Posted by turtle at user-2ive953.dialup.mindspring.com on November 17, 1999 at 09:45:05:
In Reply to: ...and if we can get the entire board to swarm: posted by JustDavid on November 16, 1999 at 18:41:42:
Hello,
I just checked out your rating system. Out of curiosity, have you ever done this CAP analysis on the Bible? Seems to me that that particular book is one of the most violence/sin filled pieces of work ever created. Would you recommend caring parents allow their children to read it? According to your rating system, you shouldn't.
Sometimes you simply have to tell a story using "bad" concepts. And, while I don't always think violence and torture should be relied upon in relating
stories, I also believe that in many cases it is appropriate. In the movie Dogma the whole point is that these characters, the Angel of Death, the Watcher, and Bethany, have a crisis of faith. That's a very realistic occurance in modern society. The movie (if you had bothered to stay for the whole thing) brings these characters full circle back into the "hands of God". Now if the characters hadn't done so many "sinful" acts during their journey there would have been no need for them to seek out God in the end. So, the violence and loss of faith was necessary for the story. This movie is honestly one of the most spiritual, pro-God movies I've ever seen. And it's aimed at an audience that is traditionally very ambivalent about religion in general. I'm really surprised that you can't understand that. It's too bad, because it seems as if both you and Kevin Smith are on the same side.
As far as your actual CAP rating, I agree with you. This is a very mature film, not for kids. But then again, that's why it has an R rating. No one ever promoted this film as something for the whole family. But basing a story just on technical points is to miss the forest for the trees. Sure, there are questionable acts in the movie, but that is a necessary part of the plot, just as relating the story of Adam and Eve's fall from grace, and the whole Sodom and Gamorrah tale. This film, as does the Bible, and many other tales of morality, serves as an inspiration. To condem it simply because it deals with realistic problems is to miss the point.
Thank you,
Turil Cronburg