History ValuesDissonance / FIlm

* The film version of ''Film/TheLittleRascals'' has ballet teacher Miss Roberts react to [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Butch and Woim]] and Alfalfa and Spanky accidentally ruining her recital by [[WouldHurtAChild grabbing their ears and physically]] [[GetOut shooing them out of the ballet school]] without even asking for an explanation. In its release year of 1994, this would have likely been a (barely) acceptable method of dealing with kids intruding upon areas they don't belong (and had been for years) but nowadays (with [[ThinkOfTheChildren America's increased concern for the well-being of kids]], more attention towards child abuse and requirements for witnesses to report it), [[LaserGuidedKarma she would more than likely be fired]] (if not ''[[PersonaNonGrata blacklisted]]'' [[PersonaNonGrata from any occupation that involves close proximity to children]]) if word got out she had mistreated a few boys. It doesn't help that when she escorts Butch and Woim out, [[BystanderSyndrome you can see a few bystanders down the hall who appear nonplussed by the scene]] (even though they're both yelping in pain).

** The plot is about a schoolhouse run by two women being shut down over the flimsiest of insinuations that they are lesbians. They also lose a libel lawsuit even though there's no evidence of the rumor's validity. The play is from the '30s (and it based on a real incident a ''century'' prior) and the film is from 1960. The plot wouldn't work in films set post-1970s, with the modern gay rights movement beginning a few years after the film came out.

** "Transvestite" due to its negative, sensationalist connotations. Nowadays such a person would identify as non-binary, gender-fluid, or the like.

* ''Film/AChristmasStory'' has several examples:
** The family going out to eat on Christmas Day and the only place that's open is [[PekingDuckChristmas a Chinese restaurant.]] [[DeliberateValuesDissonance This is actually deliberate]]--in the 1940s, Chinese restaurants were among the only ones open on Christmas, and is still considered TruthInTelevision in many areas, to the point that many Jews know to seek out the closest Chinatown when traveling on a Sunday. On top of that, the staff sings in a very fake accent that, even in the '80s, would have offended people were it not calling upon '40s Nostalgia. There's also the very strong implication that the waiters are singing incorrectly on purpose to irritate their boss. However, some Chinese restaurants (run by actual Asian people nonetheless) [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales actually find that scene a little funny]], and some more comedic ones even act the scene out as a gag during Christmastime.

** Ralph’s Christmas wish for a BB gun would be somewhat frowned upon in most if not all urban areas; a regional as well as temporal case of ValuesDissonance, though, since many, many parents in small towns and rural areas have absolutely no problem with giving their kids such a gift even today. Scut Farkus' brand of violent bullying is unlikely to go unpunished in this day and age, given how modern Zero Tolerance school policies react to even to most benign offenses.
*** By the same token, if a modern-day Ralphie were to respond to bullying in this manner, i.e. by beating the living daylights out of a kid who has been the bane of his existence, HE would most likely be ordered into counseling and anger management therapy, while Scut Farkus's parents would cry victim because Ralphie beat him up. In short, nowadays Ralphie would be the one seen as the bully.
* ''Film/RealityBites'': As [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o26AVJYTMcg explained]] by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick, the main characters complaining about their middle-class suburbanite lives comes off as [[{{Wangst}} downright laughable]] to anyone living through the post-2008 Great Recession.

* In ''Film/FoxyBrown'', the titular character repeatedly uses "faggot" as a casual insult. To many modern viewers, this would just make her look like she's uneducated at best, and at worst like she's a disgusting bigot.

* In the immediate lead-up to one of the most famous scenes in ''Film/CitizenKane'', when Jed Leland is promoting Charles Foster Kane for governor of New York, it's a bit odd for modern audiences to hear him unabashedly describing his boss as a "liberal," since that word is hardly ever used in a positive context anymore, what with being associated (unfairly) with the 1960s counterculture and the supposed persecution of white working-class Americans. But it's even more shocking to hear Leland use the term "fighting liberal" - even though that was a completely un-ironic and flattering term in the early twentieth century--because that phrase inherently clashes with many modern conceptions of political liberalism, such as the BourgeoisBohemian (of which, ironically enough, many consider Creator/OrsonWelles himself to be the TropeMaker, at least for Hollywood).
** In addition, modern American viewers might be confused as to why Kane, a character who is used to criticize the excesses of capitalism, would be considered in any sense liberal. At the time the film was set and the time it was made, "liberal" didn't have the same connotations it does today. It meant (and still does mean in almost everywhere outside North America) a centrist, and usually a right-leaning one at that.
* In the Creator/MarxBrothers' sociopolitical spoof ''Film/DuckSoup'', when Rufus T. Firefly (Creator/GrouchoMarx), the dictator of Fredonia, is introduced to his parliament as a "progressive, fearless fighter," many modern viewers do not understand that the word ''progressive'' [[YouKeepUsingThatWord is not meant to imply that Firefly is a socialist, or even a leftist]]. In the early 1930s, that word simply referred to anyone - in any political party - who was in favor of directing Big Government toward social reform and the imposition of order in people's lives. In fact, many of these activists were social conservatives--and indeed, Firefly reveals himself to be just that in the lyrics to the song he performs immediately afterward.
* ''The Epic of Everest'' (1924) is a documentary about that year's unsuccessful attempt to climb Mount Everest. Its intertitles contain several remarks that read oddly 90 years on, especially in the description of the Tibetan town of Phari-Dzong:
** ''Amid dirt and mud and stinking refuse, the people live with their dogs and cattle in these hovels begrimed with the smoke of the argo fires ... And in contrast to all of this, the cold purity of the snows of Chomolhari puts to shame the dirt of Phari.''
** And on the other hand, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the film tells us the mountain's Tibetan name]] (Chomo-Lung-Ma) a few times. You don't get that much these days either.

