Latest Cuts: BBFC and MPA

Paranoia Agent is a 2004 Japan TV animation horror
Starring Shôzô Îzuka,Toshihiko, Seki,Michael, McConnohie

Seemingly unconnected citizens of Tokyo are targeted for bludgeoning by a boy with a golden baseball bat. As detectives try to link the victims, they discover that following the assaults, the victims' lives have improved in some way.

The previous DVD release of Paranoia Agent was notably censored by the BBFC when in 2006 they demanded cuts to an adults only rated episode featuring a hanging scene depicting an unsuccessful attempt by a young girl to hang herself.

Now the distributor MVD has just tweeted that an April 19th 2021 Blu-ray will be uncut:

We're happy to announce our upcoming Collector's Edition Blu-Ray release of Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent will be fully uncut!

Previous BBFC cuts from 2006

See article from animenewsnetwork.com

The BBFC requested the compulsory cut to the eighth part of Paranoia Agent, called Happy Family Planning. This a mostly self-contained story, a macabre black comedy. The story involves three people who meet online, intending to kill themselves together. Two of the trio are adult men, but they're shocked to realise the third person is a preteen girl, who seems to regard suicide as a game.

In one scene, the three characters try to hang themselves in the mountain. In the unedited episode, the girl is shown bouncing happily up and down with the rope around her neck, chanting Swing! Swing! (finally, she breaks the tree branch, sending them all tumbling). However, this scene, lasting 80 seconds, was cut entirely from the UK DVD of the episode, following the ruling by the BBFC.

Responding to inquiries about the cut in the past, the BBFC has made its reasoning clear. Although the relevant DVD was rated 18, the BBFC still judged that the scene of a child enjoying being hanged was irresponsible and harmful, and that underage children could be influenced by the scene.

The Gestapo's Last Orgy is a 1977 Italian prison film by Cesare Canevari.
With Adriano Micantoni, Daniela Poggi and Maristella Greco.

In the tradition of THE NIGHT PORTER, SALON KITTY and SALO only far more depraved comes perhaps the most notorious Nazisploitation epic of them all: Daniela Levy  stars as a beautiful young death camp prisoner forced into a nightmare of brutality, torment and sexual degradation. But will a Commandant's vilest urge trigger her ultimate vengeance? Marc Loud co-stars in this fetid slice of filth-strudel

The BBFC has just banned a Blu-ray re-release of the notable Video Nasty The Gestapo's Last Orgy. The video was banned as a video nasty in 1984 and has never been released in the UK since. The video is available uncut in the US though.

The BBFC seems to be embracing more politically correct language in its rating explanations and consumer advice lately, so it is getting hard to distinguish the reasoned explanation form exaggeration and propaganda. Anyway the BBFC explained the ban as follows:

THE GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY is an Italian exploitation film, from 1977, in which a Jewish woman revisits the site of a concentration camp in which she was formerly imprisoned and subjected to torture, terrorisation, humiliation and sexual violence.

BBFC Guidelines state that: As a last resort, the BBFC may refuse to classify a work --.where a central concept of the work is unacceptable, such as a sustained focus on rape, other non-consensual sexually violent behaviour or sadistic violence.

THE GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY is largely composed of scenes of strong sadistic violence, humiliation, degradation and non-consensual sexual activity, including rape, all of which occurs within a clearly anti-Semitic context. Its central concept is therefore unacceptable, and the sadistic and sexually abusive material it contains is too pervasive to be effectively addressed by cuts.

Accordingly, the BBFC has refused classification to this work.

Offsite Comment: Still Too Outrageous For Britain's Censors

27th January 2021. See article from reprobatepress.com

The very idea that a work of fiction -- a very clear work of fiction -- can somehow deprave and corrupt an otherwise normal person (and make no mistake, the idea of corruption is one of unbalancing the normal individual, not tipping an already morally disturbed individual over the edge) is one that belongs in a past that we have long left behind. There's no scientific evidence to back it up, and the whole idea belongs more to the enforcement of morality -- the prevention of bad ideas entering the public sphere -- than stopping actual harm to anyone.

Read the full  article from reprobatepress.com

A Serbian Film is a 2010 Serbia adult horror by Srdjan Spasojevic.
With Srdjan Todorovic and Sergej Trifunovic.

The BBFC cut 4:12s from the UK release. Uncut in the US but there is also a US version with a minute missing. An MPAA Unrated Director's Cut was released in the US in 2021. Banned in Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Norway. The film was also banned from a festival screening in Spain,

And for comparison, Denmark and Sweden classified the movie as a 15; in France the uncut version was awarded an 18 certificate. The film was temporarily banned in Brazil but was later passed 18 uncut.

See also full entry for Video Hits: A Serbian Film

US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• 2021 Unearthed Records (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 19th January 2021
• 2021 Unearthed Records R1 DVD at US Amazon #ad released on 19th January 2021

Promotional Material

NOT ALL FILMS HAVE A HAPPY ENDING

Milos, a retired adult film actor, leads a normal family life with his wife Maria and six-year old son Petar in tumultuous Serbia, trying to make ends meet. A sudden call from his former colleague Layla will change everything. Aware of his financial problems, Layla introduces Milos to Vukmir - a mysterious, menacing and politically powerful figure in the adult film business. A leading role in Vukmir's production will provide financial support to Milos and his family for the rest of their lives. A contract insists on his absolute unawareness of a script they will shoot. From then on, Milos is drawn into a maelstrom of unbelievable cruelty and mayhem devised by his employer, the 'director' of his destiny. Vukmir and his cohorts will stop at nothing to complete his vision. In order to escape the living cinematic hell he's put into, and save his family's life, Milos will have to sacrifice everything - his pride, his morality, his sanity, and maybe even his own life.

SPECIAL FEATURES

In Serbian/Croatian (Serbocroation) with English subtitles

Commentary with Srdjan Spasojevic and Stephen Biro

Commentary with Joe Lynch and Adam Green of the Movie Crypt

Behind the Scenes of A Serbian Exhibition

Q&A With Srdjan Spasojevic and Jelena Gavrilovi

Q&A from Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival

Trailers