12 yr old Dakota Fanning in controversial new film role

[Miss Dalloway]

The uncut version was more explicit. there's this shot of the two making love but of course they deleted that for the world wide audience so they could get the R rated and not NC-17. That split minute shot would leave you to wonder whether they did it or not and Jane March was just 14 when they filmed it. Hence, the controversey ensued. I think in the end it was beautifully done. Very sensual without being p*rnographic. I loved the book as well. I'm a fan of Duras.

Oh i didnt see the uncut version and i am a huge and i mean huge fan of Duras too!

 

[misssakura]

To be honest, points have been brought up about this sort of topic being 'pushed under the rug' and i'd have to respectfully disagree. The issue of r*pe, paedophilia and other abuse of young boys and girls is painfully prominent in today's society, to the point where society is wrapping potential targets up in a safe bubble. If Hollywood really wanted to speak to an under-represented (and large) group of people, they'd represent those who aren't sexual, not because of r*pe, not because they haven't had the right relations with the right partner, but just because they don't enjoy it. I can't think of a single character who just doesn't enjoy sex. Forget r*pe, forget portraying 12 year old r*pe, more importantly, what sort of audience would this attract? I dread to think. Represent a larger group please Hollywood, you're definitely pushing *us* under the rug, and I understand all too well about child r*pe without seeing it graphically depicted.

 

[Terrima183]

Perhaps it's a story that needs to be told but I feel like nudity on film isn't always neccessary to tell the story(Swordfish as opposed to General's Daughter).

Since she is TWELVE for goodness sake, the least they could do is a simulated nude where we'd only see her shoulders/legs. Anymore than that is gratuitous and dangerous for child welfare in general (paedophiles getting ideas).

 

[sexydaydreamer]

I'm getting mixed feeling about this:

On one hand, I think this movie is a great idea; it will bring attention to pedaphiles and r*pe victims and will also bring awareness. Dakota Fanning, IMO, will do a wonderful job in this film.

HOWEVER, I find this quite disturbing. I feel that Hollywood is trying to exploit the issue of r*pe and Dakota Fanning just to make funny, which I think is quite sick and twisted.

So, I'm kind of on the fence in this one. Personally, if I had a daughter, I would NOT let her do r*pe scenes or nudity at the age of 12. That is digusting. Now if she were older, maybe 17, I would let her do the scenes, because at that point she would be almost an adult.

 

[Ariez]

I'm definitely interested to see how the movies gonna turn out, she's a very talented actress and from interviews i've read she seems wise beyond her years. She can definitely pull this off and i think it's good that this movie is raising awareness about these types of things. Hopefully she's done extensive research,counseling etc.

 

[tifa]

I'm getting mixed feeling about this:

On one hand, I think this movie is a great idea; it will bring attention to pedaphiles and r*pe victims and will also bring awareness. Dakota Fanning, IMO, will do a wonderful job in this film.

HOWEVER, I find this quite disturbing. I feel that Hollywood is trying to exploit the issue of r*pe and Dakota Fanning just to make funny, which I think is quite sick and twisted.

So, I'm kind of on the fence in this one. Personally, if I had a daughter, I would NOT let her do r*pe scenes or nudity at the age of 12. That is digusting. Now if she were older, maybe 17, I would let her do the scenes, because at that point she would be almost an adult.

Bring attention to paedophiles? There's enough attention on them from all over the media. I don't see what awareness it'll bring, I think most people know all about it, a film isn't going to change anything. Especially one that is using a child to do so. It's just to cause controversy and interest. I don't see any effort in this film using itself to help anyone but itself.

 

[misssakura]

I was thinking that, how on earth can this help r*pe victims? All it will do is attract the wrong sort of audience to the theatre. If they really want to help, then they can donate money to foundations, or help contribute to the list of known paedophiles.

