PennTags /tag/violence+realism

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NY Times Jan 27 1974_They wait hours--to be shocked

Klemesrud, Judy.  "They wait hours--to be shocked."  New York Times on the Web  27 Jan 1974.  
     University of Pennsylvania Library, Philadelphia 9 May 2008.  
     qdweb?index=59&did=148761462&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309
     &VName=HNP&TS=1210546709&clientId=3748>.

This is a NY Times article written about a month after The Exorcist was released in theatres. Klemesrud stood in a massively long line, interviewing ticketholders and employees at Manhattan’s Cinema I complex. She found out that previous moviegoers had not only vomited, but also hurriedly left, fainted, screamed, endured heart attacks—and one even reportedly had a miscarriage due to the horrific scenes.

Many people waited for up to twelve hours to be able to see how the impossible would be represented on screen. The crowds wanted to see flying objects, spinning heads, levitation, and not to mention the morbid scenes capturing blood, vomit, guts, and gore. Several fans wondered if parts of the book would actually be represented in the film—such as the taboo masturbation-with-the-cross incident and gratuitous language use, among other possibilities.

Some of the interviewees were seeing the movie for the third or fourth time. In fact, one reported feeling “contaminated” when they left the theatre, unable to get rid of the images and feelings aroused during previous views. Even though he had been having terrifying dreams ever since, he still wanted to see it again because of its extreme shock factor.

People leaving the theatre commented on how accurate the film was in comparison to the book, and remarked how “there’s nothing else like it”. Klemesrud goes on to quote a Chicago newspaper, which reported a psychiatric hospital admitting six people who had seen the film.

In considering this historical report, The Exorcist seems to have realistically transmitted a sense of fear and threat; so much so that it managed to provoke all of these reactions and predicaments among its viewers. It can be inferred that the cinematic techniques employed throughout the film played a large role in bringing about these truly terrifying sentiments. Had these special effects not been believable and successful in capturing people’s greatest fears, the film would not have been enjoying so much box office prosperity.

belongs to The Exorcist (1973) project
tagged 1970s_horror_film demonic_possession destruction disgust exorcism exorcist laughter_fright newyorktimes realism special_effects violence by dewundar ...on 13-MAY-08

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Restaging the War: The Deer Hunter and the Primal Scene of Violence

Chong, Sylvia Shin Huey. “Restaging the War: The Deer Hunter and the Primal Scene of Violence.” Cinema Journal 44, Number 2, Winter 2005. Project MUSE. Johns Hopkins University Press. University of Pennsylvania Library, Philadelphia. 28 Mar. 2006. http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7076

This article discusses the violent content present in The Deer Hunter. The article claims that the film’s style and depiction of violence cause the American and Vietnamese characters to become interchangeable, a symbol for the ethical and emotional confusion of the war. This confusion, the article argues, mirrors the real life confusion Americans faced after the war when they tried to forget the mistakes of the war, while being constantly confronted with them because of increased Vietnamese immigration to the United States.

The article focuses extensively on the Russian roulette scene that takes place when the main characters of the film are held captive by Vietcong soldiers, making the argument that the camera angles used in the scene confuse any attempt audience members may make to identify with specific characters. The constant change of perspective and lack of continuity editing such as shot/reverse shot in this scene, the article argues, is disorienting and makes identification with the characters difficult.

The article also argues that the way in which the characters are staged in the roulette scene when it is their turn to play the game replicates the famous photograph “Saigon Execution” taken during the Vietnam War. This photograph captures a scene of a South Vietnamese solider executing a communist Vietnamese spy. The shooter in this photograph immigrated to the United States after the war, where he became a successful business owner, but he was later caught in a large scandal over his previous actions in Vietnam; he was only spared deportation by a pardon by President Carter. This is only one example of how Americans were forced to confront their mistakes of the war, the article argues, as well as an example of how Americans have had trouble moving past the war and dealing with prejudice against Asian immigrants.

belongs to The Deer Hunter, Vietnam, Realism, and Myth project
tagged deer film hunter realism vietnam violence by weitzij ...on 06-APR-06