Your Daily Film!

The word ['nigger'] has been excised from the film I regard as the pinnacle of British cinema, Kind Hearts and Coronets. In a crucial scene, the about-to-be-hanged murderer and his mistress quote the traditional version of the rhyme Eeny, meeny, miny, moe: it is the moment when he realises that she knows he has murdered several members of his family, and might just murder his wife, too, if the mistress can have him reprieved. A TV channel on which I recently rewatched the film eliminated this exchange, rather than show a warning that it includes racially offensive language.

It is patronising to assume most of us don't know that the past is a foreign country; that they did things then that we are enlightened enough not to do now. Otherwise, Bowdler-like, we shall according to the latest obsession falsify whatever parts of our heritage culture warriors take exception to. We can't go through life without being offended; but we can and should present our cultural past honestly and in context, and explain the importance of its integrity.

Murder Obsession is a 1981 Italy France horror by Riccardo Freda.
With Stefano Patrizi, Martine Brochard and Henri Garcin.

Cut by the BBFC for 18 rated VHS in 1987. Uncut and BBFC 18 rated for 2023 Blu-ray. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.

Summary Notes

A scandal from Michael's past emerges when he visits his mother's house with the director and others from a recent film project.

UK: Uncut and BBFC 18 rated for sexual violence, nudity:

• 2023 Raro Video UK R0 Blu-ray at UK Amazon #ad released on 18th December 2023
• 2023 Raro Video UK Amazon VoD [UK] at UK Amazon #ad

Promotional Material

One of the most acclaimed and influential Brazilian films ever made, Black God, White Devil (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol) tells the story of Manoel, a young cowherd who murders a wealthy ranch owner and flees to the drought-ridden hinterlands of northern Brazil with his wife Rosa. Now outlawed, they join a religious cult headed by the mystic self-proclaimed saint Sabastião, who condones acts of violence. The couple are plunged into a moral dilemma between embracing religious fanaticism and a life of brutality amongst rural peasant bandits. Meanwhile, the authorities hire a gunman known as Antonio Das Mortes to track them down.

This audacious and fearless award-winning film, celebrated for its fusion of mysticism and folklore and its examination of aspects of religion, violence, and social injustice, was hugely influential in
shaping the Cinema Novo movement and has inspired many filmmakers. Mawu Films is proud to present this milestone of Brazilian filmmaking in a brand new 4K restoration of the original 35mm materials preserved by the Cinemateca Brasileira.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

New 4K restoration from original 35mm materials preserved by the Cinemateca Brasileira
Audio commentary by restoration supervisor Lino Meireles
Video essay by Manuela Lazic and Alessandro Luchetti
Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil - a documentary on the filmmaker by Silvio Tendler featuring interviews with colleagues and collaborators (2003, 98 mins)
Cinema Novo - an award-winning documentary by filmmaker and son of Glauber Rocha, Eryk Rocha on the Brazilian filmmaking movement, featuring interviews with noted figures including Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade and Rocha himself (2016, 90 mins)
Optional English subtitles
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho and critic Rafa Sales Ross
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with limited edition booklet and reversible sleeve

Extras subject to change

Monica is a 2022 Italy/US trans drama by Andrea Pallaoro
Starring Emily Browning, Patricia Clarkson and Trace Lysette

BBFC cuts were required for a 15 rated cinema release in 2023.

Summary Notes

The intimate portrait of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother. A delicate and nuanced story of a fractured family, the story explores universal themes of abandonment, aging, acceptance, and redemption.

Versions

cut:   run: 113:09s pal: 108:37s

UK: BBFC 15 rated for strong sex, sex references, language for strong sex, sex references, language after BBFC cuts: 2023 606 cinema release (rated 06/11/2023) The BBFC commented: The distributor chose to make a cut to a reference to erotic asphyxiation in order to achieve a 15 rating. An uncut 18 rating was available. Thanks to Scott who noted that the "reference to erotic asphyxiation" was just in fact just someone saying "Choke me" during sex

The Simpsons has retired one of its recurring scenes, saying Homer strangling his son Bart is no longer appropriate because times have changed.

The decision was revealed in the 3rd episode of the long-running show's 35th series, in which Homer indicates he is a changed man

Homer strangling Bart had been a regular feature of the animated comedy sitcom ever since it first aired in 1989. Why you little...., a hapless Homer would often yell if his son had angered him, while squeezing his neck until Bart's eyes could be seen bulging out.

Homer's behaviour was addressed during an earlier episode in series 22, when a therapist attempted to get him to see the error of his ways.