FACEbook

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Shouting "Pedophile" in a Crowded Theater

    Movies in general and the Cannes Film Festival in particular have been in a downward spiral for decades.  This year's winner at the French film festival, which I will refrain from describing in detail, is being praised in the film community as not only great art, but as delivering an important social message as well.  Here's the description of the film, Blue is the Warmest Color, from the (extremely sanitized) Reuters article:
"La Vie d'Adele" is an emotional tale of love and sexuality centred on 15-year-old Adele (Exarchopoulos) and her lover Emma (Seydoux) that follows the course of their tumultuous relationship.
    However, it is not simply the hardcore pornography that makes this year's winner particularly noteworthy.  Hollywood has been breathing down Larry Flynt's neck for years.  It's that a film glorifying pedophilia is not only being honored with the top prize at Cannes, but is also considered a great celluloid ambassador on behalf of same-sex marriage by the festival director Thierry Fremaux. And, arguably the most respected director in America, Steven Spielberg, who led the Cannes jury who selected the winner, was obviously very pleased with the movie also:
"I think it will get a lot of play ... I think this film carries a very strong message, a very positive message," Spielberg told journalists. "It was the perfect choice between those two actresses and this incredible very sensitive and observant filmmaker." 
Spielberg said he supported same-sex marriage, but downplayed any suggestion the award was to promote this cause. 
Festival director Thierry Fremaux said the film was timely, as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris on Sunday to protest France's recent legalization of same-sex marriage. 
"Everyone who is against same-sex marriage or love between two people of the same sex must see the film," he told Reuters.
     Graphic lesbian pedophilia is a great advertisement for same-sex marriage?  The director is "incredible very sensitive and observant"?  How about criminal? How about morally bankrupt? This is art?  This is praiseworthy?  Was there no one willing to stand up and cry out,"The emperor has no clothes!"  Of course, in the current climate, the crowd at Cannes might see that as a plus.

2 comments:

  1. Another much needed and well stated post Jeryl. Salt and light must come in many different forms to an all too morally deafened and numbed society. Continue to speak courageously and clearly through your writing gift! JCG

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do not assume that all countries have the same age of consent as yours. Do not even assume that the age of consent within the states is uniform; 16 to 18 is the span. In France - where this film takes place - the age of consent is 15. So, how is this pedophilia? Are you suggesting that you know better than the country that rightfully decided on their own age of consent?

    ReplyDelete