Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Faustus
Freaks is about thirty years ahead of its time in every way. A movie made in 1932 that so eloquently speaks out for equality and civil rights definitely deserves the place in film history it has. The only movie I've seen that's an equal defense of the dignity of all people is Lynch's the Elephant Man. I don't think people should be squeamish about the use of the word "freaks", however. The movie proves that perversion is on the inside instead of the outside and that it's not such a derogatory term. PC vocab dodging kind of dilutes the message in that way, so if some lunatic does remake it and changes the title, he loses a lot of the power and the ironic dignity behind the word. Epiphets and racial slurring lose power in the face of the integrity of a people, and I think that's a point that can be seen in Browning's choice of titles. The term is for one who deviates from natural or societal standards. But, Browning and many others (often in the genre, like James Whale) prove that the standards themselves are deviant and the way people enforce those standards is deviant, therefore, there should be no squirming behind the word.
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You are absolutely right. It was so ahead of it's time .... a landmark film in my opinion. Perversion is in the mind before eats away at a person's heart and soul. The people who set what is "normal" often make it corrupt and hurtful. It is a shame that the world is often that way. Your right people have civil rights and people should respect them. It would make the world a better place for everyone to live in. No remakes for this film will be required .... it is a masterpiece and let's keep it as such. :)