Morality on the big screen

A recent study sponsored by the Christian Film & Television

Commission ministry showed that moviegoers spend more money on G- and

PG-rated films than films rated PG-13 and R. Why do you think this

is? Do you think data like this will prompt Hollywood to make films

with more of a moral message?

The fact that family-type movies make seven times more money than

“adult”-oriented films is good news. It should only follow that

Hollywood will get the message and start producing more films with

less violence and fewer explicit sex scenes. Only a very few people

are crying out for the latter kind of films to be eliminated.

Obviously, there is a market for them, and that market has every

right to be served. Most practical people are simply asking for a few

more tasteful, family-friendly films.

The question of whether Hollywood will listen has no answer at the

moment. Hollywood has always followed the money, however, so I

suspect it will seriously consider some changes in its production

schedule. If that is true, we can look forward to more G and PG

movies in the years to come. That will be good news indeed -- both

for the industry and for many families.

By the way, it seems a shame that the new “Star Wars” film soon to

be issued will carry a PG-13 label. What were the makers of this film

thinking? Hundreds of thousands of youngsters will want to see this

movie -- yet it is so violent that they cannot do so without a parent

accompanying them. This seems to be a ridiculous strategy. Is it too

late to make this film more family-friendly?

THE REV. THOMAS

E. WITHERSPOON

Unity Church of the Valley

La Crescenta

Inevitably, a film with a PG-13 or R rating contains an excess of

foul language, gratuitous sex scenes and horrific violence. All of

these elements extend a negative energy in society and are downright

dangerous for our youth.

What we view has a profound effect on our lives. Research has

shown time and again the harmful results when children are exposed to

negative messages in films or when they watch too much television.

To see that people are gravitating toward positive and productive

“family-oriented” movies is a good sign. This indicates that the

majority of Americans are guided by sound common sense and are

shielding their families and themselves from harmful messages.

I’m not sure if Hollywood will get the message this time around,

although it would be nice if it did. Judging from some recent film

releases, it seems that the entertainment industry consists of an

insular group of people who seem to be trying to please no one but

themselves. It is high time that Hollywood listen to mainstream,

“family-oriented” America and focus on producing quality films that

can be enjoyed by all.

The film industry is in a unique position to influence millions of

American minds, specifically young ones. They should be taking this

responsibility very seriously.

RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN

Chabad Jewish Center

Glendale

Hollywood is going to continue making movies that the producers

and distributors think will sell. It’s a business that occasionally

strives to make art. The only values involved are those of

capitalism. The Motion Picture Assn. of America rating system has no

correlation with morality or ethics or religion. It addresses sex,

nudity, violence and language. It’s meant to be informative; moral

judgment is left to the viewer.

Films rated G or PG may not necessarily have a moral message, and

films rated PG-13 or R may demonstrate quite high moral values. The

real question is whose moral message is being told? I may feel, for

example, that “Cider House Rules” (PG-13) has a strong, positive

moral message: Abortions are necessary, because horrific

circumstances cause unwanted pregnancies, and unwanted babies often

become “orphans.” Anti-choice zealots find the film immoral.

Others may think “The Passion of the Christ” (R) is a beautifully

moral film. I think it’s obscene because of the violence.

Some message films I hope Hollywood is working on: “Iraq” -- can a

preemptive war ever be moral?; “High Times in Afghanistan” -- out

with the Taliban, in with history’s biggest opium poppy crop; “21st

Century Minutemen” -- a new Western epic exploring the morality of

chasing down economic refugees fleeing Latin American poverty caused

in part by American agribusiness subsidies.

SHARON WEISMAN

Atheist

Glendale

I must confess that it was a surprise to me to learn that movie

audiences seem to prefer the G-rated pictures more than the PG-rated

movies. A lot of issues could be involved here, and perhaps one of

them is that American moviegoers are fairly sophisticated -- meaning

that we recognize good stories and good scripts when we find them. So

we’ll choose a well-written story, even if the picture is G-rated,

over a less-well-written story, even if that picture has a more

“racy” rating.

Another possibility is that we’ve seen enough “action” movie

explosions to last a lifetime, so we’re really hungry for truly good

entertainment. As far as blood and gore are concerned, we are savvy

enough now to reject movies that revel in violence -- unless, of

course, the violence is somehow necessary to get across the point or

points of the movie.

Actually, I shouldn’t be surprised at the results of the survey,

because when I went to seminary in the late 1960s, I recall one of my

professors telling us in class that the most successful movie thus

far was “The Sound of Music,” starring Julie Andrews. So even in the

turbulent ‘60s, Americans preferred the equivalent of a G-rated

picture to all the others that had ever been made. Perhaps the survey

tells us that the moviegoing public is not that much different from

what it was 40 years ago.

THE REV. SKIP LINDEMAN

Congregational Church

of theLighted Window

United Church of Christ

La Canada Flintridge

It seems that the majority of moviegoers agree with the psalmist:

“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.... “ (Psalm 101:3).

The Bible encourages us to pursue that which is morally uplifting:

“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever

is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is

any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell

on these things.”(Philippians 4:8).

When we leave the movie theater -- or after we watch a DVD -- we

naturally dwell on what we have just seen. The Christian Film &

Television Commission study clearly indicates that most people do not

wish to dwell on immorality, violence and vulgarity.

Will the financial facts prompt Hollywood to make more

family-friendly films? Possibly. But the data has been available for

years, and it apparently hasn’t changed things too much.

Can the overall moral quality of Hollywood films be improved?

Absolutely. And people of faith have the primary responsibility to

encourage this change in a positive and constructive manner.

We need to pray that Hollywood decision makers will come to know

the Lord and make morally responsible choices in subject matter.

We also need to encourage the many people of faith who are a

positive influence through their work in the entertainment industry.

To this end, I serve as a volunteer chaplain with Media Fellowship

International. I meet regularly with believers in a local major

studio, and I know for a fact that they are making a difference, and

that “with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).

PASTOR JON BARTA

Valley Baptist Church

Burbank