Review of Fuck (2006) by Grëg W — 16 Jun 2009

Ah, the F word.

Wait, let me back up...

*gasp* the F word??!!

Much better.

It is an endless, circus of a pendulum between the media, Congress, filmmakers, television corporations, and middle-class conservatives alike. "We believe in freedom of speech (and all that that implies *cough), but there HAS to be a line!" "The demise of our children lies in this word!".

... Please.

Steve Anderson's documentary on this word is, at times, long-winded and meanders. On the whole, though, he provides the most objective, inclusive, and unambiguous presentation of a subject matter as I've seen in a documentary. It just so happens that the subject matter is considered the "worst word of all time.".

Do I believe the F word shapes culture? Yes and no.

Yes, in that I attest to the words versatility of uses in English diction. No, in that I don't believe a four letter word holds the key to the dismantling of society. We live in a fallen and depraved world that would be such without a dictionary of terms to describe it.

On that note, though, I found it interesting that no one knows exactly where the word originated. Primarily used as a (socially tangent) term for copulation, it was seen regularly among Shakespeare's contemporaries in the 17th century. Lest we forget, though, Lady Chatterley's Lover was banned for many, many years.

Censorship! Censorship! Censorship!

The philosopher Voltaire once said "I strongly disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.".

Yes!

This is the key to understanding liberal arts. One has to be willing.

A blatant hypocrisy is presented among television censorship in the film. (Television has become nothing but smut. Entertaining smut, sure, but my children will never be subjected to it.) Bono's utterance of the F word at the Golden Globes was dismissed by the Federal Communications Commission after debated scrutiny for not being "graphic or explicit." Janet Jackson then flashed her breast in front of millions (if not billions) of people. Graphic? Explicit? Simply pseudo-liberal art of song and dance? No, people.

Lastly, though, came the blow of airing Saving Private Ryan uncut on cable TV. The FCC claimed the film did not fit the guidelines of "graphic or explicit." Someone needs a fact (and reality) check.

My favorite element to this film was its structure. Anderson separates the film into chapters, covering literally every possible social realm: film, tv, politics, books, music, religion, etc.

He gets people on both sides of the issue including ministers and Howard Stern. Miss Manners and Kevin Smith.

Extraordinary oxymorons, all collectively discussing a word that seems to have infected and entranced generations of people, though many choose to ignore it.

Bob Dylan wrote "love is just a four letter word." Shouldn't f*ck be also?

I see this film as more than an examination of a four letter word. Culture is constantly changing, shifting, molding, and some would say degrading.

While I do agree that the forms of media have changed and become more readily available through our technology, I don't think the content has gotten necessarily worse, just different.

And while I do strongly attest to the Proverb quoted in the film "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." I also parallel with Voltaire's phrase about dying to fight for someone's words, even (sometimes especially) when you don't agree.

That's the beauty of thought.