Denby-Andrea R.

David Denby states that that there is a distinction between representational complexity and unambigious behavior. He says that real life is complex therfore a narrative such as a film should show that complexity; of good not always triumphing, evil not always being punished, and the weak not always protected

Hays Code – Group 1 Response

Group 1
Bashir Ahmad
Elaine Brown
Priya Kumarraj
Andrea Retamoso

1.  A summarization of the first part of the Lord-Quigley Code Proposal, the section entitled Reasons Supporting Preamble Of Code.  Our group split this section into four parts for summary.

Section I. (by Andrea R.)
Theatrical motion pictures are primarily to be regarded as ENTERTAINMENT.

a. Entertainment which tends to improve the race, or at least to recreate and rebuild human beings exhausted with the realities of life.

b. Entertainment which tends to degrade human beings, or the lower their standards of life and living .

The moral importance of entertainment affects men and women closely, therefore correct entertainment standard of a nation.

Wrong entertainment lowers the whole living conditions and moral ideals of a race.

Section II. (by Elaine B.)

Section Two of the Lord-Quigley Code Proposal takes the following positions:

•  Motion pictures are an art form, because they represent the thoughts, emotions, morals and experiences of the artist.
•  Art has an intimate effect on the viewer, because it has the potential to influence its audience to do good or evil.
•  Motion pictures have the ability to reach a mass audience far more quickly than other art forms.

Whether the creators of motion pictures intend it or not, motion pictures have a moral influence over a wide audience, and so the creators have a moral obligation to present their ideas with care.

Section III. (by Bashir A.)
A-D
Section A states that film appeals to all strata of society and that there is no heirarchy of low film and high film as opposed to music which many could categorize in this way, for example classical vs. pop music. I believe this assumption is not a valid one anymore as films are targeted towards specific audiences.

Section B states that films can be showed to large groups of people anywhere at anytime. I believe this to be a valid point that has significance. it is important to note that around the same time mass media in the form of advertising, flyer’s, billboards came about. Along with film this form of media was used for propaganda during wartime for the reason of its quick dissemination.

Section C states that these two reasons make making films for different classes of people difficult.  As stated earlier I don’t think this to be relevant anymore.

Section D is about how film differs from books. Books require using your own imagination which would then depend on the intellect and state of mind of the individual. With film the work is already done for you. I can see the reasoning in this statement but I cannot form a concrete opinion regarding whether or not I agree.

Section III, part 2 (by Priya K)
E-H

Newspaper vs. Film

–        Newspaper describes events with facts as they are taking place, whereas film shows how the events took place, and brings those events back to life.

Play vs. Film

–        There are some things that are possible in a play that are not possible in a film.

§         Movies are far reaching than plays.

§         Plays are shown to smaller audience whereas films to larger audience.

§         Films bring the character and the story closer to the audience than plays because of size and “movie magic”.

§         When people watch movies, they become involved with the actors and actresses that they get them confused with the characters the actors play. Movies make it hard for people to determine what is real and what is fake.   

Small communities

–        Movies easily reach people in small communities, who live far from ethical and moral standards of people from the cities.

–        Movies tap into people’s emotions more intensely because of the way it is presented.

–        In summary, movies attract mass audience by the way they are presented, so films have a larger moral responsibility than any form of entertainment.

 

2.  While discussing the code, Group 1 came to several conclusions regarding the code’s meaning and value.

Our group agrees on the following:

–        The code has relevance today

–        Why the code was established and was needed

–        The code can be a good and/or bad influence

–        Films are different from other forms of entertainment( books, art, etc) at that time

–        We agree to disagree that the intentions of the artist do not necessarily have the same effect on the mass audience

3.  Commentary from Group 1 on how changes made to the movie Scarface are relevant to the first section of the Code Proposal

(Andrea R.)
Moral is what is relevant to the changes made in Scarface. The incest plot was changed in the effort to prevent viewers from taking such event as literal and not with the sole purpose of entertainment intended by producers.
(Priya K.)

Although people would have read about gangsters in the newspapers, watching gangsters in movies has a different effect on people. Incidents in Scarface had to be tweaked because movies have the larger moral responsibility to teach the audience the outcomes of the chosen lifestyle. Because it was hard for people to make a clear distinction between real and unreal, the additions in the movie were a way to send a warning to the people: “Do not try this at home.”

