a tropical iceland

After today’s class I naturally ran back home and checked out IMDB for some references of film noir. I never really got anything too good, but then I got to thinking of current pop culture references to 50’s-detective-sherlock-holmesy type icons (whew!) and came to a sort of obvious conclusion:

Dr. Gregory House from House, MD.

Ok, before everyone logs away from this page hear me out:

He solves cases (ok…, medical ones), he has a crutch of a gimp leg (and a general sour demeanor because of it), and actually… the character is (according to creator David Shore) based off of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, in turn, was actually (according to author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) based on a doctor he knew while studying medicine, a Dr. Bell, whose specialty was diagnosis, similar to Houses’. Couldn’t help but post that fun trivia, sorry if that made everyones head spin.

Anyway, here is short video (about 5 minutes) of House explaining his disability. I’ll post a bit more later this weekend on another topic I have yet to cover: Heart of Darkness. 🙂

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/sUGxYXz2byg" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Ok, so after class I thought I’d investigate more into the “Hays” or “Production Code” set by the MPAA back in 1930. Anyway, incase this interests anyone else, I’ll just post the principles and my thoughts on some of them.

Principles:

1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.

-I can’t help but think of the SNL skit featuring Tina Fey discussing Georgians changing the text books from “dinosaurs” to “jesus horses.”

2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.

3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

These principles are set to the “particular applications” such as vulgarity, sex, obsenity, religion, ‘dances’, and I even think “national feelings” (burning of the flag) was another.

Of course, I had a lot of objections to many of the categories… but especially the very first one of “crimes against the law.” Standards were different then, I understand… but still. It’s fascinating to me how some directors got around these things… even in The Glass Key.

I. Crimes Against the Law
These shall never be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy with the crime as against law and justice or to inspire others with a desire for imitation.

1. Murder

a. The technique of murder must be presented in a way that will not inspire imitation.

b. Brutal killings are not to be presented in detail.

c. Revenge in modern times shall not be justified. (Does this sound like a commandment to anyone?)

2. Methods of Crime should not be explicitly presented.

a. Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, etc., should not be detailed in method.

b. Arson must subject to the same safeguards.

c. The use of firearms should be restricted to the essentials. (The essentials?!)

d. Methods of smuggling should not be presented.

3. Illegal drug traffic must never be presented.

4. The use of liquor in American life, when not required by the plot or for proper characterization, will not be shown.
– scenes of Jeff drunk in the bar of the Glass Key?

(taps microphone..)

“Is this thing on?”