Hollywood Road

"Catholics should boycott the film "Diego Ross". The Hollywood film industry must reflect on how many films they have made in the past that slander Catholicism..."

On the computer screen, a young man wearing a red baseball cap uttered nonsense, coupled with the news about Marquez Costello, the archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of South Central California, which he had seen earlier, Michael Ated, the chairman of the board of directors of the directors union, frowned. I frowned, Hollywood movies and Hollywood directors, when is it the turn of these people to point fingers?

"Michael..."

Bill Rossis, who was sitting next to him, suddenly said, "Hollywood is free to draw materials, this is the most basic right of directors."

"I know." Michael Ated was obviously thinking about something.

Bill Rosses smiled, and said, "This time it was the Catholic Church who came out to interfere. Next time, maybe other organizations will jump out."

There are many organizations protesting against Hollywood movies, such as the Children's Association, the National Federation of Teachers and Parents, various environmental and animal protection organizations, but they are often not protesting against Hollywood movies themselves.

Although Michael Atted is old, his eyes are still sharp. Religious and socio-political issues have always been hot topics in Hollywood. If the unions just watch the Catholic Church interfere, then next time, maybe all cats and dogs will jump out, and the directors don’t have to. After filming, let's deal with these troubles.

This can't be filmed, and that can't be filmed, so how can the directors work normally?

Seeing that Michael Ated was thinking, Bill Rossis didn't say much. After Archbishop Marquez Costello's remarks entered the TV, it immediately aroused the attention of public opinion, whether it was in the media or the Internet, Now you can see related topics everywhere.

The man who attacked Murphy jumped out to add fuel to the fire, making the film "Diego Ross" even more popular.

It is no exaggeration to say that their series of actions and plans have basically achieved their expected goals.

As for the major labor unions in Hollywood, they have also expressed their support for the freedom of filming in Hollywood. Bill Rossis can fully imagine how Michael Ated will react. After all, this is Hollywood where liberalism is rampant, not Catholic forces. The traditionally strong Northeastern United States.

Michael Ated sat on the sofa chair and fell into silence for a short time. The Catholic Church has attacked Hollywood not once or twice. When "The Da Vinci Code" was released that year, Ron Howard and Dan Brown recruited the Catholic Church. There will be a lot of accusations, but those two are not thorns like Murphy Stanton, they choose to respond with silence, and the incident will eventually come to an end.

But then, John Patrick Stanley was blacklisted by the Catholic Church because of a "Suspicion of Child Abuse", and he was scolded by the media inclined to the Catholic Church.

As for the later films such as "Angels and Demons", there are always the factors of the Catholic Church, which is really annoying.

Accusation after accusation, Michael Ated has experienced it.

His eyes became sharper. This is not the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Now Hollywood is full of free creative atmosphere. When will it be the turn of the Catholic oppression?

Indeed, in the past, the Catholic Church conducted moral scrutiny on Hollywood, but what it brought was not progress, but all kinds of fatal restrictions. In contrast, over the past 40 years of breaking the moral restrictions of Catholicism, Hollywood movies have developed rapidly and have already dominated the world film market. !

What are they trying to do? Another moral scrutiny of Hollywood? Let Hollywood movies go backwards?

Michael Atedjo stood up. This situation has intensified in recent years. It is impossible for the directors' union to allow other forces to interfere in the work of Hollywood directors.

He paced back and forth a few steps and said, "Bill, I will make a proposal to the council to re-absorb Murphy Stanton as a member of the directors' union. You can also ask him to submit an application when you go back.

Other things will wait until he becomes a member of the directors union. "

"Okay!" Bill Rosses also stood up, "Murphy has long been looking forward to returning to the directors' union."

It's clear that Michael Ated has expressed his support for Murphy.

"Then let's keep in touch." Bill Rosses said goodbye in a timely manner, "Goodbye, Michael."

Michael Atted nodded, "Goodbye."

After seeing off Bill Rossis, Michael Atted picked up his mobile phone, made more than a dozen calls in one breath, and communicated with many permanent directors of the Directors' Union Council on this matter.

As for whether the plots of movies involving the Catholic Church are based on facts, neither Michael Ated nor other members of the council have asked at all. In their heads, what themes and contents are filmed in Hollywood? It's Hollywood's freedom. If outsiders are dissatisfied, they can solve it through legal channels, but random interference is infringing on their freedom and power!

