Related articles and links |  1 of 6

Many of our readers, it seems, would disagree with him. Letters have come in recently arguing that R-rated films should never be seen by Christian viewers because of violence, nudity, and foul language. Some have said that abstinence from such films is called for in order to protect our hearts and minds. Others have insisted that, while such content is not for everyone, discerning believers can attend these films if they exercise their conscience and pay attention to why a film employs such strong stuff.

Nudity equals an absence of clothing and certain words are classified as "foul," but violence is, perhaps, the most complicated issue in that it is the hardest to specifically define. Disney's The Emperor's New Groove portrays goofy violence, while Atlantis: The Lost Empire portrays intense gunfire and a mass-casualty disaster. We boo the brutal villain in Gladiator, but we cheer when Maximus strikes back using similar devices. Audiences go wild when the Death Star explodes in Star Wars, when Indiana Jones guns down a Nazi, or when Neo lashes out at The Matrix's bad guys with "guns, lots of guns." Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon portrays violence that almost resembles a dance. People buy tickets to Jurassic Park 3 to watch violent prehistoric beasts—is that okay to watch? Then why not hand over eight bucks for the over-the-top violence of Hannibal the Cannibal, who tries to top himself with one indulgently gory display after another?

And none of these contain as much violence as Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's List, films that pay tribute to courage and self-sacrifice while exposing the horrors of war—films so "honorable" that many people argue they should be shown to children. (If Ryan does arrive on television uncut, then undoubtedly many children will see the death, dismemberment, and other grisly consequences of war.)

Are some of these films okay for us to watch, while others are immoral? How do you distinguish between "appropriate" and "inappropriate" violence? Or are there, rather, appropriate and inappropriate audiences? Is any violence—whether it's in The Lion King or Private Ryan—a healthy sight for children? What does the Bible say about this? Should other "violent" acts—betrayal, verbal cruelty, lying, cheating, etc.—carry an R-rating?

Write to me with your own perspective on this. Next week we will share responses in part three of our Film Forum Bonus: Wrong, Right, and R-Rated.

Hot from the Oven
While it wasn't the king—or better, queen—of the box office, The Princess Diaries was probably the movie most interesting to parents who wanted their families to avoid sex, swearing, and violence this week. Diaries stands out this summer as a clean and wholesome family flick. And yet, its lack of imagination has most moviegoers saying that "wholesome" isn't the same as "entertaining."

The film presents, in a sense, the opposite ending of Shrek, which emphasized that you can find beauty in everyone, even those who don't conform to culture's glamorous and superficial ideas of beauty. The main character, played by Anne Hathaway, is portrayed as a nerdish glasses-wearing bookworm, but she is "transformed" into a fashion plate when Julie Andrews shows up to groom her into her unexpected inheritance as a princess.

next page... |  1 of 6

August (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45