Never realized how many older movies portrayed pedophilia to some degree! (interracial, disturbing)

[artillery77]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

He's a great actor. But I first heard of his behavior in the late '90s, and I am by no means a Hollywood insider. Everyone in Hollywood acting "shocked" at the allegations is total BS. Everyone knew, and no one cared. Because Hollywood is filled with people like Spacey and worse.

When I grew up, if you told a lady she'd be a fine Hollywood actress, it was an insult in multiple ways. The entire industry had a horrid reputation. It mainstreamed our first divorces and made affairs not horrible. Yet, if people wanted to do it, it was entertaining, and cheap entertainment in a place with air conditioning.

If anything, I'd say the industry is getting cleaned up more and more. Now in an era of Netflix, producers have to finally respect talent because there's not enough content. Further, there's more ways and places to produce. The industry has jumped from private hells into lockstep...frankly a tad on the gushing liberal side, but that's the natural order or fast and lawless moving to a strict right/wrong. As time passes we'll get to normal people in a normal industry.

[rstevens62]

Originally Posted by tamajane

The only characters in American Beauty who were not creepy on some level were the gay neighbors. It's a great movie for that time period, depicting fractured, sterile suburban lives devoid of meaning. Lester wasn't a pedo, he was a lost and broken man. He played that part very well. Angela wasn't really a hot nympho, she was a confused insecure young girl.

Spacey wouldn't be into a girl anyway.

As to men IRL being attracted to teenage girls, I would say more than half for sure.

Not sure why the other poster thought that movie was 'yuckie', I havent seen it in awhile, but from what i remember the young blond girl that Spacey is obsessing over, is pretty darn hot, she doesnt look like a kid at all imo.

On the other hand, I thought the gay neighbors were the creepiest part of the movie, how they both were attracted to Spacey.

[ironpony]

One movie that I was really surprised by when it comes to Ephebophilia was Tadpole (2000). Watching it again, after not seeing it since when it came out, I am really surprised as to how far they went with it. They have all these adult women just wanting to sleep with this 15 year old teenager, and not even worry about any legal consequences, that I just thought it went too far, and the movie was being too mindless about the issue.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by bachslunch

Surprised no one has mentioned “Romeo and Juliet,” which has been filmed many times. In Shakespeare’s play, she’s listed as being 13. Though the actresses used in the film look quite a bit older.

It's not about pedophilia.

Olivia Hussey, who was the best Juliet as far as I'm concerned, was 15.

[kukumjacka]

People see what they want to see. When I saw The Professional for the first time I was into the action scenes. But then again I was 19. When I saw American Beauty I was in awe of the entire cast. I wasn't looking at the sexual angle. I've seen Lolita and I was mostly curious about what the hubbub was all about. But at 13, I landed on House of the Spirits book and I have a pretty vivid memory of reading the Trueba/Panca rape scene. It was pretty scary. Now mind you, this is a book, written by a woman. I saw the movie as well... big surprise, Jeremy Irons again, with a young girl. Pancha is supposed to be 14 in the book. The prostitute is supposed to be 12-13 in the book as well. Not sure what age they're in the movie.

So, when I see the Desire scene everyone's talking about, I see what I'm instructed to see, which is a young girl unknowingly masturbating at the age of 9. If I was to not know that, I'd have listen to the narration a few moments later when the grown woman tells that story. And that would have told me what it was that I saw.

Subtle connotations in movies/books are there to keep the audience interested. Shocked, or amazed, that's besides the point. It's a sale. Controversy sells. Interesting sells. Shocking sells. Morality? That just gets in the way of making money. To quote "Lord of War" --- I don't put a gun to anybody's head and make them shoot. But shooting is better for business. But, I prefer people to fire my guns and miss. Just as long as they are firing. ---

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by kukumjacka

... When I saw American Beauty I was in awe of the entire cast. I wasn't looking at the sexual angle. ...

I don't understand how you could see that movie and not see the sexual angle. The sexual angle was what the whole film was about.

[kukumjacka]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

I don't understand how you could see that movie and not see the sexual angle. The sexual angle was what the whole film was about.

Of course it's part of it but for me it wasn't the driving force of the movie. I thought the psychology of it was more overpowering than the sex.

A few years after the movie came out I happen to sit next to Chris Cooper in the plane. I had to ask... so I did... and he said that his character was supposed to have a few flashbacks of his backstory from Vietnam where he was captured along with another soldier and they essentially became each other's support and survival which turned sexual. The scenes ultimately were cut from the final script and never filmed.

[ironpony]

I think people are overly sensitive about the issue though, as I mentioned before how in the 2010 Robin Hood movie, King John's wife looks older, when she should be around 12 years old.

I remember I posted about that way back when the movie came out, and people posted back by saying that most audiences would not accept an adult male villain with a 12 year old wife.

But the villain is already committing murder and things like that. They are okay with the villain being a murderer, but a 12 year old wife is just going too far, for an evildoer apparently.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by kukumjacka

Of course it's part of it but for me it wasn't the driving force of the movie. I thought the psychology of it was more overpowering than the sex.

A few years after the movie came out I happen to sit next to Chris Cooper in the plane. I had to ask... so I did... and he said that his character was supposed to have a few flashbacks of his backstory from Vietnam where he was captured along with another soldier and they essentially became each other's support and survival which turned sexual. The scenes ultimately were cut from the final script and never filmed.

Naivety is often present in film audiences.

The first time I saw the film "Toys In The Attic" (based on a Lillian Hellman) play, I thought it was a great dramatic film. The next time I watched it I literally smacked myself in the forehead when I realized it was about the desire for incest...and the penultimate scene is where the male character suddenly realizes it, too.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by AJ1957

There was another, I think it may've been Dakota Fanning again, or a kid that looked like her, the main guy was a black actor, hired as her bodyguard I think?

I stopped watching after a scene wherein she said "do you have a girlfriend?". She was maybe...7 or 8. Children that age don't ask adult males they JUST MET (they'd been recently introduced) that q. Her tone/ facial expression when saying it was also ugh and seemed so unrealistic for a child for that age.

EDIT: film was "Man On Fire".

Lol, yeah the "black actor" who played the "main guy" is named Denzel Washington.