Jack Valenti Dead

[zero]

IMDB:

Film lobbyist Jack Valenti has died. He was 85. The former US presidential advisor passed away at his home in Washington, D.C., yesterday after suffering complications from a stroke last month. Valenti, who has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is widely credited as introducing the modern day film ratings system to the industry, and guiding Hollywood into the digital age. His close friend, director Steven Spielberg, paid tribute to the star for his contribution to the film industry, praising him as a "giant voice of reason" and hailing him as "the greatest ambassador Hollywood has ever known." Valenti served as an aide to former US president Lyndon B. Johnson for three years from 1963, before beginning a career as a film industry chief with the help of movie moguls Lew Wasserman and Arthur Krim. He is survived by his wife Mary, and their three children, Courtenay, John and Alexandra.

Maybe I'll sound insensitive here, but I didn't know the man personally so I'm not going to bother with an "RIP, Jack." This man was the biggest threat to film and filmmakers. Maybe him being gone and the MPAA being exposed more and more, we might eventually see a complete overhaul of the terrible ratings system.

[KingOfMyWorld]

Is he not the one who said that the government should keep their asses out of the ratings system, it's up the fucking parents to teach their children right from wrong? If so I liked him, if he's on the other side, well I have no want for him, have a nice afterlife.

[zero]

Is he not the one who said that the government should keep their asses out of the ratings system, it's up the fucking parents to teach their children right from wrong? If so I liked him, if he's on the other side, well I have no want for him, have a nice afterlife.

Half true. He was a government insider that essentially said, "don't worry, Jack's on it." He used his government background and never really kept the government out of the ratings system. The MPAA rates movies just as you would expect the government to, probably even harsher. I'm not saying let the government regulate art, but the MPAA system isn't the answer. It's a dirty organization that favors bigger studios and major theater chains and has never said it's up to the parents to teach their kids right and wrong. What we really need is an organization that is independent of all the studios and theaters, made up of people of all ages, religious groups and ethnicities.

Edited April 27, 2007 by Zero

[Ananas]

As a bit of a junky of campaign politics, I'll remember Jack Valenti as the guy who put

on the air. It helped keep a reactionary like Barry Goldwater out of the White House and may have helped America avoid a global nuclear conflict. Good on him for that, and I think a little more important than overreacting to sex in movies.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Jeez, you should see some of the absolutely vitriolic shit people have to say about this guy just because of the MPAA. I know on Techdirt people are posting things like "about time the bastard died, piss on his grave", etcetera.. but then again, that's Techdirt, and the average IQ there is something like 2. Or 3. But I'm being generous. Either way, I'm sure he did more for us than introduce the MPAA. That ad Beaty posted is fucking powerful.