Since the modern change in cinema starting in 1965 their has been an ever abundant presence that has been lurking behind the shot. Gradually more and more it has become a bigger part in the films we watch today; not matter the genre. That presence is growing use of violence in films throughout the decades. This is said to have started with the Hollywood classic Bonnie and Clyde directed by Arthur Penn. The story of Bonnie and Clyde is that for the history books and could easily have been considered to intense for the 1967 audience; shot in color, Bonnie and Clyde was one of the first films to show death and blood spattered on cinema screens. It was also the first to be so critically and financially successful, winning multiple Academy Awards. The gun violence could have easily been too much for audiences, especially since their is no remorse in our main characters creating the anti-hero.
This was a complete change from what violence was on screen before. At this time it was used mainly for the horror genre or even for the slapstick comedies that focused on “injured comedy” for laughs. Battle scenes were used in films to depict historical events but overall it was never used in a drama-esque film to get a reaction from the audience. Penn made a major risk with his vision of showing the darker side of reality and it worked for him since it was at a time when the audience was dealing with really harsh realities at the same time, on American soil and also in Vietnam.
The success of Bonnie and Clyde allowed other directors to start playing with the idea of using violence and gore to get a reaction from the audience. One of the best examples of this is the film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre directed by Tobe Hopper and released in 1974. Only seven years after Bonnie and Clyde, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre wasn’t made to tell the story of American history during the Great Depression, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was created to push the envelope of how far you can strain your audience. Filmed with cut shots and shaky cameras, unlike the smooth finish of films before, TCM made the audience feel as if they were watching real murders on screen. “…after its matinee premiere at a tiny movie house in Austin, Texas, word-of-mouth hype surrounding the “true story” pushed the film into theater chains, only to be banned a couple of weeks later thanks to conservative parents who didn’t appreciate the brutality. Yet, like anything banned for being too controversial, it only sparked more intrigue.” informs film connoisseur Olivia Armstrong.The buzz of the film was more than any other form of publicity and quickly people were flocking to see this movie that would become the “grandfather of the slasher film”. Though the film uses intense images of gore and to the outsider seems only one layer deep, TCM used violence and shock to get the audience to understand what is going on beyond our front door. The film was advertised to be based on a true story and due to vile acts that were happening all over the country it was believed for years, only for Hopper to admit it was based on multiple stories.
With the advancement of technology in everyday life and the art median, creators were able to start playing with the human fear of the unknown and tackle the subject of outer space. Unlike Spielberg’s Close Encounter of the Third Kind, Ridley Scott decided to flip the script 180 degrees with his sci-fi horror, Alien. Considered one of the greatest cinematic feats in modern history, Alien was produced with a small budget but was able to create a setting on a grand scale. Not only that, but technology in costume design, makeup, and set design; they created one of the most feared and well known monster in pop culture, the xenomorph. The film works without slashing and gun fights but as a cat and mouse chase with an acid blood creature from the dark depths. The films creates a claustrophobia and unnerving environment that sucks in the audience. This feat wouldn’t have been possible 15 years earlier but at the time it worked. This was the decade of the sci-fi adventures and luckily one director was willing to use new technological abilities to go outside of the spectrum by merging multiple genres to create one of the greatest films of the 1970s.
Overtime, audiences became immune to images and gore and the stories either need to become more complex or the visuals need to become more horrendous. Within the cliche action films were a few that used violence in a more intelligent way. With advancement in technology the fears of everyday people started to change and now the question arose of how much is too much. The Terminator directed by James Cameron used modern technology to inform his viewers about the dangers of technology. Released in 1984 The Terminator mixed a few complicated genres to create one film that would stand above those released around the same time. The technology advancements added to the plot about a future run by machines. It goes more in depth withe the add in of time traveling. Such wouldn’t have been possible if the proper equipment wasn’t at hand.
Not only was the film The Terminator technological advanced it also show cased what the audience was look for; full blown action. The film was fully encased with chase scenes, gun violence, and over the top seemingly unnecessary moments of in your face explosions. The film does go above and beyond to make an action film but for the audience it was important. Films need to keep pushing the boundary to keep audiences on their toes.
Another prime example of how advancements in film were important for films to showcase more of their capability is The Matrix. Quickly gaining a cult status, The Matrix directed by the Wachowski siblings, uses modern technology readily available to create some of the most entertaining fight scenes in cinematic history. “In “Matrix,” on the other hand, there aren’t flesh-and-blood creatures behind the illusion–only a computer program that can think, and learn. The Agents function primarily as opponents in a high-stakes computer game. The movie offers no clear explanation of why the Matrix-making program went to all that trouble. Of course, for a program, running is its own reward–but an intelligent program might bring terrifying logic to its decisions.” quotes Roger Ebert.The Matrix doesn’t focus on slashing, dicing, and quick cut a ways. Instead it focuses on showcasing their fight scenes with fluidity. The story also uses it’s grand creator as the villain in the story; technology and machines.
With technology evolving every day creators are able to make films that were never possible before. One of the prime examples is the technology advancement needed to create the out of this world scale battle scenes for The Lord of The Rings trilogy. Unlike other films before that put epics on page, The Lord of the Rings deals with the fantasy genre by having the main villain not be of man. Instead it came to state of the art camera work, green screen usage, and beyond amazing set and camera design not seen in films before. The films tell a story that requires countless sword fighting scenes and multiple deaths. The blood isn’t always there but the constant need to be on guard is. Being one of the most challenging films to bring on screen; The Lord of The Rings showcases that action and violence can be used to create an epic masterpiece. It also shows that audiences demand such with it having the biggest sweep in Academy Awards history.
On the other spectrum on the scale is the work done by fame director Quentin Tarantino. Most notably his bloodiest film yet is Kill Bill vol. 1. Very early on we learn that the movie is about assassins which gives the audience an idea of what that means for Tarantino standards. Like his films before, and after, the language will be fowl and the violence will be important to the plot. Unlike his films before he went for a more campy attempt. When blood is on screen it is noticed, it spews from the body parts like gushing water fountain to the point where it’s comical to the viewer. Kill Bill vol. 1‘s sword fight in the notorious Tokyo club scene was told to be cut due to censorship but, Tarantino wanted to keep the important plot scene so it was released in black and white instead.
Originally thought to be a gimmick for shock value; violence quickly became important to tell the stories that grip the viewer in to compelling views of society. With advancement the idea of violence as changed from just quick gun fights to beautifully masterful fight scenes, and grand epic battles of massive proportions. The viewers have advanced to understand that the world isn’t all musicals and court dramas but instead new views that use stimuli to bring the audience in. We want to see the climatic fight at the end, we want to be brought away from our everyday lives. Violence isn’t just for the horror fan but for a viewer who wants to see what else we can do with storytelling.
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