 

[RomanianGypsy]

I think its good to have movies that touch on this subject but i don't think its nessasary to have a CHILD naked in this roll, it's a paedophile's dream to watch a child apear to be raped and i don't see how this will help anyone, it makes me sick to think about. No matter how grown up we think of Dakota she is still a child. Im not against this type of movie but i am againt a child playing the roll.

 

[texastess]

There was a similar uproar over Bastard out of Carolina and I thought it was a really well done film.

 

[magpie]

There's a documentary of the making of Taxi Driver, where Jodie Foster talks in retrospect about being 12-year-old and playing a prostitute in a movie where there is a sex scene. She mentions labour laws which restricted the hours of filming she was allowed to do and ensured that they didn't overwork her. She also mentions how they used a body double to film the sex scene so as a 12-year-old she was not really asked to simulate sex. She also talks about how everyone took care of her and how her mum was always there on set with her so she felt safe and secure.

I think that the subject matter of the film is going to ensure that the film is controversial, but I do think that we need to remember the magic of moviemaking and no matter how graphic the scene feels, it is still make believe. Dakota may be 12-years-old, but I'm sure she's aware of sex and r*pe and that paedophiles exist. If she wanted to play this character then the people on set are probably doing everything possible to make sure that she can portray this character's emotional journey without forgetting that it is simply an acting role.

 

[mellowdrama]

Giving it even more painful thought, I've decided Dakota and the director should embark on an ambitious "Road Pictures" series of pedophile r*pe, a la Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. They could do r*pe to Rio, r*pe to Bali, and my personal favorite, r*pe to Utopia.

Quick, before our little angel is all grown up!

 

[colourmefashion]

I think Dakota can pull it off. For a 12 year old she is an amazing actress. And Im sure if she felt it was to much she wouldnt have taken the role.

 

[Bella_Lass334]

Hmmm....which is more important?

Have your daughter win an oscar, or not let the world see your 12-year-old daughter naked?



She'll pull it off, though. She's realllly talented.

 

[electricladyland]

There's a documentary of the making of Taxi Driver, where Jodie Foster talks in retrospect about being 12-year-old and playing a prostitute in a movie where there is a sex scene. She mentions labour laws which restricted the hours of filming she was allowed to do and ensured that they didn't overwork her. She also mentions how they used a body double to film the sex scene so as a 12-year-old she was not really asked to simulate sex. She also talks about how everyone took care of her and how her mum was always there on set with her so she felt safe and secure.

I think that the subject matter of the film is going to ensure that the film is controversial, but I do think that we need to remember the magic of moviemaking and no matter how graphic the scene feels, it is still make believe. Dakota may be 12-years-old, but I'm sure she's aware of sex and r*pe and that paedophiles exist. If she wanted to play this character then the people on set are probably doing everything possible to make sure that she can portray this character's emotional journey without forgetting that it is simply an acting role.

i also recall Janet Leigh saying in an interview that she was too frightened to take a shower after shooting Psycho (a role that she 'pulled off' so well that it made film history and is her most memorable). And she was an adult well aware of murder and that murderers exist. I just hope that they use all the 'movie magic' in their possession to protect her...but then there's still the issue of the viewing public.

 

[hugobossdaria]

i think dakota is wonderful,i also think she will become like the next natalie portman or something i loved her in war of the worlds(something like that)

 

[TheGlassAngel]

Hmm....Natalie Portman's acting is equivilant to a piece of wood. Dakota's much better. I'm sorry, it's not that I'm bashing Natalie Portman, I think she's beautiful and was FANTASTIC and absolutely brilliant in Leon but she's never lived up to the potential she showed when she was much younger. Her performance in Closer was over-rated but I did, however, like her in Garden State.

