It's time to talk about swearing in
movies, motherf-----. No, I'm not talking about PG words like ass,
bastard, hell, or damn. I'm talking about the hard R words like f---,
s---, and c---. It's pretty common to hear these words in movies
these days (except for maybe that last word). I'd be willing to bet
that most people (unless they watch kids movies a lot) don't remember
the last movie they saw that didn't have swearing in it. Moreover,
most people probably don't even take note of when they see a movie
that doesn't have curses – I know I don't. It's a trend that's
definitely become ubiquitous since the 1960's. I remember when people
made a big deal of all the swearing in The Blair Witch Project
in 1999, but now there's movies like The Wolf of Wall Street
(2013) that use the word f--- on an average of more than thrice per
minute. It's a pretty big part of contemporary film, so just for
s---s and giggles I'm going to give my two cents on it.
What the hell is swearing for? To me it
seems that there's two uses for cursing in movies. The first is to
add a bit of grittiness to a scene. This could take the form of
someone muttering a swear word in frustration or shouting a nasty
insult as most people do in real life at one point or another (see
John McClane in Die Hard). Another way to make a scene gritty
with profanity is by using swear words to create an uninviting
environment and a tough tone. This s--- can often be seen with child
characters who are already adept at the art of profanity (Sarah
Altman in Panic Room), something which most people don't learn
until maturity. When used in these ways, profanity can make the
film's world feel more real and s---. Imagine watching Straight
Outta Compton (2015) without hearing any F-bombs. That would be a
very f---ed up, surreal experience.
On the other hand, the other main way
of using cursing in movies is in a comedic role. Having swear words
used by unexpected people or used in an unusual manner or in an
unanticipated context can be hilarious. This technique is one of the
cornerstones of raunchy comedies. I once was watching TV and the film
Step Brothers (2008) came on, but since it was the TV version
all the curse words were edited out and replaced with weird s--- via
dubbing. I like Step Brothers, but without the profanity the
movie felt toothless and impotent.
As obscenities have gained more and
more prominence, certain filmmakers have gained notoriety in the
language's fluency. Directors like Martin Scorcese and Quentin
Tarantino and actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Al Pacino are
legendary for their ability to weave their quilts of verbal filth.
Curses are part of what made Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1980's
one-liners so kickass.
Of course that means there are also
ways of misusing swear words. Being able to curse convincingly is a
required skill. Not being able to swear with conviction or appearing
uncomfortable with saying curse words will make an actor sound like
an immature 8 year-old kid who just learned the F-word and is trying
it for the first time.
The second way profanity can be f---ed
up is if, just as with all other types of dialogue, it doesn't fit in
with the context of the rest of the film. As always, let's look at
the 007 series. As the series progressed, curse words have very
slowly crept in. But if I might be just a little critical I think
2015's Spectre went a little too far with the profanity. Not
that Spectre has a s---load of it; it has about as much
swearing as many other action films of today. But what rubs me the
wrong way about it is that this is the Bond series: the refined,
sophisticated, tasteful series of films evolving from their
intelligent British roots since the early 1960's. In the case of Bond
films a couple obscenities are OK, but they should be used sparingly.
Another series that I think is going
just a bit too far with obscenities is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I know that as the series has progressed it has dealt with
increasingly serious and personal storylines. For example, it's
understandable why Tony Stark was so stressed out and agitated in
2016's Captain America: Civil War. But it still feels a little
off-putting when the earlier films in the franchise didn't swear so
much. Not only that – and I can't believe I'm about to say this –
there are motherf---ing kids watching these movies. Like, young kids.
With their parents. I don't think curse words in the Marvel films
will be driving families away in droves, but Marvel studios should
make every effort to make their movies enjoyable to both adult and
adolescent viewers. At least, that's what it looks like they're
trying to do with this series of movies. Films like Deadpool
(2016), which are definitely not for kids, get a free pass.
And so that's my take on swearing in
films. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing. However, just as
is the case with all elements of a film, it is something that needs
to be written naturally and implemented with care. So don't f--- it
up.
P.S. - Yes. I realize that this is probably the most pointless article I've ever written.
No comments:
Post a Comment