Midnight Cowby?

I'm trying to decide what to do about our next film. For years, I showed "Midnight Cowboy", which is not only a great film, but also a film that has entered into the pantheon, (if you will) of American cultural icons. It's one of those films that everyone has to see. Add to that the fact that it is uber-teachable, and you have a sure thing. Oh, and let's not forget that the characters of Ratso Rizzo and Joe Buck are among cinema's most memorable, AND add to that the fact that the film we see after that, Runaway Train also features Jon Voigt, but in a totally different role and.... well, let's put it this way, I am very much inclined to show it again.

The problem is that it has several scenes that are rather "adult" in nature, though hardly pornographic, and the story itself is also rather sophisticated. You might ask why I never hesitated before. The answer is that I was younger and I didn't give a damn. The movie is a work of art, and it deserves to be shown. Nowadays, I'm not as willing to suffer for great art.

You might be interested to hear that a good friend of mine, a Catholic priest who teaches film at St. John's University in Queens has told me that he considers this film to be among the best examples of the Christian ideal portrayed in film. And to think it was rated X when it came out in 1969, though soon changed to R. I won't give the ending away, but his reasoning stems from the fact that redemption can only occur if one is saved from sin. To illustrate this process, one much show both. Hence the Supreme Court's insistence that any work be judged in its entirety before it be branded "obscene."

The last time I showed it, I skipped a scene. I am loathe to do that sort of thing, but I'm leaning toward that solution to the problem. It's a worthwhile film and you youngsters can rent it yourselves anytime and watch it in its entirety. I'd only need to cut about 5 minutes out of the 120 minute total.