A Violent Affair for a Dream Girl to Remember

I recently viewed the film "Dream Girls".  I had never seen it before, and I enjoyed it very much (thanks for bringing it over, M!).  Jennifer Hudson has a killer voice!  The main characters in the film struggle through difficult life trials, but redemption comes in the end to alleviate their suffering.  If any of you have not seen this film, I recommend it as an inspirational movie with meaning and heart, not to mention that it has fabulous music/singing/clothes.

But recommending this movie is not my intent in writing today.  Rather, I noticed something about myself while I was watching it.  I realized that the whole movie I kept expecting someone (particularly the individual who had control/anger issues) to lose it and start shooting up the place.  And I mean that in respect to guns, not drugs.  There were multiple times when I would tense up during an emotional or dramatic scene because I was afraid he was going to kill her or something.  Spoiler: This never happened.

Similarly, I recently saw for the first time the film "An Affair to Remember".  I didn't know much about this one before I saw it.  During the movie, something goes wrong that prevents one of the lovers from meeting the other at their arranged destination.  The one who went there and waited fruitlessly was so broken-hearted that it seemed this individual would commit suicide by jumping off a building.  Several times during the movie, I expected this to happen.  Second Spoiler: It never did.

Now, "Dream Girls" is not an action movie.  It was not intended as one, and I knew that before I saw it.  "An Affair to Remember" is not an action movie either.  It was intended as a romance, not action or tragedy.  So why did I expect these things to happen?  Why did I expect so much violence?  I have realized that these expectations come up when I watch other movies as well, and far more often than not there IS the expected violent act or scene that results in serious injury or usually death.  Why does it have to be there?  Why do so many more movies have violence, blood and gore in them nowadays than fifty years ago?  Yes, times have changed.  Media in general has become more violent, more crude, more sex-obsessed, etc.  But why does that need to be the case?!  I know I am beating a dead horse here, but really.  It makes me sad that "good movies"--the ones that people go see multiple times--have to have someone die or someone almost die and someone battle multiple someone else's.  It makes me even more sad to realize that along with the rest of society, I have gotten to the point where I expect that out of movies, too.  Hopefully I can change that.  Does anyone have a ton of old movies I could watch?  Maybe that would help.  =)