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Bastich · 11-16-2003, 01:55 PM

You bring up a point that I would agree with. That 70s films were gorier than todays, particularly in horror. It is however irrelevant to my point, because gore is not something that influences violence. It may desensitize, but doesn't justify it. Although I think we both agree that movies don't really influence people, if they did, it wouldn't be through gore. It would be through glorification of violence with character empathy/sympathy. It is hard to empathize with a zombie who wants to munch on some brains. Compare that to say a more modern John Woo film (or copycat) where violence is portrayed via Bullet Ballet in a method that makes it seem very cool and hip. Then add in one of those scripts where the "Bad Guy" is overly humanized to the point that he just seems like he is a victim of circumstance or simply misunderstood and would do the right thing if only he could go back and start over but it is too late, and you have a character that someone can relate to, unlike the zombies. That blurring of the lines between good and bad is the potential problem. I am just playing devil's advocate with the above, but it is a more realistic argument IMO, than just to say gore causes violence in people. If it did, doctors and coroners would be one of the largest groups of violent criminals out there. And if the gore made you queasy you probably didn't want to produce any real gore, so it may actually be a deterrant to violence for you.

Kill Bill, the worst script Tarantino ever wrote, was only saved by its gore and Yuen Wo Ping, the martial arts choreographer IMO. And the gore was as humorous and farcical as it's 60s and 70s counterparts. It could not be taken seriously...

11-16-2003, 01:55 PM	#8
Bastich Iconoclast Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: USA Posts: 1,169	You bring up a point that I would agree with. That 70s films were gorier than todays, particularly in horror. It is however irrelevant to my point, because gore is not something that influences violence. It may desensitize, but doesn't justify it. Although I think we both agree that movies don't really influence people, if they did, it wouldn't be through gore. It would be through glorification of violence with character empathy/sympathy. It is hard to empathize with a zombie who wants to munch on some brains. Compare that to say a more modern John Woo film (or copycat) where violence is portrayed via Bullet Ballet in a method that makes it seem very cool and hip. Then add in one of those scripts where the "Bad Guy" is overly humanized to the point that he just seems like he is a victim of circumstance or simply misunderstood and would do the right thing if only he could go back and start over but it is too late, and you have a character that someone can relate to, unlike the zombies. That blurring of the lines between good and bad is the potential problem. I am just playing devil's advocate with the above, but it is a more realistic argument IMO, than just to say gore causes violence in people. If it did, doctors and coroners would be one of the largest groups of violent criminals out there. And if the gore made you queasy you probably didn't want to produce any real gore, so it may actually be a deterrant to violence for you. Kill Bill, the worst script Tarantino ever wrote, was only saved by its gore and Yuen Wo Ping, the martial arts choreographer IMO. And the gore was as humorous and farcical as it's 60s and 70s counterparts. It could not be taken seriously...