Prismark10 says > Only by viewing this film in the context of the time it was released can one appreciate what a talked about movie this was.
That can't be true but I certainly do understand the point you're trying to make. I didn't have to be around at the time to know that things were very different in the early sixties. Those of us seeing the movie for the first time may not find the movie quite as shocking as the sixties audiences would have but we can see; especially if we've seen a lot of older movies, that it was a departure from other movies of its time.
Still, Tom Jones is a good movie. I would never argue that context is unimportant but I believe a good movie is a good movie regardless of when it's seen. Movies, as life, deal with humans interacting with each other. As different and evolved as we may think we are today, we, as a race of people, have not really changed that much. We still deal with the same issues people have always dealt with and will continue to deal with throughout time. The biggest difference is we have different ways in which we interact and most of us have a wider range of people with whom we can make contact.
If the shock value of the sixties was the only thing going for the movie it would not have stood the test of time. All these years later, new audiences are still discovering and enjoying the movie because it's a good movie. It may not be in theaters but, fortunately, we have cable. Had it aired on network TV the movie would have been so hacked up and edited, both for time and content, it would likely have been an entirely different movie; one that probably would not have made much sense or been as interesting.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
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