One of the things Bell said, was that we’d probably never look at movies in the same way ever again. We’d be watching for the "pet the dog" moment or analyzing what makes the anti-hero compelling. He’s right, but it’s a good thing.
So, last night I watched Double Jeopardy. Again. The movie happened to be on the TNT network, and I love watching/listening to Tommy Lee Jones. Also, I’ve been a fan of Ashley Judd since her appearance on Star Trek TNG. ("The Game," Oct., 1991) I noticed each obstacles thrown at our heroine, and how things kept getting worse for her as she pursued her goal. But I also noticed something else: the editing.
The only reason I prefer to record a movie on TV rather than rent the DVD, is because a lot of profanity is edited out. Not all, but notably the infamous F word, which I can do nicely without. Thank you very much. Especially when it comes at you like a machine gun.
[Side Bar]
Another thing I can do without is the "taking of the Lord’s name," which phrase appears to be derived from the Commandment in Deut. 5:11: "You shall not take the name of Jehovah God in vain," the word vain coming from a Hebrew word meaning "to rush over like a storm," or devastate. In older movies, this rarely happened. In fact, you would more often hear, "God bless you, Rick." (Casablanca) or "Thank God." (Ice Station Zebra)
Times have changed, I know, and so have attitudes and movies. But the basic reason for shouting obscenities, pelting one’s enemies with profane language, has not. It’s intimidation. Think about it. And when I watch a movie, I don’t want to be intimated. I want to have a good time, be entertained, escape from my life into an alternate universe. But I digress. . . .
It’s interesting to note that AMC will edit out a plethora of four-letter (and more) words, while leaving in the use of Jesus’ name as an angry epithet. I don’t get that, and I wonder if there’s someone at the network to whom I might write a letter.
Novel and screen writers often say they are making their dialogue realistic when they use the street language that pervades books and movies. While this kind of discourse may be common in the "street" (hence the name), it’s not for me. People in my sphere of influence don’t talk like that. Any profanity that might be used is saved for a truly remarkable situation. I can live with that.
In all my years of studying writing, taking classes, reading books, attending seminars, I never heard anyone say "Ratchet up that profanity and let it rip." I did hear, "Don’t overdo it. If you’re going to use a strong word, use it where it will have the best impact." I think the overload of profane speech is the product of a lazy writer. It’s easy to swear. Illustrating who your character is in other, more creative ways, takes talent.
Some people insist you have to write for shock value if you want to get published. I cite Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels in rebuttal to that opinion. He’s written sixteen Reacher novels. If you haven’t read him, these are powerful lone-wolf hero novels about an ex-soldier who comes up against every kind of bad guy Child can throw at him. (http://www.leechild.com/reacher.php) And the profanity is minimal.
In cinema, I refer you to all the Bogart movies. Bogie never played a wimp, although his miscasting as Linus Larrabee in Sabrina, came close. In all his movies, you never doubted his characters’ strength . . . or ruthlessness (The Desperate Hours).
I bring all this up because profane, obscene, or filthy language is one of my pet peeves. I’ve worked with so-called intelligent people, engineers, who couldn’t stay away from it. ("Hey, I’m a guy. I talk this way.") And, in my ten years of teaching in LAUSD, I worked with dozens of colleagues who could.
I suspect that profanity is contagious. I notice that when I’m around it, I tend to use it more. Certainly, when I get angry, I hear it in my head. But I can choose to heed the guard over my lips and not vocalize. I believe there is a coarsening of our society which allows for the degrading and bastardization of our language. Profanity is a major component therein. Youngsters are fascinated by it; adults immune. They don’t even hear it.
Because it’s my experience that words have power, I want to choose mine carefully. As a writer, it’s my goal to find the right word, the perfect phrase, to paint a picture. Because I believe that profanity is a plateau for a lazy mind, I choose to discover new and better ways of expressing thoughts and feelings. It’s a challenge, but I’m up for it. I can bless, or I can curse. And when in doubt, I can choose to say nothing at all.
AMEN!
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