They censored The French Connection (1971), and everyone went along with it. Apple sold the censored version on iTunes. Furthermore, according to some reports, those who purchased the uncensored version on iTunes now own the censored version, which means Apple allowed them to go in and censor the uncensored versions people had already purchased.
The American Cinematheque’s Aero Theater, an outlet dedicated to preserving classic movies, went along with it.
Turner Classic Movies, an outlet dedicated to preserving classic movies, went along with it.
Worst of all, Criterion, an outlet branded on preserving classics, went along with it.
Over the past week, starting with Hollywood Elsewhere, people have begun to complain. Still, none of the above outlets has apologized or said it was a mistake or that they will stop screening-renting-selling the vandalized version of a Best Picture winner.
So Apple, the American Cinematheque, Turner Classic Movies, and Criterion not only went along with them censoring one of the greatest movies ever made, they are still going along with them censoring one of the greatest movies ever made.
So, who are they? Disney has owned The French Connection for more than four years. Disney’s artistic fascism is well-established. We’re talking about an anti-art company that disappears art entirely, including Song of the South and Path to 9/11.
Disney is perfectly comfortable grooming kids incapable of consent with adult sexuality, homosexuality, drag queens, transvestites, and transsexuals, but the kindly Uncle Remus, the truth about Bill Clinton’s errors that led to 9/11, and the use of the word “ni**er” in a 50-year-old, R-rated movie… Well, that’s a bridge too far for Disney.
The Woke Nazis are already censoring Ian Fleming, Dr. Seuss, Roald Dahl, and Agatha Christie, so why not what is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made?
The thing is this…
Look at how we had to find out about the vandalizing of The French Connection. Someone commented on a Hollywood Elsewhere blog post. That’s how it started. No one who should have told us, told us. Turner Classic Movies, American Cinematheque, Apple, and Criterion have an obligation to inform customers that the version of the movie they are about to see/purchase has been “modified.” They didn’t. Maybe they didn’t know. Okay, but will they warn the customers now?
Do you see what they’re doing here…? They’re trying to slip one past us… They’re vandalizing a classic movie and hoping we don’t notice… And now they will probably try to wait us out, wait for us to die out, and hope America’s collective memory forgets so they can dumb down Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, and the rest.
Ask yourself: What else have they tried to sneak past us…? What other movies and TV shows are being quietly vandalized, censored, and infantilized that we don’t know about? Buy hard copies. Buy them now. Because that’s the goal, you know… These acts of vandalism have nothing to do with sensitivity. Nope, these acts of vandalism are all about keeping us simple-minded.
You see, great art—truly great art—forces us to deal with complicated emotions. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s an important point. Great art confronts us with all the complications, contradictions, and gray areas we find in real life. Great art forces us to work through those complications, to ruminate, confront, consider, and face up to them. This is a wonderful exercise for the human spirit because, in the end, we come out a little wiser and with a thicker skin.
And that’s why Gene Hackman’s Popeye Doyle is one of the movie’s greatest characters. Like so many of us, he’s a walking contradiction—an immoral man doing a righteous, selfless, and brave thing. After being confronted with this, we walk out of the theater carrying this confusion. We ask ourselves why, even with his glaring flaws, we still admire him. Working through that is a healthy exercise. Disney and its fellow Woke Nazis want to stop Americans from conducting that exercise, so they dumbed down The French Connection.
Why do you think movies are so shallow and simple-minded today, so full of virtue-signaling, Mary Sues, and so eager to do our thinking for us?
Answer: Emotionally immature people are easier to control politically and easier to turn into mindless and shallow consumers whose only fulfillment comes from being a mindless and shallow part of The Next Big Thing–Fauci! Ukraine! Black Lives Matter! Vindman! Khashoggi! #BelieveAllWomen! Drag Queens!
If I sound paranoid, remember…
Disney hired a male transvestite to greet your children at Disneyland.
Remember…
Target teamed up with a Satanist to target your children.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.