A few days ago, the streaming media HBO Max removed "Gone with the Wind", which also caused a lot of controversy.
At that time, WeChat also specially published an article to sort out this incident, the causes and consequences, and the views of the two parties. Even "Gone with the Wind" has been taken down, what does the United States really want to do?
After that, I also launched a poll and asked everyone what they thought of the incident, remembering that the voting results were quite disparate.
Of course, this matter still needs to be clear, first of all, this behavior is only the corporate behavior of the video platform HBO Max, and it is the choice they make in terms of company interests, brand image, social responsibility and so on.
This is not an official act.
At the same time, Gone with the Wind is not banned and permanently removed. HBO Max will be back on "Gone with the Wind" but only if the film is broadcast, it must be accompanied by an additional condition - there must be a "background supplement", that is, the situation of the film at the time, indicating the current attitude.
In fact, according to the standard of "Gone with the Wind" incident, this certainly cannot be an isolated case.
Counting the fingers, those Hollywood movies that can be labeled as racial discrimination, sexism, disability group discrimination and other colors of discrimination are definitely not a minority.
The most obvious racist hat is probably "The Birth of a Nation" (vilifying blacks and glorifying the Ku Klux Klan) in 1915 and "Song of the South" (racial discrimination) in 1946.
The rest are just as "doomed", such as 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany (in which Micky Rooney plays a funny Japanese man with a funny face), 1961's West End Story (puerto Ricans almost all appear as gangsters), and mandingo (apparently referring to the Ku Klux Klan) in 1975, about slave owners training slaves to become boxers.
There have also been comments in North America that these "problem films" should be viewed critically, not banned; others say that these films, labeled with various discriminatory labels, represent the era in which they were made, and it is especially important to remember history and human prejudice and numbness so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
As a result, "Variety" recently made a very topical list, called "problem movies".
In their opinion, these ten movies will probably need to be the same as "Gone with the Wind" before re-screening or replaying, and need to be accompanied by a "background supplement".
Among the ten films, there are both old films from 1942 and new films from 2019, including two Oscar-winning best films.
So, let's take a look at what are the problem movies that "Variety" criticizes by name.
Dirty Harry (1971)
Director: Don Siegel
编剧: Harry Julian Fink / Rita M. Fink
Starring: Clint Eastwood / Harry Gutino / Rennie Santoni / John Warnon / Andrew Robinson
Question: Glorify police violence
In Dirty Harry, Eastwood plays Lieutenant Harry Callahan of the San Francisco Police Department, known as "Dirty Harry," who breaks the law and fights violence with violence in order to catch criminals.
According to Variety, "The film sparked a frenzy of lone ranger police movies that value intuition rather than law to get things done." The film despises judges and reformers, criminals use violence, and what is the feedback from the police? It was an atrocity. ”
Forrest Gump (1994)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Eric Rose / Winston Groom
Starring: Tom Hanks / Robin White / Gary Sinis / McKelly Williamson / Sally Field
Problem: Hostility to protesters, activists, counterculture
"Forrest Gump", a film that has won six Oscars, has always been loved by everyone.
"Variety" said: "Although the film has adopted a condescending attitude towards the disabled, Vietnam Veterans, AIDS patients and others, the film is full of hostility to protesters, social activists, and counterculture."
By the way, do you know where the name Forrest, our beloved protagonist, comes from? Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first national leader of the Ku Klux Klan. ”
Raiders of the Lost Ark 2 (1984)
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Willard Heik / Gloria Katz / George Lucas
Starring: Harrison Ford / Kate Capshaw / Kwan Jiwei / Amorish Puri / Roxanne Seth
Problem: Demonizing Indian and Hindu customs
Variety said:
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, two big names who have always been known as sympathetic filmmakers, seems a bit too much in trying to replicate the atmosphere of the 1930s action series. Like previous films, the 'exotic' villains in the film are portrayed as primitive, bloodthirsty foreigners, which directly leads to the film's depiction of Indian and Hindu customs appearing extremely negative and stereotypical. ”
Before I Met You (2016)
Directed By: Thea Sharoc
Writers: Scott Neustadt / Michael H. Weber / Jojo Moyce
Starring: Emilia Clark / Sam Claflin / Jenny McTile / Charles Dans / Brandon Coyle
Problem: Discrimination against groups of people with disabilities
The film "Before I Met You" is the least famous one in this list, but it still has not escaped the "magic eye" of "Variety".
Before I Met You tells a romantic story in which the male protagonist (Sam Claflin) is paralyzed by an accident and falls in love with his caregiver (Emilia Clark). "Variety" said: "The reason why this film is on the list is because it is really a little too insensitive. On the one hand, the male protagonist expressed his hope that the female protagonist would live a good life, and on the other hand, he said that he hoped that she would not live a mutilated life with him. In the end, he chose suicide. What message is this movie trying to convey? Suicide is better than the life of a disabled person? ”
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writers: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio / Brad Pitt / Margot Robbie / Emile Husky / Margaret Curry
Problem: Discrimination against ethnic minorities, neglect of criticism of white supremacy
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood": Quentin, Little Plum and Pete gathered together, talented and charming. "It's easy to ignore the film because of that." "Variety" said bluntly.
