Rape in movies

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I was going through a French cinema mood (Amalie, He loves me not etc) with an online DVD rental company and I was recommended 'Irréversible'. There was not much of a description so I checked out IMBD... To my horror on the message posts I came accross:

This got me thinking about about how dangerious such content can be in movies (check out the message boards on Clockwork Orange and Deliverance). Maybe the directors are trying to educate people on the horrors of rape, but it seems that some people use such content to get aroused. This might give people the notion to actually try this out in the 'real world', when they get bored watching it on DVD.

Any what are you opinions on this?

 

Hi Cesard, Interesting post.
I'd ban Coronation St. first there was a murder on there recently. Seriously as well you're right there are people who will get off on this and then there's a small percentage that will go on to rape as a result; (probably only a small percentage that wouldn't have gone on to do it anyway - for other reasons, possibly or probably also society based.) These people will mostly be caught and go to jail and live to realise that what they did was wrong in the end; even those that don't get caught will probably live with guilt which at some point will catch them up. Basically I would argue that this film sounds about par for the course these days. That doesn't make it right, I keep waiting for the president to ban death and cancer and make all bad things illegal, until then we'll just have to manage as best we can as I don't see what we can do about it. One can only make one's own choice; if you don't like it don't watch it; if you really don't like it form a pressure group about it, if you have a desire to be in the spotlight even more; get yourself elected with the policies required to tackle the problem on your ticket. Beyond that there isn't much any individual can do.

 

I know most people are mature enough to deal with such content (I myself love horror and thrillers) but I was worried about the above comments. On movies that show lots of murders and deaths I did not find people saying "I would love to kill someone now!" or similar things, but with rape there were tons of comments about enjoying the rape scenes for sexual reasons.

They used to ban rape scenes in movies where the woman ended up enjoying it - I agree with this as some people are stupid enough to believe movies (i.e. Troy, Pearl Harbour etc).

 

well looks like you're on you're way to starting yourself a pressure group to get these scenes banned.

 

I dont agree with rape in movies it's a horrible act even if it is not real. And IN MY OPINION i would call these people who get aroused by it weirdos. However nobody makes you watch the films and it is your choice. You are not having your eyes selotaped open and staring at it non stop.

Its like whenever i see people trying to get something banned on TV or whatever i sit there and think nobody frces you to go and see these films etc. whcih contain rape or whatever. But thats my opinion.

 

I am not trying to get rape scenes banned on TV, though I do admit that rape where the women enjoys this is sick and this should be banned.

As I said earlier these movies famous for their rape scenes (in www.imdb.com) have a disburbing amount of posts of people enjoying the rapes, complaining they are too tame, or wanting to see more movies that involve rape. Take a look at other violent movies and you don't get people saying I would love to smash people's heads in with baseball bats, or cut someone to ribbons with a meat cleaver nearly as often.

I just wonder if their girlfriend, wife, mother, grandmother gets raped, would they think it was cool and arousing?

I also noticed that it was the rape which was the centre of attention in these movies, not the rest of the story as its hardly mentioned. Those posts do not sound like posts from movie lovers.

 

I saw the movie Irreversible that starred Monica Belucci and it had an extremely violent rape scene. The thought of it still makes me shudder to think that someone could do that to another human being. But the movie wasn't solely about that scene, it's one of those movies that start at the end and go back. I don't want to say too much because I would ruin it. I applaud the movie in the sense that it realistically portrayed the horror of rape it never glorified it; and the results of it. The scene was hard hitting and was meant to shock but I found that the movie also made you think. While I don't reccomend this movie for everyone, or based only on the rape scene, it differs from other productions in that it doesn't glorify the act and shows the consequences of the act not only to the victim but to society in general. Rape had no individual victims in a sense, while one person may be the victim of the act the repercussions are widespread ie: family, lovers, friends...

Unfortunately though, there will always be people who will find these things arousing and since free speech rules they can share their opinions. I certainly don't think showing rape scenes on tv is a good thing though. At least with movies and movie ratings you have some mesure of control, with tv though it's way too easy fro children to be exposed to something they really should never have to see or learn first hand.

The sad thing is that it's a part of our world, one we would rather not have to deal with but it does happen, so until there's no more rape, there will still be some movies that show it. Let's just hope that the people who make the movies are responsible and that if they must have a scene like that, that they don't glamorize it. In a perfect world we wouldn't need to have these discussions since acts like this would never happen.

 

There are people out there who get excited by rape. There are also people who get excited by violence.

The comments here are very close to those used to by some groups in America in the attempt tone down video games and movies alike. There is a belief that constant exposure to violence desensitizes the individual. It is also argued that with some people the violence itself becomes stimulating -- they are the one who take it to the next level (re-enacting what they see).

This is an issue of censorship. Any changes will be felt in all entertainment media. At what point are the producers of the entertainment liable for the actions of those demented few who emulate the behavior they see.

 

OK, I am not saying that we need to tweak movies so that they would represent paradise instead of life. But if some weirdos are excited by rape scenes and want more, we don't need to provide them with those.

Another thing is what the rape scene is doing in a particular movie. Is it really necessary or is it playing on those weirdo's twisted tastes to milk them for cash?

Yet another concern is what kind of an actor would play in a violent rape scene, especially when there's no black and nothing implict, but the whole combination of nudity and gore is shown.

