More controversy has sparked around the newly released blockbuster “Joker,” directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix. The movie has recently recieved backlash from viewers for glorifying violence and mass murder, which has some people concerned that it might inspire troubled viewers to act out violently. This time, however, the conversation revolves around the film’s unfortunate and unnecessary choice to use a song by a convicted pedophile.
Despite the controversy, this new Warner Brothers comic book movie broke box office records during its opening weekend, raking in $93.5 million just in the United States. According to CNBC, that sum marks “Joker” as the highest debut film released in the month of October in cinematic history. Around the success of the movie, attention has been brought to one scene in particular.
During a pivotal scene in the film where failed comedian and professional working clown, Arthur Fleck, makes his “transformation into Joker,” as Joaquin Phoenix describes it on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he dances down a long flight of stairs to the famous Gary Glitter 1972 hit song “Rock and Roll Part 2.” The scene goes on for a rather lengthy two minutes, putting even more attention and emphasis on this choice of song.
Ex-glam rock star Gary Glitter, whose birth name is Paul Gadd, is a convicted pedophile who was given a jail sentence of 16 years in 2015 for one count of attempted rape of a girl under the age of 13, one count of having sex with a girl under the age of 13, and four counts indecent assault against numerous girls, CNN reports.
Applying this song to such a monumental moment in the film where Arthur Fleck celebrates becoming Joker, it also celebrates the song as monumental. Giving this much praise in a film to a song that was created by a pedophile shines a light on Glitter’s successes rather than his harmful and disgusting actions.
For allowing “Joker” to use his song, Glitter is reportedly going to receive a large amount of money. CNBC reports that he, “is also thought to be in line for music royalties depending on the success of movie theater ticket sales, DVD sales and film soundtrack sales.” CNN says that this sum of money could even amount to hundreds of thousands for Glitter.
Although it is unknown the exact amount, there is no doubt that Gitter will inevitably make a profit for his music being used in this film. Even though Glitter is a co-writer and part owner of the song, there is something so wrong to me about a pedophile making money and having success from behind bars. Since Warner Brothers and Todd Philips chose to include this song in the movie, someone should get compensation, but it should go to the other co-writers and owners, not to a convicted felon.
My real problem though lies with the decision by the movie-makers to use a Gary Glitter song in the first place, especially in such a long and vital scene in the film, which the movie could even end up being known for in the future. Knowing the person that Glitter is and the profit he would make from being involved in “Joker,” I can’t wrap my head around why his song was so necessary to use. No one should use any Gary Glitter song in a way that he could make money and succeed from it, which he will if he has owning rights to a song.
Although Glitter recorded some very popular songs in his music career, he also was the cause of so much hurt in the lives of the girls he raped and abused. For me, a person’s work and successes should not be judged separately from their wrong doings. If someone has the ability to cause trauma and damage in a young girl’s life that will stay with her forever, that person deserves to suffer the consequences in all aspects of his or her life. To prevent any further prosperity for Glitter, the entertainment world should punish him beyond his prison sentence by refusing to support or celebrate his music.