Nudity and and portrayals of sexual acts are one of the primary sources of controversy in film. In order to resolve such controversies, film critics often debate whether such scenes are gratuitous. The two scenes that might spark such debate in Requiem for a Dream are the sex scene between Tyrone and his girlfriend and what is usually referred to as the ass-to-ass scene near the end of the film. Controversy over the latter scene is what also led to the film's release as unrated. The director was forced to tame down the final scene for the R-rated (censored) version that was released. Consider both of these scenes and determine whether each is gratuitous. Then compare the sex and nudity in Requiem for a Dream with that in 300.
Have these directors used sex as manipulative marketing strategy, cheap titillation to draw and audience? Or are the sex scenes and nudity necessary to the plot of the film? What, if anything, is contributed to our understanding of character or theme? Or think of it conversely. What, if anything, is lost from the overarching purpose of the film as a unified whole if these scenes are cut?
The scene between Tyrone and his “girlfriend” is completely gratuitous because it has no meaning whatsoever and has nothing to do with the plot of the movie. Although the scene at the end with two women doing the sex show is also unnecessary, it does, in a way, show just how far a person would go out of their everyday realm to possess the item that they are addicted to. Most girls would never in their life think of doing the things that Mary did for anything, which showed how bad her addiction was. However, the film already portrayed that she would do a lot of things to cure her craving, so in my opinion, this scene was also completely unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThere are also sex scenes and nudity in the movie 300. I feel like some of these scenes are necessary, but some of them are gratuitous. For example, the scene between the King and the Queen does have some meaning, showing that they love each other just as much as they love Sparta. However, I do not think the oracle had to be naked in order to get the point across that she was portraying the future. The last I remember, nudity had nothing to do with telling the future.
I think that the sex and nudity scenes were used by the directors purely to draw an audience. They were completely unnecessary in my opinion. Again, there is possibly a contribution to the theme of Requiem for a Dream in the ending scene, showing how far a person will go because of an addiction. But, I do not think this theme would be lost, or more complex to realize, if this scene was taken out of the movie.
After reading the blog in class I do not agree that the scene with Tyrone and his girlfriend is gratuitous because it is needed for the downward spiral. It represents lust. I believe it represents another division of addiction, sex. We see that the life that Harry, Tyrone, and Marion have chosen is affecting all of them. The situational irony seems to grow through out the movie. We see that Harry tells Marion that things will be alright and that they will go back to how they were, but we know that Harry doesn’t really feel that way and when he leaves, at the climax of the movie, we see everything going down hill fast. Marion participates in the “ass-to-ass” scene, which is somewhat uncalled for, but then again, is included to add a more disturbing affect to the movie. The viewer sees how far they will go to get what they want, the drugs. In this movie the sexual scenes are needed to add to the plot, the downward spiral, and the last scene is made to be disturbing. If these scenes were cut, we could not receive the full affect the movie was intended to have.
ReplyDeleteThe sex scenes from the movie 300 were not gratuitous because they also add to the plot and theme. The sex scene between the King and Queen is necessary because it makes the relationship seem deeper. When he leaves for war we know he is then leaving his love behind to fight for the country in which he lives his life for.
In each of these movies, I believe that the scenes are needed because it adds to the plot and them we also get to see deeper into the characters. IN Requiem for a Dream we see that Marion will do whatever it takes to get her fix and that Tyrone wants more that just drugs and in 300 we know that the King loves his wife, but has made a commitment to the Spartans.
In my opinion the ass-to-ass scene is very gratuitous. I can understand the director seems to feel very strongly about addiction, but I feel the scene crossed the line. I definitely feel there are other ways the director could have elaborated his viewpoint. The entire movie portrayed addiction as unpleasant downward spiral. There was no need to be that detailed in that scene.
ReplyDeleteThe scene with Tyrone and his girlfriend also came off as unnecessary. The girlfriend does not play a significant role in the film. If the director were trying to portray sex addiction, he should have followed through with more than one sex scene with these characters. Cutting this scene out would not effect the plot of the movie and therefore makes it unnecessary.
