Group 2: assumptions about film and entertainment, pp. 302-4
Ahmed Chebaane
Denis Baya
Joe Smith
Cumulitive contribution
In section I of Lord Quigley’s code proposal, entertainment is emphasized as a vital part of society. The portrayal of Good vs. Evil and the moral values of the society are expressed in an artistic fashion through motion pictures. Finding the clear and defined boundaries of what can be exhibited as constructive entertainment work is discussed in Lord Quigley’s code proposal. This directly ties with the changes made to the production history of the 1932 edition of Scarface by the Hays office.
The development of picture motions has allowed for a greater outreach therefore a wider range audience that would be influenced by the piece of art. Scarface is a controversial movie according to the Lord Quigley’s code because of the glorification of the life of an outlaw and criminal Tony. Even with the editing efforts made by the Hays office to show that the life of a gangster and thug results in nothing but complete misery and death, one can clearly connect with Tony’s emotional side and perhaps even feel for him while he goes through his endeavors. This emotional attachment is apparent due to the fact that Tony is portrayed as the main character in contrast to many of the side roles that may be viewed as the antagonists in this theatrical piece. The emphasis on clearly spending more time in the film to show the character of Tony minimizes the significance of the other characters even if they were acting on a justifiable moral basis. The shrinking of theses characters indirectly effects their noble commitment to society to stand for what is right against wrong doers like Tony.
Lord Quigley’s code clearly states that there is nothing wrong with having sympathy towards the character that is committing sin, but it is absolutely immoral to allure the viewer to have sympathy towards the sinful act. The Hay’s office acted based on this rubric especially in their move to edit the ending of the movie Scarface. Through out the movie the viewer is not firmly lead to believe that Tony commits immoral acts that are not justifiable by the society. His fascination in his sister is perhaps the strongest indication of the Hay’s office in its role to demoralize Tony and strip him from any kind of decency, yet his actions are glorified indirectly in the movie leading the viewer to sympathize with the gangster life. It almost gave the feeling that it was acceptable to become a gangster if that was the only way to succeed.
Once again referring to Lord Quigley’s code motion pictures has raised the question of morality in art. The real question is the code refers to product-effect phenomena, which in return has a great moral influence on its audience; so what was the real motive behind a movie like Scarface? This can only really be known through the producers of this movie because even with the editing made by the Hay’s office the underlying message that gangsters are stars and almost hero like is still prevalent in the movie. This portrayal of evil morals directly contradicts Lord Quigley’s code that states that the sympathy of the viewer should never lean towards the side of crime, wrong doers and evil acts. This could be a big reason why the end of the 1932 edition of Scarface was changed three times to somewhat accommodate this code of morality. If Tony were portrayed as a “RAMBO” before he was killed or arrested, it would send an extremely negative message to the viewer. The Hay’s office made sure to show him as a coward in the end where he runs away from the police and is shoot down by them almost like a helpless deer being hunted by the professional and rightful hunter.
Theatrical motion pictures were meant for schools, churches, social reform movements, educational purposes, as a primary regard of entertainment. Apparently, there are two types of characters in entertainment, one is a helpful character and the other is a harmful character to the human race. The moral importance of entertainment is universally recognized.Motion Picture entertainment is like art, in the sense that through new art, it has the same objects as the other arts, like the presentation of human thoughts, emotion, and experience. Like characters, art can be morally good and morally evil. Morally good by lifting men to higher levels. Morally evil, with unclean art, indecent books, and suggestive drama, etc…Motion Picture, reproduce the morality who use the picture as a way of expressing their ideas.
Movies are art that are intended to be purely entertainment. These types of images used for entertainment define a character. These images influence good and bad values. The values are meant to transcend or raise a person’s soul. This happens when a person continuously reflects and thinks about what they have seen. This becomes the by-product of what the viewer has seen and has interpreted. According to Hay’s Code, the by-product can be good or evil. The negativity of the movie is when the person obtains the wrong by-product and when he or she thinks that’s what defines them.
The third part starts with what the code thinks of the type of audience that views this type of art. The audiences of films think they are nonfiction or as truth. The first part describes the art reaches all types of classes, youth, and criminals. That these types of lower class individuals are easily manipulated through viewing film. The second part films are widespread can be easily seen. The third part fitting to the other two parts, some films are inappropriate for certain audiences because of their social class or intelligence. In the other part of Hay’s Code it is split up into three separate parts. Books are described and films are vivid. Books use words, and films reaches eyes and ears. And finally, Readers interpretation depends on the reader’s imagination. Whereas with film nothing is left for the imagination everything is in plan sight.
The code, for the most part says, that it is wrong for any film to portray in any way, shape, or form that evildoing is ok and tolerated. All bad guys have to die. If they don’t, Americans will see and automatically think that it’s okay, and finally fulfill their inner desires to kill, rape, and steal. Motion pictures must then show that “evil is wrong and good is right”.
The code is relevant to Scarface on a more obvious level because changes were made to the film at the behest of the Hays office and this is the Hays Code. So it is relevant being that Scarface is a film where you can see the underlying guidelines being expressed in the film and the changes made to it as you can also see ultimately expressed in the code. Our group focused on the first section of the code in which the justification for the need of guidelines is laid out. The same reasons given to make changes in Scarface are laid out in this section of the code. The effects of graphic violence, sexual content and who the audience would be are all things which exist in the code and influenced changes made in Scarface.
Free speech and the character of film as a medium of entertainment and art were both issues which existed at the beginning of this industry. A distinction was drawn between film and for example literature. Film was said to be potentially much more influential because it presented concrete images and later sounds where the imagination had solely provided for before. Also, there was the general idea that less educated or poorer people were far less likely to read literature and would also be very easily influenced by film because of both the method and ease of how it told the story. Advocates for censorship were particularly concerned with what messages young people and less educated people were getting from film. This is generally laid out in the code and led to modifications of Scarface, for instance how criminals in relation to the government are portrayed.
