Conservative propaganda?

Why does every film in these forums have to be tied to some form of objectionable ideological stance? It's just a story. The depiction of the commune was cliched, but so was that of the highly strung middle-class couple who get all vexed when it's pointed out that they're materialistic.

Te only problem with that theory is that her family was portrayed as being pretty bad too.

Can you name a successful hippie commune that is still around today? Cults rarely use traditional religious themes as their basis. Mostly they take a strong pseudo-religious element and pervert it until it fits their goal. They all fit the Walden Two, Lord of the Flies, any communist manifesto model of behavior. They all forget one very important point, we all suffer from human weakness. These weaknesses have been enumerated in various ways from the seven deadly sins to the principles of Confucianism to numerous secular writings including most of Shakespeare's works. No one has devised a foolproof method of overcoming these weaknesses. In the fictional book 'A Clockwork Orange" they tried to do so through drug and behavioral modification therapy. While it was a work of fiction I believe the outcome would have been the same in the real world. If it were possible would someone not have tried it on a large scale.
One point of confusion over your points, where in the movie was the good Christian family portrayed? I missed that scene. About the only thing the cult defined in MMMM was not to stare, women eat after the men, its ok to kill sick cats and people who won't let you walk freely around their home and lastly don't gossip. Oh yeah and the leader gets to have sex with whomever he pleases. Can you say jealousy, envy, hurt feelings, manipulation, retribution etc. Besides the gossiping thing these are hardly religious themes.

It's not and I'm glad they portrayed the commune the way they did.


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I think it's a fair point that the OP has brought up, about looking at the ideological standpoint of the film, but personally I wonder if it's actually damning certain traditional American values?

Despite all their possessions and wealth, do the sister and her husband come across as happy? He is stressed over his job, she's broody and in practically every scene they have a glass of wine sat next to them.

Then there is the WASP-y lack of emotional involvement they provide to Martha. When she has her breakdown at the party, what do they do? They aren't interested in finding out what is wrong by having that long overdue heart-to-heart chat, instead they medicate her, which reminded me of the scene where the new recruit was drugged before being left for the cult leader to rape.

And what about the scene where she innocently strips off to go skinny-dipping? The sister again is not interested in communicating, her 'what is wrong with you' is an exclamation, not a question.

Finally, when it becomes clear that her family want her carted off to an institution, did anyone else think what a similar environment that would be to the cult? People in white coats murmuring mantras, supervising bonding sessions, dishing out pills, co-ordinating chores, restricting personal liberty...

Wow, that's funny!

I was looking on this board, surprised that there was no one who used this movie as an invalid condemnation of Christianity as a whole.

But I don't think it was a conservative or liberal movie.

What hump?

It's downright ridiculous to view this film as conservative propaganda. That's just nonsense. BTW, I'm a liberal.

Or rather than someone trying to make a political statement they are simply showing how this specific fictional cult is. It was not condemning or affirming anything.