We’ve established that our dear friend Deejay loathes subtitles. It’s a major “thing” with him, running so deeply that it even negatively impacted his enjoyment of the stellar Inglourious Basterds.
With that in mind, I’m going to keep my eye out for subtitles that even Deejay can enjoy. For example, here are a couple from the recent Japanese film, Grotesque. I have not altered these subtitles in any way.
Speaking of Grotesque, I just watched it and you can read my review here. I wanted to take a look at the film after Explodey Jo mentioned that it had been (effectively) banned in Britain. No surer way to evoke interest in a film than to ban it. I found this link that contains some information on the banning.
The British Board of Film Classification said giving the film a rating would involve a “risk of harm” to those viewing it.
The BBFC rejects films only rarely, preferring to give advice on cuts to achieve the preferred certificate.
BBFC director David Cooke said: “Unlike other recent torture-themed horror works, such as the Saw and Hostel series, Grotesque features minimal narrative or character development and presents the audience with little more than an unrelenting and escalating scenario of humiliation, brutality and sadism.
“The chief pleasure on offer seems to be in the spectacle of sadism (including sexual sadism) for its own sake.
“Rejecting a work outright is a serious matter and the board considered whether the issue could be dealt with through cuts.
“However, given the unacceptable content featured throughout, cutting the work is not a viable option in this case and the work is therefore refused a classification.”
Honestly, I think the BBFC is working against themselves by giving an invaluable promotional boost to a movie that, as I describe in my review, really isn’t that remarkable.
Filed under: Foreign, Movies, Reviews | 3 Comments »
