To Cuss or not to Cuss

[Osi Osgood]

We just checked out a Blu-ray of an action/crime drama, "Killing Them Softly", starring Brad Pitt. Within a minute into the film, I noticed around ten "F" words, and had the kiddies go to they're rooms. We struggled through another 25 minutes of the film and around nearly 50 "F" bombs, and gave up on the film. Now, a little background, yes I am a Christian, but I watch all films in nearly all ratings (well, I stay away from American X rated films), and I am also a scriptwriter as well, having written over a dozen scripts and no. not Christian films, just various genres. My question is, when is cussing in a film, more a deterrent, than a help? I know that a lot of film-makers use the excuse of wanting realism" in they're movies, but when you have characters cussing three or four times per sentence, it goes beyond realism. I know tons of people from all walks of life, Christian and non Christian alike, and I have never heard that much cussing. I use cussing rarely in my scripts, but when I do, it is to make a specific impact or statement in the narrative. Here's my argument ... and this film was a good example. If you're attention is distracted from the storyline or narrative, then it is not serving a useful function and actually defeats what you are trying to achieve in your work of art. I'm certainly not a prude when it comes to films or film-making and I would be curious as to your opinions ...

[Steve Klare]

These words have power, and when they are used as punctuation in normal speech they start to lose it.

I almost never curse: almost. Maybe 15 years ago I was unemployed with a wife, a pre-schooler, a mortgage and a car loan. I'd been out of work for 3 months but interviewing for a good new job for about 6 weeks. I sensed they were dragging their feet, but was completely unprepared for the phone call that said the job had been cancelled. I got off the phone and ran around my house imagining how it would look with other people's furniture! Curse?! You bet your %$#/ing &^% I did! (Note: Son was at Pre-School! That would have made a difference.)

There's this phase that elementary school kids go through where they collect the curse words. I was at a Cub Scout meeting and I walked past this little clot of Cubs: one of 'em said "I know all the curse words!" (....turned out to be my kid!) -and you can tell they know the sounds without understanding the meanings because they use that Queen Mother Curse Word as a noun when adults should know it's a verb! -but you see they have those magical words and whatever astounding power they come with, and all hail the nine year old with a dirty mouth! (-until MOM overhears!)

You run into too many adults that curse like these little kids, both on screen and out in daily life. Some of 'em don't even hear it anymore since they've been doing it so long. "I'll be out in a minute: I need to fill out my %$#/ing timesheet." It really doesn't do a thing for the sentence, and once you pass 12 years old, it's not impressing anybody!

-so whether it's in a script or in real life, curse like an adult. Keep it for those special moments only! -but when the time is right, let it echo through the Valley!

Dropped a hammer on your foot? -Yes!
Need to make a fresh pot of coffee? -No!
Lost your job? -Yes!
Interviewing for a new one? -Nnnnnooooooo!!!!!

[Brian Fretwell]

Yes. I made it clear wen I was really, really upset as that was the only time I use that sort of language.

As for the F***ing timesheet, that is only what I would think appropriate for a porn film actor, as then it wouldn't be cussing.

[Mike Newell]

Listening to cursing is not nice but I don’t think your choice of family viewing was too wise. Killing Them Softly is a 18 certificate is that a R in the US so coarse language and violence as per rating is to be expected. Plus, Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) is in the cast and he has barely managed a sentence in any movie without a cuss word. The 1st review on Amazon sums it up nicely. £5.00 new or 82 pence used for Blu ray. Obviously another down payment on the Brad Pitt divorce settlement.


3 morons rob a card game run by the mob who send a hit man after them. Slow and talky but brutal, tense and brilliant with excellent performances from Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Liotta and Richard Jenkins. Not one likeable character, they're all scumbags who deserve what's coming and not for the squeamish but a bold, brilliant and gritty modern classic thriller.

[Joe Caruso]

No cussing in films of olde, why now?

[Steve Klare]

Well, gratuitous profanity, sex and violence are kind of the monosodium glutamate of screenplay writing: if you can't make something tasty with things like suspense, back story, irony, subtext and character development, you just toss in a generous handful of those to spice things up!

Not that there should NEVER be obscenity. If you remember NYPD Blue: Dennis Franz played Andy Sipowicz, grizzled New York City Detective. He'd been shot at least once, beaten up and been beaten by a whole buncha skells, and spent half a lifetime down in interrogation peeling the onion that is the dark side of humanity.

This character was basically built to use the word "F***", often and enthusiastically, but because he was on network TV he never even got up to "Darn!".

