# the most morally bankrupt films according to the catholic legion of decency **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2020, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253 "2020-04-21T06:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/21 "2020-04-23T18:51:59Z")
Did [Mea Maxima Culpa](https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/mea-maxima-culpa) make the list? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/22 "2020-04-23T19:30:34Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Maybe because Dirty Harry was a police officer dispensing justice against criminals while the Josie Wales and The Man With No Name were basically amoral outlaws? Just my WAG. > Curious why Spartacus is on that list. My memory is it was something to do with communism. But that’s a dim memory from childhood, so I’m not sure. The “I am Spartacus” line? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/23 "2020-04-23T19:34:56Z")
My guess is that \*Spartacus \*got listed because it was written by a black-listed writer (Dalton Trumbo.) ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/24 "2020-04-23T19:55:34Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > There’s nothing indicating that those are the “most” morally bankrupt movies. It’s just a poll that some random user named **urbanemovies** put up. So he’d got the hard on for Clint’s westerns, not the Catholic church. I think the pollster picked **otherwise acclaimed movies** that were on the “bankrupt” list. I looked up the actual list, and it contains a lot of sexploitation films, the target audiences of which could not possibly care less what the Catholic League of Decency had to say about them, as well as some truly, truly bad films that later became MST3K fodder. And another film I hate, but which is as unfathomably on the list as _Miracle on 34th Street_–\* Ice Castles\*, the Robby Benson teen idol film about a blind skater, which was stupid, but I can’t figure out what else was objectionable. Oh. Just figured out _Miracle on 34th Street_. The mother was _clutches pearls_ _divorced!_ If anyone figures out what’s wrong with _Ice Castles_, let me know. I mean, I remember when it was in the theaters-- I was 11, and knew it was stupid-- but I can’t figure out why it’s indecent. Especially since _Blue Lagoon_, which was bad, bad, bad, and sexploitative, plus, teen sexploitative, **a Catholic decency leaguer’s dream** , isn’t on the list. BTW, good on figuring out _Grease_. The overarching message was “To get the guy you like, you have to be a slut.” I was 11, and I got that. I don’t know why all those reviewers praising it didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/25 "2020-04-24T18:59:05Z")
_Miracle on 34th Street_? Because… Santa Claus? But there are a dozen Santa Claus movies released every year that are not on the list. ETA - oh, I see, “the portrayal of divorce” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/26 "2020-04-24T19:24:36Z")
Legion, schmelegion… there’s only one [CAPAlert](http://www.capalert.com/). (Crap, I can’t believe that website is still going…) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/27 "2020-04-24T19:54:30Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > If anyone figures out what’s wrong with _Ice Castles_, let me know. I mean, I remember when it was in the theaters-- I was 11, and knew it was stupid-- but I can’t figure out why it’s indecent. It’s been decades since I’ve seen it, but I’m going to guess that the “issue” is Lexie’s relationship with Brian. She’s sixteen, and he’s probably in his 30s. Based on the [“Parents Guide” for the film on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077716/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg), it also notes “There is dialog that implies sex in which one party is a minor” (I’m guessing between Lexie and Brian), plus, apparently, a fair number of blasphemous words. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/28 "2020-04-24T21:14:36Z")
So, she’d be about Mary’s age, then? ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/29 "2020-04-24T21:36:18Z")
[quote=“madsircool, post:11, topic:852253”] In High Plains Drifter he is an [spoiler]Sheriff who… > [@](#): > > [/spoiler] So its amorality is iffy at best. To me it is morally bankrupt to have the phrase “an Sheriff “. God god, man. The horror! ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/30 "2020-04-24T22:08:51Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Legion, schmelegion… there’s only one [CAPAlert](http://www.capalert.com/). > > (Crap, I can’t believe that website is still going…) It turns out, no, it’s not still going on. The latest movie they appear to have reviewed is The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012). They did not like it. > [@](#): > > Team Edward? Team Jacob? Maybe Team Satan ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/31 "2020-04-24T22:42:11Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Curious why Spartacus is on that list. I wonder if it’s because of the final scene where there were hundreds of people crucified. Kind of takes away from uniqueness. > [@madsircool](#): > > I disagree with this line of thinking. Were there Catholic priests who either engaged in or covered up pedophilia? Yes. But very few. It would be like saying that when I think of Italians I think mafiosi. Except it wasn’t just individual priests who covered it up, it was a systematic cover-up authorized at the highest levels. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253/32 "2020-04-24T22:45:32Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > It turns out, no, it’s not still going on. The latest movie they appear to have reviewed is The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012). They did not like it. Hey, right you are. Guess it’s one of those zombie sites someone is still paying to keep hosted but no longer actually maintains. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-morally-bankrupt-films-according-to-the-catholic-legion-of-decency/852253.md?page=1)