University Daily Kansan / Monday, November 26, 1990
Campus/Area
3
Movies can escape stigma of pornography with NC-17
Bv Jeff Meesev
Special to the Kansan
Sexually explicit movies with serious themes will be more common at local theaters and video stores because of the new NC-17 rating, according to local managers who know the old X-rating often is associated with pornography.
The Motion Picture Association of America's newest rating, NC-17, means no children under 17 will be admitted. Without the stigma of pornography associated with violence, Lawrence theatermay book the new category of films.
Mark Boutz, manager of Cinema Twin Theatres, 3110
awa St., said that content would not keep a movie away
from them.
"A lot of movies with questionable content are really well made," he said. "I would say if you have a movie that has played fairly well throughout the country, we would get it too."
The X-rating means the same thing as NC-17 but has become synonymous with pornography to many people. The association has copyrighted NC-17 to prevent it. Applying it, the X-rating will be left for pornographic films.
The first movie released with an NC-17 rating, "Henry and June," opened Nov. 2 at the Varsity Theatre, 1015 Massachusetts ST. The theater's parent company had a contract with MTV to produce the films, but it said that adult films with artistic value were
Rance Blann, Varsity manager, said, "Our booking department screened 'Henry and June' and considered it appropriate to show as an NC17. They thought it had a certain cultural value."
different.
The new rating came despite association President Jack Valentine's opposition to changing the system he led in the campaign.
"Henry and June," a Universal Studios film, initially received an X-rating for excessive sex. The association created the NC-17 rating after Universal threatened to charge the urging the association with censorship and trust violations.
Dick Kurtchen, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and western Missouri, said that although ratings were not governmental censorship, the ACLI still onsoiled them.
"They are subjective judgments made by the wrong people," Kurtenbach said. "But they effectively keep parents from letting their children see restricted movies that some may want their kids to see."
This year several serious adult films released by independent film studios have received X-ratings that
David Millstein, general partner of Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., said, "Unquestionably, it was power by a major distributor that made the association change."
For example, the Miramax releases "The Cook. The
Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" and "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down", both received Katrinas, but Miriam chose to steal the third.
Both films were considered culturally valuable but received X-ratings for explicit sexual content. Miramax appealed the ratings because the X-rating is considered the kiss of death in the industry.
Blockbuster Video, 1516 W. 23rd St., has a policy against carving X-rated films.
Ron Castelle. Blockbuster senior vice president, said, "We do not carry X-rated or pornographic films. We work with companies."
However, NC-17 movies, which are not pornographic, and non-pornographic unrated films will be carried in its stores. Blockbuster has the NC-17 version of "The Cook," the first NC-17 on videotape.
Applause Video, 1401 W. 23rd St. removed all X-rated films from its shelves in September after Blockbuster卸载
Tommy VanFleet, Applause customer representative,
takes the store previously carried about 60 pornographic and
sexual materials.
"They weren't designated as adult at all," VanFleet said. "If anyone asked, we didn't know anything about them."
Applause carries the same version of "The Cook" as Blockbuster and also will carry other NC-17 movies.
Liberty Hall's theater and video store have not been
affected by the change. The theater did not run "Henry and June" for other reasons.
nere was very little story line." Millstein said.
Potential showings at Liberty Hall are previewed by the
Fox News coverage.
Although Liberty Hall does not have a company policy against showing X-rated films, it has never shown one
"The whole thing was sex," he said. "I felt like a voyeur when I watched it. There were extended lesbian sex scenes. Some people enjoy that sort of thing, but I think it would make a lot of people uncomfortable."
"Movies we've gotten in the past that would have had an X either dropped the rating and were released Not Rated, or were foreign films that did not have ratings." Millstein said.
The most controversy a Liberty Hall film has received was not over a sexually explicit film, but over "The Last Woman," a 1958 film about the rape of a young woman.
"Sex and violence doesn't disturb as many people as when you attack their religion," Millstein said.
Marc Parlli, Student Union Activities feature films coordinator, said that SUA also did not have policies against showing X-rated films but that SUA tried to show films with a purpose.
For example, John Waters' X-rated cult movie, "Pink Flamings," recently played at the Union.
"It's not really an X," he said. "Waters made the film deliberately an X." It represents a point of concern for Water's new campaign.
50 protesters show concern about buildup in gulf crisis
By Karen Park Kansan staff writer
About 50 people opposed to the buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East protested yesterday in Iraq for the French diplomatic envoy.
The Vigil for Peace in the Middle East, sponsored by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, is a weekly protest that takes place Sundays from noon to 1 p.m.
Allan Hanson, secretary of the group, said the number of protesters at the second protest had risen to 125.
He said the protesters were concerned that the S. policy regarding the gulf crisis was changed in a way that would be unacceptable.
