I saw this movie only once and I never saw it again because of that rape scene, I wish they never showed that scene or have the audience see it on screen. I was so pushed over the edge by that scene that I threw up and then I had nightmares about people breacking into my door to rape my mom, my sisters and myself. God! I wish they would just show someone standing outside listening to the screaming and the horrible noises that was happening there.
shareIt was definitely a hard scene to watch, but the movie is about real people with an abusive past. The sad thing about the movie is that many of my friends, family members, and ex-girlfriends have experienced alot of what the movie showed. The world is one harsh place that can beat you down if you let it.
shareTrue, I totally agree with you; when people say that last statement you said about the world. Were you serous about knowing people who have been abused or raped? That must have been awful and terrifying, events like that could scare you for life. They have been through Hell you just want to slap them in the face and say 'You haven't been through anything that is like Hell' then tell them about the *beep* that your friends, family members and your ex-girlfriends been through, you know what I mean?
shareI saw on the news today about 10 youths storming to rape a woman and her 12 year old son and force the son to sexually assault the mom, pouring cleaning solution on the 12 year old while continuing beating him down.
Somehow I think about this movie and the horrible rape scene. Gosh, humanity is so ugly sometimes and I do feel like vomiting now :(
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well said, cookiela. rape, if it is nausea-inducing, should be so no matter who the victim.
shareSurvivor. That's what we call ourselves. And altho mine not so violent, a knife was involved, I survived, and am stronger than I was then. It's horrifying, yet, not insurmountable. The human spirit is amazingly resiliant and hopeful.
Peace.
Glad to hear you survived and are stronger! Definitely a testament to resilience and hope.
shareI just saw the movie today and that scene made me cry my eyes out,especially when Tom lets all of his emotions out and cries on Dr. Lowenstien's shoulder. That was a very tough scene to watch. :(
what's up doc?-Judy Maxwell
I'm like the original poster. I thought the movie was absolutely excellent and really thought I should own a copy of it...but couldn't bring myself to buy it. That rape scene sickened me. I never want to have to sit through watching anything like that again. And since that that sort of thing really does happen, it doesn't mean that I am running away from reality. It just means that I will never become hardened to it, never get used to horrible violence like that. So, RedRackham and I am in the same boat, so to speak.
shareThank you marilynn25
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I'm like the original poster. I thought the movie was absolutely excellent and really thought I should own a copy of it...but couldn't bring myself to buy it. That rape scene sickened me. I never want to have to sit through watching anything like that again. And since that that sort of thing really does happen, it doesn't mean that I am running away from reality. It just means that I will never become hardened to it, never get used to horrible violence like that. So, RedRackham and I am in the same boat, so to speak.
We watched the movie in school and the teacher never warned us about that scene. it just kind of happened it everyone was like "um...wtf."
I think it was terrible judgement on his part. What if someone had gotten sick? Or if someone had experienced it? He didn't even have parents sign the permission slip for it until half the movie was over.
He pisses me off.
I hope he lost his job for that.
shareNope, we're going to continue with it on Monday. We have a week off from school.
He doesn't care.
I just am reading all this stuff about how horrible that scene was...and I can't believe we just like...saw it. In school. Without even talking about it. When the bell rang everyone just left.
It just bothered me lol.
Why should he lose his job? The film is rated R, if the kids are old enough to see it, technically there is no problem. What a dumb thing to say.
#51"That's right, one can make all kinds of explosives using simple household items"
What if it were The Accused?
shareIn the US that's another R rated film, so again if the kids are 17+ there's no problem. Although, of course, a teacher should ask if anyone doesn't want to watch the film, or just not that scene at least. I will agree that IMDB's teacher should have told them about the rape scene in this film beforehand. I actually misread their post the first time and thought they said the teacher did warn them.
#51"That's right, one can make all kinds of explosives using simple household items"
Is this a U.S. high school? If so, it's against the law for him to show that to a class of minors without express written consent of parents or guardians. If it were me, I'd have my parents complain to the administration. Teachers shouldn't be showing movies in classes, anyway. A movie's not going to raise a kids achievement. @@
shareSo you'd want to start a witch hunt, get the man expelled and probably 'crucified' by the kid's and their families over a scene in which there was nothing graphical or no explicit violence shown to begin with? A agree that the teacher should have warned the kids for the upcoming scene though and should have given them the option to close their eyes or leave the classroom for two minutes!
And as for the kid's achievement remark; a good film can definately contribute to a higher awareness and new insights, wich can really beneficial for a child.
Witch hunt? If it was a U.S. high school, the teacher broke the law, and even worse, he broke the law IN THE CLASSROOM. It is not a gray area. Of course I'd want the kids and their families to go after him! There is a reason our MPAA prohibits minors from seeing R rated films without express consent of a parent or guardian.
If you think there was nothing "graphical" and no explicit violence in that movie, you should watch again. Regardless of our opinion on that issue, the fact remains that it is rated R, and thus requires parent consent for a minor to view it in the USA.
