In the Trivia section on IMDB it says that this movie is often censored to be shown on TV due to excessive smoking and homophobia. The smoking is obvious, but does anyone know where the homophobia comes in. I love this movie and never once have I even noticed a homophobic moment.
Proud to be an American! - Don't hate us 'cause you ain't us!
I've seen the movie many times, and have never seen what could be considered homophobia.
"If you ever injected truth into politics you'd have no politics." Will Rogers
I'm gay and watched this movie last night and although there is a lot of goofy swaggering and supposed womanizing, I'm at a complete loss as to how this film is homophobic. I did have to laugh, however, when the Frenchmen and the blonde guy - is he German? - go off together to Paris for the "off-season" as the blond guy tells John Wayne at the end. Those two just needed to work it out!
shareThey go off to share a GIRL there, nancy...
"They sucked his brains out!"
Hardy Kruger ("the blonde (sic) guy") is most definitely German. He joined the German army at the age of 13 and fought with the Nazis (which he later said he hated) in WWII. Really handsome guy. Hot.
shareThe PC commies see ALL their buzzword causes, including "homophobia". everywhere.
Why haven't more people stood up to the socialist twirps that are trying to determine how everyone should act? Political Correctness is correct ONLY to totalitarians.
What I want to know is, where's the actual "tolerance"?
AFAIC, Hatari is one of the greatest movies ever made.
You f-ing communist.
shareMaybe they meant there is homoerotica in the film instead of homophobia. For example, there is the scene with Wayne and Buttons drunkedly singing in the truck after leaving Indian at the hospital... they are practically hugging each other. Then there is of a manage a trois between Kurt, Chips and Brandy ("Our girl looks pretty good tonight, doesn't she?"). I'm kidding of course, it's all meant to be just good clean male-bonding fun.
shareOf course it's all just good, clean, male-bonding fun. This is a Howard Hawks picture! His movies are full of manly men doing manly stuff and sharing manly camaraderie and friendship. Nowadays our perceptions are so skewed, we see two men having a few laughs together, expressing their affection for each other, and we automatically assume a gay subtext.
shareThe unsubstaniated trivia item referred to runs like this: "It is often censored on TV because of the racist portrayal of the tribes people, homophobia, treatment of animals and excessive promotion of cigarettes."
Like others here, I didn't see anything even remotely homophobic in the movie. Probably whoever made up this comment is not a John Wayne fan.
As far as the other items were concerned, the tribes people were not portrayed in a racist manner, though you hardly say they got featured billing.
And the animals were not treated badly, aside from the fact that they were captured (the report of John Wayne actually shooting an elephant notwithstanding). It's not like the animals were tripped or poked with spears or something, they were just lassoed, tied up and put into wooden boxes.
No argument about the amount of cigarettes smoked in the movie, though. Someone should do a count of how many for the trivia section.
[deleted]
That's one of the dumbest comments I've ever read on the intertubes. Congrats.
I just love to hear comments from the "tolerant" Left!
I'm watching it right now (for about 50th time in my life) and practically have it memorized. Never once have I noticed the racism or homophobia mentioned in the trivia section. The racism may refer to the scenes showing the Africans, but to me those scenes have always been like a National Geographic special, showing what the Africans (Masai) really do as a tribe. So whoever put that stupid piece of trivia up should actually WATCH the movie. Yes, there is a lot of smoking, but hey, the surgeon general hadn't said anything about it being dangerous in '62. Good flick nonetheless.
shareI'm guessing it may have to do with Pockets' and Dallas' scene where she asks why Sean doesn't like women. Then Pockets says that she's laboring under a gross misapprehension or something like that.
shareCould it be where Red Buttons tried to milk the ram? The expression of disgust when he looked at his hand.
shareI agree with the others who found it difficult to identify homophobia in this movie.
The only line that could be contentious, although only even slightly, is given by Pockets when discussing Sean with Dallas as they are seated on the verandah in the evening after Dallas' first day in the field:
Dallas (In conversation about Sean): Pockets, Why he doesn’t like women?
Pockets: Why doesn’t he like them? Dallas, I think it’s only fair to warn you that you’re laboring under a gross misapprehension about..
Another trivia item on this site states that Red Buttons later regretted saying this line although no reason is given.