* ''Film/BillAndTed'', being a movie about American teenagers in the 1980s, has the characters casually using the word "fag" as an insult towards a villain, and in one scene they hug each other only to break the hug and call one another a "fag." Nowadays, of course, sensibilities have in many cases become so politically correct that [[ButNotTooEvil even]] ''[[ButNotTooEvil villains]]'' [[ButNotTooEvil are not allowed to use the term]] (unless anti-prejudice is the [[AnAesop Aesop]], of course).

* In the original version of ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'', baby Clark was found stark naked, with... "Clark Jr." in plain view. Today, there is usually [[DigitalBikini some editing]] to that scene. Worth noting though, is that the reboot ''Film/ManOfSteel'' also had baby Clark naked uncensored, but the shot passes by quick enough that it's easy to not notice it.
* In the film, ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'', Prince Edward Longshanks is portrayed as a being a wimp and unfit to rule England due to his homosexuality and having a male lover. His wife and her advisor hope for his death due to this. When his father kills his lover by throwing him out of a window, it is considered an evil act on the part of the king, but is meant as a just consequence of the prince's way. It is hard to imagine a modern film villainizing the prince in such a way.

** Mike Teevee playing with a realistic toy gun would certainly not fly with mass shootings all too real in today's world. He brings it with him to the factory and even pretends to shoot Willy Wonka with it, yelling "WHAM! You're dead!". If that happened these days, he'd be tried as a juvenile delinquent. It doesn't help that the 2005 version of Mike is a sociopathic video game addict from ''Denver, Colorado'', the same metropolitan area behind the [[UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} tragedy that first brought mass shooting into the forefront of American consciousness]].

** It has been argued that the film endorses sexual assault. Ted's constantly harasses Samantha during the story and nothing is done about this. There's also a scene where Ted and a drunken Caroline have their way (although consented), which would be seen as being akin to date rape today, especially since Ted actually endorsed this earlier on. In addition, intoxicated people in the US legally cannot consent, which makes it even more outdated.

* In ''Film/ToWongFooThanksForEverythingJulieNewmar'', Noxeema gives a brief rundown of different transgender types that has become painfully dated over time. According to her, a transvestite is someone who crossdresses for fun, a transsexual is someone trapped in the wrong sex's body and has surgery, and a DragQueen is a gay man "with way too much fashion sense for one gender." This may be consistent with 90's perceptions, but by the 2010s, transgender people gained mainstream visibility and trans people began deciding for themselves how they wish to be defined, these terms and definitions have all fallen out of favor for various reasons:

* Cheering in the cinema is generally more accepted in North America than in the UK and Europe (hence the "mfw Americans clap" meme), though there are exceptions. Japan and other Asian countries are even worse about this. Clapping during a performance is considered quite ''rude'' as you are distracting from the show. Live performers such as Cirque Du Soleil were actually coached about this as they were used to boisterous applause after every major trick. And when the first ''Franchise/StarWars'' film, ''Film/ANewHope'' had its Japanese premiere, then-head of 20th Century Fox, Alan Ladd Jr., was worried that they'd hated it until being reassured that silence was the greatest compliment a movie could receive.

* The whole idea of the {{Cowboy Cop}}, omnipresent in cop movies of the 1970's and 1980's has come under fire since the 2000's. Back in the 70's, rising crime rates and then the "tough on crime" rhetoric of the Reagan era in the 80's made actions like beating up suspects for information, executing helpless criminals if they were evil enough, disregard for warrant, and all around tons of violence seem not just acceptable for police officers and displays of their badassitude, but necessary for combating crime. This ended after a string of high-profile incidents of PoliceBrutality and shootings of unarmed suspects, most infamously the Rodney King beating and several notable instances of the mid-2010s, which also revealed these actions targeted racial minorities, especially African-Americans, disproportionately. As a result, characters like Film/DirtyHarry and Film/{{Cobra}} come across as a lot less sympathetic nowadays. Lower crime rates beginning in the mid-90's also led to the demise of the "vigilante hero" and "future big city in ruins" subgenres extremely popular in the late 70's to early 90's.

* The short film "The Home Economics Story" heavily emphasizes the domestic sides of home ec - a fact that the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' riffing of the short heavily registers its disapproval of.

** There is a relatively minor case regarding the fact that Claire brought sushi for lunch, which serves as a symbol of how wealthy and elitist her family is. Back in the '80s sushi was a far more exotic and expensive dish, but over the years it's become more affordable and gained more mainstream popularity. Granted, as a school lunch it's still out of the ordinary, but not quite to the extent that it was at the time the film was released.

** There are quite a few ethnic stereotypes as well. Even ''Dr No'', which was fairly advanced for its day in its portrayal of a black man, has a scene where Bond asks Quarrel (who is black) to "fetch my shoes," in a rather presumptuous and condescending manner. In ''Goldfinger'', Goldfinger himself tells Bond that Koreans are the "cruelest people in the world" and are thus perfect for being evil minions. He ''could'' be referring to the Communist North Koreans, given the time period in which this story was written, but the ambiguity and generalization of his statement is what really dates it. This is a decided improvement on the book, where Bond and the narrator not only ''agree'' with Goldfinger, Bond muses to himself that he thinks [[{{Dehumanization}} Koreans are so savage they must be an entirely different species]].

