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Supreme Court Rules Against The Ten Commandments (The Movie)
In a decision assailed by Christian conservatives, the Supreme Court has ruled that the showing of the1956 movie The Ten Commandments in government buildings, including courthouses, violates the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
"If people want to watch this drivel in the privacy of their own homes, that's their right," said Justice Stephen Breyer, author of the majority decision in the 5-4 vote. "But the constitutional ban against the imposition of cruel and unusual punishment clearly proscribes the government from inflicting this overblown melodrama on an unsuspecting public."
The decision called the film "insufferable biblical kitsch" and cited in particular the excruciating acting and "painful to listen to" dialogue of Anne Baxter in the role of Princess Nefretiri. It called utterances such as "Oh Moses, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!" laughable and more suitable to a George Lucas production than a major motion picture.
Tony Ramsbottom of the conservative Christian group Family First called the decision a travesty. "If they can make you sit through those godawful How the Court System Works videos when you're called in for jury duty, surely we should be able to watch The Ten Commandments," he said.
A sharply worded dissenting opinion from Justice Antonin Scalia defended the movie, and made special note of its unforgettable performance by Charlton Heston as Moses. In an unusual move that reflected the infighting among the court, Scalia read aloud a large portion of this 487-page rebuttal.
"Who among us has not been moved by his immortal reading of lines in the film like, 'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!' and 'Soylent Green is made out of people!'?" a confused Scalia read to a group of spectators who had long ago begun making calls on their cell phones or catching up on their sleep.
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