There was nothing limited about Shakespeare’s imagination:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/apr/24/shakespeare-sex-love-stanley-wells
If Shakespeare were creating today, I think it’s a safe bet he would be no less heavy-handed with a camera than he was with words. He was a master at giving audiences what they wanted.
Thank you to those that confirmed my feeling that it isn’t out of line for her to let her professor know she’s uncomfortable.
Yes, she is an adult and I was looking for suggestions to help someone who is non-confrontational to exercise her *right to voice the fact that she is uncomfortable with the film. “Broadening Horizons” doesn’t do it in this case…
Not looking for any further replies essentially suggesting “grow up,” because in my opinion public viewing of erotica doesn’t come under that definition, thanks.
I’m sorry but then she almost certainly knew about the film ahead of time. I’m sure it was on the syllabus.
When I taught a film class, we gave everyone the first week to decide whether or not this was the class was for them. It was about the holocaust (among other topics) and had highly explicit scenes.
Shakesepeare is chock-full of rape, murder, suicide, explicit dirty jokes, etc. They’re graphic. They’re explicit. It’s more modern interpretations that downplay the R-ratedness of his plays. In the 19th and 20th centuries, more explicit lines were removed from his works because it offended the public.
Your daughter is an adult. If there’s a problem, have her talk to the prof or TA.
@MYOS1634 By alternate assignment I meant that she should ask for an assignment that doesn’t involve watching the movie but could cover similar material. I think a student who chose to attend a Christian University should be able to express her discomfort with an R rated movie. I suspect if it is approached maturely and far enough in advance of the date the movie is to be shown that some accommodation can be made that will satisfy the student and the professor. If the movie was on the syllabus since January and the student waits until day it is scheduled to be shown to voice an objection, I expect the professor will not be quite as accommodating.
romanigypsyeyes, I’m sorry, but no, she did NOT know in advance, and I’m sure that every class and professor does things differently~ kudos to you for being so organized, this professor apparently is not~
If there were a universal standard for syllabi I wouldn’t have had to write this post because she would have been well aware, well in advance, instead of having to figure it out a day or two before. I normally wouldn’t even post something like this, but because she was caught unaware~ I thought I’d see if there was some helpful input for a student who is very responsible but wasn’t sure how to respond at this late date.
Sadly the suggestions to deal with it far enough in advance are also not helpful in this situation…
No syllabus until 2 days before the class began (and there weren’t really any other options for this credit that fit her schedule), and the movies weren’t listed in the syllabus~ they are given the information right before they move on to the next work to be studied…
Anyway, thanks again~ no more replies are necessary at this time, shortlly to be a moot point.
Since there is a time crunch perhaps she should email the professor.
I understand, but there are very few equivalent alternatives that would not include problematic scenes, simply because we’re talking Shakespeare and if the film is close to the original material the alternative also will…
@5acorns : I was your daughter. That’s why I said that learning how to cope is an essential skill. Knowing where to sit in the room, knowing the cues (so you can avert your eyes/resume watching), managing discomfort, learning from the film despite the short moments that were cut, being able to participate in the discussion, all of that is important.
If asking to watch the film on her own so she can fast forward problematic moments, is something she can do, power to her. But you said she’s shy so “sit in the back where your classmates and the Prof won’t see you avert your eyes” is a practical suggestion. Keep in mind that it’s an R rated film and it could be very short moments in the film.
(Don’t worry too much about the word “erotic” in that review since cinema critiques can use words like that to mean “hot”. A film with actual erotic-scenes-in-the-general- public sense would be rated NC17).
Why no more responses? Even Christians differ in their thoughts on these things as evidenced simply by the professor choosing to show the movie. It seems wise to know what others think - for readers as much as yourself or daughter.
Every thread gets responses that don’t really fit the actual situation due to lack of information or misreading or just rabbit trails. Feel free to ignore those.
Please let us know how it turns out.
I can’t keep from wondering if the use of words like “triggering” and “safe space” would help or hurt in this situation.
How bad can the movie be? Seriously. The professor feels comfortable showing this film in class at a Christian college. Your daughter can avert her eyes, sit in the back corner, and just watch the movie and see for herself if it is all that bad.
I find the violence in movies more problematic in general than sex scenes.
Eh, I still avert my eyes with a lot of graphic violence if it’s in something we watch. For that reason I haven’t watched The Passion… even if it’s supposed to be a good representation of what happened.
No harm in being sensitive, but no harm in being a part of the class either. If I had to watch The Passion for a class my eyes would know a lot of details about the room!
Not sure I would categorize any R rated movie as “erotica.”
Have your daughter look up the IMDB parent guide or common sense media for the movie. It will give specifics so she can better prepare herself. If she truly has a problem, she needs to talk to her prof and advocate for herself. This isn’t being confrontational.
FWIW, my daughter’s Catholic HS showed an R rated movie in 12th grade theology class. I’m honestly not sure why being a Christian impacts what can be shown to adults.
Truly, I would expect an adult to be able to handle an R movie without any problem, regardless of her religious views.
If she has to watch a movie she knows will make her uncomfortable for whatever reason, my suggestion is: sit in the back, bring unobtrusive earbuds and phone with music, close her eyes at scenes she doesn’t like.
For mental health, it’s important to know how to protect yourself from unwanted assaults on your senses, whether erotica, gore, cacophany, maudlin sentimentalism, etc.
Now that might trigger me.
@MYOS1634 Thanks~ I appreciate your further comments~ and yes~ she’s a pro at averting her eyes~ that’s how she got through Henry V 
And the reviews she read weren’t from critics, but people (some who were praising its erotic content, which is what made her antennae go up)
@yucca10 I couldn’t help think that if it was anyone other than a conservative Christian, cookies and crayons would be the immediate offer insted of “figure out how to deal with it” …
I was just trying to see if anyone had any suggestions beyond “talk to the professor” and “avert your eyes” which she had already considered.
What do her classmates think? Perhaps there are people in this class who feel the same way and they could approach the prof as a group.
I mean… there are literally only a few ways this can go.
-She goes and whether or not she “averts her eyes” can be decided in the moment.
-She doesn’t go and risks the consequences of this decision.
-She talks to the prof and explains her concerns. Then it’s in the prof’s hands.
I don’t think there’s any other real option.
@creekland So glad to know it isn’t just me… or my daughter. There are people who are naturally more highly sensitive to many things, and they deserve the some amount of consideration (ie, not accomodation, but not ridicule, either… )
@momofsenior1 She has IMDB bookmarked on her phone … first place she turns~ and the first step in her concern with this movie. She particularly appreciates when she can find a complete synopsis for a film because then she is forewarned when something is coming up that she wants to avoid seeing~ this one doesn’t have that anywhere. (BTW, this is her own coping mechanism, I just learned about it recently… and am glad she has that part figured out, when it works) And again, this is how she got through Henry V…
FYI the “erotica” comments were from viewer reviews…
What being a Christian has to do with it, in my particular case, and I’m pretty sure my daughter’s is that we have set personal standards of what we will and will not see, do and read… not telling others what their standards should be but wishing there were more options to feel comfortable holding ours without being slammed… unfortunately, as seen by some of the snarky responses on this thread, maybe impossible.
@roycroftmom I’m one of those adults that can’t handle the vast majority of R rated films~ and it’s not a bad thing, honestly, considering how graphic they are~ Why we don’t understand that people come away with PTSD from being in situations and then don’t realize that viewing those same situations can have a similar effect is so strange…