I suppose, if one has particularly thin skin, the line could now be construed as implying that there is somehow something wrong about being homosexual although this is a very remote and obscure interpretation that was certainly NOT the original intention IMHO.
If it were me under discussion, I'm sure I would want the woman's "misapprehension" (gross or otherwise) corrected, particularly if she resembles Ms Martinelli.
I have not seen this film on TV for many years as I have my own copy so I am not certain that this line has been excised. If this is the "offensive" line however, then it simply astounds me that anyone could take offence at such an innocuous statement (which at the time of making the film might even have had comedic meaning considering the person being discussed).
If so, here is a prime example of how overly sensitive our PC police have become.
I couldn't agree with odo5435 more. Some people need to get a grip on their sensitivity. Just remember the era that these films were made in and have a little sense of humor about them.
shareI would rather see movies like this then all the violence and sex in the ones we have now. Forget homophobic issues, these day we have near real sex, tons of nudity and really awful violence so why doesn't any bring this up?
And second this movie was made back in 1962 and well before the government started telling people not to smoke, in fact in 1962 there were still cigarette ads on TV and The Tonight Show being one of the shows they sponsored, even I remember the Marlboro Man ads.
Quote:
"The last cigarette TV commercial (for Virginia Slims) was broadcast on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show at 11:59pm on January 1, 1971."
Source: http://www.tvparty.com/vaultcomcig.html
The only slightly racist thing I can think of was when they were chasing the loose ostriches. The Spanish guy (can't remember his name at the moment) says something to Kurt about chasing the Ostriches and Kurt replies "I think I will let the boys do it" refering to the native men who work for them giving off vibes of slave days when men were referred to as "boy" even though, other than their skin color, they were as old or older than the men referring to them as juvenile. Homophobia? Men used to be quite friendly to each other as a matter of course. Nowadays even the slightest bit of affection towards the same sex is misconstrued as being gay. I have seen my mother stroll arm in arm with a female friend because that was accepted in their day as natural and normal not gay or homosexual. All the cigarette smoking does bother me and there were doctors who did warn against smoking as far back as the 1860's but it wasn't officially warned against by the surgeon general.
shareActually I don't even think that was a racist comment. The native people are obviously much better at dealing with a animal from there own habitat then outsiders are. It would be like asking a NY City guy to rope a horse on a Texas ranch. So yes someone that has grown up in that environment would be better at it.
And the smoking still does not bother me.
That's really interesting, as I'm watching the movie as we speak, and I see NONE of either of these issues.
I tend to agree with most of the posters who tend to think too many folks (not the OP) see "monsters" in the normal shadows of everyday life.
I don't act...I react. John Wayne
http://knowshowbiz.blogspot.com/
I agree - I think these comments are reflected by there environment of "gay phobia" and anything that is related to a guy remotely showing affection/emotion is *gay* when its not.
That is the sad part of this generation these days, God forbid a man shows emotions.
I've often commented on my dad's generation (you know, men who grew up during the depression and served during WWII), and marveled at how the only "emotion" these men were "allowed" to show was anger.
It's oo bad, actually. When you do this sort of generalizing and labeling, you miss out on what really matters in life.
I don't act...I react. John Wayne
http://knowshowbiz.blogspot.com/
The part I am referring to when Kurt says he will let "the boys do it" is when he is jumping over and across the jeep when the ostriches are loose. The term "boy" would be considered demeaning for the natives employed at the wildlife center. Those guys were beyond the "Boy"stage. If you are watching the movie then that part must have been edited out. As far as the hugging and everything else is concerned between the men that was normal for men from the era they would have grown up in. Camaraderie was a lot more open for men in those days and people didn't automatically think "gay."Nowadays you may see men hug and kiss each other as a form of greeting, especially men from other countries other than the United States. It's a CULTURAL thing!!!!!!!! Look beyond the obvious and fast impression.
shareAmazon, I'm on your side. I wasn't speaking of you, or anyone else in particular with my remarks.
edit: Not that it really matters, but they were trying to get goats herded, not ostriches. Like it said, it doesn't matter, but I watched it again to be sure of the dialogue.
I was speaking in an VERY general way about people finding things that aren't there. I thought that this was what you were saying as well (people seeing things not really in the film).
