'The Help' Will Be Shown in Downtown Rochester — But it's Not Meant For Kids
After some parents in the community expressed their concerns about the Movie in the Moonlight selection, city officials say it was never meant for kids.
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Is The Help, an Academy Award-winning movie set during the Civil Rights movement, an appropriate "Movie in the Moonlight" selection?
That is the question some members of the Rochester-area community have brought to downtown leaders, citing concerns about some of the language, violence and portrayals of African-Americans in the film.
After considering their concerns, the Principal Shopping District Board determined on Tuesday that they will still show the movie — but warned it's not meant for children.
Movies in the Moonlight is a popular free event on summer Saturdays that shows recent movies on a big screen in a downtown parking lot. Hundreds of people attend the movies; most of the movies are family-friendly.
The Help is the planned July 28 show.
"We try to include at least one adult movie each summer," said Kristi Trevarrow, director of Rochester's Downtown Development Authority.
Last summer, True Grit was shown.
"We have some adults who have told us they want to watch a movie without their kids or anyone else's," Trevarrow said. "We try to accommodate that. The Help was a critically acclaimed movie."
Ayana Knox-Potts first brought up her concerns about the movie selection to the DDA in an email, saying she has six children and would not take them to see the movie.
But more than the adult content of The Help, Knox-Potts, president of the Rochester African American Parent Network, said her concerns were about the subject matter.
"Would Rochester show a movie that made fun of the Holocaust?" Knox-Potts asked. "Or denoted another race in a negative light based upon history that supports injustice?"
The Help, set in Mississippi, is about an aspiring author who decides to write a book detailing the African-American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work.
"With this movie being shown and people generally believing that these movies are intended for family they can unknowingly expose their children or family members to some very sensitive material," Knox-Potts said. "Not a Saturday feel-good movie to show in a downtown parking lot."
Trevarrow said that like other PG-13 movies that are shown, this one is shown in an "airline edit" version.
That means some of the language has been voiced over and some scenes have been cropped.
According to a list of more than 40 edits of the movie, for example, the phrases "holy shout" and "eat my spit" replace some of the profanity in the movie. Also, many of the more violent scenes have been reduced or omitted.
"Regardless of the movie being the edited it is still a movie that makes fun of racism and denotes African American women in a negative/condescending light," Knox-Pott said.
"I hope that if nothing else it won't be advertised as family friendly."
Advertisement for Movies in the Moonlight on the DDA website states "movies rated PG-13 are edited versions whenever possible, however parental guidance is still requested."
kristy
10:46 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
wow, chill out!! If it offends you, you have a right as an American citizen to choose not to go see it. It is a really good movie and does bring light to some injustices of the time but does it in a way as to not be offensive. Clearly she has never seen the movie.
Angela
8:57 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
agreed!
Angela
10:46 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I don't understand why some would say that it's not a movie for kids. I watched it with my 8 year old son, after i watched it first, to make sure it was not bad for him. I think it's a great movie to show anyone. It teaches them what our history is and was, and what it has come to now compared to then. I say show it! WITH KIDS!
Tiffany Piggee'-Taylor
8:57 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
I agree that NO the movie is not necessarily for children, but the PG-13 rating should caution parents against this. Each family can chose what they feel is appropriate for their children to watch.
While yes our community is a family friendly one...that does not mean that children are in charge of running it, nor does it mean that everything we do here has to be geared towards our little ones. Mommies and Daddies need parent friendly things to do as well. I stand in support of the movie being shown.
David Gifford
8:54 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
I have seen The Help and do not see how it can be thought of as “making fun of racism”. If anything it portrays white Americans in a negative and condescending light for their naivety and bigotry. This movie brings to life an important time of change in our American history, a history that is still taking place yet today. There are dark times in the past of every nation and this was one of ours. You can take books off the shelves in schools and libraries that deal with the holocaust, racism, slavery or rape but it won’t erase it from the pages of history. If you don’t inform a generation of the mistakes of our nation’s past, will they be less likely to repeat the same mistakes? There is a line between protecting children by keeping them in the dark and exposing them directly to the terrible realities of this world and flaws can be found in either method of teaching. The DDA has cautioned parents that the film is not meant for children so it should be up to the parents to decide whether or not to bring their kids. What is so bad about an adult’s night out? If anything our country is so kid obsessed that the identities of most parents on Facebook has become a picture of their child. Get out, leave the kids with a sitter or the grandparents and have a date night under the stars.
Colleen
10:17 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
You hit the nail on the head, David. Obviously, there are those out there who have not evolved with the times and just don't get it. If you do not have the maturity of someone 13 years or older, you should stick with G rated movies.
Tiffany Dziurman Stozicki
11:06 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
As a caucasian, it's difficult for me to comment on an African-American woman's opinion of a book that deals with racism in the American South. I simply cannot assume to know her feelings, personal history, etc. A historian by trade, I am currently reading The Help, but not for an in-depth historical report -- there are many solid historical theses (backed with primary evidence) about the topic that can provide a more accurate account of the time. However, I believe it is vital to make history accessible and interesting and historical fiction, like The Help, is one way people can learn something about our past. At times history can make us squirm and feel uncomfortable and if it does, it means it has stirred something -- an emotion, a thought, etc. And perhaps that sparks a desire to learn more. As for the movie being shown downtown, there are so many options for kids and families that it's refreshing to have an event for adults.
DeniseR
11:57 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
Having seen the movie, I question whether Ms. Knox-Potts has. I agree it might not be for small kids, but it's certainly not inappropriate for a Middle School and up audience. I honestly don't even undertand why 40 edits were required. I can understand if they want to edit out swear words, but I just watched this movie again the other night and can't recall anything particularly violent. It certainly isn't demeaning or making fun of the African American women. If anything, it shows them standing up for themselves and shows how silly the behavior of their employers was. I don't understand the claims that it portrays African Americans in a negative light at all - I really don't think that woman has read the book or seen the movie.