Ten years ago, the movie The Cider House Rules was toasted in Hollywood for its fervent support of the need for abortion doctors. But you wouldn't know that from today's TV listings.
The film is airing Tuesday night on WGN, and the plot summary in the Washington Post TV Week section on Sunday says only this: "Raised to be an obstetrician at a Maine orphanage, a young man leaves to work at a cider mill with a soldier's beloved."
James Bowman's takedown of the film is here. He wrote, in part:
The rules against abortion are (or were, when there were such things) made by men, who do not live in women's bodies. Therefore, women need not obey them. Indeed, it is a question whether they need obey any rules imposed upon them by a patriarchal society.
The only point in the film where any kind of moral judgment is made is when it is revealed that one of the migrant workers, Mr. Arthur Rose (Delroy Lindo), has been committing incest with his own daughter. Paradoxically, both this act and the rule against it must be regarded as artefacts of the patriarchal culture, but the film comes down on the side of opposition to incest anyway. Not to be disregarded, of course, is the fact that it provides an opportunity for the daughter to have a wholly-approved abortion.
The film won an adapted screenplay Oscar in 2000 for author John Irving, who wrote the original novel. He thanked NARAL and Planned Parenthood when he accepted the award.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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Are you kidding
May 25, 2009 - 21:47 ET by LiberalliesAre you kidding me!
Using James Bowman's "logic", pro-abortion laws have ALL been created by men! It was MEN who ruled in Roe vs. Wade! not one single woman!
So, why are women following laws created by men?
Wow, this pro-murderers of babies are complete nut jobs.
Never ceases to amaze me how pro-murderers of babies are so willing to punish the baby due to the father being a psychopath.
Abortion is NEVER moral, NEVER! there is no justification for killing another human being, EVER!
I would like to see what Tim
May 25, 2009 - 22:24 ET by balboaI would like to see what Tim Graham would write as the synopsis for this movie.
John Irving
May 26, 2009 - 06:23 ET by ledurchiAfter reading the book, I honestly believed it leaned more anti-abortion than pro. The dialog that John Irving gave to the Dr. Larch character made his pro-abortion arguments idiotic compared to the anti-abortion arguments of Homer Wells. Even after Homer's "conversion", there were unanswered questions looming which undermined the pro-abortion ending. The movie seemed only slightly more so. Michael Caine must have been typecast as the champion of lame abortion justification in "Alfie", since his character does no better in "Cider House". I am not sure that I was the only one who felt this way about the book and the movie. Irving wrote a follow-up book about his expierience making the movie. He made it very clear that both the movie and the book were to be taken as virulantly PRO-abortion.
Great news, ladies!
May 26, 2009 - 07:41 ET by moderncommentaries83Seeing as our Constitution, most of our current laws, and our current president are part of the "patriarchy" (inasmuch as they are all men), we have no obligation to obey any laws on the books!
Murder, theft, tax evasion. Let's go whole hog and see if they "I'm a woman and therefore not obligation to obey laws enacted or enforced by men" argument holds up in court!
I vote Rachel Maddow, Rosie O'Donnell, and other liberal women try this first. If it works for them, then I'll tell my boss I no longer need taxes deducted from my paycheck.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
How awkward!
May 26, 2009 - 08:56 ET by HelenSHow awkward that while God spoke the basic 10 Rules to Live By, they were written down by Moses and distributed throughout history since then by, predominantly, men (although I'm sure mommies played a huge role in the formative years of youngsters).
Therefore, according to the demented logic expressed by these buffoons, we should also excuse ourselves from compliance with them (the Big 10) as well?
How assinine.
Me - "The libs/dems of today are the Quislings of former years - the cowards who would vote a fraud into office in exchange for handouts from the devil."
Indeed
May 26, 2009 - 09:24 ET by moderncommentaries83Indeed. The Ten Commandments really don't apply because it's been handed down by a male God, reinforced by his male Son, and carried on by male clergy for centuries!
I'd really like to know where the world would be these days without the achievements and accomplishments of much-reviled men who did things for eons until feminists decided they were the enemy.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
Yes, they did.
May 26, 2009 - 09:33 ET by CobraMan"The rules against abortion are (or were, when there were such things) made by men, who do not live in women's bodies."
Yes, they did. They lived in them for nine months, just like all other humans.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court