However the sexual scene in 300 was necessary to the plot of the film. Without them, the audience wouldn’t feel the strong connection between the King and his Queen. That alone will throw off the entire movie. Also the scene with the queen and Theron was short and sweet, but got the point across. It contributed a lot to our perspective of the characters and the lengths the queen would go for her king. These scenes were not as explicit and cutting them would throw off the plot of the film.
I would have to agree that the director of Requiem for a Dream used sex as a cheap titillation to draw an audience.The controversy might be what the director wanted. It is a great way to draw a crowd, and get the movie recognized.Although, the point was to show how far a person will go to settle their craving, I believe the film would actually gain if the scenes were to be cut out. Many people may find the scenes not only disturbing but offensive. The ass-to-ass scene is shown so close to the end of the film that the audience may base their impression of the movie off of it. The film gets the point across on how far these addicts will go to get their “fix” therefore these scenes are unnecessary.
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ReplyDeleteIn the film Requiem for a Dream, the sex scene between Tyrone and his girlfriend is gratuitous because it has nothing to with the plot. They very easily could have left that scene out and got the same ending result. The scene at the end of the movie is also gratuitous but it has more to do with the plot than the scene between Tyrone and his girlfriend. At least the ending scene shows how far a girl or anyone is willing to go for something they want. The R-rated version had to delete the end scene to tame it down and it still got the point across so the end scene is gratuitous because if the R-rated film got the point across without these scenes why do they need to be in the unrated version?
ReplyDeleteRequiem for a Dream and 300 both have sex scenes. Some of the scenes in 300 have more to do with the plot than those in Requiem for a Dream. The scene between the king and queen before the king goes off to war shows that they love each other and it does pertain to the plot somewhat. The scene between the oracles is a gratuitous scene because she didn’t need to be naked to foretell the future. They very easily could have gotten the point across without either of these scenes.
The directors of the movies may have possibly used sex as a marketing strategy. It would be easier to say that the director of Requiem for a Dream used sex as a marketing strategy than the director of 300 because there were more gratuitous scenes in Requiem for a Dream than 300. The nudity, in both films, in not necessary to carry the plot forward. The storyline could have gotten to the same place with or without the sex scenes in both films. Nothing is lost if the sex scenes were cut in either movie. The only thing that could be lost would be in 300. If the sex and nudity scenes were cut from 300, we may not get exactly how close the king and queen were but that would be the only thing that may be lost in either movie.
The scene that shows Tyrone and his fling for the night, I don’t feel that it has much basis to the film, other than that it was to show a type want or lust for the woman for the night. So in my opinion this scene was not gratuitous. The ass-to-ass scene I believe has a some part to the film to show the links that someone will go to, to get that very fix that they desire. In that point you also have to look at how far does someone have to portray that in a movie, does it have to be graphic and have to show that amount of nudity in one film to be successful. It seems that times are changing from the more conservative attitude to the desire to have nr and rated r movies. This just proves that we are evolving and moving towards thinking that if they don’t show nudity and sex will the film succeeds. When you compare the movie 300 to Requiem for a Dream, I think that there is a total difference in the way the material was presented in whole. In 300 I think that the sex scenes showed how one feels about one another and the love and passion was showed. They thought that this may be the last time they may see each other and let’s make it special not let do this for a fix.
ReplyDeleteReferring to the review that ms. elliot read aloud in class, the movie was a representation of the 7 depths of hell one endures during the decent. Without such reference i would have never understood the need for the scene between Tyrone and his insignificant lover. Although it can be said that this scene focuses on that of the lust aspect, this topic was introduced several times throughout the film in varying degrees with several characters. So to answer the first question posed, yes, i feel the scene a fore named is simply gratuitous and could for all purposes, be removed. A valid scene that has deemed this film to be taboo is the most blatant display of lust. Unlike the former scene it conveys to the audience without prejudice the sheer depths of disgust and pure inhumanity in which one is willing to endure to feed the beast of addiction. I say prejudice because without this explicit scene the viewer is left with only his or her "conception" of the experience. The raw, brutal, filthy and just plain offensive content is suppose to be exactly that, overwhelming, disturbing, and completely abhorring. It is what it is and nothing more. I believe the scene creates hysteria because it is suppose to. I mean we are discussing it are we not? Finally to compare these scenes to that of the 300 love scene, it is also , in my opinion, important and enhances the plot line. It allows the viewer to see the softer side of the Spartan warrior king, that of a man who truly loved his wife.
