My wife, Kelly, asked me today while we were watching a movie (The Patriot w/ Mel) “If we are anti-violence, is it OK to watch violence in the movies?”. This made me think pretty hard. I didn’t have a good answer. I wanted to say it was OK, so I could continue watching what ever movies I felt like watching. But I didn’t feel right saying that it was OK either.
So I came to this temporary conclusion. If the movie didn’t glorify violence then it was OK to watch. But that’s a simple answer to a far more complicated ‘problem’. What if a movie showed the harmful effects of violence on society in the end, or at some moment in the movie, but for the most part glorified it in the rest of the movie. I think that a majority of violent movies fall into this category. Even if the movie doesn’t glorify violence in the end I think it’s easy to gravitate, and remember the violence without it’s negative impact on society. I remember watching Goodfellas when I was younger and thinking the mafia was pretty cool. Somehow still thinking this even after the terrible lives the characters were living at the end of the film. The same went for Casino, Bravehart, Gladiator, and countless other action packed movies. So this really proved the point that a violent movie with some redeeming value still can be harmful, at least in my life.
So what about reality? The reality is that our world is violent. So to accurately portray the real world, a film must show violence. I think this is true to a certain degree. Watching a movie on the genocide in Rawanda was violent, but I’m pretty sure there wasn’t anyone longing to be in that situation. The same goes for Shindlers List, The Pianist, and others. So there must be a difference between acceptable and unacceptable violence.
I guess I’m starting to understand the difference now. But how do you tell what a movie will be like before watching it? I don’t have an answer for that (as if I have an answer for anthing). I think a good place for me to start is to just deal with the obvious. Some movies are more obvious than others.
My wife mentioned to me a few other things we could also consider when it comes to watching violent movies. How about the historical, or educational value? Watching a movie on Gettysburg is a form of education, and it is very violent. Is this OK? The tricky thing about the educational value of a movie is whether it is the the kind of education that is worth being educated on. I don’t think I can use the education argument for mafia movies, arguing that I need to be educated on blowing someones brains out.
There is a lot more I could say about this, but the blog is getting long. I guess it all comes down to motive. When I watch a movie, am I’m looking for violence to be entertained? Or is it necessary for a good educational cause? I think this question is enough to get me 95% there.
April 5th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
The Matrix is a perfect example of a violent movie with a good educational message. I never knew until I watched the movie that it was even possible to fire two automatic weapons while scaling a column and flipping in the air in slow motion. Now, whenever I’m in a jam, I know exactly what to do. Yes, The Matrix taught me a lot about violence. It taught me that if I think hard enough, I can stop bullets in mid-air. It taught me that, really, we’re all just harvested bodies on life support, curled up in a fetal position, safely ensconced in our own little pods. And it taught me that Keanu Reeves is the only one who can save us.
Thanks, Mike, for this enlightening blog entry. It has truly awakened me to the educational possibilities of violent movies. I can’t wait to learn more!