I can't understand what people who are otherwise normal find exciting in scenes of rape, incest, animal sex and whatever combination thereof. One day when I went to a friend's, I felt like puking after merely seeing the filenames in a certain directory he was browsing.

On a final note, I think there is no need to have full on rape scenes with nudity and gore. Black out is enough if it's necessary to inform the spectator that rape is taking place.

 

Istolil- NAMBLA uses free speech to protect what they say. What I don't understand is how NAMBLA or people like the ones who post about arousing rape scenes can hide behind free speech while people who threaten the president or something are crucified. I guess it's ok to say what you want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone (in an elected office). As for the people that watch these movies and then go out and rape, I think they would have done that anyway. It's just safer to watch it and enjoy it than to actually go out and do it and risk getting caught. I don't think producers are responsible for the actions of a few crazies as long as they did not film the rape with the intention of arousing some very sick individuals, which can be hard to prove, or they filmed the woman enjoying it or whatever. Sometimes I feel people have too many rights.

 

Here's a movie: The Accused.

It has one of the most famous rape scenes ever filmed in it. The rape scene sets up the entire movie and removing the scene would make the movie mediocre. Jodie Foster won her first Oscar for her portrayal of a gang rape victim. Reading about the movie, the filming had to be stopped several times during the rape scene as the male actors (portraying the rapists) would break down and start crying. The producers even had counselors for the actors during the filming.

It was a landmark movie which did a great job of describing the horrors of rape and it's after effects. What part of the movie should be cut out?

 

I haven't seen the scene, but I believe all nudity and most gore should be cut out. Is this the answer you expected?

 

I agree with you Ravynn in that some people have too many rights and I've found that freedom of speech is subjective quite often.

I also agree with Chev that you don't need to have the graphic visuals to get the shock effect. The mere thought of rape is enough to disgust people.

There's always going to be people who have "perversions" when it comes to sexual arrousal, but you can't limit all of it if so you'd have to take puppets off tv and movies or women all together heck I'm sure there's people who get arounsed at the thought of a male raping a male, so get men out of the media too.You'd have to control people's thoughts to get rid of it all.

It now boils down to the issue of why should the many be without because of the very few. I don't doubt that people who get aroused at the suffering of another human being need help, and the thought that they exist scares the jeepers out of me because I have a mom and sister etc, but we can't stop the world so one person can get off.

All we can do is just try not to glamorize it, black out the visuals (because the imagined can be more horrifying that real) and educate about how it's wrong and nothing fun about it. But for now all we can do is not watch the movies with scenes of rape. If no one watches them, they'll stop making them.

 

With every choice comes consequences. To apply censors to the film industry (including the porn industry) also applies censors to the video/computer game industry. Violent games would go away -- possibly even those SP supports.

 

There are various kinds of violence. Fighting isn't the same as raping. Sure, the way some people draw excitement from playing thoroughly evil characters could be termed as morbid, but generally it's gaming for fun. With rape it's different because taking pleasure in the combination of sex and violence chimes in and the eager spectator finds sexual fulfilment in watching such scenes.

 

Rape in the movies? Ever been to a drive-in when it's totally fogged in and the projection beam doesn't even reach the screen and nobody goes home? Actually, that's probably consensual. In the movies it's usually titallating or exploitive, but sometimes, as in "Straw Dogs", there's some meaning attached.

[ March 17, 2005, 08:00: Message edited by: Cernak ]

 

Interesting. Rape should be banned from films, but...violence shouldn't?

Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down were A-okay, but The Accused wasn't? Oh, right. Two depicted men screaming for their mothers while their intestines were falling out of their open bellies, men burning alive, men taking horrible, crippling wounds, men...at war. And that's okay. That's cool. Keep making those movies.

But rape? Well hell no, we can't show that, because, umm...because...it's...unnecessary. And excites bad people. Yeah. That's the ticket.

Like any other element in a movie, rape can be gratuitious, or it can be deeply moving.

And as T2 said, plenty of people get off on violence. You should've heard the cheering when Private Ryan was played for a group of high schoolers a few years back. "Hah, did you see that guy get hit in the head? Sweet!" "Oh man, that dude's guts are falling out, so cool man, so cool" and so on. But no, we won't censor that. We'll censor the rape.

Movie with "good" rape scene: Tears of the Sun. This movie also contains quite a bit of brutal violence. Genocide, to be precise.

 

If rape adds some powerful element to a movie (which I disagree with Chev that watching it play out fully would have as much effect as fading to black), then I say that it should be done. And even if it it just a random throw in to draw in perverted psychos, it still shouldn't be banned. Why? Because censorship sucks.

 

So its okay to watch a movie about children being raped in the most graphic ways possible, because censorship is bad?

Imagine the comments on IMBD if such a movie was legal:

"Man I just seen the most excellent rape secene ever. There was a 7 yearold and he was like totally screaming and stuff!"

[ March 17, 2005, 16:03: Message edited by: Cesard ]

 

I totally agree with Cesard.

Furthermore, I still insist there is a difference between meaty and bleeding violence and sexual violence. Rape isn't as intimate as regular violence is. They are destroying your body and maybe also affecting your mind, but it isn't sexual, it isn't so intimate.

Those freaking gang rapists aren't entering the girl's body or mind, they are entering her. This is quite much of a difference. There is no need for such scenes to be depicted with nudity and gore.