After receiving a call from Bill Rosses, Murphy immediately prepared the relevant materials and sent them to the directors' union in person immediately. Will once again be a member of the Directors Guild.

Spokespersons of the Directors Union, Screenwriters Union and Producers Union, as well as several other union organizations, when asked by the media about the series of controversies between Catholicism and the film "Diego Ross", all stood up without exception. On Murphy's side.

Looking at the entire Hollywood movie circle, except for a very small number of Catholic believers who said that directors must be cautious when selecting material related to religion, the vast majority of people who were asked about this matter more or less expressed their support for "Diego -meaning Rose.

In this circle where liberalism is becoming more and more rampant, when external forces touch the freedom that the insiders flaunt and regard as forbidden areas, it is almost inevitable to cause a backlash.

Even if Hollywood once had a deep connection with Catholicism, the situation is completely different in this day and age.

It was precisely because Murphy had a deep understanding of this that he dared to implement such a plan.

In 1929, five Catholic figures, led by the devoutly Catholic publisher Martin Quikley and the Jesuit Daniel Lauder, drafted a self-regulatory production regulation for the film industry, aiming to regulate the production of films. to moral constraints. In 1930, this draft was fully accepted by the giants of the film industry and implemented by the "Hayes Office". This document became the "Film Production Code" that later ruled Hollywood for nearly three decades.

For Hollywood at the time, the "Hayes Code" was a self-regulating method that could not only quell the boycott of films by various religious organizations, but also avoid police or government intervention in the film industry.

The "Code" positions cinema as "entertainment for the masses", but this entertainment bears "a special moral responsibility" because it has a characteristic unlike any other form of entertainment or communication, one that transcends the boundaries of race or class, transcends The universal fascination of various social or political barriers, so that everyone loves to watch.

It is precisely for this reason that film producers cannot enjoy the same freedom of expression as stage writers, novel authors, or newspaper editors. Films have become the morality plays of the 20th century, telling the public how to live according to the rules.

In the summer of 1933, the Archbishop of Philadelphia declared that the films released in his diocese "transgressed" the Catholic moral norms and called on all believers to boycott these films; The so-called "jihad" against Hollywood.

In 1934, the "Catholic Ethics League", a church organization across the United States, was established. Its main duty is to examine the moral content of Hollywood films, issue a list of films to Hayes's office that should be completely banned or re-examined, and give those who dare to "transgress" the Catholic moral code. The film was labeled "condemned", and the alliance even mobilized millions of Catholics to boycott the film they believed should be "condemned", and even set up pickets in front of the theater to prevent people from entering.

Cincinnati Bishop Mike Nicholas even drafted an oath for a "moral coalition" to ensure that Catholics would abide by the Church's mandate in a coalition against the film.

Since then, Catholics across the country have to take an oath under the leadership of a priest when attending mass, acknowledging that movies are "a serious danger to young people, to family life, to the country and to religion", and to promise God not to watch them. Designated as "evil and unwholesome" videos.

In addition to this verbal oath, many Catholic churches required members to sign a formal pledge. In just a few weeks, more than a million people in Chicago and Boston alone took the anti-movie oath.

This period can be said to be the most serious period of Hollywood interference by the Catholic Church, and it lasted until the end of the World War II in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

But in the late 1940s, the influence of the Catholic Church on Hollywood was repeatedly shaken. Facing the disaster brought about by World War II, the "warm world" created on the screen according to the Catholic moral concept became more and more difficult for American audiences to accept. Not to mention overseas audiences who are suffering from the war.

Beginning in the early 1950s, the huge influence of Catholicism on Hollywood began to collapse. The changes in American social thought, especially the destructive impact of World War II on traditional concepts, severely weakened the social influence of the church, and also made the moral precepts of film production rules in place. It looked ridiculous in the eyes of the people at that time.

In the 1960s and 1970s, with the rise of anti-traditional movements such as the hippies, the influence of Catholicism on Hollywood has been weakened to a point where it is dispensable. In the new century, Hollywood can no longer tolerate the interference of Catholic forces in itself.

For example, what Murphy personally experienced a few years ago, "The Da Vinci Code" is based on Dan Brown's novel of the same name, which is full of content related to Catholicism, many of which subvert the theoretical basis of Catholic propaganda. It is conceivable that this film will be popular. The Catholic Church was very obstructive, but the film not only did not abort, but also became one of the best-selling films of the year.

Not only has Hollywood changed, but North American audiences, even some Catholic audiences, have also changed.