* In the 1950s classic ''Film/TheDamBusters'', the code for a successful hit on the target is the name of the squadron commander's beloved black labrador, who was struck and killed by a motorcar right before the strike was launched. The dog's name? Nigger. This issue was complicated by the fact that the historical dog had that name in real life. It's sometimes, and sometimes not, dubbed on television showings into ''Trigger''. There was a certain amount of "it's PC gone mad" controversy when news of a remake did the rounds in 2009; the producers were planning to call the dog "Nigsy" instead. The remake's still being talked about, and the latest news is that they intend to call him "Digger".

* ''Film/KidsInAmerica'': [[spoiler: Though they were successful on preventing their bully of a principal from becoming superintendent by informing parents about her]], a teenager from present day would wanna ask why didn’t any of the students used to the internet to get the message out since the film was released in 2005, even with the capabilities of the technology at the time. Weller's methods in suppressing the students' freedom of expression in the school wouldn't work in cyberspace where there's nothing she could do since it's open to the public.

** Charlie Bucket and his mother being upset by Grandpa Joe's vow to quit tobacco. Keep in mind, this was made at the turn of TheSeventies, just before the advertising industry cracked down on tobacco ads. Even in the film, the reason Grandpa Joe is quitting tobacco is the fact that it's an expensive habit for such a poor family. The fact that his health is already so poor he spends all day in bed doesn't come up.

** There's also the treatment of geeks, who are [[LonersAreFreaks seen as social outcasts with strange or crazy obsessions]], while this was an almost obligatory staple of teen films until 2010, it would seem strange thereafter as geek culture became very popular in the 2010s. One of the geeks (played by Creator/JoanCusack) is a neck-braced girl whose condition is joked about, which would be seen as a very ableist move today.
** The film features many elements that are unsuitable for a PG-rated movie today - There are several scenes of casual swearing by the main characters - the word "faggot" and shows up a lot, which is seen today as a swear on the same level as the N-word, and there's also the word "bohunk" (a term to describe lower-class immigrants from Central Europe). There are also many scenes of nudity, such as the shower scene in the first half of the movie.

* In ''Film/ToWongFooThanksForEverythingJulieNewmar'', Noxeema gives a brief rundown of different transgender types that has become painfully dated over time. According to her, a transvestite is someone who crossdresses for fun, a transsexual is someone trapped in the wrong sex's body and has surgery, and a DragQueen is a gay man "with way too much fashion sense for one gender." This may be consistent with 90's perceptions, but nowadays with increased transgender visibility and trans people deciding for themselves how they wish to be defined, these terms and definitions have all fallen out of favor for various reasons:
** "Transvestite" due to its negative, sensationalist connotations. Nowadays such a person would identify as non-binary, genderfluid, or the like.

** Drag has long included kings and transgender performers, both of which have become far more vocal and visible since the film came out.

* In ''Film/ToWongFooThanksForEverythingJulieNewmar'', Noxeema gives a brief rundown of different transgender types that has become painfully dated over time. According to her, a transvestite is someone who crossdresses for fun, a transsexual is someone trapped in the wrong sex's body and has surgery, and a DragQueen is a gay man "with way too much fashion sense for one gender." This may be consistent with 90's perceptions, but in this day and age of increased transgender visibility, these definitions have all fallen out of favor for various reasons:

** "Transsexual" because most trans people today prefer not to emphasize their physical traits (chest, genitals, hormones, etc). Many are not able or willing to medically transition, but they are still trans''gender''.

* France doesn't usually dish out age restrictions on mainstream movies, likely owing to the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution rough history with censorship]]. Many movies rated R in the US or the UK are given "all ages" ratings unless they are very violent or patently adult.

** A teenager brings a flare gun to school so he can commit suicide (or at least destroy a shop project at which he failed). His punishment is a Saturday of detention when it goes off in his locker. In today's zero-tolerance environment, he likely would have been expelled and/or slapped with court-ordered psychiatric therapy for the rest of the school year (and maybe beyond that if he decides to go to college or the military).

** Bender's advances on Claire were to show off his jerkass nature, but he eventually gets the girl in the end. Today, such actions would earn the ire of some modern audience members, who would claim it is trivializing sexual harassment.

* [[OlderThanTelevision Going way back]], ''Film/{{The Birth of a Nation|1915}}'' (and by extension, the novel it was based on, ''The Clansman'' by Thomas Dixon) features the Ku Klux Klan as the ''[[DesignatedHero good guys]]'', complete with a BigDamnHeroes moment towards the end of the story. This film went on to be so influential that for decades, the director had an honorary award named after him at the Oscars. The film is now rarely seen outside of film classes thanks to ValuesDissonance making it unwatchable to anyone except a film student learning the state of the art in 1915.

* In ''Film/ToWongFooThanksForEverythingJulieNewmar'', Noxeema gives a brief rundown of different transgender types that has become painfully dated over time: According to her, a transvestite is someone who crossdresses for fun, a transsexual is someone born in the wrong sex's body and has surgery, and a DragQueen is a gay man "with way too much fashion sense for one gender." Fair for 1995 when the movie was made, but in this day and age of increased transgender visibility, these definitions have all fallen out of favor for various reasons:
** "Transvestite" due to its negative, sensationalist connotations. Nowadays such a person would identify as non-binary.
** "Transsexual" because modern-day advocates prefer not to emphasize a trans person's physical traits. Many trans people cannot or choose not to medically transition, but they are still trans''gender''.

