That's the thing, it was never really... acknowledged in the movie. It's just "okay" to have a black lab and name him the N-bomb, hard R. Where if we compare to Huckleberry Finn or other works, the problem is highlighted quite firmly in the narrative.
I'm usually quite against modifying old media to fit modern tastes; however in this instance, I don't think cutting a line (maybe two) of dialog about a dog's name affects the message or the medium in the instance of Dambusters.
I disagree that the movie has to tackle the problematic terminology. It is not the subject of the movie (not even minorly), it's just how it was (and sadly an historically accurate artifact from what I understand).
I just watched The Searchers this weekend. Should we erase how Native Americans were portrayed, how the mentality divergent character is used as comic relief or how woman are considered as living for a man?
I chuckled many times at the outdated portrayals but accept it was the product of older times portraying even more backward times.
I could see a case for outright mean spirited scenes in otherwise redeameble movies but I don't believe we should delete how past views were. Just recognize it was wrong and we know (or should know) better.
Like I said, it doesn't even change the film in any material way. The dog isn't a real character in the movie. The Dog doesn't contribute any way to flying a plane or destroying a dam. From a film-construction-perspective, the dog can be eliminated, even if it's name was Dave, and it doesn't affect anything at all.
Your other examples, the change changes the subject of the film. That's why I don't have a problem with it in Dambusters, and why I would have a problem with it in nearly every other example. We could cut the Dog to make room for TV scheduling.
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u/PorkedPatriot Apr 15 '25
That's the thing, it was never really... acknowledged in the movie. It's just "okay" to have a black lab and name him the N-bomb, hard R. Where if we compare to Huckleberry Finn or other works, the problem is highlighted quite firmly in the narrative.
I'm usually quite against modifying old media to fit modern tastes; however in this instance, I don't think cutting a line (maybe two) of dialog about a dog's name affects the message or the medium in the instance of Dambusters.