As far as the "boy" remark, I see your point, however, having grown up around farming, outdoor work, and a VERY wide variety of racial groupings (all inter-related, BTW), I can honestly say that this IS something that occurs in these situations (even in 2009), and, I might add, WITHOUT racial prejudice, or assignment.
As I said, I can see your point about the comment, but I don’t think anything racial was inferred, as the “lingo of the workin’ man” (I come from a LONG line of these proud men) is pretty standard all over, and the use of the word “boy” infers status related to the WORK, rather than race.
I think what bothers most people, is that it’s used by very mean-spirited people (in the past and even now) in a derogatory fashion against people of certain skin tones (not just “black”), and it’s sometimes hard to differentiate the usage.
I hope this helps.
I don't act...I react. John Wayne
http://knowshowbiz.blogspot.com/
Check the ostrich scene again. It was not the goat scene! They were trying to get the ostriches back in their pen and the focus was on the male. I stand by my original statement that Kurt was taking a short-cut over the jeep front seats when he made the statement "I think I'll let the boys do it." If your copy shows this to be the goat scene then you had better go get your money back. The only thing I can remember is a dialogue between Wayne and The Indian when the goats all bolt because the baby elephant trumpets and the goats go crazy about letting the younger people catch the goats again.
shareNow, that's just ridiculous. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were black. Or slaves. I was always under the impression they were paid to be there. Your username makes your sex ambiguous but if you're a guy, I would think you've said before "I'm going out for a drink with the boys" or something of that nature in reference to your male friends? I can't tell you how many times I've heard sentences like that from people of ALL ages in reference to their male friends. "Boy", like many other racist terms is only STILL a racist term because ignorant people like yourself can't leave it alone long enough for it to go away.
shareIf you check the others on this thread no one else can find it either. Some extremely small-minded person who led an extremely sheltered life must have said that.
shareAmazon -
Sorry for my mistake!! They said "let the boys get 'em" during the goat scene, and the quote you cited in the correct scene!
I thought I was watching the right scene, but I paused it too soon!!
Thanks for the head's up!!
I don't act...I react. John Wayne
http://knowshowbiz.blogspot.com/
Actually, bari, in the goat scene Kurt said "Well boys lets unload the goats" and he's referring not only to the African Americans but also Luis [the Spanish guy], Pockets, and Chips.
Anyways, I've watched this movie on and off since I was younger so less than 17 years and I haven't once witnessed anything that would register as homophobia. If they refer to things though like the hugging in the truck when they're drunk, or anything like that well then that's ridiculous. It's also ridiculous if they mean the part where Pockets comes in wearing just that pajama top and goes to walk out trying to cover only his front portion. If that's what they mean, well that's not homophobia to me.
The smoking yes is terrible in the movie, but you know what, I can look past it and well others should be able to as well. I mean, there's some parts that I didn't even notice they were smoking.
As for the treatment of animals, aside from the capturing of the animals with ropes and boxes, I didn't really see anything bad. Sure they had some animal skins back on the floors of the main building but unless you're looking at the floors rather than the people you're not really going to see that.
Rascism, well I don't recall seeing anything like that. Even that 'boy' thing can't really be considered racism. I think all Kurt was saying was 'they're younger, they'll have more luck' also, if you remember, at the very beginning of the scene Kurt says "Here we go again" which could be in reference to it happening some time in the past and him having to deal with them, thus him probably being annoyed by the whole thing.
Correction, you mean the Mexican guy. Spanish people are from Spain and are white.
shareThe only think I can think of that might make someone think there might be a gay subtext to the movie is that there are six men living in the complex with no women in sight. It's a stretch, but that might be an explanation.
shareNO women? Are you blind or what? Michele and Elsa look like women to me... I would dance with BOTH of them!
"They sucked his brains out!"
Racism? I found none in the film. The tribes people in the film are treated with a great deal of respect. "Their cattlemen. Too proud to dig!" Geez, that line, delivered by Wayne, is a huge compliment and you can hear the admiration in his voice. In fact, Wayne's son Patrick declined to attend celebrations of Wayne's 100th birthday in Winterset, Iowa and instead went to Tanzania, Africa
because the people there remember Wayne and thought highly of him. Also, the Wayne family remembered the time they spent in Africa while filming Hatari and fell in love with the place and the people. Racism in Hatari? Only in the mind of the cracked-brained.