So alot of people are all up in arms about the new movie "Hound Dog" written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier. The buzz is about a scene in which a 12yr old girl, the movie's main character played by Dakota Fanning, is raped by a teen-age boy. The movie has raised concern about the judgment of the filmmakers and Fanning's parents and agent.
Some heat is coming from the New York Catholic League, President Bill Donohue who has called for a federal probe of the film to make sure no child pornography laws have been violated, and also appeared on tv blasting the movies content as kiddy porn. Yet no member of the league has reportedly seen the movie they have just heard about the scene.
It makes me wonder why the Catholic league is taking such a hard stance on a movie that just depicts the rape of a child, yet they fail to take the actual rape of hundreds of children by Catholic priests seriously. Compensating maybe for the bad light in recent years they received on the subject, I think so or maybe its more of the don't speak about the monster and it would hurts us attitude the Catholics like to take on most sinful subjects.
Some have gone on to question the judgment of the people surrounding Fanning. Dakota responded to these attacks: "When it gets to the point of attacking my mother, my agent ... my teacher, who were all on the set that day, that started to make me mad" she also added " I can let other things go, but when people start to talk about my mother, like, that's really bad in my opinion ... that's an attack, and that's not fair. They hadn't seen the movie"
Well now the movie has premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. All reports I've heard have described the scene as discreet and it fits the story. It makes the naysayers sound like a bunch of assholes. Maybe they should have taken a moment to think about what the scene actually entailed or also the beneficial aspect of the movie; bringing to light the subject of child rape in a more real light then in the past. Lets not forget there have been movies before that specifically highlighted the subject of child rape, I remember one myself that was about a boy being rape by his priest...hmmmm. Why make a movie like that? Perhaps it was to educate the public on the very real crime of priests molesting thei alter-boys. I think this movie is just a step up from there but I don't think it could possibly cross the line or the movie would never had been made. Another example of a movie educating the public on the subject of rape would be "The Accused" starring Jodie Foster, a movie in which the main character has to come to grips and find the courage to stand up to the men to rape her in the middle of a bar. It also tackled the issued of was she asking for it or does no mean no. In a non-related similarity Jodie Foster played a 12 year old prostitute in Taxi Driver. Movies have a great chance to inform us about a subject, not just to entertain us and sometimes it means they got push the envelope of what is acceptable.
So in conclusion go see the movie when it come out in theaters you may learn something or you may hate it, either way, make your own decision don't let others make it for you.
sources
cnn.com
catholicleague.org
IMDB.com
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