Posted by Adam H. Kerman on 03/22/07 09:32

At 11:59pm -0400, 03/21/07, Jay G. <Jay@tmbg.org> wrote:
>On Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:22:08 -0700, Larry G wrote:

>>I recall an article about the film's release in China that censors had
>>approved a completely uncut version of the film there

>It was approved for theatrical screening, but it wasn't unchanged. Dame
>Judy Dench had to change one of her lines:

>http://commanderbond.net/article/4067

>So if you thought the UK/US cuts for violence were silly....

The Chinese people have been kept in the dark about the Cold War? Didn't the
censors understand that was a dig at the Russians?

>>which most ironicly wasn't the case with the version released in the U.S.

>The irony is that unlike the changes made in the UK and China, the US cuts
>were completely voluntary and made in order for the film to earn a PG-13
>instead of an R.

While the US has no Board of Film Censors, cuts negotiated with MPAA CARA to
get a more favorable rating are in no way voluntary. Movie censorship exists
in the US because the movie studios are scared to death that it would be
imposed upon them by Congress. There have been movies shut down in some
places in the United States for alleged obscenity and pornography and, at
times, because local authorities were trying to appease the Church.

Think it can't happen? Congress does censor television and radio, been
cracking down on obscenities uttered on radio for years. The fines have
gotten punitively high since the attack of the giant breast.

Very few movie theaters are willing to show unrated movies in the United
States. All theaters that belong to NATO (and some that don't) enforce
CARA's recommended audience restrictions. R rated movies tend not to be
blockbusters.

Despite decades of movie censorship, Hollywood has failed to avoid scandals
like the original Fatty Arbuckle scandal that was the original excuse.

>In Hong Kong, where the uncut R3 DVD hails from, the film
>earned the equivilent of an PG-13 rating.

Interesting.

>> No sure about Europe.

>The UK had a mandatory cut made. Other European countries are typically
>more lax, but it's possible another country's censors wanted this or that
>bit taken out to meet their standards.

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