* The Depression-era film ''Film/GabrielOverTheWhiteHouse'' shows the President of the United States essentially setting himself up as a fascist dictator, suspending the Constitution and dissolving Congress when they try to oppose him, creating a paramilitary police force with extra-judicial powers accountable only to him and forcing all other nations to unilaterally disarm and submit to American rule using the threat of superweapons. This is depicted as a ''good'' and possibly even divinely-inspired thing, and his totalitarian policies are shown to end crime, introduce huge economic booms and create world peace. To be fair, the film was controversial even at the time, but its unabashed praise for what would be TheEmpire in any other story is shocking to modern audiences. It's a sign of the desperate time it was made in more than anything else, when there were some calling for a dictatorial president to seize power and resolve the crippling economic issues and organized crime ravaging the country. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Which is a disturbingly similar situation]] [[ThoseWackyNazis to the state of Germany after World War One...]] The election of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump in 2016 has only worsened this situation, given the fact that he is criticized for being a fascist by many of his opponents.

* In ''Film/ToWongFooThanksForEverythingJulieNewmar'', Noxeema gives a brief rundown of different transgender types: a transvestite is someone who crossdresses for fun, a transsexual is someone born in the wrong sex's body and has surgery, and a DragQueen is a gay man "with way too much fashion sense for one gender." In 1995 this was considered acceptable, but in this day and age of increased transgender visibility, these definitions have all fallen out of favor:
** "Transvestite" due to its negative/sensationalist connotations. Nowadays such a person would identify as non-binary.

** "Transsexual" because modern-day advocates prefer not to emphasize a trans person's physical characteristics. Many trans people cannot or choose not to medically transition, but they are still trans''gender''.
** Drag, even in the 90's and earlier, [[CriticalResearchFailure has never strictly been the domain of gay men]]. Drag kings and transgender drag performers have become far more visible since the film came out.

** Drag, even in the 90's, has never strictly been the domain of gay men. Drag kings and transgender drag performers have become far more visible since the film came out.

** "Transvestite" due to its negative/sensationalist connotations. Nowadays such a person would identify as genderqueer, agender, non-binary, or the like.

* ''Film/IronMan3'' sought to avoid this with their depiction of [[BigBad the Mandarin]]. In the comics, the Mandarin was a YellowPeril villain, which wouldn't really work these days. The film avoids this by casting the British-Indian actor Creator/BenKingsley then having the Mandarin be an combination of many cultures. [[spoiler:Furthermore, the Mandarin turns out to be a smokescreen/scapegoat for the real villain's organization, played by an actor and designed to obfuscate the real villain's identity. THEN turned on its head when the ''actual'' Mandarin has his double rescued from prison to bring him into the fold.]] And of course, many fans still claimed changing the villain's race was a case of UnfortunateImplications. Sometimes you just can't win...

* Agnes' fate at the end of ''Literature/AuntieMame'' definitely qualifies for this trope. She finds herself impregnated and [[AccidentalMarriage accidentally married to]] a sexual predator who got her drunk and led her to the altar because he thought she was a rich noblewoman. This is supposed to be a ''happy'' ending, because it means that she's not, as she gravely feared, an ''unwed mother''. It is worth noting that in a later, musical version of the play, this part was changed. Instead of being married to the guy who knocked her up, Agnes is sent to live in a home for unwed mothers... that was founded and set up by Aunt Mame herself, specifically to help Agnes (and to tick off the snooty rich family whose property was next door to the future site of said home). In the original book, she falls in love with one of Patrick's college professors, a genuinely good man who reciprocates her love and proposes to her as she's being rushed to the hospital in labor. It's implied that they wind up happily married.

* ''Film/TheKarateKid2010'',:
** Dre cheers and claps loudly at the end of his crush's violin recital, only to receive disapproving looks from said crush's parents. In China, audiences tend to remain silent during and/or after a performance.
** Also Dre making Mei Ying pinky swear and her parents' offended reaction to it because in China, raising the pinky finger is equal to sticking up the middle finger.

* ''Film/{{Porkys}}'': Balbricker would’ve run the risk of sexual assault charges these days rather the police arrest on Tommy's exhibitionism since he showed his privates to the girls through a peep hole, giving Balbricker a reason to [[AxCrazy attack]]. As a matter of fact, a teen showing their privates would’ve been grounds for expulsion, even by 1980s standards… in fact, the idea of a teen being naked in a film these days, even if said teen is [[DawsonCasting portrayed by an adult]]… yeah, just [[TemptingFate try to see if anyone would accept that]].

** There's a scene so creepy that it's sort of amazing no one at the time apparently thought it was. The hero, Lewis, steals and puts on the costume worn by his JerkJock rival to a carnival and wears it while he seduces said jock's girlfriend. Seduces as in [[BedTrick has sex with her while pretending to be her boyfriend]]. He's unmasked halfway through, and the girl instantly forgives him, because he's the best sex she's ever had. It's all okay, you see, because [[NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization he rapes her into loving him]].

* Showing how quickly this can happen, ''Film/TheHangover'', released in 2009, features a gag where Phil refers to Stu as "Dr. Faggot". After 2010, the use of LGBT-related slurs in mainstream media has become almost non-existent, [[NWordPrivileges not even used by LGBT characters]].

* In the 1968 film ''Film/YoursMineAndOurs'', with Creator/LucilleBall and Henry Fonda, generally considered a G-rated, family values classic, there are several "Wait... what?" moments. Part of the children's attempts to sabotage the budding relationship include trying to get their potential stepmother drunk by spiking her drink - although they're called out for this, it's still uncomfortable. One of the boys is later punished with a prolonged spanking from the lady, something that wouldn't fly today.
* The original ''[[Franchise/ThePinkPanther Pink Panther]]'' films run into this with how Inspector Clouseau speaks of his Chinese manservant, e.g., "Cato, my little yellow friend, I'm home!" (On the other hand, Clouseau ''is'' portrayed as an arrogant idiot with (among others) MightyWhitey delusions, so this ignorance may well stem from that.) This is what probably inspired a scene from 2009's ''Film/ThePinkPanther2'' where Clouseau gets in trouble for calling a Japanese man "my little yellow friend".

