Interviews: Ralph Winter - Christianity Today Movies - quote 2

And this is what I kepp trying to knock into my son's head!!!!
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"But there are a lot of films with gratuitous ugliness and misbehavior on the screen. How do you distinguish between responsible and irresponsible portrayals of evil?

Winter: It's about the integrity of the story. What is it that is necessary in order for the story to be told? I don't know how to make a PG version of Braveheart. Mel Gibson took a risk with The Passion--and made the R-rated movie that it probably was in real life. We can argue about 'Where's that line?' But crucifixion is a gruesome thing. How do you tell a mafia story without the language? How do you tell Braveheart without that kind of violence? Not everyone has to go see it, but that's the story.

On the other hand, maybe the story doesn't deserve to be told. Maybe people are telling stories they don't need to tell. I don't think we need to see every movie. A movie has become a product?something we consume without even thinking about it. It takes a lot for movies to stand out for us, to rise above the noise level. People don't pursue it from that artistic standpoint. They pursue it from a commercial standpoint. That's the danger of being sucked in. We become part of the culture, making stuff that has no redeeming value. Only our great storytellers can [nourish] us."

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