 

[christina126]

Furor Over Dakota Fannings r*pe Scene

If there's a powder keg at this month's Sundance Film Festival, it's the untitled drama that features 12-year-old Dakota Fanning, whose character is raped by a small-town bully, and costars Afemo Omilami, the Atlanta-based actor who plays the soft-spoken mentor who helps her.
The Untitled Dakota Fanning Project (aka Hounddog), as the low-budget film is known in indie circles, will debut at Sundance in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 22 and will screen for five consecutive days. Filmed in North Carolina last summer by writer-director Deborah Kampmeier (Virgin), it's about a young girl in the early 1960s who is reaching puberty and becoming obsessed with Elvis Presley's music when tragedy strikes.
Among this year's crop of Sundance features, ''it's an absolute priority film to see,'' says Tom Quinn, head of acquisitions for New York-based Magnolia Pictures. 'As a buyer, I am definitely excited, and as an audience member, I think the public can handle it. It's a definite `A' title.''
Hollywood has a long history of controversial movies involving young girls in violent and/or sexual situations: Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby, Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, Linda Blair in The Exorcist. And the Fanning film, which few people have seen, has already ignited protests.
The child advocacy group A Minor Consideration, founded by former Donna Reed Show and Micky Mouse Club actor Paul Petersen, has published a lengthy article on its website (www. minorcon.org) attacking the movie. ''An insidious evil is spreading throughout Hollywood,'' Petersen writes in reference to its r*pe scene, declaring that the Fanning movie ``has sunk to another mindless low point.''
Omilami begs to differ.
''I don't know what people are so upset about,'' the 56-year-old actor said. ``Believe me, Deborah is going to be so tasteful. She's handling this in such an artistic way, so delicately that I'm sure people will appreciate that.''
The director uses shadows and cut-away imagery to depict parts of the sexual assault, Omilami says.
In his mini-review summary of the film, Sundance's Trevor Groth heaps praise on Fanning's performance. ''She tackles an immensely challenging role, a role that would have scared off even the most seasoned of actors, with an awareness and ferocity that will leave audiences shaken to their core,'' Groth writes.
Though few have seen the full movie, a small sampling of dailies from the production illustrate not only the actress' ability to belt out an Elvis song but also the bond between her and Omilami. Since the filming ended, they frequently write each other letters. Hers are longhand with her trademark dotting of each ''i'' with a heart.
''She works and works and works, but she's still a little girl,'' Omilami says.
One scene expected to be in the finished film shows the young actress standing on the limb of a giant tree, warbling Presley's Hound Dog and then conversing with Omilami's character, Charlie, who stands at the trunk below. ''I'll be a big star some day,'' she says.
He talks to her about life and diversity, the blues and finding her own special voice. Then he gently instructs her to ``come on down now, Missy.''
The tree, Omilami explains in an interview, is ''her place of refuge.'' The two meet there several times during the course of the movie.
Like most films in competition at Sundance, the Fanning project will arrive in search of studio distribution. Last year, for example, the popular Little Miss Sunshine played at Sundance and then landed a multimillion-dollar distribution deal with Fox Searchlight.
Fanning's film is not only a gutsy move for the young actress that challenges her child-star image; it's also a high-profile venture for Omilami. He's done years of stage work and has appeared in supporting and character roles since 1979 in such movies as Remember the Titans, Idlewild and Drumline. He also was a drill sergeant in the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump.
The State.com

I like this article better, but its really long so here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/movies/20dako.html

I think the conservatives are just overreacting, as usual. Yes, I can see that its a sensitive issue and it is a little graphic for children, but Dakota isn't really a kid anymore and she seems mature beyond her years. The movie was going to be made no matter who played the role, and I wonder if this would even be an issue if it had been played by an actress not as famous as Dakota. What do you all think?
Aside from that scene, I think the movie looks great. I saw one scene and Dakota was great in it.
I bet with all of this controversary, more people will go see it.

 

[jun3machina]

it sounds like a very interesting movie i would love to see. that kid id so damn mature and talented, watching her on screen scares me a bit....

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

the only movie i've ever seen her in is uptown girls, and that was a waste of my life...
but 12 and r*pe. kind of young.

 

[adorefaith]

Dakota isn't really a kid anymore and she seems mature beyond her years

without commenting on the film, i respectfully have to say i think you are completely mistaken here.......
12 years old ?-
she is a CHILD.....