* Similar to the Dan Fogelberg example listed at the Music page, and also from 1981, was the movie ''Film/{{Arthur}}'', which played the title character's alcoholism and resultant drunken behavior for laughs; he is even seen drinking while driving at one point. The movie was rated [=PG=], as the [=PG=]-13 rating didn't exist at that time; the [=MPAA=]'s [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPAA_ratings#Ratings current restrictions]] on drug content would net it a higher rating now -- the 2011 Russell Brand-led remake got a [=PG=]-13, with alcohol being far less prominent.

** The film features Mickey Rooney as wacky Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi, complete with yellowface, buck teeth and thick glasses that look like they were lifted directly from a WWII propaganda poster. At the time, this was acceptable comic relief. The original author Truman Capote slammed this, finding it offensive at the time too. Mickey Rooney apparently didn't see what the problem was.
** Paul's counterpart in the original book was gay - something that wouldn't fly in the 1950s - so he was changed to a straight man and PromotedToLoveInterest for Holly. Holly's bisexuality was also eliminated from book to film.

* The Depression-era film ''Film/GabrielOverTheWhiteHouse'' shows the President of the United States essentially setting himself up as a fascist dictator, suspending the Constitution and dissolving Congress when they try to oppose him, creating a paramilitary police force with extra-judicial powers accountable only to him and forcing all other nations to unilaterally disarm and submit to American rule using the threat of superweapons. This is depicted as a ''good'' and possibly even divinely inspired thing, and his totalitarian policies are shown to end crime, introduce huge economic booms and create world peace. To be fair, the film was controversial even at the time, but its unabashed praise for what would be TheEmpire in any other story is shocking to modern audiences. It's a sign of the desperate time it was made in more than anything else, when there were some calling for a dictatorial president to seize power and resolve the crippling economic issues and organized crime ravaging the country. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Which is a disturbingly similar situation]] [[ThoseWackyNazis to the state of Germany after World War One.]] The election of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump in 2016 has only worsened this situation, given the fact that he is criticized for being a fascist by many of his opponents.

* In the Soviet Union {{Blackface}} and {{Yellowface}} were not considered racist, and because of that there were more than a few movies with anti-racist messages that had oppressed Black or Asian people played by white Soviet actors. For example, Soviet adaptations of AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn stressed the racism and evils of slavery, yet nearly all of them had Jim played by a man in blackface. Of course [[JustifiedTrope actual black people were hard to come by in the Soviet Union]], so this at least would have been basic pragmatism.

** The character Prissy is a shockingly racist caricature - with her high pitched voice, laziness and general incompetence. Narrowly averted with {{Mammy}} - who is highly intelligent in spite of her position, representing a case of FairForItsDay.
* In ''Film/TopsyTurvy'', William Gilbert has to deal with an actor who has a hissy fit over his costume which seems too "revealing," even though by modern audiences' eyes, it is demure. Furthermore, with MethodActing stars like Creator/DustinHoffman and Creator/MerylStreep becoming well known and respected for the lengths they will go to be in character, this actor sounds childishly unprofessional.
* The central storyline of 1971 film of ''Film/OnTheBuses'' is that the bus company hire female drivers and the male drivers deliberately disrupt their work and make their lives a misery. What makes this questionable is that the male drivers are shown as likable heroes and the women as harpies who deserve to get fired. The unattractive appearance of the women who do traditionally male jobs probably wouldn't happen today either. The film also shows men groping women without their permission but the women finding this humorous rather than being upset or offended by it.

** ''The Children's Hour'' is about two women's schoolhouse being shut down over the flimsiest of insinuations that they are lesbians. They also lose a libel lawsuit even though there's no evidence of the rumor's validity. The play is from the '30s (and it based on a real incident a ''century'' prior) and the film is from 1960. The plot wouldn't work in films set post-1970s, with the modern gay rights movement beginning a few years after the film came out.

* ''Film/{{Tomboy}}'' centers around a ten year old girl masquerading as a boy, and features multiple scenes with her shirtless or even just naked. Despite the fact she doesn't have any breasts yet, the notion of a girl over 5 years old with her shirt off in public doesn't settle with a lot of people, from country to country.

* In an independent film from the 50s ''Film/SoYoungSoBad'', the character Loretta has had a baby out of wedlock. It's presented as a character flaw that she wants to give the baby up for adoption - despite the fact that she's an unmarried teenager who has no family to support her. Her happy ending is choosing to keep her baby, albeit after graduating from school. This is a holdover from pre-war years, where mothers were discouraged from giving up their children for adoption.

** There's a scene so creepy that it's sort of amazing no one at the time apparently thought it was. The hero, Lewis, steals and puts on the costume worn by his JerkJock rival to a carnival and wears it while he seduces said jock's girlfriend. Seduces as in [[BedTrick has sex with her while pretending to be her boyfriend.]] He's unmasked halfway through, and the girl instantly forgives him, because he's the best sex she's ever had. It's all okay, you see, because [[NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization he rapes her into loving him]].
** The nerds secretly rig hidden cameras in the sorority house during a panty raid, gawk at the residents undressing via video, and disseminate images of one of the Pi ladies topless during their "pie sale". Just how many porn distribution, privacy and stalking statutes did they break, there...?

