Films that wouldn't work the same way today

[Ginger1982]

Just following on from the Mrs Doubtfire thread, I was just wondering what, fairly recent films, just wouldn't work the same way today?

My first thought was Home Alone. I mean, Kevin's mum would just ring his mobile or message him somehow, right? Plus, the Wet Bandits would have probably been all over social media. And Kevin could have avoided the problems buying his toothbrush if he had just used the self service check out!

Any others out there?

Ah, the Railway Children.... a 125 won’t stop as quickly as a steam train no matter how many red knickers you wave.

Can't stand the Lionel Jeffries film because it glosses over E Nesbit's clear socialist message about poverty asylum seekers etc.

Much prefer the Theatre Royal York's production at the National Railway Museum with real a real steam loco to wave your knickers at.

And speaking of the fragrant Jenny, back on topic, before TRC she was in a lost gem called I Start Counting, the publicity photos for which were not what you'd ask of a 15 year old girl today.

(Shan't link. Might get arrested.)

Big. Middle aged man pretending to be a kid.

Tongue in cheek - I'd watch it with my kids.

Two more from the Railway Children: Ruth the maid advancing slowly on the children, with scary music, just after she's been booby-trapped by a bucket of water, followed by her slapping Peter's face.

Also the moment when Aunt Emma declares "you may kiss me". Although she adds "if you wish", it's obvious they don't have a choice. Neither of these would be shown nowadays.

St. Elmo’s fire Kirby would have been arrested for stalking rather then getting the chance to grab and kiss Dale followed by the equally creepy boyfriend taking a picture of them. Also Wendy and Billy’s relationship was awful on she many levels. Wendy giving Billy a going away present of her virginity. Wendy not caring Billy was married, Billy crashing a Wendy’s car.
Also Billy basicly sexually assaulted Jules.

And don’t get me started on Jules trying to kill herself by leaving the windows open, what the hell was that all about

A not very well-known film which I find morbidly fascinating, called "If...", from the 1960s. It was in a boys' boarding school, was extremely radical and daring at the time, and some moments in it were absolutely brutal. I watched it at the age of 15, and I loved it then, but I can't imagine one being made like that now.

Some scenes were:

A fat boy being teased while undressing; I would quote some lines, but they might be triggering. (Seriously!) Also a boy with his head put down the toilet.

All the boys showering together, while being bossed about by a prefect (a "whip") sitting in a bath, who was waited on hand and foot by a younger pupil (a "scum"), and who made boys he didn't like have cold showers. Although no genitals were visible, it's rumoured that some shots of them were later removed.

The matron giving the boys their medical check, shining a torch between their legs, in front of the whole school (although the boy would have his back to the school).

Two truanting boys stealing a motorbike, then trying to seduce a café waitress; she slaps his face when he tries to kiss her, but later they're seen rolling naked on the floor.

Three sixth form boys being brutally caned by a prefect, for "being a danger to the morale of the whole house". This scene was legendary among lovers of this film.

And finally the ending, which was so controversial, and loved by those who hated school, the filmmakers sent a fake script omitting this scene to the school where it was filmed. (I can't post it here - spoiler alert!)

Ferris Beuller’s Day Off

wanderings I think "If..." would still be acceptable today. All the publicity about the abuse in boarding schools would make it very relevant.

In Gregory’s Girl when they go to watch that nurse get undressed...

I think the main film would not have been that affected by mobiles though - awkward teens will always be awkward teens!

@BoyFromTheBigBadCity If I remember rightly, isn't there a moment when Gregory looks at a clock, when he's about to meet Dorothy (or was that just in our school play)? Teens these days can't tell the time on an analogue clock, according to Radio 4! Also in Gregory's Girl, there's the darkroom scene, where a photography geek is developing pictures of Dorothy. He'd have to be very seriously into his craft to be doing that nowadays, although it's not impossible! (In our school play, we changed the line "face and body of the 80's" to 90's.

(Incidentally, in the film Clockwise, almost all of the clocks are digital, despite it being in the 1980s.)

You’ve got mail:

They’d be on WhatsApp surely? If not the being able to get email everywhere would ruin it

Also “fox” books would have been put into administration by amazon so no story line!

Home Alone!

@wanderings I’d forgotten about that bit!

They only ever got away with History Boys because it was written by lovely cuddly Alan Bennett. 2004 really isn’t that long ago, and I’m sure no other writer would have got away with “aw, it’s only Hector, we don’t mind if he gropes the children, it’s just his way”.

I was just watching rubbish thriller on channel 5. Woman wanders into mans spare room which is covered in pictures of her in many different places, obv obsessed with her. So, in today’s digital age would this happen? Would someone give over a whole room for printed out pictures or, as my son suggested, have a giant tv with pictures slowly scrolling across the screen. But then he could easily turn it off when he went out, meaning she wouldn’t stumble across the truth that he was a horrible creep and prob a killer! So a whole plot device just lost! Or am I overthinking it and he would just print them out and go for the mad room thing anyway?

Goodness, I just watched "The Enforcer", a Dirty Harry movie from 1976. The mayor gets kidnapped from his car and spirited away to a remote island off the coast. The ransom is demanded from a pay phone across the street from the local radio station reporting the kidnapping. I was just agog thinking about how in this day of mobile phones and GPS, the kidnap plot would have been dead in the water from the start!