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Posted on 08/07/2006 6:13:10 PM PDT by BlueJ7
Prosecutors in Wilmington, N.C., "are aware" of a scene for the movie "Hounddog" in which 12-year-old actress Dakota Fanning reportedly is violently raped, and if an investigation is launched authorities could consider sexual exploitation charges.
The scene, widely reported on the Internet, is in the movie where Fanning plays the role of a "precocious, troubled girl (who) finds safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley," according to Blue Line Radio, which monitors child-abuse allegations.
Susan Jordan, a district attorney in Wilmington assigned to work with such complaints, said she could not at this time confirm a formal investigation into the rape scene.
"I am aware of that situation," she told WorldNetDaily. "The charge that would potentially apply to the scenario would be sexual exploitation of a minor."
She said statutory rape laws would require the actual assault, and her understanding was that any assault was simulated. Third-degree or second-degree sexual exploitation would involve having or trading child pornography, she said.
But to make such a scene could be first-degree sexual exploitation of a child, a charge on the same level with armed robbery, she said.
"That is to facilitate … sexual activity for the purpose of producing material that would contain child pornography," she said.
Carla Roberts, who runs the Yahweh Center Children's Village for abused or neglected children in Wilmington, told WND she would have to wonder about the adults responsible for putting a child in such a position.
And, she said, she also is concerned by the ramifications for the child to whom that would be done.
Jordan said she just doesn't understand such scenes, now described in "a file on my desk."
The movie is an independent that had to raise additional money when some initial investors pulled their support because of the rape scene. It is being assembled by writer-director Deborah Kampmeier. Her earlier work, "Virgin," was about a young girl who is raped, but doesn't remember the attack and believes she's carrying the Christ child.
In "Hounddog," the 12-year-old Fanning plays 9-year-old Lewellen, who is told she must sing for concert tickets to hear Elvis. The script graphically describes her clothes dropping to the floor before she sings, and an assailant unzipping his jeans.
Others in the production include Isabelle Fuhrman, Cody Hanford, David Morse, Christoph Sanders, Jody Thompson and Robin Wright Penn.
According to an independent movie website, Kampmeier's "Virgin" was "profound and exquisitely melancholy" and was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award for the best feature made for under $500,000.
Its story is about "Jessie," (Elizabeth Moss) who hides her suffering from being trapped by her family's conservative Baptists beliefs with liquor, kleptomania and drugs. She has a sexual encounter after a spell of drugs and liquor and finds she is pregnant, deciding that she is carrying the next Christ child.
At that time, Kampmeier, who previously worked in the New York City theater industry, said she shot the film for $65,000 in 21 days.
Kampmeier did not return a message WND left at her Full Moon Films office.
World Entertainment News Network said the movie was a shocker for Fanning's fans.
"She has shot child rape scenes and appears semi-naked," the network said.
But it also said the actress' agent, Joy Osbrink, told the New York Daily News, fans shouldn't worry.
"It's not just the rape scene – the whole story is challenging Dakota as an actress. And I've never been so proud of her in my life. I've seen the dailies, and in every scene she gets better and better."
One crew member called the movie "dynamite" because of the scene, and said adult stars would have baulked at some of the situations.
In 2002, Fanning worked with Steven Spielberg as the lead child in a science fiction miniseries and she also appeared in "Trapped," "Sweet Home Alabama," and "Hansel & Gretel." She later worked with Kurt Russell in "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story," and Tom Cruise in "War of the Worlds."
Unnecessary hysteria--she plays a character who is raped, as the next paragraph explains. As in pretend. The lead paragraph should be clarified.
Studios usually use 18+ year old body doubles for anything too sexual with child actors.
A movie with a child actor as the victim of a crime is not the same as the crime itslef... consider all the murder stories.
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"Fortunately," they added, "She's a little kid, so she's real easy to manipulate. And her parents help us."
This isn't Hollywood. And child rape is a very serious subject that's perfectly legitimate for artists to explore.
Why would anyone want to see this even if it is just "Pretend"?
I wonder when we will see a movie about a girl trapped by her family's muslim beliefs. With obligatory clitorectomy scene...
It was due to Dakota Fanning that I rooted for the aliens in 'War of the Worlds.'
Why would anyone want to see any unpleasant subject matter depicted in fiction? For catharsis.
Are you serious? Dakota is a prodigy actress. She is home-schooled. I would rather wait for the facts to come out on this one before jerking the knee. But you're wrong that her parents are just using her for money. In fact, they reluctantly didn't want her to pursue an acting career but did so at the advice of an agency because her child was such an unusual prodigy.
Not quite the same thing but remember 'Not Without My Daughter'?
A remake of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers would obviously have a graphic sequence of the "Rape of the Sobbin' Woman!" Too Bad!
I'll stick with my oldies on AMC!
Sally Field?
Because I wished that a news story wouldn't lie in its opening sentence, you think that means I don't like children.
You are the biggest idiot who has ever posted on this site. Good going! P.S. How long have you been a homosexual?
On IMDB people are talking about this scene. It is not a cut away and the child is nude.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0415856/trivia
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