uteotw

Just a small issue, but I was watching the extended fight scenes on the Transporter DVD and listening to the commentary, and both the main actor and producer (I think that's who it was) each made a comment like: "We had to really trim these scenes down because of flow and of course because of censorship."

Something to this effect was said a couple of times, and it made me think: This is a PG-13 movie. Sure there are general guidelines as to what makes an R and what makes a PG-13, but those guidelines aren't really "censorship," as they referred to it. They could have easily left the extended fight scenes in and went with the R rating, but clearly they wanted a PG-13 for one reason or another, which is just fine too.

Maybe they didn't mean "censorship" in the classic First Amendment sense, but it seems that words gets thrown around a bit too loosely, so when it actually does occur, it's muddled amidst a crowd of phony "censorship" cries.

So, is cutting the scenes to get the rating they wanted really "censorship"? I really don't think so...

P.S. Don't get me wrong--I loved the movie and would have much rather had the extended fight scenes be part of the movie, R rating or not. For example,

PixyJunket

Totally not censorship, they wanted a pussai PG13 rating so badly they should've known what guidelines they have to follow.

Pants

What is it w/ people on this board and censorship? Every time someone says the word we have a 3 page thread filled with Webster's definition and all this blah, blah, blah. Enough already.

Groucho

Filmmakers can't have it both ways. If you want the bigger audience that a PG-13 movie allows, you need to constrain the violence to a PG-13 level.

Alternatively, you could go for the R-rating, but make a decent film so that you can still get an audience.

uteotw

What are you talking about? There are 3 replies, including yours.


Let's cross that bridge IF/when we come to it. In the meantime, perhaps we can actually keep the replies on topic, like they have been thus far (save yours).

Rypro 525

well, the other censorship threads (8 mile music video, who framed roger rabbit, and muholland drive, get 3 and 4 page threads.

PixyJunket

And the funniest part, NONE of the "issues" brought up in those threads should have even warranted 3 replies.

uteotw

Yes, the OTHER threads. Not this one, thus far, so let's not do that same here by crapping about other threads or things not at issue. NO , thank you.

Rypro 525

I honestly think, that since the filmakers wanted a pg13, they should have known what is an isn't appropriate for a pg13, but at least we get to see what the R rated footage looks like.

Peep

I wish more studios had the guts to re-introduce these scenes back into the movie and release an R-Rated cut.

Rammsteinfan

I watched the extended cut scenes last night and I really didnt see a whole lot of different stuff, maybe just slightly longer cuts.

The ONLY thing that bugged me was how can LAI get from the room where she was tied up to a chair, into a car STILL TIED to the chair?! Okay, I know its a movie, I can take the car jumping off the bridge onto a car transport trailer but not her getting in the car tied to a chair...

skokefoe

i agree, i liked the movie, but i'd definitely buy the DVD if it sported a new r-rated cut...i don't see what harm it would do to even sell 2 versions of the DVD, it would probably attract new people to it.

skokefoe.

Pants

I wish audiences had the guts to not be such p****'s and just watch R rated movies and either let their kids watch it or don't let their kids watch it.

Don't parents realize that not letting your kids see an R rated movie, but letting them see a PG-13 movie cut down from an R is the same thing? The studio just cut out the impact hits and the blood, but the violent intent and tone is still there.

lesterlong

True, but parents don't expect kids to 'get' the intent and tone of the movie.

NickAdonidus

I think we all understand... at least I HOPE we all understand, that when they cut footage to make it a PG13 rate, they make this sacrafice to gain a larger audience... aka. MAKE MONEY, which in case any of you have forgotten... is the number one reason studios make movies...
BUT... i will agree with one of you who made a great statement... re-release a R rated version on DVD... that way we, the movie buffs, can see it how the DIRECTOR wanted it, and not how the STUDIO wanted it.

NickAdonidus

Then those parents need to wake up, take there heads out of the sand... and look at the world around them... Time to be a parent, in WHOLE not in PART. This is a huge problem plagueing this coutry. Parents aernt being parents in any fashion more than a name!!! If a parent would take the damn time to TEACH there children the dirrence between wrong and right, we (as a society) would have so many fewer problems. People need to stop leaning on schools to do there parenting for them..... Sorry if I am getting off on a tangent here, but .... DAMN people get me pissed... TAKE RESPONSABILITY FOR YOUR ACCTIONS... or LACK THERE OF!!!

SideShow

I guess it was just a quick word to use, they probably didn't want to get into the whole thing filmmakers have to go through with the MPAA.

Pants

I wanted to add:

In fact by removing the impact hits and gore, the violence tends to take on the illusion of consequence free violence. I think PG-13 violence is more damaging for children to see than R rated violence. Savage violence like Robocop or The Wild Bunch teaches kids that violence is scary, sad, sadistic, cruel, and nothing you want to be a party to. The Transporter or James Bond makes violence look like a good time w/out any of those pesky consequences getting in the way of the fun.

uteotw

That's actually a pretty good point.

Either way, keep out the more graphic stuff (e.g. knife stabs) to get the rating you think can make the studio more $$ is many things, but it really is not "censorship"...

Rypro 525

Just out of curistiy, how in the hell did "balistic excs vs sever" get an R rating? There is no blood, no language, and no real intense violence, just lots of it?

Tarantino

I didn't think E vs. S was rated R.

These 'censorship whining' threads bug me. I shall read no more of them.

Rypro 525

Rated R for strong violence????

MrPeanut

Is it possible they were refering to censorship of another country? This wasn't really an American film, was it?