Posted on 02/26/2016 3:52:47 PM PST by NYer
It has become almost a self-parodying habit of mainstream media outlets: if the calendar says the season is holy, then the headlines and activities are meant to mock and to shock. Every Advent brings theories meant to “explain” a virgin birth and brightly shining stars, and every Lent brings reruns of The DaVinci Code to cable outlets, and it’s all meant to seem daring and smart and provocative.
These efforts, by the way, sometimes incite outrage, mostly because some people are so predictably willing to be outraged when they could actually choose — like Christ himself — to be patiently instructive or sometimes even mildly amused.
In the case of Turner Movie Classics’ decision to spend the Thursdays leading up to Easter Sunday showcasing 27 films condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency, the best choice might be mild amusement, with a willingness to learn something, and not least because a very media savvy (and often funny) Catholic sister will be introducing 17 of the movies.
Sister Rose Pacatte is the author of The Way: A Cinematic Retreat Guide and numerous film study guides. She is a Daughter of Saint Paul who — in keeping with that community’s charism — evangelizes through multiple platforms in modern media. She is also the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies. With her lifelong exploration of media (she holds a masters in Media Studies from the University of London), Sister Rose is eminently qualified to discuss both the history of the Legion of Decency and its effect on American Cinema, and to comment knowledgeably on the impact of film on society and, for that matter, on society’s impact on film-making.
In a telephone interview with the Catholic News Service, Sister Rose admitted, she’d never seen most of the films. “They’re old,” she said, and “The hoopla and the outrage that they caused! They’re not even good movies. You can see that they’re most dominated by sex, and the Legion’s reaction to that in the context of the times — and everybody reacted, not just them.â€
As with most things, context means everything. Modern films stretch limits of sexual imagery and depict ultra-violence that would once have been unimaginable, not only to the Legion of Decency, but to moviegoers themselves (although undoubtedly for some, objections and condemnations could make a film more, not less, alluring). Were the Legion in existence today, would their condemnations hold, or would a denounced film like 1957’s “Love in the Afternoon” or the 1958 Brigitte Bardot launcher, “And God Created Woman” be seen as an adult-themed journies that ultimately affirm traditional values? Referencing the Bardot film, Sister Rose notes, “after all [the main characters] go through — the violence, the passion — the two are going to marry, and hold hands and walk into their little apartment together.â€
Talking to Aleteia, the sister said, “‘Black Narcissus’, ‘L’Amore’, ‘M’ are all worthy films. ‘Baby Doll’ was reevaluated in the 80s and reclassified. ‘L’Amore’ was passed by the Vatican censor before it ever got to the USA – this is the kind of info I am providing [with the TCM series]. I hope people will watch because this is not a take-down of the Legion of Decency but a look at history, the tension between the Church and Hollywood, and how things have changed or developed.
The headlines, “Catholic Nun Hosts Series of Condemned Movies” might be typical Lenten teasing from the media, but an examination of film, the Legion and society may give us a great deal more to think about, particularly in the Year of Mercy, when the human journey is being examined with compassionate eyes, and especially under a sister’s guidance.
Ping.
Coming from a Catholic family that referenced the Catholic Legion of Decency every time I went to the movies, I’ll be checking this TMC festival out.
On 1956 my parents took this then 3rd grader to the Roxy in NYC to see D Day the 6th of June with Robert Taylor and Richard Todd. Also there was a live show of Les Paul and Mary Ford where they introduced electronic multiples in their performance. I loved the movie, though not enough action for this 9 year old. In school the next week the nuns passed out the week’ s Legion of Decencylist. D Day was rated one step up from condemned
I brought this home to my Mom, a daughter of Gramercy Park Irish atistocracy, and she laughed so hard it scared the dog. She told me not to worry. God would not send us to Hell for seeing a movie.
Don’t want Nun, won’t be Nun....
An obvious expert then.
Looks like she’s wearing a pair of black stockings she got tangled up in when she was falling-down drunk.
Don’t worry. Some will alert a Mod and it’ll be gone any minute...
Great story. Excellent mother. ‘She told me not to worry.’ What a relief. I would hate to get domoted by the Lord by watching a few films.
The Legion of Decency (1933, Ohio) was supported by millions of concerned parents and we should have a new Legion today. I learned from a movie buff here in Los Angeles that producers respected the Legion of Decency, since the supporters were eager to buy tickets to good films.
List of banned films:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_condemned_by_the_Legion_of_Decency
I don’t know about Sister Rose as a movie reviewer, but I heartily endorse listening to the Daughters of St. Paul Choir’s CDs of religious songs.
Unfortunately my favorite Daughters of St. Paul Lenten/Easter “album” is a very old audio tape entitled “Rejoice in Hope, Songs of Redemption.” Unfortunately it has never been released on a CD.
LOL.
Maybe but, she’s hot now and I would hit that all day!!!
I’m 53 and good luck guessing I am.
Though I am getting irritated with these spots showing up on my face.
I’m told they are liver spots and to use some cream that girls use to suppress em.
Some of my fav pre code films going be featured some of them are good some of them are so wrong
Hey what wrong with the Church if they badmouth nice actress like Barbara Stanwick and Will Bill Wellman
Lots of affairs, murders, wars, etc happen in the OT.
Barbara Stanwyck was a lot of things, but “nice” was not one of them. Beautiful, hot, cold, hard, vulnerable, gifted, limited, kind, harsh ... but not “nice.”
Is he still around?
A: Morally unobjectionableAt some point, the B and C ratings were combined into a new O rating for "morally offensive" films.
A-I: Suitable for all audiencesB: Morally objectionable in part
A-II: Suitable for adults and adolescents
A-III: Suitable for adults only
A-IV: For adults with reservations
C: Condemned by the Legion of Decency
The difference between a great but disturbing film "suitable for adults" (A-III or A-IV) and a film that got an "O" for Offensive, was that the "O" film used sex and violence in a patently exploitative way, i.e. to inflame sadistic or prurient interest. A film could win approval, though, if it treated sex and violence-related themes in a way reasonably related to the honesty of the narrative, and in a non "sexploitation", non-psycho-sicko way.
It may raise a smile to see what was "banned" (awarded an "O" )40 or 50 years ago, but keep in mind that public entertainment had not turned into a total sewer at that time, and mothers and fathers were generally not willing to treat their children to sexual entertainment at a visual bordello. The League's ratings had the VERY widespread approval of Protestants, Catholics and Jews, including of course people highly aware of the sex-and-violence content to be found in both the Old and New Testaments.
Which could have been depicted with approval, of course, if handled in a non S&M, non-crotch-grabbing way.
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