BBFC decisions you agree/disagree with...

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by Krynoid-Man

I was re-watching Star Trek: The Motion Picture the other day. I'm surprised it got away with a U rating with that terrifying transporter malfunction scene. You don't ]see anything graphic admittedly, but it's incredibly unsettling and is really more appropriate for a PG.

To be fair to the BBFC, there was lots of precedent at the time for giving it a U as opposed to an A (PG didn't exist yet in 1979). In particular, Star Wars also being U with a similar, or if anything, more graphic level of violence, and then something like Jaws being an A just a few years prior. The Spielberg film obviously has much stronger horror and violence than anything in the two sci-fi films.

And I'm not sure if the BBFC knew that in the US, Star Trek: The Motion Picture actually got a G rating, making it one of the "hardest" G-rated films and one of the last not to be made explicitly for children. For reference, both Jaws and Star Wars were/are PG in the US.

[Krynoid-Man]

It's a real shame that the U/PG ratings have become synonymous with "kids flick", as it's helped to lead to the idea that a film must have some sort of adult content to be considered mature (which is complete nonsense, treating your audience like intelligent adults is what makes a story mature).

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by Krynoid-Man

I was re-watching Star Trek: The Motion Picture the other day. I'm surprised it got away with a U rating with that terrifying transporter malfunction scene. You don't ]see anything graphic admittedly, but it's incredibly unsettling and is really more appropriate for a PG.

Same for the original Star Wars Trilogy all getting U ratings. They feature dismemberment (including bloody stumps), mass genocide, teddy bears being shot

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by drush9999

Same for the original Star Wars Trilogy all getting U ratings. They feature dismemberment (including bloody stumps), mass genocide, teddy bears being shot

Don't forget Oola's nip slip!

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

Don't forget Oola's nip slip!

Was that ever fixed by Lucas in his many revisions?

I remember he removed laserblast holes in Stormtroopers.

[McCrutchy]

The BBFC have REJECTED 88 Films' submission of Cesare Canevari's The Gestapo's Last Orgy (L'ultima orgia del III Reich) (1976):

Rejection Explanation

THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY is an Italian exploitation film, from 1977, in which a Jewish woman revisits the site of a concentration camp in which she was formerly imprisoned and subjected to torture, terrorisation, humiliation and sexual violence.

BBFC Guidelines state that: ‘As a last resort, the BBFC may refuse to classify a work….where a central concept of the work is unacceptable, such as a sustained focus on rape, other non-consensual sexually violent behaviour or sadistic violence’.

THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY is largely composed of scenes of strong sadistic violence, humiliation, degradation and non-consensual sexual activity, including rape, all of which occurs within a clearly anti-Semitic context. Its central concept is therefore unacceptable, and the sadistic and sexually abusive material it contains is too pervasive to be effectively addressed by cuts.

Accordingly, the BBFC has refused classification to this work.

https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-g...jpwwc0zmzuyotk

There is no Blu-ray edition, yet, but the film is currently available uncut on US DVD from Intervision (Severin Films):



I've not seen the film, but I've read about it, and frankly, the idea of the BBFC effectively banning it (or any other film) in 2021 is totally absurd, particularly given their pitiful "explanation" above.

[Silanda]

I have absolutely no interest in that film, but yeah, it's pathetic that they're still banning films in 2021. They haven't even tried to justify their decision on the basis of potential harm this time (not that I think their attempts to do so in the past have remotely held up to scrutiny). It's just "the concept is unacceptable".

[grahams76]

THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY is largely composed of scenes of strong sadistic violence, humiliation, degradation and non-consensual sexual activity, including rape, all of which occurs within a clearly anti-Semitic context. Its central concept is therefore unacceptable, and the sadistic and sexually abusive material it contains is too pervasive to be effectively addressed by cuts.

Sounds not dissimilar to The Night Porter.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by grahams76

THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY is largely composed of scenes of strong sadistic violence, humiliation, degradation and non-consensual sexual activity, including rape, all of which occurs within a clearly anti-Semitic context. Its central concept is therefore unacceptable, and the sadistic and sexually abusive material it contains is too pervasive to be effectively addressed by cuts.

