BBFC decisions you agree/disagree with...

[koopabeach]

Originally Posted by grim_tales

You don't see anything, but the suggestion is there (bare back), I don't know if that was actually her or a body double? A year later (1997), there was an adaptation of Lolita in which Dominique Swain was only 14/15 at the time. A body double was used for sex scenes so they got away with it.

The extra scenes on the Lolita DVD called The Comic Book and The Lake Point Cottages were banned by the BBFC. I read those extra scenes went a bit further and showed nudity although I haven't seen them.

[Magyalmar]

Originally Posted by koopabeach

But then when does it cross the line to child por*? Nudity in and of itself is fine but this scene might cross the line. Sure, it isn't really a sexualised scene.
I'm not necessarily calling for censorship, i'm just surprised it wasn't censored given what the BBFC does remove.

As you say it's not sexualised, you barely see anything and it's not depicted in a positive way at all, Lancaster's character looks grotesque. It's supposed to be shocking/provocative (Bertolucci being Bertolucci) but I don't see why it should be cut.

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by koopabeach

The extra scenes on the Lolita DVD called The Comic Book and The Lake Point Cottages were banned by the BBFC. I read those extra scenes went a bit further and showed nudity although I haven't seen them.

They also never released them anywhere else in the world either. They're not on the German or Imprint Blu-rays for example.

[GaryCouzens]

Originally Posted by drush9999

They also never released them anywhere else in the world either. They're not on the German or Imprint Blu-rays for example.

Part of the justification of banning these scenes by the BBFC was that they had been submitted in isolation, i.e. out of context from the film they had been deleted from. I wonder if the film and all the extras had been submitted at once, therefore giving a context to these two deleted scenes, they might have been passed. Similar thing with a couple of deleted sex scenes from 9 Songs, submitted on their own, landed with R18 ratings so not released.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if submitting films and contextual material together made a difference with the BFI's release of The Erotic Films of Peter de Rome, which got a 18 and not R18. The difference between the two, I understand, is that R18s are "sex works" (intended for arousal) and most of de Rome's films are nothing if not (gay male) sex works in that sense. Yet package them together with an interview and a documentary and it goes through uncut with a 18.

[koopabeach]

Originally Posted by Magyalmar

As you say it's not sexualised, you barely see anything and it's not depicted in a positive way at all, Lancaster's character looks grotesque. It's supposed to be shocking/provocative (Bertolucci being Bertolucci) but I don't see why it should be cut.

Even though you say you 'barely see anything' as I recall there are erections and actual touching of the genitals and full nudity which takes it far beyond anything I've seen in a film.

[Magyalmar]

Originally Posted by koopabeach

Even though you say you 'barely see anything' as I recall there are erections and actual touching of the genitals and full nudity which takes it far beyond anything I've seen in a film.

Then maybe we're not talking about the same thing, I thought you were talking about the scene in the stable. I'd have to rewatch the movie.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Magyalmar

Then maybe we're not talking about the same thing, I thought you were talking about the scene in the stable. I'd have to rewatch the movie.

There's a scene where two boys talk about their visible genitalia.

[koopabeach]

Did the BBFC cut Wakanda Forever? IMDB says it was cut by the BBFC too. Was it just a trailer that was censored?
The MPAA mentions 'sequences of strong violence' so it seems that a 12A cert might be low.

Oh, it seems I missed this again - the cut was to a trailer:

'This work had a compulsory cut made. A cut was required to remove a misleading non-BBFC rating symbol. Cut made in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy.'

It is really annoying you have to trawl through each of the trailers to find an answer! I miss the old system.

[doomgen]

the Cate Blanchett film TÁR (which was released in the US months ago but only arrives here January next year) just got a 15 for “sexually abusive behaviour” and having seen it I can say that’s absolute bullshit. while watching I assumed the only thing that might have pushed the 12A is language (six spoken F-words, two of which have a degree of aggression, and three very briefly glimpsed written ones).
the sexually abusive behaviour is not depicted on screen in any sense, and while past sexual misconduct comes to be a plot point it’s spoken of in a very discreet sense with no graphic detail whatsoever, effectively comparable to a pre-watershed news report. will definitely mislead people about the content of the film, much like Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ similarly draconian rating of 15.

[doomgen]

the auto-18 for solvent misuse (recent examples Stray, The Forgiven, The Silent Twins) is already bizarre, but it makes me wonder what will happen if Spike Lee's 1994 film Crooklyn ever gets resubmitted to the BBFC. it's currently rated 12 and the only film of his to have that rating, which is agreeable as it's a fairly lighthearted film with child protagonists and very little strong language, but there are minor characters who are clearly depicted sniffing glue on several occasions and one of the protagonists has a nightmare where they make her sniff it too. if it was seen again would they go straight to 18, or consider the negative framing of the characters in question and the implicit disapproval of solvent abuse and give it a 15?

Crooklyn - "Glue Heads" - Spike Lee x José Zuniga - YouTube

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by grim_tales

If Romeo + Juliet (1996) were reclassified today, would it get a higher rating? Watched it for the first time a few days back - Claire Danes was 17 at the time (I think) - so over the UK age of consent, where would the BBFC stand on this?