ReplyDeleteMany viewers believe the two major sex scenes, Tyrone and his unknown mistress and the ass to ass scene, in Requiem for a Dream to be unnecessary and gratuitous, but both of these scenes are apart of the overall theme of the film. At first glance, the scene between Tyrone and his mistress may seem just like a one night stand, but when the director makes the viewer focus in on Tyrone and his mistress by making the room spin around them; he is telling us this scene holds some significance in the theme. In my opinion, this scene represents the second circle of hell, lust. All the other sex scenes in the movie besides the two scenes where Marion performs sexual favors for drugs can be argued of having the reason of passion or love behind them. Tyrone’s sex scene has neither of these aspects behind it, the only reason for it is to show Tyrone faltering and falling into the second circle of hell.
ReplyDeleteAt first, Marion’s two sex scenes where she performs sexual favors for drugs are seen as her incapability of overcoming the terrible addiction that controls her life. But after analysis, I believe they can be seen as her falling into the ninth circle of hell, betrayal. The first of the two scenes the audience doesn’t really obtain this because it does not go into great detail. But in the ass to ass scene due to the extreme close-ups used by the director, the audience can see the betrayal of Harry, the protagonist, in Marion’s eyes. She knows that what she is doing is wrong and will end everything between them; but as long as she gets her fix everything will be okay, until the next time.
If the director was to cut Tyrone’s sex scene and the ass to ass scene, the film would loose some of its overall meaning. The audience would not be able to witness the characters spiral through all nine circles of hell in the movie. These two scenes are in the film not because they are a way to sell tickets or dvds, but because they are apart of the spiral descent through hell.
Both the scenes from Requiem for a Dream and those of 300 are used to give the audience a better understanding of the theme and the characters in the movie. In Requiem for a Dream, the two major sex scenes are used to portray the descent into the fiery gates of hell. In 300, the sex scene between Leondis and the queen portrayed through the color blue intensifies that the Spartans will most likely not return home, but are fighting for their country’s freedom. In both movies, scenes are criticized of being gratuitous and unneeded, but really the directors are just trying to relay the overall meaning of the film to the audience.
The “ass-to-ass” scene, when compared with the sex scene between Tyrone each have their similar view points, as well as some elements that set them apart. The “ass-to-ass” scene shows how deep Mary Ann is willing to go in order to fulfill her addiction. It shows the dark side of an evil business. It contributes to the viewers understanding of addiction, thus I don’t find it gratuitous at all. However, the sex scene with Tyrone and his girlfriend leaves the viewer thinking differently. The only element that the scene can contribute to the viewer’s perspective is that Tyrone lives a life like everyone else. This contribution is a small one, thus making this scene gratuitous in my mind. The over exaggerated sex scene does nothing for the plot and is not necessary for the events that took place in the plot.
ReplyDeleteThe sex scene in 300 between the King and the Queen is necessary for the viewer’s knowledge, as well as the plot. The scene shows the deep compassion for the couple which strengthens your views on the leaders of Sparta. The scene shows the seriousness of battle, and the “go with your shield or come back on it” attitude.
Sex sells more today than it did years ago. For example, movies such as “American Pie”, “Zach and Millie Make a Porno”, and “Knocked Up” use sex as the main plot. In some of the movies, sex is necessary for the weak plot the movie already has, however, it is often time very gratuitous and unneeded. Sex and explicit scenes can help define a character in many circumstances, as well as support the theme. If a ratio to necessary and gratuitous sex scenes was shown however, often times the sex scenes are shown for the viewer’s pleasure. As a viewer this is a statement I believe to be quite true with many new movies.