Conference bookie::movies

Yes, this annoys me too. 

For example _Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves_ was savagely cut for the British 
video market.

Very annoying.

  I hate censorship of any kind. In fact I'm more libertarian than most about
this because I see no reason why minors should be prevented from seeing R or
NC-whatever films. 

  I have never seen an objective study that has shown any negative effects
resulting from minors or anyone else seeing any type of movie. I saw a study
once that showed that kids who see a violent movie will act at the violent end
of their normal range of behavior for about 20 minutes, but I've never seen a
study that showed that kids would act more violent then they normal behave
after seeing a violent film.

  Do away with all rating systems and do away with all censorship. Let anyone
of any age go and see any type of film they want when and where they want.

  Let's take a chance on freedom,
  George

>    I know the publicity people have some part to play,eg"Body of
>    evidence" being advertised as "the uncut version".

This (and Damage and Basic Instinct too) is as a result of the NC-17 rating 
now in force in the US: the only rating which *restricts* attendance and which 
production companies do not want to be awarded. So the companies go overboard 
with the sex scenes, are awarded an NC-17, trim it back for an R then give the 
UK audience the original version, as all adult UK ratings restrict attendance so
they have nothing to lose (unless they fancy cutting it down to a PG).

+mark+

	Just heard this one.  In response to protests from Arab
	countries, Disney is changing the lyrics to one of the
	songs in Alladin.  The original lyrics contained a
	passage something like:

		".... from a land where they will cut off your
		ear if they don't like your face ...."

    On Entertainment Tonight last night there was a a story that 
    Arab community is not satisfied with the only that change
    and would like to hold up release of the video until all
    negative implications in the film have been removed.
    
    Linda 

    I find this unreal...Disney should have never agreed to change a thing
    now every group of offended people will start bitching to movie studios
    to change the littlest thing....real dumb on the part of Disney, I'd
    say.

    
    Too bad about the twenty-siz zillion copies of the soundtrack, complete
    with lyric sheets, that have already sold, eh?
    
    DFW

  Think marketing. Disney couldn't give a rip what's out there. A certain group
with a lot of money in their pocket has said we won't buy the video or allow
it in their country unless a change is made. Disney has obviously compared the
cost of the change against the expected increase in revenue and they have
decided to generate non offensive versions for the group in question. 

  If other groups come along, those with money will get their change, those
without money won't.

  George

> A certain group
> with a lot of money in their pocket has said we won't buy the video or allow
> it in their country unless a change is made.

	For some reason I have a hard time picturing the Arab countries
	as being a big video market ......

	And even if it was, why couldn't they release a special edition
	for that market with the changes.  Doesn't that happen already
	with violent films marketed in the UK?

    well the Arab groups are still not to pleased, stating that Disney did
    not do enough to right the wrong....so whats next....Snow White might
    offended the Short people of america or maybe the Apple growers will be
    pissed off that an apple was used to put snow white to sleep ?

    (Hit) movies are regularly edited for airline viewing.  I recently saw
    "Scent of a Woman" and observed the language was heavily changed, e.g.,
    Pacino says "Baird man, My Aunt" instead of "Baird man, My Ass".
    And they edited OUT the scene where the big yellow balloon displays
    a CARTOON of the schoolmaster kissing the ass of the "school board".
    
    This had nothing to do with the length of the movie, a reasonable
    excuse for cutting some scenes.
    
      John

  The Disney decision has to either be a decision based on legal advice or a
marketing decision. There are laws having to do with discrimination based on
race, religion, and national origin. It's possible that their legal department
decided that it wasn't worth the risk. If not, then they must have decided that
either the group itself would buy the film or the negative publicity would
have a negative impact on sales.

  In any case, regardless of what anyone feels personally, there are groups for
whom civil rights are taken very seriously, groups for which they are not taken
seriously, and some in the gray area. National origin is one of the ones that
is taken very seriously. 

  George 

    The broadcasting people here in the UK have cornered the market in
    double standards and this is what really ******** me off.
    
    Discounting satellite stations, we have 4 TV channels in the UK, two
    commercial and two non.
    
    The main magazine which displays the programmes for the week explains
    if films have been tampered with. They may say "edited for bad
    language" or "Some violent scenes have been edited" etc. etc.
    
    What gets to me is that one film may be shown in full - e.g. The Cook,
    The Thief, His wife and her lover, or Ghosts of the Civil Dead, another
    film may have all the F words deleted, another may be chopped to hell.
    
    What gives these people the right to interfere with someone else's work
    of art (because that is what a film is, whether it is good or bad) and
    against what criteria do they decide that one film should be shown in a
    full uncut version and yet another should be cut.
    
    It is a long running debate over here, with no apparent resolution. 
    
    andy

    Did Disney cave in to the "Arab community"? Why bother? If someone
    doesn't like a film, then they have the choice of avoiding it. By the
    way, WHAT Arab community? Can't be the Mideast area as they are just
    too busy killing each other off. Guess there won't be much demand for
    Salaman Rushdie's life story either. Hope they can get Mickey Rourke
    for the part. He's great.