AIN'T NOTHING BUT A HOUND DOG

A GREAT DEAL has been written, talked-about, spec- ulated upon and postulated about DAKOTA FANNING’S new movie “HOUNDDOG.” Now that the movie is out, and has been screened by critics at Sundance. A great deal of the furor has died

down. No more alarmist segments on FOX News, Hanity and Combs seem to have lost all interest. The lies perpetuated over the alleged “rape scene” by Blue-line radio have proved hollow and much ado about nothing. The movie was so utterly smothered in rumors, half-truths, conjecture, and convoluted bald-faced lies that the project earned the unsavory moniker: “The Dakota Fanning rape movie”. The (negative) anticipation built up to such an un-realistic level, that the extra strata of controversy churned people’s anticipation into such a frothy frenzy that any semblance of realistic expectations were altered to such an extent that no movie could live up to its hype. Some people (critics) just plain made-up-their-minds sight un-seen, and even after screening the movie the reality that there was no substance to all the allegations, made no difference whatsoever. In fact, some people may have actually been disappointed (angry) that there wasn’t MORE THERE to hate, and thus now realized how stupid they looked, and so naturally, they had an axe-to-grind. TRASH THE DAKOKA FANNING RAPE MOVIE! That was the hue-and-cry of the un-washed masses spilling forth from the Sundance movie theatre.

 I remain an ardent supporter of Dakota and this project. When I first read the plot treatise, I had an immediate positive gut reaction. The involvement of Deborah Kampmeier, an exciting up-and-coming director. The rural South in the 60’s, Dakota singing Elvis . . . Dakota is not what you would call a great singer. She sang a few bars of “Hushaby Mountain” in “WAR OF THE WORLDS” but Dak remains pretty much, an averge girl in the singing deparment. After hearing Dakota sing “Do Rei Mi” with the Muppets on The Queen Mary, I changed my mind, this girl has incredible “stage presence.” Here she was, a relatively average singer, singing with the Muppets, and she had the audience in the palm of her hand. Dak convinced me she could do a credible job with the singing. If this sounds like a perfect breakout vehicle for Dakota. The incontrovertible fact is, unfortunately, “HOUNDDOG” was not well received at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. HD won no awards and finished with a whimper rather than a bark. This is a rather evil turn of events, for a much-anticipated Dakota Fanning film.

I suspect “HOUNDDOG” was in the doghouse long before the festival even began. There exists a grave misconception as to the nature of child sexuality. That the mere suggestion, the hint that pre-teen children have a sexual nature and they are sexual creatures is so utterly taboo, and forbidden as the mere thought that this might be even hinted at in cinema is to be stricken from every book and tablet. The facts are children are sexual creatures, and by eleven or twelve are very much aware of their own sexuality. It seems absurd to deny this, and the reality that kids do know the difference between boys and girls and what goes where and why. They may not understand the exact ramifications, but the basic penis goes in the vagina thing, they have that down pat. Some people have ratcheted up their arguments, “changed their claim” if you will, now that the alleged rape scene turned out to be all bluster and no show, the new complaints are that Dakota gyrates her hips, cavorts in her underwear and plies a boy with a kiss to show her his penis. The naysayers are never satisfied. All this brings us back to Dakota and her movie “HOUNDDOG” The movie depicts rape, the rape of a minor child. Rape is about power and not about sex. The movie is, however, less about rape than it is about overcoming adversity, Redemption.

P.S. HAPPY THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY DAKOTA!