On Sun, Jul 3, 2011 at 7:59 AM, Adam Bowie <[email protected]> wrote: > > Ironically, I wonder if channels like HBO and Showtime feel they have to > sprinkle lots of nudity into their shows as a reaction to the generally > prudish nature of network television as a result of the FCC's rules? It's > now quite noticeable that there will be nudity in the first episode of just > about any series that comes from these networks, to point out to viewers the > difference. Sprinkle some "ripe" language and some in your face nudity, and > we know for certain that we're watching an HBO/Showtime/Starz show.
The only one of these series I watched was the first season of Rome and 90% of the nudity and explicit violence was in the first episode. I think part of it is to relay to the viewer "We're not in kiddie-land any more" and part of it is to juice DVD and overseas sales. > > There's an interesting comparison to be made with British programming, where > broadly speaking, you can show just about anything as long it's after the > 9pm "watershed" and you give some advance warning. As a result there tends > to be less gratuitous nudity, but nudity, violence or strong language will > have much more context and relevance to the story. I was too young to experience it, but I recollect the period in Hollywood of the end of the Production Code and the introduction of nudity in American movies. At first it was a thing of great significance and a sign of a director being with the times or of an actress being a rebel. I think it also became a word-of-mouth way to sell a movie (Did you see Jane Fonda in Barbarella? You can see everything!) In fact, it might also be a way to build buzz around the HBO/Showtime series. And it became a regular part of actress interviews to ask if she would ever do a nude scene. Over time, a chance to see an actress naked seems to have stopped selling movies and I'm sure HBO and Showtime will eventually follow. Nudity is a powerful visual symbol of vulnerability or a transition to a state of intimacy. So it has real use in movies. But McNamara has a point that there's a difference between using nudity as a symbol for a character's mental state and using nudity as set decoration. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
