Kubrick: The opportunity to see things the way they are.
WARNER BROS. DISTRIBUTORS LTD
135 Wardour Street (Registered Office)
London WIV 4AP
Telephone: 01-437 5600
Fax: 01-437 9544
Telex: 22653
Registered in England No. 259661
Direttore Generale Dello Spettacolo
Ministero Del Turismo e Dello Spettacolo
Via della Ferratella in Laterano, 51
00184 Roma
ITALIA5th October, 1987
Dear Dott. Moccia,
You will undoubtedly understand my disappointment that my film "Full Metal Jacket" has been classified so as to prevent it being viewed by young people under the age of 18. Obviously I do not regard young Italians as being substantially different in nature, character or temperament to young people in other parts of the world and it was my earnest desire that my film be an experience capable of being shared by the widest audience possible.
This is important to me because I sincerely hope that "Full Metal Jacket" will be regarded as making an important and relevant contribution to the ways in which people view their own nature.
My intention was not to relish violence for it's own sake but to emphasize the reality of both the training process undergone by the recruits and the war situation in which they found themselves. A crucial aspect of this process is the use of language to dehumanise the young men. This had to be presented in a totally truthful way otherwise I would have compromised the reality of the story.
I make no apology for taking such an approach. It is what attracted me to the project from the beginning: it's sense of uncompromising truth. "Full Metal Jacket" offers no easy moral or political answers.
I think you should know that Sweden has classified the film, 15, New Zealand has a 13 age restriction, Finland has given it a 16 age restriction, as has Germany. These ratings were applied without any cuts.
I believe that all the people should be given the opportunity to see things the way they are.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed)
Stanley Kubrick
cc: Dott.ssa Rosa Alba de Gaetano Leardi
Mr Bernard Weinreich, Warner Bros Italia
via Letters of Note | Archivio Kubrick | L'ascensore per il secondo piano
"People who read the nonsensical story checked off more letter strings –– clearly they were motivated to find structure," said Proulx. "But what's more important is that they were actually more accurate than those who read the more normal version of the story. They really did learn the pattern better than the other participants did." In a second study, the same results were evident among people who were led to feel alienated about themselves as they considered how their past actions were often contradictory. "You get the same pattern of effects whether you're reading Kafka or experiencing a breakdown in your sense of identity," Proulx explained. "People feel uncomfortable when their expected associations are violated, and that creates an unconscious desire to make sense of their surroundings. That feeling of discomfort may come from a surreal story, or from contemplating their own contradictory behaviors, but either way, people want to get rid of it. So they're motivated to learn new patterns."
