, The Fisher King, Schindler’s List, Chronicles of Narnia, Simon Burch, City of Angels, House of Sand and Fog, Godspell, I Walk the Line, Dead Poet’s Society, Ghandi, Brigham City, Malcom X, Antwone Fisher, Magnolia

Prairie Home Companion, A Man for All Seasons, The Apostle, I am Legend, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Angels in the Outfield, The Preacher’s Wife, Saving Grace, Redemption

Obviously many of you will disagree that some of my choices, because the majority of them are not centered around Christ, and many of them are rated R. But they are about redemption, with characters whose lives are full of staggering pain, confusion, and anger. It is this pain and anger, and decency, that propels them to make poignant changes in their lives, and that touch the people in their lives for the good.

Although, sometimes things do not work out that way, because real life doesn't always work that way.

Hollywood has been feeding us poisen bit by bit over the past several decades, and we just open our mouths and swallow.

Every culture on the earth has its “poison.” In America, what we called “poison” twenty years ago is now looked on with nostalgia as the “good ‘ol days.”

Now that our sense are deadened and society is a crumbling mess, we run around and try to plug all the leaks in the dam, with many giving up, knowing it's going to inevitably burst.

Again, every generation thinks its society is a crumbling mess. Thirty years from now people will look back at the 2000s with nostalgia, and wish they could turn back the calendar.

How do we fix the dam? Government used to be on our side. They regulated the moral level of movies and TV. Am I for censorship? I guess I am!

Censorship is abhorrent to me. Movies you think should be censored are those that move me the most.

If you start watching a movie, and you don’t like it because of its content, stop watching it.

Elphaba

[Elgama]

If you are the ONLY kid in school and your parents are not allowing you to go see a special film, or to read a book the kids are told to read, or attend the sex lessons... the kid is made fun of, his parents are labled to religious, brainwashed maiacs and it is VERY close that the officials dont come and take the kids to an other home that is not so strict and making such ridiculaus rules! They teach the kids to do excasctly as they want to and not to listen to their parents!

OK I don't agree with this some children get picked on and some don't it tends to be down to personality than anything in particular... I was bullied at school so was my husband but we also had really good friends in high school who would have been very disappointed if we had gone against our standards.

Also found children that did not stand for their beliefs were not respected amongst the bullies just tolerated. They lost respect for pandering to the current trends.

-Charley

[Moksha]

you could get dodgy films in the 1950s the first Carry On Films started in 1958

I used to enjoy watching these movies on Sunday afternoon TV when I was young. They were right up there with Laurel and Hardy, Ma and Pa Kettle and the Three Stooges.

...have been made since Queen Victoria was on the Throne.

Thought you Brits called it the WC.

I have just read a couple of amazing books The Memory Keepers Daughter and The Forgotten Garden both showed awful consequences for immoral decisions.

-Charley

You could add The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind to that list of awful consequences for immoral decisons.

[Palerider]

even while watching the network channels you can get an earfull when surfing....

[Maya]

OK I don't agree with this some children get picked on and some don't it tends to be down to personality than anything in particular... I was bullied at school so was my husband but we also had really good friends in high school who would have been very disappointed if we had gone against our standards.

Also found children that did not stand for their beliefs were not respected amongst the bullies just tolerated. They lost respect for pandering to the current trends.

-Charley

Hmm I dont know ... my kids have not been bullied, so I dont know... I just know it is very hard for youth here and that many cant cope with it they rather give in than fight. But I know I was VERY strongly critized as I dared to tell them they teach wrong things about LDS and I dared to correct the book of my child!

[Elgama]

I used to enjoy watching these movies on Sunday afternoon TV when I was young. They were right up there with Laurel and Hardy, Ma and Pa Kettle and the Three Stooges.

LOL its fine to watch a Carry on Film as a kid its when you get older its starts to have alternative meanings, as a child its the slapstick thats funny its like a really good pantomime.

Thought you Brits called it the WC.

Along with the loo, the toilet, the dunny, the john, the......

You could add The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind to that list of awful consequences for immoral decisons.

I am sure there are many Harry Potter is a good one lol - sure I can think of uplifting music - as well as even more bad there is even more good.

-Charley

[Elgama]

Hmm I dont know ... my kids have not been bullied, so I dont know... I just know it is very hard for youth here and that many cant cope with it they rather give in than fight. But I know I was VERY strongly critized as I dared to tell them they teach wrong things about LDS and I dared to correct the book of my child!

I think as Latter Day Saints in an area which there are not a lot of us, we need to stand up for our beliefs... if your children are not being bullied despite you standing up for what you believe then I think its safe to say being an LDS teen does not automatically make you a target... however being hypocritical tends to create problems

-Charley

[annewandering]

well i was there in the 50's and 60's, albeit young in the 50s, and it is different now. it isnt just in someones mind. sure you could find garbage then if you tried. thing is that now you have to try not to see it.

hollywood, books, it has gone bad.

we feel so surprised to see something that doesnt offend us. it is only going to get worse but i really try to imagine how and have a really hard time imagining it much worse.

[RainofGold]

I agree with starfish,

Back in the day we were raised watching shows like,

Little House in The Prairie,

The Waltons

Happy Days

Different Strokes

The Cosby Show

The Addams Family

Dick Van Dyke Show

Gilligan's Island

I Dream Of Jeannie

Bewitched

And now besides the shows that they have on Nick or the Disney channel they are very trashy and most of them include sexual scenes and crude humor.

Rain

[BenRaines]

Ma and Pa Kettle. I didn't think anyone but Pam remembered that show, that and Francis the Talking Mule. How about The Court Jester with Danny Kaye?

Fond memories.

Thanks to DVD I have Red Skelton, The Vikings with Kirk Douglas, 300 Spartans, etc.

Ben Raines

[bytor2112]

HOLLYWOOD AND SATAN......YEP!!! :devil:

[Guest DeborahC]

Have you read any Greek tragedy?

The Bacchae?

The Trojan War?

Not much has changed, really...