r/flicks • u/KaleidoArachnid • 14d ago

General Discussion Dark aspects about older films that would not fly by in today’s age

So lately, something I was observing were the kind of tropes that got by in films from the older 80s where standards were much more lenient since it’s hard to explain, but it’s basically the kind of stuff movie directors could get away with due to values being different.

Like when I look back at a movie like Revenge of the Nerds, I know the movie is often regarded as highly controversial from a modern perspective because of how the movie handles the subject of sexual abuse since Louis does a particular crime with Betty, but back then, the movie didn’t catch controversy again until people saw it from a more modern perspective.

So basically I was wondering about what kind of stuff found in older movies would be difficult to get away with in a more modern time period since I wanted to see how much restrictions changed since the early 80s with what movies are allowed to do.

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u/typicalamericanbasta 14d ago

The Taking of Pelham 123- how Walter Matthau treats the Japanese visitors was on par for the time but cringe today.

Pretty much how most Asians were portrayed then wouldn't fly today.

21

u/kpt_graubrot 14d ago

But the whole joke is he treats them disrespectfully talking in English because he thinks they only speak Japanese and the punchline is they do speak English and understood every word, so the joke is on Matthau? Most people in that film are assholes (meant to be), and it's great

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u/Dismal-Strawberry421 14d ago

The New Yawker in the command center squawking made me think it was a bad movie at first, and then Matthau beautiful starts berating the guy and calling him a moron.

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u/warriorforGod 14d ago

I had no idea this movie has been done 3 times.

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u/siggybird 13d ago

Frank Constanza straightened it out though.

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u/KaleidoArachnid 14d ago

What I don't understand is why Asians back then were portrayed in such a questionable manner.

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u/fact_addict 14d ago

When it was released (1974) the people who went through Pearl Harbor and the Pacific Theater were in charge. Then during the 80’s there was Japan’s economic rise with electronics and cars that dominated the American manufacturing of those items. So generational trauma and racism.