Surely Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet is the one that would get a higher rating (rated PG in 1987) The director needed to get special permission to show Olivia Hussey, who was only fifteen, topless in one scene.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by doomgen

the auto-18 for solvent misuse

[Show spoiler](recent examples Stray, The Forgiven, The Silent Twins) is already bizarre, but it makes me wonder what will happen if Spike Lee's 1994 film Crooklyn ever gets resubmitted to the BBFC. it's currently rated 12 and the only film of his to have that rating, which is agreeable as it's a fairly lighthearted film with child protagonists and very little strong language, but there are minor characters who are clearly depicted sniffing glue on several occasions and one of the protagonists has a nightmare where they make her sniff it too. if it was seen again would they go straight to 18, or consider the negative framing of the characters in question and the implicit disapproval of solvent abuse and give it a 15?

Crooklyn - "Glue Heads" - Spike Lee x José Zuniga - YouTube

Talking of knee-jerk 18s, the most recent episode of Rick and Morty, which is Season 6, Episode 8,

[Show spoiler]"Analyze Piss"

, contains the

[Show spoiler]suicide of a humanoid alien character (Eugene Michael Piss AKA Pissmaster) who is comically bullied by Jerry and ends up committing suicide. The act isn't shown, but his vertical slash wounds are as Rick tries to heal and resuscitate him after finding him in his bathtub. A suicide note is also shown and read from.

The content itself isn't that bad, but since the act forms the crux of the episode, I wonder if the BBFC will slap it with an 18 on principle.

[grim_tales]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

Surely Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet is the one rthat would get a higher rating (rated PG in 1987) The director needed to get special permission to show Olivia Hussey, who was only fifteen, topless in one scene.

I haven't seen it, so can't really comment I'm afraid, was that scene cut by the BBFC? Surprised the filmmakers got away with it

[doomgen]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Talking of knee-jerk 18s, the most recent episode of Rick and Morty, which is Season 6, Episode 8,

[Show spoiler]"Analyze Piss"

, contains the

[Show spoiler]suicide of a humanoid alien character (Eugene Michael Piss AKA Pissmaster) who is comically bullied by Jerry and ends up committing suicide. The act isn't shown, but his vertical slash wounds are as Rick tries to heal and resuscitate him after finding him in his bathtub. A suicide note is also shown and read from.

The content itself isn't that bad, but since the act forms the crux of the episode, I wonder if the BBFC will slap it with an 18 on principle.

I haven’t seen Rick and Morty since season 2, but back when it debuted I wondered if the last episode of season 1 would get an 18 due to the visual implication a character is performing autoerotic asphyxiation (the only BoJack Horseman episode rated 18 is for a subplot involving jokes about the same). having just watched the scene, I think it’s fine at 15 because the blood is green/purple, the act isn’t seen, and the wounds are only seen for a split second because Rick heals them, but it could definitely be borderline for the BBFC.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by grim_tales

I haven't seen it, so can't really comment I'm afraid, was that scene cut by the BBFC? Surprised the filmmakers got away with it

It was originally rated "A" (equivalent of 12A & without cuts I think) for adult content with Adult accompaniment required for children under 12. The BBFC ratings/certificates changed for the 4th time in 1970.

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

Surely Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet is the one rthat would get a higher rating (rated PG in 1987) The director needed to get special permission to show Olivia Hussey, who was only fifteen, topless in one scene.

New consumer advice.

Rated PG for illegal titties.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Talking of knee-jerk 18s, the most recent episode of Rick and Morty, which is Season 6, Episode 8,

[Show spoiler]"Analyze Piss"

, contains the

[Show spoiler]suicide of a humanoid alien character (Eugene Michael Piss AKA Pissmaster) who is comically bullied by Jerry and ends up committing suicide. The act isn't shown, but his vertical slash wounds are as Rick tries to heal and resuscitate him after finding him in his bathtub. A suicide note is also shown and read from.

The content itself isn't that bad, but since the act forms the crux of the episode, I wonder if the BBFC will slap it with an 18 on principle.

The 'C' word and the urine used in a sexual way tall probably won't do it any favours.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by chip75

The 'C' word and the urine used in a sexual way tall probably won't do it any favours.

The use of "cünt" was bleeped in the airing I saw. Usually, that is by design (I believe the episode picks and chooses which uses of "shit" to bleep, for example), but Cartoon Network probably wouldn't have allowed it to go out uncensored, even in the Adult Swim block at 11:00 pm.

You are right about the sexual references, too. The BBFC is weirdly prudish about that kind of stuff.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

The use of "cünt" was bleeped in the airing I saw. Usually, that is by design (I believe the episode picks and chooses which uses of "shit" to bleep, for example), but Cartoon Network probably wouldn't have allowed it to go out uncensored, even in the Adult Swim block at 11:00 pm.

You are right about the sexual references, too. The BBFC is weirdly prudish about that kind of stuff.

It was uncensored on Channel 4's catch-up service. The bit of nudity was censored, but I think that's always pixelated? American Dad! and Family Guy sometimes feature male nudity.

As to the latter stuff, I think that's often cut, even with R18 content.

[Jackie Scanlon]

Originally Posted by grim_tales

I haven't seen it, so can't really comment I'm afraid, was that scene cut by the BBFC? Surprised the filmmakers got away with it

Uncut on both the UK VHS (we had to sit through it for GCSE English lit, when I would've much preferred something like Ran or Strange Brew) and (according to DVDcompare) DVD. It was also present last time it was on terrestrial TV (probably Talking Pictures), but that was a fair few years ago.

I presume because it's "art" (and, more importantly, Shakespeare) it gets a pass, much like Malle's Pretty Baby.