←back to thread

The Big [Censored] Theory

(pudding.cool)
1444 points feross | 3 comments | 29 Aug 22 17:34 UTC | HN request time: 0.427s | source
Show context
joe_the_user ◴[29 Aug 22 19:56 UTC] No.32642764[source]▶
It's worth noting that American censorship in, say, 1960, was at close to the same level.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_censorship_in_the_United_...

replies(6): >>32642876 #>>32642898 #>>32643473 #>>32643557 #>>32643846 #>>32644219 #
1. curun1r ◴[29 Aug 22 20:58 UTC] No.32643473[source]▶
1960s? Try the 1990s. The Blockbuster version of Bad Lieutenant had almost 30 min removed. Blockbuster was silently editing many of their VHS rentals before DVD took over.

Yes, not government censorship, but it’s almost worse when a private, unaccountable, entity is imposing its own moral values, especially when they reach the size that Blockbuster did during its heyday.

replies(2): >>32643577 #>>32643764 #
2. jibe ◴[29 Aug 22 21:08 UTC] No.32643577[source]▶
Blockbuster was silently editing many of their VHS rentals before DVD took over.

That's not exactly right. Blockbuster simply had a policy not to carry X-rated films that became a no NC-17 rated films when the rating changed.

The video distributor of Bad Lieutenant created an R rated version of the film. The end result is still a wrecked/censored version of the movie, but it wasn't Blockbuster doing the silent editing. It is the choice of the film maker/studio/distributor to get the extra money from Blockbuster.

3. stickfigure ◴[29 Aug 22 21:24 UTC] No.32643764[source]▶
Blockbuster was given a death sentence by the market. Seems like justice done?