* In the immediate lead-up to one of the most famous scenes in ''Film/CitizenKane'', when Jed Leland is promoting Charles Foster Kane for governor of New York, it's a bit odd for modern audiences to hear him unabashedly describing his boss as a "liberal," since that word is hardly ever used in a positive context anymore, what with being associated (unfairly) with the 1960s counterculture and the supposed persecution of white working-class Americans. But it's even more shocking to hear Leland use the term "fighting liberal" - even though that was a completely un-ironic and flattering term in the early twentieth century - because that phrase inherently clashes with many modern conceptions of political liberalism, such as the BourgeoisBohemian (of which, ironically enough, many consider Creator/OrsonWelles himself to be the TropeMaker, at least for Hollywood).

* ''Film/MaryPoppins'', being set in the EdwardianEra, has a few:

** Winifred talks about her movement (The Sufragettes) doing some things that would probably be seen as ''quite'' disruptive, given the antics of [[AnimalWrongsGroup PETA]], as well as some rather violent protests a hundred years later that [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We frankly will not talk about.]]

* At one point, ''Film/TheSeaHawk'' suffers from a bit of a disconnect due to the passage of time. Creator/ErrolFlynn's protagonist is a handsome and charming swashbuckler, but when he's in front of TheSpanishInquisition he boasts of pillaging and burning Spanish towns to the ground, proudly confessing to doing more of it than he's being charged with. In the 1930s-40s this made him a badass to kids watching the movie; today, it sounds like he's writing his own indictment to go before the ICC and one can hardly blame the Spanish judge for throwing the book at him and the Spanish government for demanding that the English government pull the plug on their privateers as a result.

* ''Film/IAmAFugitiveFromAChainGang'': Helen's line "I'm free, white, and twenty-one." was a common expression during the 1920s, 1930s, and much later when racism was not only socially acceptable but the law in many parts of the country. The use of this line lasted into the sixties and even seventies. Inger Stevens use of the idiom is lampshaded by Creator/HarryBelafonte in ''Film/TheWorldTheFleshAndTheDevil''.

* ''Film/WhatsNewPussycat'' is a cheeky ribald romp from the newly-unfettered 1960s - its intent was to be outrageous, and it perhaps got more so with time. It features a quick flashback to a teacher-student affair ("Oh, Michael, this can't work --I'm 34 and you're 12!"-- having star Peter O'Toole in schoolboy drag makes it less creepy--or maybe more so), a crazy psychiatrist who sexually assaults a patient repeatedly, and an unstable exotic dancer (named Liz Bien--get it?) who [[BuryYourGays tries committing suicide a few times]].

* In modern day films [[OneDrinkWillKillTheBaby pregnant women will never drink]]. In Golden Age films? Not so much. The effects of alcohol on fetuses weren't well-known at the time. Take ''Film/BlackboardJungle'' from 1955, where the protagonist drinks champagne while four months pregnant despite also having a miscarriage in the past. She would be framed as a neglectful parent in modern works, however it's just a matter-of-fact in the film.

* In modern day films [[OneDrinkWillKillTheBaby pregnant women will never drink]]. In Golden Age films? Not so much. The effects of alcohol on fetuses weren't well-known at the time. Take ''Blackboard Jungle'' from 1955, where the protagonist drinks champagne while four months pregnant despite also having a miscarriage in the past. She would be framed as a neglectful parent in modern works however it's just a matter-of-fact in the film.

* ''Film/{{The Jazz Singer}}'' features a hero who must escape the confines of his conservative Jewish father to realize his own dream of self-expression... by performing in blackface. The film was remade in 1980 with Music/NeilDiamond in the lead role... and the '''blackface element [[WhatAnIdiot still intact]]''', which led to [[DudeNotFunny predictable]] [[BoxOfficeBomb results]] at the box office.

** ''The Children's Hour'' is about two women's schoolhouse being shut down over the flimsiest of insinuations that they are lesbians. They also lose a libel lawsuit even though there's no evidence of the rumor's validity.
** The 1930s adaptation, ''These Three'', [[HideYourLesbians removes]] the lesbian themes of the story. In its place we have a huge public scandal because a little girl (supposedly) caught Martha cheating with Karen's fiance. They even get sent to court for it. The accusations of infidelity and pre-marital sex were more serious in TheThirties but in modern times, or even the 60s (where the TruerToTheText adaptation was made), it would be considered a smaller, more personal issue.

* ''Film/SixteenCandles'' has many elements that have not aged well with today's audience.

* ''Film/BlazingSaddles'': Written by Creator/MelBrooks and Creator/RichardPryor, the ''kings'' of NWordPrivileges. The whole point of the film was to take every trope of the standard American Western, a dozen more from Hollywood films in general, and [[DeconstructiveParody nuke them all]], ''particularly'' the racist parts. It's rated as one of the top comedy movies of all time, but Brooks fully admits it would never get made today because of the N-bombs, gay jokes, and Jews cast as Native Americans.

** The film features Mickey Rooney as wacky Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi, complete with yellowface, buck teeth and thick glasses that look like they were lifted directly from a WWII propaganda poster. At the time, this was acceptable comic relief. The original author Truman Capote however slammed this, finding it offensive at the time too. Mickey Rooney apparently didn't see what the problem was.

** The film features Mickey Rooney as wacky Japanese neighbor Mr. Yunioshi, complete with yellowface, buck teeth and thick glasses that look like they were lifted directly from a WWII propaganda poster. At the time, this was acceptable comic relief. The original author Truman Copote however slammed this, finding it offensive at the time too. Mickey Rooney apparently didn't see what the problem was.

