The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - April 1, 1993- Page 7 u Blood, syrup and silicone: Violence in movies by Alison J. Levy Not since the advent of Hayes code have moral fanatics tico making such a fuss over the so-called wave of "ultra-violence" in recent films. "Bad Lieutenant" receives the dreaded NC- 17 for its graphic scenes, while hordes of people reportedly walk out on "Res- ervoir Dogs" in total horror, leading to broadcast warnings by the Archbish.op of Los Angeles. Be afraid. At the same *time, Lawrence Kasdan's sugar-rich dessert, "TheBodyguard,"draws flocks of mindless viewers, and is well on it's way to becoming one of the top gross-. ing films of all time. Be very afraid. It seems the main reasons people are in such a bunch are 1)a lot of the violence is in real time and 2) there is a viewer relationship to the victims. But,with the status quo in Hollywood, there are a lot Omore scarythings going on than a few bullets and red Caro syrup. What we should really be paying attention to is the exploitive manner in which women and minorities are treated in the average major motion picture. But first, the issue of so-called ultra- violence. Witness the case of the ever- popular "Reservoir Dogs" (warning: if you haven't seen it and want to, don't read on). There are a few gunshots, a couple punches and, yes, a small slash- ing of the ear. But the problem that viewers have is that it all takesplace in real time. In fact, the whole film occurs in the hour and a half that it takes dreamy Tun Roth to bleed to death on the warehouse floor. And in the time it takes for us to listen to the infectious rhythm of "Stuck In The Middle With You," Michael Madsen can cut off someone's ear and perform a prize- winning Solid Gold dance. It's not fan- tasy or science-fiction, it's real. This brings us to the next problem, the audience's relationship to the film's characters. In most films like "Rambo" etal., Sly runs through the jungle chuck- ing spears through people, blowing off their heads and eating their raw hearts for an appetizer, all in less than 30 seconds. In "Terminator 2" Robert Patrick sticks his machete /hand through Witness the case of the ever-popular 'Reservoir Dogs.' ... There are a few gunshots, a couple punches and, yes, a small slashing of the ear. But the problem that viewers have is that it all takes place in real time. the neck of Edward Furlong's mom while she drinks milk. Is that violent? Does anyone say anything about that? No. Because it all takes place in less than a minute and a few seconds later it'sbeenforgottenbecause we've moved on to the next batch of victims. But, what would happen if instead of leav- ing, we stayed with the dying Mom, gurgling up blood and writhing on the kitchen floor? All the victims are throw- away characters. However, this is not the case with the new "ultra-violent" films. When you first see Tim Roth's character dying in "Reservoir Dogs," there's little sym- pathy. He's just Mr. Orange, a poor schmuck who got tagged doing some- thing illegal. But by the end of the film, you're on his side because he's Freddy Moondykeandhe got shot doing some- thing he really didn't want to do and now he's your friend. There's even a small tinge of regret mixed in with all the glee when Michael Madsen's de- ranged, yetsensitiveMr. Blondeis taken out. And even in the last scene, cop Marvin Ash's severed ear is still visible on the floor, a reminder of the previous horror. By the end, the warehouse is littered with corpses. But, unlike Mr. Pink, we are unable to grab the dia- monds and run; we are forced to sit uncomfortably in the room with six very dead and somewhat mutilated corpses.Films like "BonnieandClyde," and "Goodfellas" fit the same example. The most ironic thing about this film is these characters pay for their sins. All the violence is justifiable. They aren't innocent victims like so many other of the slasher films. Even the Hayes code agrees with that- Everyone who's stayed home alone and had thoughts of Freddy Kruger just beforehitting the sackknows thefright- ening powerofthe imagination. Windis turned into breaking glass and creaks become the menacing footsteps of a serial killer. A lot of the violence is left to our own sickening imagination. For those who can't watch the "Resevoir Dogs" ear scene and spend it with their hands over their eyes, they miss the fact that the ear slashing is never seen; the camera pans over to a lighting fixture. That's it. But it makes you wonder. Maybe he's hacking out his eyes and eating them or maybe he's cutting the poor guy's nose into shreds. The silence of the screams provided by the duct tape But what we really should be taking note of in Hollywood is the continuing stereotyping of women and minorities in films. make it even more menacing. During the second viewing you still wonder: did he just hack it off or was there a lot of see-sawing? It's all left up to the viewer to decide. Perhaps that says something about the people who find it unwatchablysick.However, with people like our good friend Freddy Krueger, you get to see him plunge his fingers through his victim's stomach and the scenes are graphically comforting. You know which organs are mutilated, and which ones left in tact. At least it wasn't his spleen, you know. That wouldreally hurt. But this is the least of the horror happening in Hollywood. What scares me is the mass of studio executives who linetheirwalls with theirHarvardMB A's and whose film vocabulary consists solely of the words budget, gross, high- concept, commercial and points. They think Montage of Attraction is the new Sharon Stone film and don't care how artistically brilliant Martin Scorsese is as long as his next film is on time, under budget and contains several sex scenes. Another annoyance is the millions of individuals who think that acceptance toNYU'sTisch School of the Arts alone will make them thenext Scorsese. They have no clue about their artistic ances- tors from Eisenstein to Fellini to Allen. But not Marty. He has always studied film, he loves film ,and he preserves film. These people should be forced to watch "The Battleship Potemkin" until they can feel and understand the beauty of The Odessa Step sequence for them- selves. But what we really should be taking note of in Hollywood is the continuing stereotyping of both women and mi- norities in films. There's a lot of talk about the increasing equality but talk is cheap. If you're Black, you might as well study the buddy roles and practice your comedy routine. And if you're a woman you better have big tits or be prepared to obtain them somehow: your choice of silicone or saline. Not to mention the blatant misogyny of films like "Carrie." The whole opening se- quence is pure male fantasy. It's bio- logically impossible to get your period in the shower. And, I don't recall frol- icking around my high-school locker room, butt-naked and in slow motion. No one even took showers in my locker room and we changed into bathing suits in the bathroom stalls. The happy-go-lucky slasher films of the late seventies and early eighties all had sequential names like "Friday the Thirteenth 1-13" or "Halloween 7: The New, New Beginning." Why didn't anyone call them by their true name, "Let's KillAllthe Sluts"? In the end, the Virgin is triumphant for retaining her purity. You go, girl! I'm nauseous. And how about the bounty of parts offered to women? Just look at this year's Acad emy Awards. They talk aboutthepeople being crowded out for the Best Actor category but had to search all over the world and bad films just to find some- one to nominate for Best Actress. tew at ~~ho~1k~ ~4~acor4f THE NEW SCHOOL OF FISH. SCHOOL OF FISH Human Cannonball includes Take Me Anywhere " Fountain . 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