Controversial Films (Pt. 3)

Sex! Violence! Politics! (The Late Sixties)

In the 1960s, a number of factors converged to produce changes in what were acceptable subjects for filmmaking.  In America, the studio system was in sharp decline, and the self-censorship rules known as the “Hays code” were abandoned.  There were “new wave” movements in England and France as well as the U.S.  Independent films made with smaller budgets and crews were finding larger audiences.  These kinds of movies covered topics rejected by the more risk-averse studios.

Subduing the Demon

We are animals.  When animals get stressed there’s an adaptation response called “fight or flight”.  It’s more like fight, flee or freeze, but the point is it’s biological.  It’s a built-in.  You can learn how to use it properly, but you can not keep it from happening.  When you get stressed, adrenaline will pump into your system, and adrenaline can turn you into a monster.

My Father’s Imprisonment

Our achievements and our problems don’t begin with us.  There’s a continuum from our parents through us to our children and beyond.  Even in cases where you don’t know them, there’s a genetic legacy which has more influence than many want to admit.  If your parents are smart, tall or short, fat or thin, have any kind of chronic condition related to health, have emotional or psychological “eccentricities”, or thinning hair, the chances are greater that you will share these characteristics.