Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

[philipdalton]

The rating given to a film by the BBFC is the official rating that film has been given throughout the UK. However, the local town council can either ban the film or change its rating. Can anyone remember an instance of a film being banned in cinemas in their area, or being rated differently from its official UK rating?

[Richard1978]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

My Dad can remember some of the controversial films in the early 1970s were subject to local bans.

[George 1978]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I believe that it can depend on: A) How much of the film has been edited out; and B) Whether local councils have a more "Mary Whitehouse" approach to censorship.

When I started the Don't Look Now film thread a few weeks ago, I was thinking back to whether it had been an 18 or a 15 - of course, the film was made before the 1982 changes when the X and A certificates were changed to U, PG, 15 and 18. It can also depend on whether a film is seen in the cinema or on TV, or even released on video or DVD - I assume that even if nothing is edited, the format of the film can also change the BBFC certificate, and sometimes mainstream films can even differ between U and PG. I have always assumed that the cinema version was the default of the BBFC categorisation.

[tex]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I believe the Exorcist was banned regionally

[philipdalton]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I have a friend 12/13 years older than me who claimed his local cinema showed an edited version of "Deep Throat" despite the film being forbidden to be shown nationwide in Britain.

[philipdalton]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I think my reason for starting this thread is because I seem to remember, in a documentary on the film 'Grease', someone mentioning not being allowed to see the film, whereas round where I lived it was the film every kid was going to see.

[George 1978]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I am racking my brains trying to think why youngsters would not be allowed to see the film Grease (which I assume was the original 1978 version of it) - I believe there is some mild bad language in the dialogue, and it was released as a PG (post-1982 at least), but even then I would still regard it as a family film which has been shown on BBC 1 in the afternoon or early evening, although one assumes that the duration was a lot shorter than its cinema version, and various scenes removed.

I know from watching the recent theatre production of Grease back in September that the dialogue does have mild bad language in it - as I have said before, I saw a matinee performance at the Leicester Curve and the audience had more sensitive types such as pensioners and school pupils (who were on a school trip to the theatre), and I believe that the dialogue would mirror image the film dialogue quite closely.

I know that Grease is quite a sexy film, especially with the Travolta / Newton-John songs performed, but I would hardly give it a 15 or higher rating uncut - I think that even a 12 would be exaggerating.

[philipdalton]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

"Monty Python's Life of Brian" was a film that fell foul of boycotting by some town councils. They must have felt that a film lampooning Christianity should not be allowed in a Christian country.

[George 1978]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I believe the Exorcist was banned regionally

Did The Shining ever make it to the cinemas? - before my time if it did.

[philipdalton]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

Did The Shining ever make it to the cinemas? - before my time if it did.

If you look on the official BBFC website it will tell you the name of every single film that was submitted to them, and whether they passed it, rejected it or cut it, and which certificate was given to it, and on what date. There are also case studies of many films and other information.

[zabadak]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

Did The Shining ever make it to the cinemas? - before my time if it did.

I saw it in a cinema at the time, yes :-)

[George 1978]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

If you look on the official BBFC website it will tell you the name of every single film that was submitted to them, and whether they passed it, rejected it or cut it, and which certificate was given to it, and on what date. There are also case studies of many films and other information.

Many thanks - it would be interesting which local cinemas would have shown it.

[George 1978]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I saw it in a cinema at the time, yes :-)

Many thanks again.

[philipdalton]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I have been a little surprised to find that the film 'Kes' was actually given a 'U' certificate in 1969 despite containing the phrase 'hands off cocks on socks' and numerous uses of the words 'bloody', '*******', 'sod' and 'bugger'. At the time giving it an A certificate would have meant that no- one under 16 would have been able to see it unaccompanied, and so it was therefore considered unnecessary to classify it anything higher than a U. But the type of language used in it would be unheard of in a U film nowadays.

[Richard1978]

Re: Films given a different rating by the local town council than by the BBFC

I have been a little surprised to find that the film 'Kes' was actually given a 'U' certificate in 1969 despite containing the phrase 'hands off cocks on socks' and numerous uses of the words 'bloody', '*******', 'sod' and 'bugger'. At the time giving it an A certificate would have meant that no- one under 16 would have been able to see it unaccompanied, and so it was therefore considered unnecessary to classify it anything higher than a U. But the type of language used in it would be unheard of in a U film nowadays.

The pre-recorded tape I have of it is rated PG.