BBFC decisions you agree/disagree with...

[doomgen]

Originally Posted by UpsetSmiley

Even more absurd PEGI went with an 18 for this. One day I was in CeX and saw numerous copies of the game, one with a BBFC 12 cert on the front the other a PEGI 18. Explains why this system was changed.

PEGI have a 16 rating which is rarely used effectively IMO, fantasy action games like Skyrim and Elder Scrolls are fine at 16.

yeah, the PEGI 18 is handed out so freely that it is effectively meaningless, since it could signal games with minimal gore such as Watch Dogs, Mass Effect or Batman: Arkham Knight; along with games with extreme graphic detail or tonal sadism such as Manhunt, The Last of Us 2 and the recent Mortal Kombats. they don't rate contextually, so "extreme violence", "multiple, motiveless killing" and "violence against defenceless people" is an auto-18 no matter the context (for instance, a game in which you can attack civilians but the game's mechanics are negatively affected by doing so).

PEGI 16 games often don't have content that's much stronger than the average 12A film, though there's the odd outlier like Sniper Elite with its realistic physics of internal detail that feels as strong as a lot of what they've given 18.

[doomgen]

The Untold Story has just been passed uncut at 18 by the BBFC, which I’m sure will be unexpected for quite a few people. I haven’t watched it myself but I’ve heard about the most disturbing scenes in question, and they do sound rough in a manner where I wouldn’t have been sure they’d get through uncut. but the Board are full of surprises!

[Jackie Scanlon]

Originally Posted by doomgen

but the Board are full of hypocrisy and contradiction!

Fixed.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by doomgen

The Untold Story has just been passed uncut at 18 by the BBFC, which I’m sure will be unexpected for quite a few people. I haven’t watched it myself but I’ve heard about the most disturbing scenes in question, and they do sound rough in a manner where I wouldn’t have been sure they’d get through uncut. but the Board are full of surprises!

That must be the title 88 Films were teasing.

[ste71]

Originally Posted by doomgen

The Untold Story has just been passed uncut at 18 by the BBFC, which I’m sure will be unexpected for quite a few people. I haven’t watched it myself but I’ve heard about the most disturbing scenes in question, and they do sound rough in a manner where I wouldn’t have been sure they’d get through uncut. but the Board are full of surprises!

Is this the film which

[Show spoiler]has a cannibal theme, in a restaurant or something?

[Jackie Scanlon]

Originally Posted by ste71

Is this the film which

[Show spoiler]has a cannibal theme, in a restaurant or something?

Yes, partly based on a true story. But that's not the part the BBFC have previously been worried about.

[ste71]

Originally Posted by Jackie Scanlon

Yes, partly based on a true story. But that's not the part the BBFC have previously been worried about.

Ah I see....I'll investigate further......

[Ste7en]

Originally Posted by doomgen

The Untold Story has just been passed uncut at 18 by the BBFC, which I’m sure will be unexpected for quite a few people. I haven’t watched it myself but I’ve heard about the most disturbing scenes in question, and they do sound rough in a manner where I wouldn’t have been sure they’d get through uncut. but the Board are full of surprises!

Sounds about right. After I import the US version. Dr Lamb will be coming out soon then

I remember buying the Tai-Seng LD of The Untold Story from a popular LD store in London. They didn't dare keep it on the property. They had it in the boot of a car in a nearby car park and they handed it over taped up inside a bin liner

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by Ste7en

Sounds about right. After I import the US version. Dr Lamb will be coming out soon then

I remember buying the Tai-Seng LD of The Untold Story from a popular LD store in London. They didn't dare keep it on the property. They had it in the boot of a car in a nearby car park and they handed it over taped up inside a bin liner

Oh, now I definetly want to see it!

[DTSBOY]

Originally Posted by Ste7en

They didn't dare keep it on the property. They had it in the boot of a car in a nearby car park and they handed it over taped up inside a bin liner

Hah! Those were the days.

[hakunamufasa]

Originally Posted by doomgen

yeah, the PEGI 18 is handed out so freely that it is effectively meaningless.

PEGI 16 games often don't have content that's much stronger than the average 12A film, though there's the odd outlier like Sniper Elite with its realistic physics of internal detail that feels as strong as a lot of what they've given 18.

Yeah, Sniper Elite is just a rare example of a game that actually deserves the 16 rating.

The argument about parents ignoring video game ratings vs films due to perception as "kid's toys" is somewhat moot, when there's such a massive variance in standards.

Your average 15 film is (rightly) way more violent than a 16 game, cus the BBFC are sensible and recognise how relatively old and media-experienced a teenager is.

In a realistic system I think even Doom would be ok at 16+ (as in New Zealand) - their board recognised the arcade/cartoon nature of the gore, and how you're ripping apart fantasy demons

as opposed to humans with realistic detail (e.g. Mortal Kombat or Wolfenstein).

