Appluading Death Scenes

[markR]

Just wanted to open this thought for discussion.

I watched I spit on your Grave on Sat eve and in the final 30min when the revenge is taking place, a huge round of appluase goes up in the cinema after each death. Now with a film like I Spit I can understand this, and found it quite fun to cheer on the heroine as well. I also watched Bedevilled on Monday (great movie), and the same thing occured during the final 30min when the heroine begin dispatching the residents of the Island, a round of appluase for each death. This time I couldn't join in, as I felt it wasn't really appropriate within the context of the film. Anyone else have any ideas/thoughts about weather cheering in the cinema detracts from the power of a film?

[ZombieCommand]

Over 20 years of abuse and no way of getting help or leaving doesn't leave a person many options.

Why do you think the deaths were less warranted than ISOYG?

[markR]

No didn't mean they were less warranted. Nothing to do with the deaths in each movie being more/less warranted. Just thinking maybe that applauding scenes in some movies makes it "fun" like ISPOYG, where as Bedevilled wasn't/shouldn't be "fun". Maybe it is a personal thing and how emotionally involved you are in the film. Am I making any sense??

[The Soapmaker]

I think Bedevilled was supposed to be fun, at times - the deaths of the "aunties" were definitely laced with black humour, as was the Bean Paste Incident. Having said that, there was nothing at all funny about the spousal abuse scenes or the death of the little girl.

Korean movies very often have that odd mix of darkness and humour, take Memories of Murder, The Chaser or most of Chan Wook Park's films for example.

But I do take your point. It would've been strange if everyone had started cheering during Red, White & Blue.

[markR]

I def found the deaths of some of the aunties humerous, and I laughed out loud with the bean paste. But like you said it would have been innapropariate to be laughing during Red, White, and Blue. Just think it is interesting to see where the line of "cheer or no cheer" is/should be. Maybe I'm being too deep for a Tuesday morning! Is t Frightfest 2011 yet???!

[GeorgeCaplin]

I think Bedevilled was supposed to be fun, at times - the deaths of the "aunties" were definitely laced with black humour, as was the Bean Paste Incident. Having said that, there was nothing at all funny about the spousal abuse scenes or the death of the little girl.

Korean movies very often have that odd mix of darkness and humour, take Memories of Murder, The Chaser or most of Chan Wook Park's films for example.

But I do take your point. It would've been strange if everyone had started cheering during [b]Red, White & Blue.

[/b]

To be honest I did cheer to myself in that film when Nate ripped of the rock dude's stupid earings!

[The Soapmaker]

To be honest I did cheer to myself in that film when Nate ripped of the rock dude's stupid earings!

I did think what a complete arse he was wearing them to his mum's funeral.

And wearing them at all, come to think of it.

And what about that "year before GCSE subject choices" moustache....?

[narcan]

It's a weird one this applauding violence thing - I don't always feel comfortable when it kicks off even though I do it too and there is definitely something cathartic about vocally celebrating when a victim gets revenge on their oppressors. However I'm conscious of being manipulated by films that employ tabloid tactics to provoke a 'bring back capital punishment' kind of reaction.

I think it's safe to assume that no-one would have been applauding the money shots in 'A Serbian Film' had it been shown.

[streetrw]

It's a weird one this applauding violence thing - I don't always feel comfortable when it kicks off even though I do it too and there is definitely something cathartic about vocally celebrating when a victim gets revenge on their oppressors. However I'm conscious of being manipulated by films that employ tabloid tactics to provoke a 'bring back capital punishment' kind of reaction.

There were times when I joined in and times when I didn't; at no time did I start it.

[brad1000]

the tone of the film should dictate the reactions....simple really

peace

[Heiko]

Okay, see, the way I look at these movies is: they are entertainment.

Now, being entertained, having fun, can be quite a number of things: enjoying a well shot (killing) scene, marvelling at a great makeup job for a death scene, seeing a rather creative/unique/new way of 'dispatching' someone... or enjoying a visual slapstick gag, a verbal joke used in the movie, a well executed action sequence, a great CGI moment, etc.

And being entertained deserves applause...

So I don't think many people will actually take into consideration the 'deeper context' of the killing i.e. was it deserved, was it unjustified, was it morally wrong, was it this, was it that, etc. - it was a moment of 'yes, that was a great kill!'

And that's why people cheer... well, maybe I should rather say 'fans' cheer, 'normal people' will probably be disgusted...

Think about it: do you cheer when Jason or Michael or Victor or Freddie or some other fun serial killer gets his next victim in a rather joyious way? Or do you boo and hiss because another innocent life was destroyed?

Just remember to keep telling yourself, it's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie - until the guy sitting next to you brings out the knife... then it's a party and you can bring out your hacksaw! LOL

[AdeBrown]

I think there were examples when people did not applaud, perhaps due to the context of the movie.

In Bedevilled there was less of it due to the moving context, even though they were mostly funnier than in I Spit On Your Grave, but there was more of a sense of joining her revenge in the latter film.

In Hatchet 2 it was completely appropriate and even in the very funny Last Exorcism there were some ripples of applause and laughter at what could have been deemed "wrong" moments.

I don't mind this even though it's not my thing in the more serious films, since it's the same as the people who complain about some of the film choices - different strokes etc.

However I did get annoyed once at a London Film Festival screening of a Takeshi Kitano film about an abusive husband when some people laughed at his expressions and drunken behaviour when it was clearly a fairly straight film about abuse.
Still, we can always watch these in our own homes with no-one else.

[The Soapmaker]

However I did get annoyed once at a London Film Festival screening of a Takeshi Kitano film about an abusive husband when some people laughed at his expressions and drunken behaviour when it was clearly a fairly straight film about abuse.

Was that Blood & Bones? It was a long time ago and I can't recall any laughter (I may have missed it at the LFF and seen it later at the NFT). But if I remember right the film just went on and on (and on) with nothing happening but him being horrible to everyone. There was no variation in the mood, no light and shade, so eventually it just became tiresome and, perhaps, laughable in an "oh god here we go again" sort of way.

Rather like Martyrs, which was so unrelentingly horrible that it eventually stopped being disturbing and just got boring.

[brad1000]

However I did get annoyed once at a London Film Festival screening of a Takeshi Kitano film about an abusive husband when some people laughed at his expressions and drunken behaviour when it was clearly a fairly straight film about abuse.

Was that Blood & Bones? It was a long time ago and I can't recall any laughter (I may have missed it at the LFF and seen it later at the NFT). But if I remember right the film just went on and on (and on) with nothing happening but him being horrible to everyone. There was no variation in the mood, no light and shade, so eventually it just became tiresome and, perhaps, laughable in an "oh god here we go again" sort of way.

Rather like Martyrs, which was so unrelentingly horrible that it eventually stopped being disturbing and just got boring.

wow .....you found martyrs boring...i hope pascal ups his game just for you

peace

[daveroughcut]

I think it's safe to assume that no-one would have been applauding the money shots in 'A Serbian Film' had it been shown.

I did laugh out at two bits, I think it might have been a "surely they're not gonna... Oh God they have!" kind of laugh.