Reclassifying Films

T

Tiffany Baby

New member
Are older films being resubmitted to the BBFC when they are released on DVD?

The reason I ask this is because the original Terminator, on VHS, was rated 18. I have yet to see an 18 rated version on DVD.

Apocalypse Now is another curious one.
I have the Redux version, which is 194 Minutes, and therefore I assume "Uncut", and is rated 15.
There is also the normal version, running for 153 Minutes and rated 18.

I also had on VHS, 18 rated versions of Terminator 2 and Die Hard 2, neither of which have ever shown up on DVD.

I'm not an anally retentive person who worries about this sort of thing, I'm just curious. I'm just a film buff who likes to see full films, not cut down versions.
 
Some films are resubmitted, others aren't.

iirc, the post 2001 releases of Terminator 2 are the full cinema version - the original 15 rated video had a few shots removed from what was shown as a 15 in the cinema.
 
So how did I have an 18 rated version of T2.
And I don't mean it was the double VHS version with the original film on the same tape.
It was a separate release, the widescreen version.
 
The BBFC of the day was of the opinion that something that scraped a 15 for cinema release should get an 18 on VHS, as it was thought that minors would more likely see it in the home environment, and somehow an 18 rating would protect them more. Pretty flawed logic, when you think about it.

RegarRAB

Mark
 
Back in the day they used to often rate films 18 on video that were 15 in the cinema, so I'd imagine there was an uncut re-release at some time before the 2001 liberalisation.
 
In T2 it was thought the knee capping shots weren't suitable for 15 as they might offend those in Northern Ireland.

It should be pointed out that from 1975-1999 the bbfc and what got what rating was basically decided by one man, the bbfc director James Ferman, and he had some, well, odd, opinions about some things. He once said that- I'm paraphrasing here- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was fine for film students to watch, but what would happen if car workers from Birmingham saw it? And as such it was banned under his reign. As I said, odd.
 
T2 is uncut on DVD/Blu Ray with a 15 certificate. The certificate was downgraded from the 18 rated VHS. Although, i think the makers of the Blu Ray messed up a little as my Steelbook copy of the Skynet Special Edition has a 15 certificate on the case, but an 18 certificate on the actual disc.

The DVD/Blu Ray of Die Hard 2 is definitely rated 18 as that's the version that i've got. It's an 18 because of the scene where Bruce Willis stabs a terrorist in the eyeball with an icicle (i think there's a few other additions in terms of swearing too). Sky Movies tend to show both versions of the film from time to time, with the 15 rated version being shown in the day (pin protected of course) and the 18 rated version being shown after 9pm/10pm.

All the 'Alien' films have recently been downgraded to 15 certificates too, but because the forthcoming 'Alien Anthology' Blu Ray set contains the original theatrical cuts, it's still rated 18 as 20th Century Fox only re-subitted the Directors Cuts/Special Editions.
 
BBFC certificates change over time based on public opinion.
Some X rated horror movies get daytime tv broadcasts and PG certificates these days.

When a film is released on dvd after never having a home video release before it will be classified by todays standarRAB.

Under Ferman there was a lot of stupid censorship with specific things banned outright like chainsticks and almost an auto upgrade to 18 for many 15 cinema films.

After the video nasties debacle it took a very long time for things to get back to sanity and in fact the black hole of UK censorship that was Fermans reign from 75-99 is a stain on UK film history.

Ferman made it clear to distrbutors that there was no point in submitting films like The Exorcist or Texas Chainsaw Massacre etc because they would not get passed.

It was a fortunate thing when he was kicked out and his personal campaign of nonsense came to an end.

Films are often resubmitted when the distributor wants a lower rating so while Raiders of the Lost Ark is unlikely to be resubmitted Temple of Doom might be when the Bluray comes out in order for the UK to get an uncut version after more than 25 years.

Last House On the Left was submitted several times over the last decade and finally got through uncut a year or two ago but the upcoming Bluray of I Spit On your Grave Uncut has had to altered because the film still has plenty of cuts despite many of them being restored compared to the previous UK dvd.

Of course anyone with sense has had the uncut US dvd for 10 years and it should be the same story for any films that get cut in the UK
 
I think my favourite Ferman story was IIRC he told the Daily Mail that Romper Stomper was passed uncut due to an admin error, but they couldn't correct it.
 
Stupid. I remember trying to buy it on VHS in a shop and being questioned (even though I was 19 at the time) on my age. I had a debate with the staff member that it was ridiculous them questioning my age when I was clearly well over 15, and had already *legally* seen the exact same film twice at the cinema.

That's the bonkers part of upgrading ratings for DVD releases. :confused:
 
Ferman was a law unto himself and it's annoying that nobody questioned the stupidity of his logic .

The upgrading of ratings for dvd's is a practice that ended when he left the BBFC.

Somebody somewhere knew what he was doing because as soon as he left all the titles that had been a no go area were quickly submitted , passed and released and guess what?

Society is still standing.

Allowing Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Exorcist out didn't lead us all to be nutters.

The Italian horror movie Zombie Flesh Eaters has a famous and quite gratuitous gore scene where a poor female has her eye forced onto a large wooden splinter .
The whole shot was censored by Ferman.
Now it was perhaps bad taste , it certainly made you go :eek: at the time but there is no justification for cutting it out.

I always wanted someone to ask Ferman what removing these OTT gore scenes was actually intended to achieve.

While not agreeing with the decision to censor I can see a logic behind cuts to I Spit On Your Grave , Death Wish 2 etc but the gory Italian horror movies of the 70's and 80's had no basis in reality so the cuts made to them made no sense
 
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