[Bes30]

I kept saying The Untold Story would probably scrape through uncut these days. A certain, by no means argumentative know it all *Cough!* Calum Waddell *Cough!* insisted he knew better as he had dealt with the bbfc several times, yada yada, and it had no chance of passing uncut, yada yada. I hate to brag but...
It's never a good idea to second guess what the bbfc will do. Who thought they'd pass House in the Edge of the Park uncut? Certainly not me.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Bes30

I kept saying The Untold Story would probably scrape through uncut these days. A certain, by no means argumentative know it all *Cough!* Calum Waddell *Cough!* insisted he knew better as he had dealt with the bbfc several times, yada yada, and it had no chance of passing uncut, yada yada. I hate to brag but...
It's never a good idea to second guess what the bbfc will do. Who thought they'd pass House in the Edge of the Park uncut? Certainly not me.

I wonder if Waddell's Cat III documentary will be included as an extra like it is on the US release.

[Bes30]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

I wonder if Waddell's Cat III documentary will be included as an extra like it is on the US release.

Hard to say. Are 88films one of the companies he's got bad blood with or is it just Arrow? I forget. I assume he'd want to release it over here as well if it's financially liable for both parties and wasn't made exclusively for Unearthed films.

[Trampled]

Originally Posted by Bes30

Hard to say. Are 88films one of the companies he's got bad blood with or is it just Arrow? I forget. I assume he'd want to release it over here as well if it's financially liable for both parties and wasn't made exclusively for Unearthed films.

It's also probably worth bearing in mind that Bey Logan is featured in the documentary and, well, I would assume the chances of it being on the 88 Films release is slim.

Back on topic I recently watched the animated fantasy adventure The Spine of Night which I quite enjoyed but the BBFC classified it as an '18' back in October of last year which I strongly disagree with, for me this is '15' level animated gore and violence.

The animation style is basic and unrealistic, it's clearly fantasy in its setting and characters, nudity is natural and while the three or four battle scenes can be gory they are not sadistic and do not focus or dwell on pain and suffering.

The heart removal scene the BBFC mention on their site in the Ratings Info happens to a villain who has been possessed and has blue blood so again, very fantastical in nature.

An '18' seems unduly excessive and I would be happy to show this to younger teenagers, in fact I wouldn't have objected to an uncut '12'.

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by Bes30

I kept saying The Untold Story would probably scrape through uncut these days. A certain, by no means argumentative know it all *Cough!* Calum Waddell *Cough!* insisted he knew better as he had dealt with the bbfc several times, yada yada, and it had no chance of passing uncut, yada yada. I hate to brag but...
It's never a good idea to second guess what the bbfc will do. Who thought they'd pass House in the Edge of the Park uncut? Certainly not me.

It's possible that Waddell was correct at the time he made that comment. The BBFC keep on moving their goalposts.

[Bes30]

Or perhaps he wanted everyone to grab the US release since his extra feature had been licenced for that... Cynical... Moi?

Either way I still win the pointless guessing game.

My original point was, it's almost impossible to predict what the bbfc will decide these days. I only felt Untold Story had a chance because they had recently passed films containing sexual violence which I had thought didn't stand a chance and which I didn't particularly want to look at myself. Though one could argue that is better than making such things 'nice' to look at.

So, Red to Kill uncut next then? ;-)

[Bes30]

Originally Posted by Markgway

It's possible that Waddell was correct at the time he made that comment. The BBFC keep on moving their goalposts.

He said that the actress in the contentious scene had clearly been groped/ mauled in an unplanned/unfaked fashion, so it wouldn't be allowed. Not having seen the film in a long time I certainly didn't dispute this. I've never been aware of any safe guarding policy such as this but that doesn't meant it's never been brought up by the bbfc for certain works (including this). I imagine it would open up a can of worms if they maintained a policy along these lines as things like Last Tango... Would then potentially have to be cut for consistency due to the apparently improv'd butter scene.

I suspect many scenes of this ilk would have been done in ways which were not always as 'respectful' as they could have been until relatively recently, sadly.

[Bes30]

The bottom line is, it's never a good idea to say "so and so will NEVER be passed uncut by the bbfc" as you will almost certainly be proven wrong, and often mere months after you've made such a definitive statement.

Sorry, I'm finished for now!

[GaryCouzens]

Originally Posted by Bes30

The bottom line is, it's never a good idea to say "so and so will NEVER be passed uncut by the bbfc" as you will almost certainly be proven wrong, and often mere months after you've made such a definitive statement.

Sorry, I'm finished for now!

Same here. Over the years, I've heard countless times that X is a great film but it won't get passed the BBFC. Then I see it (at the London Film Festival, say) and don't see any reason why the BBFC would cut it, given that it's not going to get less than an 18. And lo and behold, they pass it uncut.

Exceptions of course would be things that fall foul of the Protection of Children Act or the Animals Act.