TV ‘Getaway’ cricitised

Press, 21 April 1984, Page 8

TV ‘Getaway’ cricitised

PA Wellington TVNZ was criticised by the Mental Health Foundation for screening a film last evening which is said to promote men’s acceptance of rape. The film, “The Getaway,” which stars Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw, was shown on Channel Two. The director of the Mental Health Foundation, Dr Max Abbott, said the film was used in a study by American researchers in 1981. The study showed that male college students who watched the film showed an increased acceptance of violence against women and an increased belief that women enjoyed being raped. In “The Getaway” McQueen abuses his wife, kidnaps and rapes another woman who becomes a willing participant, then taunts the woman’s husband until he commits suicide. Dr Abbott said that although the rape scene was cut from the television ver-

sion he was still concerned about it being screened. “It is often not the sexual explicitness we see that is harmful, but the violent attitudes towards women that such movies often portray.” Dr Abbott said TVNZ has scheduled the screenings of a Michel Jackson video, “Thriller,” which was condemned by a National Coalition Against Television

Violence report a “sexually sadistic.” “Given the huge increase in sexual violence in movies and rock videos in recent years, how much of this will be screened on television? “It is ironic that TVNZ, while screening material of this sort, is also screening next week an acclaimed documentary on the effect of rape on its victims,” said Dr Abbott.