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From: cherson@nonode.DEC
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Back to the '50's?
Message-ID: <3113@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Jul-85 12:53:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3113
Posted: Mon Jul 15 12:53:55 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 06:40:45 EDT
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Judging from most people's reviews of "Back to the Future", it seems to be a
decently made movie, etc.  But the entire genre of movies dealing with the 
'50's brings up a disturbing fact, that Hollywood is trying to impart that
the fifties was a good era in our history, people really had unlimited fun and
today's youth shouldn't be afraid to emulate it in their lifestyles.

The truth of the matter is that the fifties was the most blackest periods of
American history.  Many people's lives were ruined as a result of 
institutionalized paranoia.  Great talents were not allowed to flourish on
the stage, screen and in literature.  Mutual hate and suspicion was the rule
of the day rather than the exception.

Sterility in family life was promoted through television shows such as "Father
Knows Best" ( what a title! the guy was a jerk!).  It was no accident that
tv shows such as "The Honeymooners", and "Life of Riley", whose principles 
held such lowly proletarian jobs as a bus driver and aircraft worker, went off
the air in the early fifties only to be replaced by the smiling Jim Anderson/
Ward Cleaver types.  If your father didn't have that "respectable" office job
than you'd be influenced to be ashamed of him, worse yet if members of your
family spoke English with a foreign accent!

The only positive product of the '50's was the music.  It was great and it
provided the only outlet for true emotions.  But Rock n' Roll can not alter
the image of an era and this is where Hollywood makes it's mistakes.

I suppose that living in the electronic '50's (the present), where the 
general passivity of Americans parelling that of the chronological '50's
makes it easy for Hollywood to peddle that grade B garbage (I'm not regarding
Back to the Future as garbage).

Those of you out in netland should be aware of how a medium such as the movies
can be subtly used to impart a social message.

					David Cherson