Bad Cinema.

As a film student, i have seen many controversial films.

However, i was still shocked when i watched 'Kids' the other day the language and attitudes of these adolescents threw me into pure disbelief.

Then i began thinking about censorship.

Arthur Marwick described the late 50's and 60's as 'a retreat from the social controls imposed in the Victorian era'. (http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0012.html) True.

So then why, in 1971 when a Clockwork Orange was released, did Kubrick himself decide to withdraw it? Even more so, why was it OK to re-release it 27 years later?

The answer is that censorship and classification has changed, allowing controversial films to be more accepted, lets face it, if you don't see it, you'll hear about it!

In 1952, the supreme court ruled that 'treated within the careful limits of good taste' banned topics such as drug addiction, childbirth and prostitution would now be allowed in cinema, and from there, censorship was open to change and more directors openly challenged these rules with 'controversial films.

The filmsite.org have generated a list of 'the most controversial films of all time' and it is worth noting that they were all released after or during the 60's. (http://www.filmsite.org/controversialfilms9.html)

The 60's was a decade of great change, the contraceptive pill became legal, hippies were everywhere and many books were banned due to their explicit sexual content and cinema reflected this, by being more controversial than ever.

Amazingly many of these films have recently been reproduced again, such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and are more graphic than the original, proof of the wavering censorship.

Bad Cinema, is an excellent piece of media. It reflects the problems in society and alienates it's audience, yet forces them to continue watching in pure disbelief. It can raise awareness of tragic or dangerous issues and teach moral lessons.

Bad cinema allows it's audience to enter a dangerous fantasy without having to suffer the consequences or allows viewers to test their imagination, either way, bad cinema is essential.

There will always be certain taboos in society and i personally believe that more directors should attempt to force a viewer to assess their own thoughts on these topics.

Most of which we view on screen has happened in reality, and shockingly, some are even based on true stories. Bad cinema should become more common because no matter how disgusted we are by it, many of the topics displayed are unavoidable in many societies.

The truth is, ignorance is bliss, and many directors know this and exploit it, because somethings just can't be ignored!!