9780737708646

Foreword

(14)

Introduction

(7)

Violent Film Genres

A Brief History of Film Violence

(12)

Stephen Prince

Film violence dates back to 1903's The Great Train Robbery

Since then, technical innovations as well as greater directorial freedom have brought a greater degree of graphic violence to the medium

As a result, increasingly high levels of violent content in popular films have become the norm

Teen Rebellion Films and Juvenile Delinquency

(10)

David M. Considine

Juvenile delinquency was a growing social concern throughout the first half of the 1950s, and from 1954 to 1961 Hollywood released a series of films that centered around violent teenagers and gangs

Some of these films seriously addressed the issue of juvenile crime, but most simply preyed on audiences' fears of wayward youth

Action-Revenge Films

(9)

Jake Horsley

Action-revenge films were first made popular in the 1970s with Dirty Harry and its sequels, but reached a new era of popularity with 1988's Die Hard

These films blatantly advocate the pursuit of justice through extreme, ultraviolent measures, and create in audiences a demand for more violence even as they dull viewers' capacity to be shocked by it

Slasher Films and Violence Against Women

(10)

Barry S. Sapolsky

Fred Molitor

Slasher films such as Halloween and Friday the 13th feature a superhuman killer who stalks victims one by one throughout the course of the movie

These films have been criticized as misogynistic on the grounds that women are most often the victims in such films, but several analyses of slasher films indicate that, on average, male and female characters are killed with roughly equal frequency

Violence on Television

The First Outcry Against Television Violence

(8)

Francis Wheen

By the early 1960s violent police and detective series were the most popular type of show on television

In 1961 Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton Minow called TV a ``vast wasteland,'' and in response the television industry made half-hearted attempts to appease antiviolence groups

Public Opinion on Television Violence

(5)

George Comstock

Erica Scharrer

While a majority of Americans agree that there is ``too much violence on television,'' few name media violence as one of the most important problems facing the nation

Measuring the Amount of Violence on Television

(8)

Barrie Gunter

Jackie Harrison

Researchers assess how much violence television programs contain through a method known as content analysis

The largest such studies are the Cultural Indicators Project of the late 1970s and early 1980s and the National Television Violence Study of the mid-1990s

Examining How Violence is Presented on Television

(10)

S. Robert Lichter

Linda S. Lichter

Stanley Rothman

In addition to measuring the total amount of violent programming on television, researchers also monitor how violence is portrayed

A study conducted in the early 1990s found that violence on prime-time television was more graphic and acts of violence were less often condemned than in the past

Video Games: The Latest Format for Screen Violence

(12)

Paul Keegan

Some of the most popular video games are extremely violent shooting games

It remains to be seen whether video games will become increasingly violent over time, as movies and television have already done

Research on Media Violence

The Effects of Media Violence

National Television Violence Study

The body of research on media violence points to three main effects that prolonged viewing of violent imagery can cause: 1) increased aggression toward others, 2) emotional desensitization toward real-life violence, and 3) increased fear of becoming a victim of violence

105

Questioning the Research on Media Violence

110

(1)

Jacob Sullum

The popular belief that there is a causal relationship between media violence and violence in society is unsupportable

There is no conclusive evidence that media violence makes people more violent

Explaining the Attractions of Violent Entertainment

114

(1)

Glenn G. Sparks

Cheri W. Sparks

Research indicates that audiences are often disturebed and disgusted by violent imagery, but continue to watch anyway

A variety of theories have been put forth to explain the enduring popularity of violent entertainment

Debating Screen Violence: Artistic Value vs. Societal Harm

The Cathartic Effects of Violent Films

128

(1)

Tevi Troy

Young men, who tend to be the most violent members of society, are the ones most drawn to violent action films

These films actually benefit society because they offer a way for young men to experience violence without committing it themselves

In Praise of Fictional Violence

133

(1)

Andrew Klavan

People like violent entertainment and always have, which is fine because people know the differences between fictional and real-life violence

Politicians and pundits who decry the problem of fictional violence direct attention away from the real-life causes of violence

Common Defenses of Media Violence---and Their Flaws

143

(148)

Rosalind Silver

``I watched TV violence as a child and I turned out OK''---mantras like this are always used in defense of screen violence

These myths must be exploded before America can take steps to make its culture less violent

Marketing Violence to Children

The entertainment industry intentionally targets advertising for violent movies, television shows, and video games at children under seventeen

Advertising of violent media should be prohibited and the ratings systems for violent entertainment should be better enforced

148

(8)

Federal Trade Commission

Responding to Violence in Popular Entertainment

Parents' Role in Dealing with Television Violence

156

(7)

Dale Kunkel

In the wake of recent studies on the harmful effects of television violence the TV industry should work to provide less violent programming, and policy-makers should continue to support research on the issue

The most effective response to television violence, however, is for parents to watch television with their children and teach them to critically evaluate its content

Violent Entertainment and Censorship

163

(8)

Sissela Bok

Approaches to dealing with media violence often involve a choice between accepting censorship of violent media in order to protect children or rejecting censorship in order to preserve the First Amendment freedom of speech

The Unappreciated V-Chip

171

(8)

Joanne Cantor

As of 2000, all new television sets must include the v-chip, an electronic device that allows parents to block out violent programs

Unfortunately, few parents know the basics about the control that the v-chip can give them over their children's viewing habits

For Further Research

179

(3)

Index

182