"Variety" said: "The protagonists of this film are two middle-aged white men who are nostalgic for the old days of Hollywood, in other words, the theme of this film is related to 'making Hollywood brilliant again'."
The film is set in 1969, what was the current situation at that time? Some Americans feel threatened by minorities, hippies, and the feminist movement, and the blind spots in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" can be counted, from the controversial portrayal of Bruce Lee, one of Hollywood's rare Asian stars, to the almost all exclusion of black characters, to the so-called "Mexicans" in the film who are car or restaurant waiters... As for Charles Manson's white supremacy, it was completely ignored. ”
By the way, the depiction of Bruce Lee in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" also made Bruce Lee's daughter very angry, and repeatedly spoke out against it, which was considered to have led to the fact that the film has not been released in the mainland so far. However, everyone ignores one thing, the controversial part of this film is not only Bruce Lee, but also all of the above.
The Double Sisterhood (1961)
Director: William Wheeler
Writers: Lillian Heilman / John Michael Hayes
Starring: Audrey Hepburn / Shirley McLean / James Garner / Miriam Hopkins / Fay Bernt
Problem: Demonizing the LGBT community
Based on a play by liberal activist Lillian Heilman, Double Sisterhood deals with a subject that was once considered a taboo topic.
Two female teachers (Shirley McLean and Audrey Hepburn) are frightened by a rude student who accuses them of being gay. In the end, one of the female teachers cried and admitted that she had this homosexual feeling, and then she chose to commit suicide.
"For decades, this film has set a tone for the portrayal of the LGBT community, which is often portrayed as self-loathing, pathetic, perverted," Variety said. ”
The Searcher (1956)
Director: John Ford
Writers: Frank M. S. Nugent / Alan Flamel
Starring: John Wayne / Jeffrey Hunter / Vera Miles / Ward Bond / Natalie Wood
Problem: Discrimination against Indians
John Wayne plays an American Civil War veteran who represents the Confederacy side and spends five years searching for his niece kidnapped by the Indian Comanche.
"Variety" said: "The character of Essen Edwards played by Wayne can be said to be an unapologetic racist who believes that all Indians are not normal humans. Great director John Ford created a film with a grand appearance that sparked a protracted debate. Fans saw the film as a sober exploration of prejudice, while critics argued that the fact that the film portrayed Indians as savage or comical could not be ignored. In any case, The Searcher is the epitome of a 'problem movie'. ”
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Director: Jonathan Demi
Writers: Thomas Harris / Ted Tarry
Starring: Judy Foster / Anthony Hopkins / Scott Glenn / Anthony Hilde / Brooke Smith
Question: Vilifying the transgender community
Hitchcock's 1960 classic Horrors pioneered the portrayal of transgender killers. For years, Hollywood has often had an unexpected reversal of the ending when portraying transgender killers.
But in Jonathan Demi's Oscar-winning film, The Silence of the Lambs, everything seems a little different.
"Variety" said: "'The Silence of the Lambs' initially portrays the criminal's transgender identity as part of his mental illness. The audience watched as 'Bill the Bison' (Ted Lavin) put on a woman's makeup and wrapped his male genitals to make himself look more like a woman, playing with his poodle and dancing on his own while his desperate 'prey' begged him for mercy. ”
The Holiday Inn (1942)
Director: Mark Sandrich
Writers: Claude Binion / Elmer Rice / Evan Berlin
Starring: Ping Klausby / Fred Astaire
Question: Vilify blacks
The film revolves around a pair of partners (Ping Klausby and Fred Astaire) running a hotel that is only open on holidays.
"The film is often replayed frequently throughout the year, and in some versions the scene where Ping Kraussberg's character dresses up as a black man and sings in order to celebrate Lincoln's birthday was cut," Variety said. And Pinn klaus bay is just one of a long list of Hollywood stars dressed as blacks, including Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Shulan Temple, Fred Astaire, Al Josson, etc., who often play a singing black man. ”
True Lies (1994)
Director: James Cameron
Writers: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger / Jamie Lee Curtis / Tom Arnold / Bill Paxton / Tia Karel
Problem: Vilifying the Arabs
James Cameron, a talented storyteller and a true dreamer. Such a genius, can he also make mistakes?
"Variety" said: "The movie 'True Lies' is extremely entertaining, and there are some scenes that are even more eye-catching. However, the Arab characters in the film are portrayed as either religious fanatics, terrorists, or both. ”
Okay, that's all there are ten "problem movies" listed by Variety, and they think they should also add background notes before they are released. Frankly, I don't particularly understand the emotions of this article, is it serious? It's still a joke.
However, the article "Variety" seems to want to explore the topic of the so-called "problem movie" left over from history from more perspectives. I don't know, what do you think of this phenomenon?
How many more should we add?
(This article is compiled from "Variety", the picture comes from the network)