"The Bush administration has not given negotiations a chance to succeed." Hanson said.
Protecting oil interests in the Middle East is not worth losing tens of thousands of lives, he said.
"
We live in an era of presidential wars. We want to give the message to Bush that we don't want war.
Allan Hanson secretary of the Vigil for Peace in the Middle East
" "
Hanson said he was concerned that Bush would go to war before consulting Congress.
"We live in an era of presidential war," he said. "We want to give the message to Bush that we don't care."
Hanson said the coalition was one of many groups across the country protesting the extent of the war in Iraq.
Economic and political sanctions should continue, but they should be given the chance to work, he said. It might take years for the administration to deal, but the Bush administration should wait.
Ruth Kyle, Lawrence resident, said that she was not a member of the coalition but that she supported her efforts.
"We are expecting a baby in July, and we had to make the decision whether to subject our baby to this."
Kyle said that when Bush spoke to other nations, he was speaking for the entire United States.
Kyle said it was frustrating that Iraqi citizens were not aware that there were U.S. citizens
ABOVE: Members of the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice protest U.S. involvement in Syria.
opposed to the gulf crisis.
It is impossible to negotiate with a nation when 500,000 troops are stationed within striking distance.
Kyle said she wanted to know why the United States continued to bully other nations.
y Courthouse, 11th and Massachusetts streets. About 80 people participated in the event.
Scott MacWilliams, Lawrence senior, said the Bush administration was making a mistake by
The administration is issuing ultimatums to the Iraq government, but it is impossible to propose a deal.
"We need to give the sanctions time to work." MacWilliams said. "The administration doing what it can is also important."
increasing the likelihood of war in the gulf by stepping up military obligations in the region.
County program looks for friends for AIDS patients
By Wes Denton
Kansan staff writer
Earlier this year, Tom Harper, Wichita graduate student, had to face the inevitable.
A person for whom Harper had volunteered to be a "buddy" died of complications from AIDS.
Harper said that at first he did not want to get involved with AIDS buddy programs.
"I didn't want to feel the pain," he said.
But four months later, Harper put those feelings aside and volunteered for the buddy program of the Douglas County AIDS Project.
"If I was afraid to feel those feelings of being a volunteer, I don't think I'd be living fully," Harper said.
He is one of two KU students volunteering for the Douglas County buddy program.
The program places volunteers with people who have AIDS or are HIV-positive, said Donna Fonna, chairperson of the Douglas County ISP Project. The volunteers provide support and help for their bodies.
Harper said being a buddy gave him the chance to share his life and truly be with another person. He said he would like to teach others to become involved with the program.
"Students have a lot to give," he said. "I think that's what volunteerism is about."
"I think someone with AIDS or
HIV-positive needs all the support they can muscle," Harper said.
Harper has one buddy in Lawrence with whom he spends about two hours a week.
Harper said that he sometimes took his buddy out for dinner, took him to the hospital for treatment or just talked with him.
"I'm not afraid of catching AIDS," Harper said. "I know how it spreads. I'm not at risk with my buddy."
Arthur Satterfield, Stillwater,
Okla., graduate student, also is
volunteering with the Douglas County
program.
He said he heard about the program through friends and completed a three-day training session at the Good Samaritan project in Kansas City, Mo., before becoming a buddy. The training involved teaching the importance of safe sex, coping with death and the dying process and understanding the medical problems related to AIDS.
He said one of the questions asked him when he applied to be a volunteer was whether he could handle death.
Satterfield said that he was not afraid of catching the virus and that he was more concerned about people who come to person to whom he was assigned.
"That's something I could easily answer, but until it actually happens, I don't know," he said. "It's definite to affect me when it happens."
New federal law could rescind drug users' driver's licenses
Kansan staff report
People caught using or dealing illicit drugs in Kansas may lose their driving privileges if the state adheres to federal law passed earlier this month.
The law requires that states suspend the driver's licenses of all convicted drug offenders or risk losing some of the highway money the federal government allocates to states.
But local politicians said they thought the law was not feasible.
"It's the kind of idea that sounds great but would be hard to actually implement," said Howard Baukele, staff director for U.S. Rep. Jim Slattery, D-Kan. "It will probably do little to stop the war on drugs."
State Sen. Wint Winter, D-Dawrence, said the federal government was forcing the states to comply with the law by letting it to federal highway assistance.
Bauleke said Slattery did not vote on the specific drug-offender proposal in October because it was within a larger crime bill proposal.
"They know we live off the high way money," he said.
Winter also said the law would not have an effect on drug users.
"Last time I looked, you can't get a car at Lansing," Winter said, referring to the state prison in Lansing.
The state will be discussing a mandatory license suspension for all convicted drug offenders in Kansas during the 1991 legislative session.
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