-It felt like there was something missing!

I hope if there is a box DVD set somewhere they have second audio program with Andy dubbed into his native language!

('morning, Shorty!)

[Mike Newell]

No cussing in films of olde, why now?

Who knows what they were saying. They were silent. Apparently lip readers could tell a tale or two. 🤬

[Osi Osgood]

All great responses. Another interesting factor that I don't think that some film-makers think of (t or they know, but they don't care), is, the more needless profanities your film is laced with, the less viewer-ship of your film has in the long run. Hence, also less overall success for your film. Shorty had a good point. Hollywood has always, to a greater or lesser extent, dealt with violent or contraversal storylines. But yet, they didn't need countless profanities. They did it by clever writing, ingenious shots or camera angles ect. I am not against any profanities or even a nude scene in a film. I have a post apocolyptic script in which there is one shot, an upper body shot of a terrified woman, that I felt needed to be in the story arc, not to be shocking, but to make a point as to how wrong what is taking place ... Is. Shock can he a very good story telling element, if used with discretion.

[Terry Sills]

Trouble is it’s not just modern day films these days. The younger generations can’t string a sentence together without ‘f’ing and blinding’. You can’t walk down a high street without hearing it - both men and women and kids. You never hear it from the older generation because they were taught and brought up to speak without using offensive language. Maybe it’s the lack of proper parentage and the effect modern day tv and film has on them, but the end product is an underclass of rude and disrespectful people. Not a future to look forward to unfortunately.

[Steve Klare]

Profanity should never be allowed here!

-We are a dis-cussion forum after all!

(-Bad puns?...Sure!)

[Mike Newell]

Absolutely more self control

https://youtu.be/eNwcXtWFWic

[Brian Fretwell]

Which reminds me of the comedy series "The Dustbin Men" and "Porridge" where people would expect swearing, but the authors developed their own equivalent not using tradition swear words. Examples such as "Pigging" and "Naff off".

[Steve Klare]

-Only I didn't say "Fudge."!
I said THE word, the big one, the Queen-Mother of dirty words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word!

A Christmas Story, 1983

[Joe Caruso]

The manner in which our latest generation speaks, is due mainly to what it sees on stage and/or screen...I'm an actor, I understand that "smut sells" and yet, I simply do not agree with hoisting it onto the public constantly...take any film before 1970 (picked this year on-purpose), whether the content was western, war or espionage...not one salty word (save for some mild expletives), and these genres would welcome it, naturally. There was a time (code), which stipulated that motion pictures were for entertainment and profits, and it was a family event...everyone came away enjoying what they saw...sorry to throw the towel in, but the 70s began a turnaround in exhibition, letting it "all hang out" attitude...I could type on and on citing examples of what I mean, but you all have to admit one thing...the "rating system" began in 1971, writers who dared write the unsayable..."This Film is Rated 'M' for Mature Audiences...so it began...then we have had 'R' for the last twenty-one years...this is going to sound pedestrian, but if a film is so-rated as "Restricted", then productions like this are no longer entertainment, and then only for restricted (certain) individuals...this debate can go on forever and Have not attended to many films for this reason and more...I know, go ahead and criticize me, that's my bane...Shorty

[Osi Osgood]

Great post, Shorty, and from someone who knows the business. I'm not an actor, ( well, not a "liscenced" actor), and have not been in too many productions myself. I have personally felt that a lot of over the top language or nudity, are just crutch for those in the business who can't write, direct or act worth a darn. However, occasionally, language can be quite funny. Take a Hitman, crime comedy from about ten years ago, entitled, "Snatch", about a lot of low life's after a diamond. The use of profanity was actually quite creative and quite frankly, funnier than heck. I have the personal motto of, "less is more". The more you allow the audience to fill in the blanks and the paint the picture that you are, in part, portraying, the more success you will have. This was part of the magic of the classic era of radio! However, there is another element that ends up missing when you use every cuss or unecessary nudity. When you show everything, you keep the audience out of the process. You take the element of imagination out of it. If you graphically show a rape, for instance, there is nothing the audience can add to that. They are kept at a distance. If you only hint to the audience that someone will be raped in the storyline, the audience now becomes a part of the story, and the wonderful thing is that each audience member, based upon they're life experiences, will make up different details. This makes it a shared experience, instead of an experience where the audience is shut out, leaving nothing to the imagination. (I hope my analogy of rape is not personally offensive. It is only an analogy, and not an endorsement).