By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Violence in movies has been a source of controversy since cinema was in its infancy.
From the black and white gunplay of the gangster movies of the â30s, to the slow-motion shootouts of Arthur Pennâs landmark 1967 film, âBonnie and Clyde,â to the rivers of blood flowing in Quentin Tarantino movies, the depiction of violence in film has long polarized critics and audiences. And that debate continues today.
Hereâs a look at some of the seminal moments that shaped the conversation about violence in movies over the years. (Newmarketfilms / Getty Images / Universal)
Films such as the original âScarface,â âBonnie and Clydeâ and âThe Wild Bunchâ were noteworthy for the graphic nature of their violent scenes.
King Vidorâs World War I epic was notable for its brutal scenes of German snipers gunning down U.S. soldiers, while another wounded soldier is shown with blood running down his head. Star John Gilbertâs character loses his leg when his character is hit by German mortar fire -- an unusually graphic scene for its time. (MGM / Associated Press)
The legendary bank robbers, played by Warren Beatty, center, and Faye Dunaway, second right, are gunned down in a blaze of slow-motion bullet fire in Arthur Pennâs game-changing gangster film. âIt was a time,â Penn later said, âwhere it seemed to me that if we were going to depict violence, then we would be obliged to really depict it accurately -- the kind of terrible, frightening volume that one sees when one genuinely is confronted by violence.â (Warner Bros. / Getty Images)
Francis Ford Coppola took an operatic approach to the unforgettable scenes of violence in the film, including Sonnyâs death at a toll booth and the ruthless demise of Michaelâs enemies during his daughterâs baptism. It paved the way for a new era of gangster films from such directors as Martin Scorsese that amplified the violence quotient. (Silver Screen Collection / Getty Images)
Advertisement
A brutal mugging and murder, a heinous rape sequence and several scenes of vigilante murders caused one critic to call this box office hit with Charles Bronson an âimmoral threat to society.â Other movies such as the Clint Eastwood âDirty Harryâ series played on the pervasive fear of crime during this era. (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)