Finally, are you in Education? I'm pretty sure that South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Finland, Australia, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands and the United Kingdom (to name A FEW) aren't kicking our ass in Education because they're watching more movies that we are. In case you were unaware, students in the United States ranked 25th out of 30 participating countries in Mathematics and 14th out of 29 for Reading on the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment. Laissez faire attitudes like, "Let 'em watch a movie" aren't likely to raise our international academic status.
Funny that you asked; I am actually a Dutch English teacher (I hope you won't start on my non-perfect English writing skills ;-))! I'm not interested in discussing the best educational systems! And I would NEVER show my kids a film with a 'Let 'em watch a movie-attitude'. There is nothing wrong with an interesting movie or documentary about WW2, a good film based on a novel or a British BBC production in English class.
I don't have to watch the movie again and I stay by my position that nothing explicit was shown. The rape scene was terrible and nausiating, but suggestive!!
And I think it's a cruel thing to say that you actually want the man's life to be destroyed over a movie like this. You treat him like a Callanwolde rapist! That 'Let's hunt him down with burning torches-way of thinking' is, with all do respect, very primitive!
Sorry you feel that way. I respect you opinion. I'm an English teacher in the states, and perhaps I'm hypersensitive to teachers who show movies to their classes with no clear academic objective rather than teach. You are correct, though. A well planned showing of a good film can definitely build funds of knowledge for kids. As long as it's not used in lieu of direct instruction, I suppose it could be okay.
I see what you're saying about explicitness, too. I found the suggestiveness, as you call it, to be explicit, but that's just a semantical debate. You're right, they didn't show penetration or anything that explicit--and the scene in the book is FAR more explicit and haunting.
I don't think the man's life should be destroyed, but I do think he was irresponsible, and he probably broke the law AND he involved children in his disregard for the law. If it had happened at my school, I would have definitely turned him in. I doubt anything more would happen to him than perhaps getting written up--certainly would not be fired; but a teacher simply can't do that kind of thing here. Technically, we would be legally mandated to call Child Protective Services about the incident if we had knowledge. If one is allowed to "get away" with showing an r-rated film to minors without permission, what's to stop that person from screening Debbie Does Dallas next time?
I agree. To say that the teacher deserves to be fired for showing the movie is ridiculous.
Also, I've never heard of a US law that says you can't show rated R movies in a classroom w/o consent. Back when I was in HS (in the 90s) our teachers showed us R rated movies. Somehow we managed not to be scarred for life, lol.
And I really don't think you can trace any problems with the US educational system back to teachers showing movies in classrooms. That's a real stretch.
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Barbra did a great job, then, seeing as so many people have such a visceral reaction to it. It's rape, for crying out loud. You're supposed to be haunted / alarmed by that scene, not walk away all warm and fuzzy.
It would have been a huge mistake to NOT show that scene because it was so pivotal to the plot. That event changed them all, and played a big part in the challenges they were facing in the present.
Geez guys, this wasn't meant to be a disney movie. Yes, it was an emotionally tough scene but it's what the movie was about. If this bothered you I recommend you never watch Once Were Warriors. You'd probably have coronaries.
I have to admit, I'm surprised by the reactions to this film. I thought Barbra did a great job with that sequence - it is disturbing and shocking, but not exploitive or overtly graphic. I thought it was well-edited and filmed.
I think this is an important film about abuse, and trying to cope with the effects and shame of abuse.
For me, other rape scenes, such as the ones in Looking for Mr. Goodbar and the Accused, have affected me more, perhaps because they are more graphic. But how a scene is shot/edited affects us each in different ways.
The Prince of Tides has NOTHING on Once Were Warriors!! Now that is a hard movie! And what's worse is that people think all New Zealanders are like that!
!!!MEAN *MAORI* MEAN!!!
!!!!TINO RANGATIRATANGA!!!!
Once Were Warriors? Really? Yes, Once Were Warriors is difficult to watch with a rape scene and horrible scenes of abuse. But compared to a scene where a mother and her two little children are raped at the same time and then stay silent about it? It's not even that graphic and for me personally, it's ten times worse than Warriors just to think about it.
"I like fixin' people gooood!"
- Papa Jupiter
Barbra did a great job, then, seeing as so many people have such a visceral reaction to it. It's rape, for crying out loud. You're supposed to be haunted / alarmed by that scene, not walk away all warm and fuzzy.
It would have been a huge mistake to NOT show that scene because it was so pivotal to the plot. That event changed them all, and played a big part in the challenges they were facing in the present.
I am so sorry that this scene had this effect on you....yes it was a very difficult scene to watch and I also had a tough time after watching it. I agree with you that perhaps they should have filmed it differently....I love this movie so much but when it comes to this scene I still turn away and leave the room...
shareI don't know how anyone can enjoy the romance of this film after they see that horrific scene with the children being raped. UGH I hate recalling it!
shareIt was a disturbing scene, but it doesn't turn me off this movie, it adds to the emotional impact. In fact I thought it wasn't that graphic really, much of it was implied. This scene was extremely tame compared to Bastard Out Of Carolina.
I like pigs. Dogs look up to you, cats down on you. Pigs treat you as equals.
Oh another horrible film! I swear that film made me ashame to be a woman, when a woman choses to take a man who beats her child and molested her child is an idiot.
Both parents should be arrested and gone to prison.