"Dangerous
Lives" Underscores
Tragic Times
There are worse films showing in
the nation's theaters. However, The Dangerous Lives of
Altar Boys is symptomatic of our times.
Here is an R-rated film about two
altar boys at a Catholic school who lose their innocence
and create problems for their teacher, Sister Assumpta,
whom they portray in a comic strip as a fiendish motorcycle-riding
villain. The film contains foul language aplenty, various
instances of sexually related dialogue, hand-drawn sketches
showing full frontal nudity. There is a reference to an
incestuous relationship, scenes of teenage drinking and
pot use.
Finally, there is the element of
blasphemy where the most sacred mysteries of the Faith are
treated with utter disrespect. "The action is punctuated
by stale jokes that tweak the solemnity of Catholic rituals
and by the offensive, semi-blasphemous images of the boys'
artwork," The National Catholic Register reported
(7/28-8/3/02).
Thus, it would seem only natural
that Catholics would be offended by the contents of this
film. Members of the American Society for the Defense of
Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) joined other concerned
Catholics in the Harrisburg, Penn. area at a protest and
prayer vigil of reparation at the city's Midtown Cinema
held on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, August
15.
The peaceful protest had hardly started
when debates broke out. Some pro-film patrons were only
too willing to explain away the whole film as a tale of
troubled youth. We were told the strong profanity, drinking
and pot smoking are harmless or even funny. Tragically,
some counter-protesters did not hesitate to use profanity
to make their point. We were also told that the sexual relationships
and insinuations portrayed in the film were not really that
sinful.
Finally, our protest against the
disrespectful references to the Faith was discarded as overblown.
After all, it's only a movie.
As we prayed the rosary and sung
hymns before the theater, we were struck at how persistent
the counter-protesters were. If it is only a movie, these
people evidently were taking it seriously. We definitely
got our message across; our protest had an effect. Even
the local newspaper and television station caught wind of
the debate and sent reporters.
At the same time, we were struck
by how this movie is symptomatic of our tragic times. Our
movies today are so full of profanity, sexual content and
irreverence that a movie like this is almost considered
"normal." People become upset when we point out
just how abnormal it is.
