Volume I No. 20
 10-01-02
 CleanFlicks - Just Plain, Smells Bad
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2002

 Snip. Snip. Snip. This is what CleanFlicks is doing to movies 
 they think contain too much violence and too much sex. Oh,
 what a can of worms this is going to be until the legality of 
 CleanFlick's editing of other people's copyrighted product is
 resolved in court.

 But unfortunately the door on this one is already wide-open.
 There are too many instances of edited films appearing on
 regular television, on cable channels, at university halls, ect., 
 for the Hollywood directors who are currently suing CleanFlicks 
 to have a realistic chance of winning in court. It will be next 
 to impossible to demonstrate that CleanFlick's editing enterprise 
 falls outside of what is already well-established fair use under 
 U.S. Copyright law.

 Strange as it seems, it is likely that CleanFlicks will actually 
 prevail in court. But there is another side to this story that 
 is equally as important.

 This whole CleanFlicks deal reeks of moral relativism and 
 aggressive Right-Wing puritanism. To create a company with 
 the express intent of purchasing films, and then editing 
 those films, and finally making those edited versions available 
 to the public. -- Is a bit much. The arrogance and sense of 
 moral superiority of these people is astounding. Like many 
 others who share their uncompromising Right-Wing views, 
 apparently CleanFlicks believes its okay to bend the law a 
 little when it serves their purposes.

 CleanFlicks is taking unfair advantage of "fair-use" law. 
 Because surely the law was never envisioned to allow what 
 they are doing. In other words, CleanFlicks is exploiting 
 a legal loophole.

 And they know it.

 No one would think of editing great works of literature - 
 removing the so-called indecent parts - and then returning 
 that altered product to the bookstore. Where can one 
 purchase an edited copy of  "Lolita?" Or of "Gone With 
 The Wind" with its vile racism? What about a tawdry Harold
 Robbins novel? Or Jacqueline Suzannne's drug-use heavy, 
 "Valley Of The Dolls?" 

 Is anyone out there making a buck off of edited versions 
 of those books? Why is the written word inviolate?  And the 
 film director's work not?

 CleanFlicks and other such companies will probably prevail 
 in their court battles. But what they are doing certainly violates 
 the spirit of the law. Directors, movie producers, screen writers, 
 et al. have the right to expect that the artistic integrity of 
 their work be respected. Never would they have imagined 
 that a video rental company could individually edit their work 
 on the grand scale that CleanFlicks is doing. All under the 
 guise of providing clean movies that the public wants. 

 Movies are made available to television and regular cable with 
 the expectation of satisfying the needs of a broad audience. 
 Those cable-ready movies have been vigorously edited. Everyone 
 knows that. But do you think for a moment that if a Steven 
 Spielberg or a Robert Redford complained loudly about the way 
 one of their movies was edited by a cable network, they would 
 be completely ignored?

 Of course not.

 In effect, a sort of gentlemans' agreement exists. -- And further, 
 to protect artistic integrity certain moves are never shown on 
 cable or regular television because to edit them would totally 
 destroy what the director intended. You will never see "Birth Of 
 A Nation" as the Sunday Night Movie. 

 It will not happen.

 And besides, "Birth Of A Nation" is a snapshot in time. To edit
 the film haphazardly is to destroy that snapshot.

 But CleanFlicks does just that by taking any movie and then 
 editing out the "bad" parts, and then making the altered movie 
 available to the public with only a modest disclaimer that the 
 movie has been edited. - Now even over the objections of the
 original studio, or director, it seems!

 It may one day be absolutely legal to edit a movie this way, 
 but it is morally objectionable. It has the smell of thievery, 
 and of earning a buck the wrong way. If the public desires 
 clean movies, so be it. The public and any interest group can 
 demand clean movies all they want. But those movies cannot
 be obtained at any cost. Or by any means.

 The right of directors to say "NO" should be respected.

 Afterall they created the movies. They hired the screenwriters.
 They sat in on the production meetings, sweating out all the
 details - large and small  - to get the movies exactly the way 
 they wanted them to be. -- To fulfill their own artistic vision.
 Hundreds, if not, thousands of hours. And at significant expense, 
 as well. CleanFlicks did not go through this creative process. 
 Or incur any costs. But yet, they want to earn a dollar off of 
 someone else's name.

 It is morally wrong.

 If CleanFlicks went to each and every studio and received 
 permission to do X,Y, or Z to a movie. Perhaps their business
 scheme could be looked upon differently.

 But have they done this?

 Again...back to the outside the spirit of the law argument.

 Beyond a doubt, the movies produced in Hollywood today are
 far raunchier than the films of fifteen or twenty years ago. But a
 a very large percentage of the American populace wants these
 type of films. They don't want tame films. Wholesome movies for 
 adults - let alone children - that are completely free of profanity 
 and semi-explicit sex scenes are at a premium. But for those out 
 there who don't like PG-13 or R-rated movies. The choice today, 
 tomorrow, next week, is what it has always been.

 Keep your money in your pocket.

 Don't buy a ticket. Don't rent the video. Turn off the dang 
 television set. Afterall, if a great movie has a sex scene that 
 you don't want. Or if a great movie has violence and profanity 
 that you don't want. 

 Then what value does that movie really hold for you?

 If the movie falls outside of what you deem acceptable. Then
 don't patronize that particular film. Buy or rent something else. 
 But allow the artist's construct to remain exactly has he intended 
 it to be. Afterall, it his creation.

 Not yours.

 People are certainly free to disagree over what are the good 
 and bad influences upon present day American society. Therefore, 
 if you dislike the majority of modern films. Voice your opinion 
 against that kind of moviemaking. Speak out. And stand by your 
 prinicples. Denounce Hollywood till your dying breath. But don't 
 lend support to this morally contemptible thing that CleanFlicks 
 is doing, either.
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2002

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