DOLE OFFERS PRAISE, MORE CRITICISM FOR HOLLYWOOD.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole returned to Hollywood on Tuesday, offering faint praise and continued criticism of an industry he said has power ``at times greater than laws and governments.''

Dole, in his fourth campaign visit to California since May, told about 150 20th Century Fox employees that he wanted to praise those in the industry who made worthwhile movies.

As an example, he cited Fox's own ``Independence Day,'' which Dole called ``a high-tech thriller about patriotism and humankind at its best,'' even though it dealt with an alien invasion of Earth resulting in the death of millions and the destruction of the White House.

Dole also cited films such as ``Apollo 13,'' ``Forrest Gump,'' ``Babe'' and ``Braveheart'' as other examples of films that provide inspiration.

``If I may speak for families across this country, I would encourage those artists and producers to keep up the good work,'' Dole said. ``There is, after all, a time to criticize. And there is also a time to praise.

``More with every year, that `R' on some movies should stand for `Reject.' Increasingly, the people of America are rejecting entertainment that insults our intelligence and offends our sense of decency,'' Dole said. ``We are rejecting films that deride our country and our values.''

Dole is expected to be nominated as the GOP candidate for president at the party's national convention in San Diego, which will start Aug. 12.

The remarks by Dole, who trails Clinton in the state by as much as 27 percentage points in independent polls, come after he launched an all-out assault against the industry last year, condemning Hollywood for producing ``nightmares of depravity drenched in violence and sex.''

``I pointed to those in Hollywood who don't seem to care about the social consequences of what they do,'' Dole said Tuesday. ``I spoke of movies and music and art and advertisements that push the limits of social decency.

``Let's dispense with a familiar myth. It's the usual response offered in defense of gratuitous violence, casual sex and generally cheap behavior in some movies. I'm referring to that familiar line, `We're only giving the public what it wants.' ''

Dole said he was not calling on the industry to abandon hard-hitting films.

``None of us wants to live in a Muzak culture without variety or tension or depth,'' Dole said. ``I am thinking here of movies like `Schindler's List.'

``What is distinctive about these works of art is that there is a depth to them. They enlarge our understanding of humanity, of goodness and evil, of suffering and courage. Unlike so much else that is passed off as `reality,' they are not gratuitous, cheap, debasing or mindless.''

The campaign of President Clinton issued a statement that despite Dole's remarks, he had done little to deal with the problems of the entertainment industry.

``When it comes to Bob Dole and Hollywood, it's lights, camera and no action,'' said spokesman Joe Lockhart.

Lockhart noted that Dole has opposed the V-chip proposal to allow parents to control what is watched on television as well as a television rating system.

Dole aides said later that he opposes making the V-chip and the rating system mandatory.

Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America, said after the speech that he was relieved Dole had toned down some of his remarks from the previous year but also was not surprised at the continued criticism.

``It seems when elections come around, criticism of Hollywood can drive up your numbers,'' Valenti said.

``But, on the whole, his remarks were thoughtful and thought-provoking.''

Dole drew a polite response from the workers, who had been notified only Monday that the presidential candidate would be speaking on the sound stage that had a screen backdrop with the word ``Hollywood'' emblazoned across it.

Clinton also has taken on Hollywood through the years, appearing at a fund-raiser at Creative Artists Agency shortly after his election to chastise the industry for failing to deal with family issues.

On Monday, Clinton won agreement from the television industry to provide three hours a week of family programming or face the loss of their licenses.

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Photo

Photo: Ex-Drug Czar William Bennett attends Republican pres idential candidate Bob Dole's speech Tuesday in Hollywood on movies.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News