Changes Since 1965

Since 1965, the film industry has been changing constantly. Of those changes, the most dramatic is the social and political changes that have occurred. Since 1965, the boundaries of what was socially and politically acceptable have been pushed to the limit. Women have not always been represented well in movies. Many times in the past they have been side characters in male-dominated films, or they are the only female character and practically useless for the duration of the film.

In more recent years this has changed to show women as strong and able to handle themselves rather than being eye candy for the film. Minorities, such as LQBTQ or POC(people of color), have become more present in films as well. The amount of violence and sex acceptable in films has changed as well. Over time violence and sex have become more and more graphic and present in films just as it has become a norm in today’s society.

Deep Red (1975)

Deep Red was full of violence which surprised me. The film was full of thrilling and scary scenes that have set trends in the horror industry. In the opening scene, there was a murder which set the story in a brutal yet intriguing way. After that scene, I would tense every time the childlike music played or when I saw shadows on the wall. A common trend now is to play eery music when something bad is about to happen and the director played that to his advantage.

According to the article Deep Red (1975), the murders are the heart of the film and I would say that the way the murders are carried out definitely added to the movie and made it even scarier. Tyson Wils claims that it is the atmosphere of the film that makes it so scary and I agree with that as well.  This film doesn’t have much presence of female characters in it but they are there. The main female character has an active off-screen role and contributes to the plot.

There is a lot of very graphic violence in the film which is typical of giallo horror but not with films from that time. I think Deep Red was an exception to the general filming standards but the director did start many trends that society followed.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)

While Temple of Doom will always have a special place in my heart this film is one of the situations where society changed because of the film and not vice versa. When trying to accurately represent culture people look to this film so they know what to definitely not do. According to Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom: An Oral History, Temple of Doom was a balance between horror and comedy. Truthfully, the most horrifying thing was the complete disrespect of Indian culture. According to‘Temple of Doom’ is the Indiana Jones movie that Indians won’t forget in a hurry, the film was banned in India after it’s release due to the stereotyping of Indians and the demonizing of their culture.

In the image below there is a human sacrifice being performed and a heart was pulled out of a man before he was lowered into a lava pit and burned alive.

These scenes shocked parents and resulted in the creation of the PG13 category. Violence had been present in film for a long time at this point but Temple of Doom was supposed to be a children’s movie so it made the amount of violence shocking and disturbing.

This film also had a female main character. However, she was practically useless and I would say that she was only there for eye candy and to be someone to laugh at. She did have a scene where she saved Indiana Jones and Shorty’s life so at least she contributed to the plot a little bit.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Zero Dark Thirty is based on true events which is one of the reasons this film was so unsettling (even if it was awesome). The film begins with very graphic torture scenes. There is graphic nudity, humiliation, and waterboarding. The torture caused so much controversy that, according to Raid these facts about the thrilling Zero Dark Thirty, a statement had to be released by the CIA director to tell the public that no torture was used to capture Osama Bin Laden.

It could be that the public was not ready for that much graphic torture in a film but I believe the public was disturbed because it was supposedly true because it was in a film based on a true story. The article Zero Dark Thirty — Torture Is the American Way? also claims that torture was not used in the efforts to find Osama Bin Laden. This film followed society into more violence than necessary to keep it interesting.

Zero Dark Thirty also had a lead female role. She was very tough and actually had a personality. There were multiple women present and multiple races and cultures. In some past films, the only reason women would be there is for eye candy or because the hero needs a damsel to be a hero. Women are being given more purpose in films nowadays than they were in the ’60s, ’70s, and even the ’80s.

Tangerine (2015)

Tangerine’s main characters are black transgender women which is definitely not something that would be a common occurrence in the 60s and 70s. Tangerine has not only represented black transgender sex workers they also represent them accurately and according to David Opie, the film focused on breaking stereotypes about transgender sex workers that are not represented well even in the LGBTQ community. Tangerine also has graphic images of sex and nudity which has only become more and more common in recent films.

Many films have a lesson but according to Manohla Dargis Tangerine does not have a lesson at all. The film is a dip into the reality of a black transgender sex worker and nothing more. Looking at the reality of these women is eye-opening and similar to a punch in the gut. However, Tangerine uses comedy to lighten the mood. In the final scene, there is a situation between a taxi driver and his mother in law that forces to laugh or at least scoff. That is another trend that has been coming to life in recent years. In movies that would normally be very serious, they are adding comedic moments, awkward silences, and embarrassing moments which is more realistic than having no humor at all. Life can be a truly hilarious adventure and it is good that it is being represented in more genres than just comedy.

Film and Society

Movies have changed to be more realistic and capture the actual aspects of reality. In life, there is violence and sex. The LGBTQ community is full of real people that need to be represented because they are a part of today’s society. People of color also need to be represented accurately. Fortunately, today there is more and more representation for minorities (in a respectful manner) than there ever has been before. As society and politics have changed so has film and as film has changed so has society. They are intertwined together and influence each other. Out of all of the films, Zero Dark Thirty is by far the one that has the largest political presence due to it being about the government and causing so much political outrage.

As time has passed women have gotten a larger role in film and they are seen more as actual people. Film has changed to be more culturally accurate and to avoid offending cultures. Violence and sex have become more present and generally accepted in film and in society. People are no longer worried about breaking the status quo or having films that are politically inflammatory as long as it doesn’t do what Temple of Doom did and insult an entire culture. Film has become more accepting and open to new and crazy ideas.