* In the Creator/StephenChow film ''Film/KingOfComedy'' (1999), one of the running gags is that one of the neighborhood's little boys runs around naked all the time. This is creepy enough to an American audience, but there's one scene where Stephen's character stops what he's doing to play with the boy. A guy who was imitating Stephen's cues while confronting a gangster looks back to see him ''[[WhatTheHellHero tickle the boy's penis with a stick]]'' and again to see him ''[[CrossesTheLineTwice flick it with his finger]]'' ...and then copies both acts. [[PaedoHunt Imagine trying to film that in the states]].
* ''Film/WhatsNewPussycat'' is a cheeky ribald romp from the newly unfettered 1960s - its intent was to be outrageous, and it perhaps got more so with time. It features a quick flashback to a teacher-student affair ("Oh, Michael, this can't work - I'm 34 and you're 12!" - having star Peter O'Toole in schoolboy drag makes it less creepy - or maybe more so), a crazy psychiatrist who repeatedly sexually assaults a patient, and an unstable exotic dancer (named Liz Bien - get it?) who [[BuryYourGays tries committing suicide a few times]].
* In ''Film/BabesInToyland'', the toys featured in the 1934 Laurel and Hardy version of the movie would not pass government safety regulations (or most parents' standards) today: steel-tipped darts launched by a catapult, anyone?

** Even by 1976 standards, someone would surely request Social Services to check the home environment to see if the title character is in a safe place. The 2013 remake acknowledges this somewhat, where the state stepped in to stop Margaret from homeschooling Carrie.

** The family going out to eat on Christmas Day and the only place that's open is [[PekingDuckChristmas a Chinese restaurant.]] [[DeliberateValuesDissonance This is actually deliberate]] - in the 1940s, Chinese restaurants were among the only ones open on Christmas, and is still considered TruthInTelevision in many areas, to the point that many Jews know to seek out the closest Chinatown when traveling on a Sunday. On top of that, the staff sings in a very fake accent that, even in the '80s, would have offended people were it not calling upon '40s Nostalgia. There's also the very strong implication that the waiters are singing incorrectly on purpose to irritate their boss. However, some Chinese restaurants (run by actual Asian people nonetheless) [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales actually find that scene a little funny]], and some more comedic ones even act the scene out as a gag during Christmastime.

** In addition, modern American viewers might be confused as to why Kane, a character who is used to criticize the excesses of capitalism, would be considered in any sense liberal. At the time the film was set and the time it was made, "liberal" didn't have the same connotations it does today. It meant (and still does mean in almost every country that isn't America) a centrist, and usually a right-leaning one at that.
* In the Creator/MarxBrothers' sociopolitical spoof ''Film/DuckSoup'', when Rufus T. Firefly (Creator/GrouchoMarx), the dictator of Fredonia, is introduced to his parliament as a "progressive, fearless fighter," many modern viewers do not understand that the word ''progressive'' [[YouKeepUsingThatWord is not meant to imply that Firefly is a socialist, or even a leftist]]. In the early 1930s, that word simply referred to anyone - in any political party - who was in favor of directing Big Government toward social reform and the imposition of order in people's lives. In fact, many of these activists were social conservatives - and indeed, Firefly reveals himself to be just that in the lyrics to the song he performs immediately afterward.

** And on the other hand, the film tells us the mountain's Tibetan name (Chomo-Lung-Ma) a few times. You don't get that much these days either.

* In films from the 90s and before simply being a "drug dealer" was enough, in most cases, to make a character a villain. Nowadays, the increasingly strong backlash against the War on Drugs has made it so that for drug dealers to be considered actual villains they must either 1) sell meth and/or heroin, 2) have ties to brutal Mexican drug cartels and/or 3) sell to kids.
* The 1917 silent film ''The Black Stork'' featured eugenicist Dr. Harry Haiselden playing a fictionalized version of himself. The film has a pro-eugenics message with Haiselden's character portrayed as doing the right thing for allowing a "defective" newborn baby to die (this was based on something Haiselden actually did, by the way). The movie's tagline was, "Kill defectives, save the nation and see ''The Black Stork''." The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures almost banned the film... for being too graphic and not pro-eugenics enough.
* In ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'' Edwin's mother chews him out for working for Jane Hudson. She mentions the most awful thing Jane did in the past, and says it so that it's worse than seemingly trying run over her own sister - being found in a hotel room with a man she'd just met. (His reply: "Wasn't that how I was conceived?" shows that she's a hypocrite on top of everything else.)

* Once upon a time slurs against the disabled was the go to insult to mock someone. Then ''Film/TropicThunder'' set a record for it (such as the "Nigga, you went full retard" spiel Kirk Lazarus (Creator/RobertDowneyJr as an Australian actor in {{Blackface}}) gave to Tugg Speedman (Creator/BenStiller as an egotistical actor whose most recent film dealt --''poorly''-- with a mentally-handicapped character). The barrage of stereotypes resulted in a backlash that led to their use to virtually disappear from media from 2010 on, to the point where even adult-aimed works would rather not use them at all unless they intend to ''really'' shock their audience.

