Modern Screen (Jan-Dec 1960)

is their outstanding characteristic. One romantic affair after another leads to insanity and accidental suicide, pregnancy and betrayal. Abortion is discussed (but with all the proper horror). Marriage, although it is held out as the only hope, has the value of a bargain well-made. Love itself is almost non-existent. These are the half-truths, gross distortions and blatant stupidities offered, without any excuse, to our children. A few challenging themes But not all movies are an insult to even adult intelligence. There are many producers, writers and directors who are concerned with challenging themes that require maturity and judgment to enjoy — and to criticize. But any child, or any teen-ager who is a fan of Elizabeth Taylor can treat himself to Suddenly Last Summer where a mother (Katharine Hepburn) worships her homosexual son to the point of acting as his bait for young men, and where Elizabeth Taylor, his beautiful young cousin, turns out to be even better bait and is driven to near insanity by this son's violent death at the hands (and teeth) of his boy victims. The Fugitive Kind, an unrelieved message of despair whose meaning must surely escape the immature mind (while repelling the mature one) can nevertheless frighten and disillusion simply by its atmosphere, its assortment of weird, lost souls, its pictures of drunkenness, nauseating illness, hatred and murder of the only character in the film who is really seeking salvation. But any teen-age fan of Marlon Brando or Joanne Woodward can easily and mistakenly assume that the movie is a "must" for him. Good movies, bad movies, movies for teen-agers, movies for adults, crime movies, westerns, spectaculars, comedies, musicals, dramas come tumbling into the movie houses with very little to differentiate them but their titles. Movie "ads" if they are not sensational are often misleading. Movie reviews are read by a small proportion of the teen-age public. It is true that before any movie is released it comes up for an okay, a Seal of Approval from the keepers of the Production Code of the Motion Picture Association of America. It is true that (Continued from page 45) let out our real deep-down desires on other things," he mumbled, then paused and sat down next to her and leaned his head against her warm shoulder. "Sometimes, Nanny, I wonder if we didn't make a mistake, deciding the way we did to have such a long engagement. Everybody says long engagements are out of style, passe. Look at Princess Margaret and her guy. They were only engaged a couple of months and they got married. I know I've got to serve time in the Air Force, but, that doesn't mean we couldn't be married. There's no law about being a married man and serving Uncle Sam. Thousands of guys have done it." "But, Tommy," Nancy's voice was low, easy, "we decided this was best. We talked about it for so many nights . . . remember?" "I know, sweetheart. But talking is one thing . . . and then actually sitting out a long engagement until . . . well, they're two different things." How could he begin to tell her of his overpowering desire, of the fire inside him. 74 "Tommy," she said, clearing her throat. many exhibitors will not show films that have been refused the Seal but — and perhaps rightly — there is no law to prevent them. (Private Property, which did not receive the Seal, is a case in point.) It is also true that no movie producer or exhibitor can be expected to take the place of parents or teachers. No one can measure the exact effect movies have in shaping the attitudes and determining the behavior of young people. It would be foolish and irresponsible to blame one facet of our culture for any of the evils in our lives. But certainly it can be said that the movies, along with all other mediums of mass culture, must have a profound effect — otherwise they would not continue to do good business; otherwise Hollywood would not have been considered, for many years, the popular capital of America. Is censorship by law an answer to the current movie problem? Most Americans are rightly and vigorously repelled by the word. Censorship, whatever small good it may do, limits freedom and outrages our constitutional rights. Even Classification — a system of labeling movies a) for adults, b) for children, only if they are accompanied by adults and c) for everybody — a system which is practiced in England, France. Italy and other European countries might not only arouse resentment here but also might tempt some producers to make their "adults only" pictures as shockingly sensational as possible. Only honest and right Still, many movie directors, among them Otto Preminger, are in favor of what they call "voluntary classification." "I am