IT WAS A BOLD move. The movie industry, long condemned as purveyors of every conceivable offense for the sake of a buck, was taking a stand. We will not abide by this rot anymore, it said, pounding a fist into its hand; the time has come to take the high ground, no matter the financial consequence. And with that, it was announced . . . James Bond would no longer smoke cigarettes. Who says show biz has no morals?
With this dust-up settled, we can nosh on the veggie platter while enjoying the latest trend in movie entertainment: child abuse. Two movies at last year’s Sundance Film Festival got the ball rolling. The first, Hounddog, starred Dakota Fanning as a 12 year-old raped by an Elvis Presley fan in Alabama during the 1950s. Being raped would mess up any girl’s mind, and Ms. Fanning’s character is no different. However, unlike some adolescents, who might emotionally withdraw from the world, Hounddog‘s heroine, according to movie critic Lou Lumenick, “forces two children to strip at gunpoint and embrace as she wraps a snake around them.” Kids these days, hunh?
