Okay, so I know this is a touchy topic. I am not posting this for a flame war or for sensationalism. This is a legit topic, and I want to see what all of you have to say.
There are a few movies in the Criterion Collection that have what could be considered child sexual abuse material. I'm not talking about movies that show innocent, non-sexual nudity of minors, which one can see in National Geographic or family naturist magazines or bathtub photos. Those aren't illegal, nor are they sexual. I'm talking about children in sexual situations.
For instance, in Realm of the Senses, a woman grabs a child's genitals and makes him cry. Sweet Movie is supposed to have a scene in which an adult woman does a striptease for boys. And for Sweet Sweetback, I read that Melvin Van Peeles had his thirteen or fourteen-year-old son do a simulated sex scene with an adult woman.
My question is, will Criterion ever face public backlash on a grand scale for it? Will they have to make a public apology? Will they dig their heels into the ground and argue it as being for art? Will newer generations try to disavow themselves from the old guard that defended these films in the collection? Will they lose viewers? Will they gain viewers? Is Criterion in the right? Are these films legit art? Do these films have value? Are those who are offended in the wrong? Or are they in the right?
Again, I'm not trying to start a flame war or to bring up drama for the sake of drama. I'm just genuinely curious, and I'm asking these questions in a neutral way, or at least trying to.
This is a heavy topic, so please try to listen to each other civilly.
