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Violence in films

Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 10:40 am
by Willy Van der Linden
We can discuss about bad words in films, but what about violence ? As I already
told you : last week some people of African nationalities were killed by
an 18 year old man in the City of Antwerp. I don't want to re-open the discussion
about racism, but the media told us that the young man loved watching films
and playing videogames with violence in them.In those films human beings
are killed without any emotion. Psychiatrists are trying to find out what
happened in the head of that man. Hans Van Themse had to leave his boarding
school because an eductional adviser had seen him smoking a cigarette in
his room. The same day he changed his hair cut. He became a skinhead. He
went to Antwerp and bought a rifle, which is possible when you are 18 and
after you have shown your identity card. He ran into the street and started
killing people. He told the psychiatrists that he loved films with violence
in them... Have those films caused the sudden change in his behaviour ? That's
one of the questions at this moment. The 2,5 old baby will be buried today...
There is one good thing : the politicians have already decided to change
the law on trade in arms.

Also at BIAFF we could watch films with violence in it. In Bedford's winners'
show I saw one which was technically brilliant. During the coffee and tea-interval
everybody seemed to have enjoyed that film. I myself could appreciate the
structure of the film, the acting and also the special effects. The filmmaker
deserved an international award, but I didn't like the violence in his film.
In my opinion he exaggerated a bit. I remember a TV-serial called "The A-Team".
It was in the late eighties. At home my son - though he was an excellent
student even in his age of puberty - loved watching the A-Team on TV.
I was always furious. We had discussions.

Re: Violence in films

Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 12:50 pm
by Dave Watterson
"Willy Van der Linden" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:
We can discuss about bad words in films, but what about violence ?
last week some people of African nationalities were killed by
an 18 year old man in the City of Antwerp.
He told the psychiatrists that he loved films with violence
in them... Have those films caused the sudden change in his behaviour ?
What about the millions and millions of people who watched the same films
and tv programmes and did NOT kill anyone?

I think we have to accept that there are always some people prone to excess.
The most promising approach is to restrict how they can express that. In
my father-in-law's time London back-street pubs often saw fights on a Saturday
night ... but virtually all were fist-fights with few lasting injuries, let
alone deaths. Make guns available and things change.

At BIAFF we saw John Curran's amazing film, "The Team". It was chilling in
that it showed a gang willing to use violence of all sorts for the cold-blooded
motive of profit. That seems more disturbing than if they had been fighting
for a cause (however wrong-headed). It is more common in films to use a good
motive as the justification for violence.

Try watching 'City of God' and the accompanying documentaries on the DVD.
In Sao Paulo it seems very young kids are using guns with all the casual
cruelty of kids. It is horrifying. But those kids don't see too many movies
and probably not much tv either.

Dave

Re: Violence in films

Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 1:37 pm
by Cinema For Thurso Group
I've said it before but the story will determine the whats and wherefors of
the picture- if violence is needed then okay.
Most violence in my movies has been my sharp tongue expressing the possability
of smashing the acter right in the clapperboard if we go past four takes
on 8mm again!

Re: Violence in films

Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 2:40 pm
by Willy Van der Linden
"Dave Watterson" <david.filmsocs@virgin.net> wrote:
"
1. What about the millions and millions of people who watched the same films
and tv programmes and did NOT kill anyone?
2. I think we have to accept that there are always some people prone to excess.
The most promising approach is to restrict how they can express that.
1. That would be insane. Of course not everyone is affected by violence in
films. Most people still use their brains. Thank God. Apart from that I am
not against any violence in films. I'm not against police films. I am not
against historic films like "Braveheart". It's even one of my favourite films.
If killing is necessary for the story of the film, then it's necessary. At
this moment I'm making a film with quite a lot of violence in it. But I hope
that it will create emotions of compassion. I hope that the viewers will
feel pity for the victims of violence and that my documentary will make the
audience meditate in a positive way.
I think I am not over-sensitive. I am not against a fly-flapper. I kill
flies when they are disturbing me, but I am against any EXCESSIVE use of
violent filmscenes in which human beings are killed without any compassion.
Films in which human beings fall like flies. (=Dutch expression). On our
Flemish TV there are too many films like that. It's sometimes refreshing
to watch a romantic film, a film about love, a film with funny scenes.

2. Yes, there are always some people prone to excess, but excessive use of
violent scenes may stimulate the weak genes in the heads of poor-minded creatures.
I am against those science-fiction films in which people are emotionless
killed by all sorts of killing machines. Hopefully you can understand what
I mean.