Disney has apparently censored The French Connection by removing a line of offensive dialogue without notice, warning, or statement. This censorship carries over to The Criterion Channel and theatrical screenings.share
https://twitter.com/CerealMidnight/status/1666078216530935808
It's depressing to see the number of self-identifying 'liberals' and Democrats (i.e. corporate shills) defending such censorship.
There was a time when it was liberals who were the ones *defending* ART and ARTISTIC FREEDOM, and fighting against the FASCISM of government/corporate control over artists. Sadly, that era has long gone, and the libs and cons have apparently done a flip.
Speaking as a leftist on *most* issues, can I ask any fellow leftist/progressive, HOW THE *FUCK* CAN YOU DEFEND THIS SHIT?!? 😠👊🏿
How can you take the side of sanitising gaslighting whitewashing censorship-crazy CORPORATIONS like Disney, over individual artists trying to reflect REAL-LIFE, and NOT the fantasy world Disney likes to pretend we live in?!?
There was a time when the left was all about being honest and gritty and truthful about society. Now, there is a contingent who want to believe that the Little fucking Mermaid (the sanitised Disney version; not the original dark fairytale), and Barbie are reality. FUCKING HELL! 🙄🤦♂️
This is FASCISM plain and simple. No-one who is truly interested in these gritty 70s classics, is asking Disney to do this (thank goodness, I still have an old DVD copy of The French Connection somewhere; it's probably not the most spruced-up version, but at least it hasn't been CENSORED). The only people celebrating this are 'liberal' CULTISTS and CORPORATE SHILLS. Shame on them. SHAME ON THEM. 😠👊🏿
FIGHT THE POWER!
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Sounds like the company is preparing for Mr. Hackman's eventual death, knowing that this film will receive the most attention when he passes.
It is possible that this move will be temporary, paying "respect" to Hackman by not having undue attention diverted from his passing to his language in this film.
Yes I'm sure the wokeheads at Disney are highly concerned about the respect due to an old white man who has no significant association with their multi-billion dollar corporation and that this is why they are surreptitiously censoring a fifty-year old movie, because they think people will suddenly look at him differently due to the racism of a fictional character that he had portrayed.
shareI think they are concerned.
They didn't just decide to censor this movie out of the blue. Mr. Hackman is 93 years old.
This movie will be in the spotlight when he passes. The danger is that his characters racist rants will be more in the media than honors that are due to him.
That's ridiculous.
He's playing a *character*. Not a fricking role-model.
What will happen when Sir Anthony Hopkins dies? Will they have to censor any reference to Hannibal Lector eating people?
You know racism of any kind is catnip clickbait for social media.
Disney is surely aware of this.
But it's a 52-year-old film. How stupid must people be if they're going to lose their shit over racism in a film that's over half a century old? And it's not like Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind or Song of the South, which are films that sanitise or even promote racism. No-one who made The French Connection was saying "racism is a good thing." They were simply saying it was a fact of life, especially for many police officers (even, alas, today).
sharePeople lose their shit on social media all the time for trivial things. It is easy to put forth the narrative on social media of "Does Hackman deserve his fame for playing a racist character?" THAT is clickbait.
It safe to say that most of the newer generations have not seen this great film. Many will see it for the first time out of curiosity after Mr. Hackman passes.
Newer generations are hypersensitive to bigotry/racism in film, Disney is taking the jump by sanitizing it before Mr. Hackman passes.
And I don't approve of this step. It's absurd, and just because Hackman played a racist, it doesn't mean he is one. Just as well Warner Bros owns Unforgiven. I'd hate to think what Disney would do to that film in view of Hackman's character.
shareCompletely agree, it's absurd. But social media has it's downsides.
share"removing a line of offensive dialogue"
What line is that?
Its too offensive to type here
shareIts ok to write, if nobody reads it. Like Indy said: "keep your eyes shut..."
shareIf I typed it, I would be a racist so I refuse to do so
share
If I typed it, I would be a racist so I refuse to do so
Fascists. By that logic, if you're a director/screenwriter who wants to write about a racist character you can't, even if you directing a film that take place in a southern state in United States of 19th century. According to this, we are supposed to censor all the murder scenes in movies because they offensive. Goodbye to freedom of expression and realism. Ridiculous.
shareThe French Connection takes place in the 20th century though
shareSo what? the character used racist words, there are many or at least some people in real life that talked like him, so we can't used them in movies? books? the purpose of cinema is to describe a story, the character can be a good person, bad one, racist or love baseball, it's doesn't matter...
shareMaybe the problem with The French Connection is that it isn't clear enough about Popeye Doyle, is he a good guy or bad guy. If he uses racist language, he should be portrait as baad baaad baaaad person.
shareAre you for real?
The world is more complicated than that.
Disney of all companies should know that, seeing that they're trying to humanise characters like Cruella De Ville (a woman who hunts and skins dalmatians for their skin).
Here I am agree with Harvey.
First, people are complicated.
Second, since when do we censor characters for being ambivalent?
"The world is more complicated than that."
Sigh. I'm all for complicated. But frankly, movies like TFC are in minority in american movies. I'm not talking about myself, obviously, I was talking about stupidity of average-Joes and what kind of simple movies/stories they're spoonfed for all their lives.
So, we should pander to the lowest-common-denominator?
I've heard this argument before, and it's depressing.
It means *intelligent* and *sophisticated* people can't have good things, because *morons* might misinterpret them.
"So, we should pander to the lowest-common-denominator?"
No, I'm not saying that.
"It means *intelligent* and *sophisticated* people can't have good things, because *morons* might misinterpret them."
I think you're misinterpreting me right now. I'm not the enemy.
I'm not attacking you per se. I'm simply frustrated with the argument, and I don't think we should spend a single second excusing and apologising for these people and the steps that are made in their benefit/interest.
Fuck em.
The world is, and ALWAYS will be, a shitty place. To quote RUN DMC, it's like that, and that's the way it is.
The best we can do in order to cope, is simply acknowledge the way it is, and depict it via art.
you really think killing animals is worse than being a bigot?
wake up! it's 2023!!
Thank goodness we got rid of racism by the 20th century. Just ask your professor.
shareRacism is very much alive today. Just look how Kamala Harris is treated. I watch every weekend the show PoliticsNation on MSNBC, hosted by Al Sharpton. He still maintains theres a lot of work left to do to solve Americas racist ways
shareIf racism is still a problem today, then, logically, what does that imply about the 20th century? That racism was or wasn't a problem back then? 🤔
shareWell I have never seen the movie before in my life and found a copy on dvd at a local used media shop. I'm down to watch a gritty 70s cop movie.
shareThe type of movies, characters, characterizations, and dialogue of the 1970s will never been seen again, or made again...except(as always) for a few exceptions. Quentin Tarantino movies, for instance.
That those 70a movies will now be subject to censorship -- erasing their very essence, however offensive(and the movie was AGAINST Popeye's racism -- is a historic development.
And there's nothing we can do about it.
It was fascinating living through the 70s movies and feeling everything "opening up" on adult matters of dialogue and content.
It is fascinating in a different way living through the 2020s and watching everything close down.
History runs in cycles. We are living in one, right now.
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