My feeling is that, unless a film is obviously likely to have a seriously detrimental effect on a young person’s health, sanity or peace of mind, it should be up to parents to decide. And if the parents aren’t interested enough to know what their kids are going to see at the cinema, surrounded by other people and constant reminders that this isn’t real life, they are hardly likely to know either what they are watching in their own, or their friends’ bedrooms… As Charles Williams wrote, in quite a different context, it’s the old triumph of the weaker brethren. I hardly think, in any case, that watching Sweeney Todd would inspire legions of teenagers to go around slitting their neighbours’ throats and making meat pies from the corpses, although it might improve the interest in Home Economics. Perhaps Jamie Oliver should think about it.
Interestingly, a few people walked out of the film in obvious disgust, though not at at of the throat-slitting parts, but during the very funny song “A Little Priest” with the lyric
“No, y’see, the trouble with poet is
‘Ow do you know it’s deceased?”
What appalled them, apparently, wasn’t the graphic (ish) violence but the whole idea of cannibalism. Which makes me wonder whether they knew anything at all about the film before they came to see it. Maybe they thought it was the latest instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Anyway, we managed to enjoy a steak and mushroom pie this evening, so either I’m completely callous or the effects aren’t too long-lasting..