Weird Censorship

DazMarz

One thing I've noticed about some films (only two I can think of off the top of my head are The Matrix and Goldeneye) is that the BBFC edit out headbutts. Seeing as cuts made to DVD versions of films by the BBFC are almost invariably cut on DVD's that are released in the Irish market as well, we don't get the full version here.

I'm just wondering this (I think of weird things at 3:50am)... what is so wrong with headbutts??? In the two films I've mentioned above, there is plenty of other violence (hand-to-hand combat, people getting shot, blood, shít blowing up, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum) which escapes the censor's snipping, but headbutts are edited out. A headbutt is a no-no, but someone getting shot at point blank range with blood flying everywhere (for example) is fine.

I was just wondering if anyone could shed any light on this, as I just find it a bit funny that so much other violence/sex/profanity/etc. is ok, but headbutts would be edited out...

The BBFC don't make it policy to cut scenes involving headbutts but thw in-conclusion of one in a film aimed at children will mean that the film may not receive the U or PG rating that the distributor wants. One of the most famous examples is the scene where Obi Wan headbutts Django in Attack of the Clones. The BBFC offered the distributor a 12 cert with no cuts but the distributor wanted a PG so they removed the headbutt and resubmitted the film.

The reason that the BBFC are so concerned with headbutting is that part of their policy on rating is to ensure that there is no particularly violent behavior portrayed on screen that child may copy. It's one thing to have kids running around the school year making laser sounds and gun hands, another to have them head butting themselves.

The BBFC do have a habit of removing content they find questionable from home releases or else raising the rating. City By the Sea was passed uncut by them with a 15 cert in cinemas but when rating the home release they raised the rating to an 18s. If I recall correctly it was down to the manner in which drug taking was depicted in the film. The BBFC feared that people sitting at home could rewind the film and copy what was occurring on screen.

mike65

Down the years the BBFC have had interesting views on certain matters and cut or shortened them - the use of Nunchucks was famous in the 70s - James Ferman just didn't like their depicted use so every scene in a chop-socky flick was cut. Even Mutant Ninja Turtles fell foul. Blood on breasts was another - a rape trigger in the minds of the censor of the day.

Sad Professor

The BBFC have mellowed out a lot since Ferman left. Many films that were cut on VHS/DVD have since been passed uncut on Blu-ray. Some of those cuts infuriated me and were the reason I bought so many R1 DVDs from the US. It was incredibly frustrating since most of the time the Irish censor passed the films uncut but we'd still get stuck with the butchered UK version on video.

DazMarz

Sad Professor wrote: »

It was incredibly frustrating since most of the time the Irish censor passed the films uncut but we'd still get stuck with the butchered UK version on video.

This...

I remember reading somewhere that the distributers would not bother releasing a different version for just the Irish market, as it was not worth it, so whatever cuts were made by UK Censors on the videos/DVDs would be on the ones released here. Annoyed me a lot.

Also, with headbutts, there is the annoying manner of the cut sometimes. For example, the antagonist is throttling the life out of the protagonist. The protagonist reacts in the only way he can, headbutt. This stuns the antagonist and the protagonist now gains the upper hand. With the headbutt cut out, it just looks as if the antagonist decided to stop killing his enemy for no reason and stupidly allows the hero to gain the upper hand, again for no reason. But if you see the uncut version of the film you realise what happened and then curse censors for being so bloody stupid.

Gee Bag

Deleted User wrote: »

The reason that the BBFC are so concerned with headbutting is that part of their policy on rating is to ensure that there is no particularly violent behavior portrayed on screen that child may copy.

This is outrageous! Learning how to headbutt is a vital part of a young man's education.

There was a similar kind of ban on British TV years ago on showing teenage mutant turtles fighting with nunchuks. It just made nunchuks all the more intriguing. They became the must have accessory for every 10 year old.

Gee Bag

Gee Bag wrote: »

There was a similar kind of ban on British TV years ago on showing teenage mutant turtles fighting with nunchuks. It just made nunchuks all the more intriguing. They became the must have accessory for every 10 year old.

It wasn't a ban on the depiciton of them on TV but rather an all out ban by the old censor at the BBFC. They were removed from Enter the Dragon, Enter the Ninja (which also had scenes of shurikens, darts, spikes etc cut), Exterminator 2 and numerous others.

Gee Bag

I have a big scar on the top of my head from walloping myself with a pair of homemade nunchuks when I was 9 or 10. Maybe if I had seen how they were meant to be used this would never have happened.

Thanks for posting that, I've always wanted to now the reason they weren't shown.

homerun_homer

The bbfc made no headbutt cuts to Lord of the Rings and justified cutting Star Wars and not it by saying something like 'kids play Star Wars in the playground, not Lord of the Rings'.

Turtyturd

Gee Bag wrote: »

I have a big scar on the top of my head from walloping myself with a pair of homemade nunchuks when I was 9 or 10. Maybe if I had seen how they were meant to be used this would never have happened.

Thanks for posting that, I've always wanted to now the reason they weren't shown.

I had more fun swinging from the balcony where I lived on my grappling hook and rope ala Michelangelo, than I ever would have had with nunchuks....good call on the censors part.

Sad Professor

The funny thing is that all those BBFC cuts that rendered action scenes incoherent would look fairly normal given the way films are edited now days.

Anyway, Richard Donner apparently once told Ferman that the removal of the Lethal Weapon 2 scene in which Riggs (brutally) kills Patsy Kensit's killers (using a chain and car door respectively) improved the film as gave Riggs time to grieve. I actually think he was right. Anytime I see LW2 now I find that scene overly gratuitous. I mean, he goes on to take revenge on the whole lot of them anyway. After pulling himself out of the water with a dislocated shoulder he should have been more concerned with his dead girlfriend than with running after the goons who killed her. It felt like more of a low point which made his subsequent revenge on the gang more satisfying.

Cork24

Maybe zidane was looking for copy rights

Sad Professor

Sad Professor wrote: »

The funny thing is that all those BBFC cuts that rendered action scenes incoherent would look fairly normal given the way films are edited now days.

Distributors though need to hire a professional editor when complying with BBFC instructions of what to cut in order to get the rating they want. Immortals is an absolute mess thanks to the sloppy manner in which offending footage was removed. I mentioned it on here before but there is one scene where a character dies and the viewer has no idea how it happened. The other cuts are jarring and instantly take you out of the action.