violence in film

[memegarden]

Excellent article on relationship of violence in Tarantino films to the viewer's moral sense. Pinpoints exactly what bugs me about some movies. If the only way I can enjoy a film is by laughing at cruelty, I don't want to go there. But I still love Pulp Fiction for its cinematography and puzzle-piece narrative, and saw it multiple times. Thank

Comments

[hydrolagus]

The thing that is tragic about Tarantino films isn't so much his lack of moral sense as the lack of moral sense in the majority of his audience. Pulp Fiction is a desperately moral movie that was received as mere clever entertainment. We trace each of the the characters, who are pulp in both of the definitions listed at the beginning, crude figures typical of the pulp fiction genre and raw material, as they experience a moment of purity. The boxer chooses a weapon associated with honor and tradition to rescue his enemy and restore his family pride; the thug and moll have a sweet evening amongst the trappings of idealized teen-age; another hard-bitten thug stops a couple from going down his path. Their raw material is, however briefly, transformed into something good, with the message that if these people can have a moment of grace*, it is accessible to any of us

[hydrolagus]

Consider, too, the popularity of "reality" shows in which real people, not characters, experience genuine suffering manufactured for the sake of entertainment. I had the misfortune to see a portion of Hell's Kitchen last night and it turned my stomach that something containing that kind of abuse was treated as good clean fun.
There's something about Joss Whedon's works too that I can't quite put my finger on--a misery that he casually deals, wrapped in clever dialogue. I find Tarantino's Brothers-Grimm violence easier to accept.

[memegarden]

I have a completely different take on Joss Whedon, because he encourages deep empathy with his characters (at least those that aren't the demonically possessed soulless undead). I think Whedon is one of the best TV/movie writers out there for creating "human" characters (even some that aren't human) and making his viewers feel for them. Yes, he sometimes viciously kills them, but he doesn't play that as laugh material--he expects you to mourn over it. Now, if you're objecting to the way he treats most of his vampires, yeah, that can be a bit of a problem, and necessarily creates dumb claims about what a soul is, but it's also part of the genre. Do you have particular examples in Whedon's work where he deals misery casually, that you object to?

[hydrolagus]

It's emotional misery rather than physical harm that he seems so comfortable with. His characters never communicate, especially when it would make the most difference.
I think there's something else on the emotional front too, but like I said, I can't quite place it. "Dr. Horrible" is a hard depression/anxiety trigger for me.