Films and plays

Press, 1 April 1980, Page 16

Films and plays

Sir, —Neither sex nor nudity offend me. However I am disgusted by any medium, be it books, films, or plays, which depict women as scatty dollies to be “had” and men as bold adventurers ’“having” anything that moves and moving on to “fresh pastures.” This is belittling and demeaning to women. Thks attitude is the basis of all discrimination against women arid should be stamped out.—-Yours, etc., J. B. VARGA, March 29, 1980.

Sir,—-The Bible Lady must have taken leave of her divine light. Why did she attend a performance to be disgusted as she had expected? One Can only feel pity for her as she missed the point of an excellent performance of “Statements”; that being the right to choose. —Yours, etc., M. R. D. ANNAN. March 31, 1980.

Sir, —The fact-finding report on whether the stage show, “Further Confessions of a Window Cleaner,” contravenes the generallyaccepted and Holy Scripturebased moral code might have had a less “happy” reading if it were entrusted to Salvation Army officers rather than, to police officers (“The Press,” March 29). Since “present - day standards’’ serve as a guideline in granting permission for this and such shows, it is not surprising that one in seven of our teen-age daughters becomes pregnant, one in eight citizens mentally disturbed and our policemen run marathons chasing rapists and sex-offenders of all description. If the presentday trend of moral decadence continues unchecked, it is not necessary to invite wild imagination to envisage what sort of orgy would Jake place on the stage in the semi ■> darkened capacious Christchurch Town Hall packed with ’’'thrill seeking” citizens.—Yours, etc., J. ARLOV* March 29, 1980*

Sir — Like Mrs Renee Stanton I was shocked by the indecencies of the play, “Statements.” My horror though was at the indecency of a supposedly Christian system which passes legislation regulating even the sexual lives of its people according to the colour of their skins. The play attempts to show the horror and inhumanity of such a system. Its message is an important! one, especially for New Zealanders as

we await, on April 11, the N.Z.R.F.U.’s decision on the 1981 tour. I think it a pity that you devoted so much space to Mrs Stanton’s comments. An obsession with the “immorality” of naked bodies means that the real immoralities in our world go unnoticed. — Yours, etc., JAN PATTERSONI March 29, 1980. ‘