Sounds not dissimilar to The Night Porter.

The Night Porter is arthouse, Charlotte Rampling, addresses trauma and probably less explicit with more talking. That’s the difference even if The Night Porter should be considered within the context of the Naziploitation wave

[CompleteCount]

PGRIFF.jpg

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by grahams76

THE GESTAPO’S LAST ORGY is largely composed of scenes of strong sadistic violence, humiliation, degradation and non-consensual sexual activity, including rape, all of which occurs within a clearly anti-Semitic context. Its central concept is therefore unacceptable, and the sadistic and sexually abusive material it contains is too pervasive to be effectively addressed by cuts.

Sounds not dissimilar to The Night Porter.

Or Salo, which is far worse than any video nasty.

[Peachfuzz]

The BBFC rejected the movie Hate Crime in 2015, citing similar reasons:

It is the Board's carefully considered conclusion that the unremitting manner in which [the film] focuses on physical and sexual abuse, aggravated by racist invective, means that to issue a classification to this work, even if confined to adults, would be inconsistent with the Board's Guidelines, would risk potential harm, and would be unacceptable to broad public opinion.

In the case of Hate Crime, the film's writer/director, James Cullen Bressack, is actually Jewish, and was intending to illustrate how this kind of hatred still exists in modern society.

[eddyw78]

I have The Gestapos Last Orgy on DVD (think it’s Exploitation Digital) but haven’t seen it for maybe 15 years or more. I can’t really remember it being any worse than SS Experiment Camp although I can remember the meal scene being pretty tough to watch.

[OgamiittoMcJ]

yeh pretty pointless for them to reject it
as you can import the US DVD release above anyway
or watch it on youtube
maybe someone in US will release BD

[anephric]

Originally Posted by Peachfuzz

In the case of Hate Crime, the film's writer/director, James Cullen Bressack, is actually Jewish, and was intending to illustrate how this kind of hatred still exists in modern society.

I've sat through that film, and if that was the director's point (which I don't believe for second), it failed pretty miserably.

I hold a slightly different position in that I believe a classifier should be able to withhold a certificate purely on the grounds of quality, ie if something is irredeemably ****.

[Jackie Scanlon]

Originally Posted by anephric

I hold a slightly different position in that I believe a classifier should be able to withhold a certificate purely on the grounds of quality, ie if something is irredeemably ****.

But we'd never have had Shark Attack 3 if we went down that path.

[TrentW1982]

Originally Posted by eddyw78

I have The Gestapos Last Orgy on DVD (think it’s Exploitation Digital) but haven’t seen it for maybe 15 years or more. I can’t really remember it being any worse than SS Experiment Camp although I can remember the meal scene being pretty tough to watch.

That's the same DVD I have, and I agree that while it's certainly more exploitative than something like The Night Porter, it's less exploitative than SS Experiment Camp which passed uncut, so it's a very inconsistent decision.

Also "anti-Semitism" seems like a strange justification to ban a film about Nazis. Would it not be worse if they weren't portrayed as anti-Semitic?

[Jackie Scanlon]

"BBFC HYPOCRITICAL SHOCK"

They've always been like it - they don't like horse trips, but they're more than happy for Coppola to decapitate an ox and Jodorowsky to blow up a load of frogs.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

Or Salo, which is far worse than any video nasty.

Salo is an arthouse film.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by TrentW1982

Also "anti-Semitism" seems like a strange justification to ban a film about Nazis. Would it not be worse if they weren't portrayed as anti-Semitic?

I believe their concern is the film itself comes across as anti-Semitic or at least exploits anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic sexual violence for titillation, and releasing it at a time when anti-Semitism has risen to its highest reported levels in the UK since the 40s for four consecutive years is not something they think is acceptable at the moment:. Which is understandable at a time when many British politicians of all hues are sharing links to Holocaust deniers on their twitter accounts, especially since among others Nazi rape and torture porn has a particular appeal to and reinforces the prejudices of a certain, ahem, politically challenged audience. Films aren't released in a vacuum and wider events do have a bearing on these kind of decisions. Passing it would probably open them to the same criticism amazon get for selling pro-Nazi propaganda.