* The movie ''Film/GuessWhosComingToDinner'' has a really blatant case of PositiveDiscrimination on the subject matter, portraying the prospective son-in-law as unfailingly perfect and virtuous. The reason was so that his future in-laws (and by extension, the audience) would have nothing to object to in his marrying their daughter other than his race. The irony is that in a modern context the marriage has a ''lot'' of red flags totally unrelated to race; Joanna only ''met'' John less than two weeks ago and is already prepared to marry him, even though there's a significant gap in both age and life experience (she's fresh out of college, he's a successful doctor who's traveled the world) and shortly after their wedding, he intends to move to a country she's never been to, away from everyone she knows, and where she will not speak the native language. It seems weird that Joanna's parents aren't the least bit concerned about ''that''.
* In ''Film/AceVenturaPetDetective'', the BigBad is Ray Finkle, former football player whose botched field goal kick cost him a Superbowl win and ultimately his sanity. It is later revealed that the beautiful female police lieutenant Lois Einhorn, who dislikes Ace but has some sexual tension with him, actually ''is'' Finkle, having assumed the identity of a dead woman and even having partial [[{{Transgender}} gender-reassignment surgery]] to pass as female. The movie is vague as to whether or not Finkle is actually transgender or if he's ''so'' insane, he changed genders and became a cop just as part of a long-term plan to get back at the Miami Dolphins. Furthermore, when Ace realizes the two are one and the same, he's horrified that he got to second base with a "man" and we see a montage of him washing his mouth out, burning his clothes, and taking a ShowerOfAngst. With transgender visibility and acceptance of trans people in society having come a long way since the mid-90's, what was considered funny back then would be ''skewered'' for its transphobia today.
* ''Film/TheMaskOfFuManchu'' is a YellowPeril pulp movie from the 1930s and is full of Asian stereotypes and villains, complete with Boris Karloff and Myrna Loy in {{Yellowface}}. And of course the fact that the plot involves Fu Manchu trying to lead all of Asia against the west.

* At one point, ''Film/TheSeaHawk'' suffers from a bit of a disconnect due to the passage of time. Creator/ErrolFlynn's protagonist is a handsome and charming swashbuckler, but when he's in front of TheSpanishInquisition he boasts of pillaging and burning Spanish towns to the ground, proudly confessing to doing more of it than he's being charged with. In the 1930s this made him a badass to kids watching the movie; today, it sounds like he's writing his own indictment to go before the ICC and one can hardly blame the Spanish judge for throwing the book at him and the Spanish government for demanding that the English government pull the plug on their privateers as a result.

** There's also the treatment of geeks, who are [[LonersAreFreaks seen as social outcasts with strange or crazy obsessions]], which would seem strange as geek culture today is very popular. One of the geeks (played by Creator/JoanCusack) is a neck-braced girl whose condition is joked about, which would be seen as a very ableist move today.
** The film features many elements that are unsuitable for a PG-rated movie today - There are several scenes of casual swearing by the main characters - the word "faggot" and shows up a lot, which is seen today as a swear on the same level as the N-word, and there's also the word "bohunk". There's also many scenes of nudity, such as the shower scene in the first half of the movie.

* In modern day films [[OneDrinkWillKillTheBaby pregnant women will never drink]]. In Golden Age films? Not so much. The effects of alcohol on fetus' weren't well-known at the time. Take ''Blackboard Jungle'' from 1955, where the protagonist drinks champagne while four months pregnant despite also having a miscarriage in the past. She would be framed as a neglectful parent in modern works however it's just a matter-of-fact in the film.

* In the United States, the NC-17 rating is seen as a death sentence for a film's commercial viability, basically limiting it to arthouse/independent cinemas. Major retailers like Walmart and Best Buy refuse to stock NC-17 films or [=DVDs=], and theater chains like AMC are reluctant to book them. Although the MPAA specifically states it does not denote pornography, in practice it has been used for films with strong sexual content. Producers fight for an R rating and are often dismayed to get an NC-17. On the other side of the pond, however, the 18 certificate (roughly equivalent to the NC-17) not only has little effect on commercial viability[[note]]Although nobody under 18 may watch it in cinemas, plenty of mainstream films like Fargo, Silence of the Lambs, Halloween and Saw received an 18 and did very well at the UK box office.[[/note]] , it is seen as a badge of honor. In fact, [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1169772/My-film-horrific-15-director-tells-censors-pushed-18.html one horror director]] was disappointed that his film ''didn't'' get an 18 certificate. Films cut for an NC-17 in the US for commercial reasons usually receive an 18 certificate uncut in the UK, with none of the stigma attached.

* The whole idea of the {{Cowboy Cop}}, omnipresent in cop movies of the 1970's and 1980's has come under fire since the 2000's. Back in the 70's, rising crime rates and then the "rough on crime" rhetoric of the Reagan era in the 80's made actions like beating up suspects for information, executing helpless criminals if they were evil enough, disregard for warrant, and all around tons of violence seem not just acceptable for police officers and displays of their badassitude, but necessary for combating crime. This ended after a string of high-profile incidents of PoliceBrutality and shootings of unarmed suspects, most infamously the Rodney King beating and several notable instances of the mid-2010s, which also revealed these actions targeted racial minorities, especially African-Americans, disproportionately. As a result, characters like Film/DirtyHarry and Film/{{Cobra}} come across as a lot less sympathetic nowadays. Lower crime rates beginning in the mid-90's also led to the demise of the "vigilante hero" and "future big city in ruins" subgenres extremely popular in the late 70's to early 90's.

** In addition, modern American viewers might be confused as to why Kane, a character who is used to criticize the excesses of capitalism would be considered in any sense liberal. At the time the film was set and the time it was made, "liberal" didn't have the same connotations it does today. It meant (and still does mean in almost every country that isn't America) a centrist, and usually a right-leaning one at that.

** In addition, modern American viewers might be confused as to why Kane, a character who is used to criticize the excesses of capitalism as a liberal. At the time the film was set and the time it was made, "liberal" didn't have the same connotations it does today. It meant (and still does mean in almost every country that isn't America) a centrist, and usually a right-leaning one at that.