(Elaine B.) As an art form, the movie Scarface is very eloquent; as entertainment, it’s thrilling; but from a moral standpoint, it comes up short.  In order to satisfy all three components of a ‘good’ motion picture, changes had to be made to the script to satisfy the moral obligation of the studios to the public.

Lord-Quigley Code Individual Response -Andrea R.

After reading the Lord Quigley Code section on “Reasons Supporting a Code,” throughly I have come to understand that the important message of this section is the”moral”value and how it pertains to the human race. The Lord- Quigley Code was written with the sole intention of protecting men and women in which lives can be affected by the moral value that comes from entertainment. Thus, outlining that inmoral behavior of sex, crimes, and violence in theatrical motion pictures were to have zero tolerance and that motion pictures were solely for entertainment value. I honestly agree with the Code because it was written with the intention of having some control over what producers produce and what the audience watches.

Reasons Supporting Preamble Of Code

I. Theatrical motion pictures are primarily to be regarded as ENTERTAINMENT.

a. Entertainment which tends to improve the race, or at least to recreate and rebuild human beings exhausted with the realities of life.

b. Entertainment which tends to degrade human beings, or to lower their standards of life and living

The moral importance of entertainment  affects men and women closely, therefore correct entertainment raises the whole standard of a nation.

Wrong entertainment lowers the whole living conditions and moral ideals of a race.

1st Amendment & Virginia Declaration- Andrea R.

After reading Black, we have learned that many Hollywood films  such as Scarface have been censored before being released. This limitation, however goes against our Bill of Rights and The Virignia Declaration of Rights that stress the imporatance of our freedom of speech.

Although our freedom of speech was limited because of censorship limitations, it is important to take into consideration the time period in which these changes and rights were violated. We must consider that the Hays Office  strived to protect viewers from taboo issues that were  being openly exposed to society.

Scarface- 3 Endings-Andrea R.

The original ending that was never filmed did in fact glorify Tony Camonte.  Tony portrays this glorification through his attitude of blazing out and shooting out to police officials in an effort to save his life. The film glorified Tony enpowering him with rage and  gun weapons.  Tony was viewed as a  gangster that fought until the end and died trying. However, whether it was film producers intention or not, to glorify Tony Camonte is still doubtful.  I do believe that to an extent he was glorified due to the fact that he was portayed as  an invincible  individual to society and authorities throughout the film.

The film ending we see today, in comparison to the alternative ending of being punished by government officials  shows Tony as a coward. In both endings he is pleding to Guarino not to shoot him. But, after convincing Guarino that he has surrendered he still tries escape and save his life. This attitude of Tony shows his overall “gangster” attitude of evading justice. On the other hand, the ending in which Tony inmediately surrenders and later is hung leaves viewers with an idea that “gangsters” can run and hide, be corruptive, but that they eventually will be caught and brought to justice. This alternative ending is more to the satisfaction of the government and Hays Office because it shows viewers that the governement eventually gains control over individuals such as Tony Camonte a gangster who was only a coward without  his guns.

Scarface- Andrea R.

Scarface original 1932 film displayed how true gangster life was in the 30’s. The film introduces Tony a gangster who shows no loyalty, respect towards others. We see how coldly and with no remorse Tony kills Louis and this is displyed by him whistling as he commits the crime. I noticed that authority figures weren’t as respected as they are these days . This is clearly seen when as Tony displays no respect towards an official as he slowly moves when the officer visits him at the barber shop and asks him to accopny him to the police station. Tony evades his orders and turns around and asks him how his hair looks from the back . More importanly his unrespectful attitude is shown  when he lights up his match on the officers badge and the officer simply stands there.

As for the scenary, it is imporatnt to consider that in the 30’s all films were black and white. Therefore, we don’t see the special effects of crimes being completly realistic. The punches, kicks , and fights look fake and acted out  more than real and painful.  However, with the skillfull use the directors and camera man by using a  shadowing technique we are able to capture the murder scenes by lighting which are obviously darker in color which conveys the mood of the scene.

Introduction-Andrea R.

Hi, my name is Andrea I was born and raised in Vienna, Virginia.  I’m a Psychology major.  I’m graduating this May and have plans on continuing on to Graduate School I have many interests such as; I enjoy going to the movies and watching all types of films. I love music therefore anything within the music industry is of my interest. I also enjoy traveling and this summer I will go to Dominican Republic as a graduation gift.