still very much against censorship, am very much for classification," Preminger said on a recent Open End TV show. "I think it would be a very wonderful thing if we voluntarily would let an honest advertising, let the people know what kind of picture it is, so that parents who do not want their children to see certain pictures have a chance to tell them not to go, stop them from going. I think it would be only honest and right. . . ." Some producers of great integrity, like Dore Senary, are firmly opposed to both "You make me feel very . . . funny. . . ." He swallowed. "I'm sorry, hon'. I don't want you to feel bad. Its just that I wish I ... I didn't feel so pent-up, so . . . oh, let's forget it. Forget I ever brought up such a stupid subject. Why don't you finish your hot dog and we'll go for a walk in the moonlight . . . ?" They walked, Tommy's strong arm around her sweatered shoulders, through the wide stretches of white sand sparkling like silver in the light of the crescent moon. All around them, the night-blue sky and the sea shimmered in the different shades of darkness. Occasionally they stumbled across bits of charred logs from past picnic fires. They hardly uttered a word, so happy to be near each other, and, when they turned around and returned to the flickering firelight, Tommy stretched out on an Indian blanket, his eyebrows knit together in thought. Maybe he would tell her. Now. Too hard to wait Nancy took a bottle of soda pop from the cooler and handed it to Tommy. censorship and classification althoug Schary, on the same Open End prograi said, "Any industry, any means of corr munication gets itself into trouble whe it begins to use shock rather than cor viction, when it abandons its right to cor vince and just tries to shock. And th sometimes is what's being done in filn today. . . ." Director Elia Kazan says, "The issue not one of making immoral movies. Oi problem is to prevent moral values fro being oversimplified. People see a film th; has a phony happy ending and they get distorted view which hurts them late They expect life to be what it isn't." Though the issue has been made subt and complicated it includes a couple very simple questions: 1) Is it wrong ar dangerous to expose children to filn which are morally unsound? 2) Shou parents be warned about films that ce harm their children? We think the answer to both questioi is a definite "yes." We think that certa I films should be labeled for adults only 1 a qualified and impartial board of judge We think that children should not be a lowed to see these films unless they a accompanied by their parents. Will th lead to even more sensation in adult film Maybe. But we feel that adults can — should — be able to take care of then selves; children need — and should have adult protection. That's our point of view. But your poi . of view is even more important, becau the decisive voice in settling Americ. issues has always been the voice of pub opinion. Your voice, the voice of the peor 1 who read this article and of the peoy who put down their money at the b> office in movie theaters across the lar Parents, teenagers, kids — what do y think? What do you want from the mo-\ industry? What do you want from t movies you see? Do you think that labc ing movies for adults only is a threat freedom? Or will it give movie produce even more freedom and a sense of respo sibility that will lift the level of all fill and make moviegoing even more fun? ] The editors of Modern Screen sincere want your opinion, and would welcoi all your letters on this subject. e They'd forgotten an opener, and Tomi twisted the bottle-top with his jack-kni He managed to open it but the pop fizz all over him and the blanket. "Tommy, Tommy," Nancy called o "You're all wet!" And she rushed to h with a napkin and tried to dry the stic soda-pop from his bare arms and yellow-checked shirt. He took her hands in his and drew thi to his lips and then he wrapped his ar around her and slowly, gently, kissed 1 full on the lips. "Nanny, oh, Nanny," he said, his bre. quickening and rising heavily, "let's elc . . . now . . . tonight!" He didn't give ¥■ a second to answer him; instead he lock his lips with hers and they kissed. 1' summer night breeze was warm, sens* and the fragrance of Nancy's perfume -v I dizzy-rich. "I ... I don't think I can wait throv ; the long summer," Tommy pleaded, love you so much, darling, I want to married . . . now!" His chest rose and fell against her s body. Now that he had said it . . . ale . . . his body seemed to sing with 1 tension of his desire. He brushed ; fingers lightly against her white chec throat: he kissed her hair, her eyes, nose, her neck. And, all of a sudden from out of The Tender Tension of a Long Engagement