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Hays Code on Midnight Cowboys
The Hays Code was a set of particular standards that ensured morality censorship controls to rule the film industry that contained a majority of film production companies in the United States (Jill 42). The hays code became active from the early thirties to the year 1968 and formed by William Harrison (Jill 42). The code was divided into two parts, in which the first section included standards on morality while the second part dealt with standards of censoring vulgar language or suggestive materials used in films such as drugs that would defy the morality of the society.
However, after its implementation was stopped, some film companies decided to take the opportunity in investing and taking risks in the art of film making by including the concepts that were made unacceptable or illegal by the Hays code in the past. One of the famous movies in the sixties that achieved this accomplishment was known as the Midnight Cowboys. This was evidently witnessed in its content, in which offensive concepts of sexuality and violence are displayed despite it having a negative effect of immorality on the society.
Midnight Cowboys was recognized as first film in the late sixties to be termed as X-rated because of its audacious content that included sexual scenes of nudity and the use of illegal drugs (Browne and Ray 206). However, its rating was reduced after it was released for the second time during the late seventies. Surprisingly, it became a success as it was nominated for several awards in the areas of Art and Science. An example of sexual content that is illustrated in the film is whereby a character named Joe is raised by only women including his mother and grandmother with his father excluded in the picture. Both women supposedly work as prostitutes and hence this stirs urges feelings of homosexuality in the boy as he develops during his teenage period. This involved the boy forming sexual feelings towards members of the same sex. This section reveals sexual content because the concept of homosexuality was not well established and accepted in the societal standards during that period (Browne and Ray 207).
Another scene in the film is witnessed where Joe is walking through a small town and encounters a graffiti painting which reminds him of the relationship he had with his girlfriend. The resulting flashbacks in the movie display suggestive sexual scenes in which he and his girlfriend are having a sexual intercourse (Browne and Ray 207). The scenes depicted in this movie section have sexual content that could negatively affect the moral values of individuals. The second example is where Joe arrives at a hotel in New York and appears to be entertaining himself with a magazine that has a nude female on the front cover. This also shows sexual content that defies morality.
An example of a scene that shows the elements of violence is whereby Joe and his girlfriend named Anne are attacked on the streets by male individuals and severely assaulted by being raped. The scenes displayed that express this incident is very disturbing and violent since the viewers are left with distracting visuals in their minds that contradict with their moral values.
After analyzing the content in Mighty Cowboys, it is evident that the movie succeeded with taking advantage of the discontinuity of the Hay code that protected the society’s morals from being negatively influenced by the film industry. Evidence has been displayed through scenes of the film that contain immoral aspects of sexuality and violence. As much as they succeeded, they failed maintaining the society’s morals and hence caused greater consequences for the younger generation. For example, because of this incident, there is a possibility of having an increase in crimes such as rape, murder and homicide due to the exposure of such immorality.
Reference
Browne, Ray B, and Pat Browne. The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling GreenStateUniversity Popular Press, 2001. Print.
Nelmes, Jill. An Introduction to Film Studies. London: Routledge, 2003. Print.
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