The BBFC have just banned 'The Bunny Game'

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12 Oct 2011, 8:45 pm

This had always been pegged as a new film that when submitted would certainly challenge and upset the BBFC and it seems that has come to pass as they rejected it outright yesterday, making this their second rejection of the year.

From their website (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/newsreleases/2011/10/the-british-board-of-film-classification-bbfc-has-rejected-the-dvd-the-bunny-game/):

Quote:

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has rejected the sexually violent DVD The Bunny Game. The film follows a female prostitute who hitches a lift with a truck driver. The truck driver kidnaps the woman, restrains and forcibly strips her, and proceeds to physically and sexually abuse and humiliate her. The abuse of the kidnapped woman takes up the greater part of the film.

The Board’s Guidelines state “A strict policy on sexual violence and rape is applied. Content which might eroticise or endorse sexual violence may require cuts at any classification level. This is more likely with video works than film because of the potential for replaying scenes out of context. Any association of sex with non-consensual restraint, pain or humiliation may be cut”. The principal focus of The Bunny Game is the unremitting sexual and physical abuse of a helpless woman, as well as the sadistic and sexual pleasure the man derives from this. The emphasis on the woman’s nudity tends to eroticise what is shown, while aspects of the work such as the lack of explanation of the events depicted, and the stylistic treatment, may encourage some viewers to enjoy and share in the man’s callousness and the pleasure he takes in the woman’s pain and humiliation.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said: “It is the Board’s carefully considered view that to issue a certificate to this work, even if confined to adults, would be inconsistent with the Board’s Guidelines, would risk potential harm within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and would accordingly be unacceptable to the public.”

The Board considered whether its concerns could be dealt with through cuts. However, the pervasiveness of the abuse makes it very difficult to deal with The Bunny Game by means of cuts. If the company would like to attempt to cut this work in order to submit it in a reduced form, they are entitled to do so, but the Board can offer no assurances that such re-editing would be successful.

This isn't much of a surprise as the BBFC take a very dim view of films like this. I don't like censorship - a civilised country would pass stuff like this '18' without cuts - but I can see why the BBFC would not pass things like this.

auntblabby
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12 Oct 2011, 9:42 pm

i have no idea if a flick such as that would run into trouble here in america.

Tequila
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12 Oct 2011, 10:00 pm

Not if it was released unrated, no. I suspect a film like that would probably need to have something like forty minutes cut for an 'R' rating. As the BBFC have said, they will consider a second go if the distributors can prepare a suitable version but the cuts will be extremely extensive and complex (20+ minutes) so they may well decide not to bother. Having said that, Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) was recently passed '18' after two-and-a-half minutes of cuts. It all depends on how extensive the objectionable material is.

Scrapbook (which in its uncut guise features an almost-hardcore rape scene) was cut by some sixteen and a half minutes for an '18' here in 2003 which must rank as the most heavily cut non-porn film of the last decade or more.

Murder Set Pieces - which I gather is a not-dissimilar kind of film - was cut by 22 minutes for an 'R' rating in the US and the uncut version was banned altogether here.

The BBFC really don't like plotless torture/murder horror films like these and they're not any less lenient with non-English interpretations either - the Japanese torture movie Grotesque was refused a classification in 2009.

Banning films like these is a bit pointless in this day and age as people can so easily see them and their ban acts as an advertisement for those types of people. That said, importing titles like this may be unwise for Customs may seize your DVD/BD and if you have a history of seizures may be due a raid.

Last edited by Tequila on 12 Oct 2011, 11:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Todesking
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12 Oct 2011, 11:02 pm

I am now having flashbacks from the Young Ones tv series of the episode called Nasty.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5rumLzH0QI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBMTK3iLSlY&feature=related[/youtube]

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auntblabby
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12 Oct 2011, 11:48 pm

i suspect that an american made-for-tv movie, "born innocent" would not pass BBFC muster in its uncut form, as it [incredibly for the time, and for g-rated american tv at that ] featured a graphic lesbian rape scene.

Tequila
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13 Oct 2011, 12:01 am

It depends on the content of the rape scene. Rape scenes, even graphic ones are OK if they're justified by a story (the nine-minute anal rape scene in Irreversible passed uncut here in 2002). What is not OK is if the film shows almost nothing but rape scenes or if the film, in the BBFC's view, tries to endorse/condone/eroticise rape. What they cut and don't cut has changed an awful lot in the last 20 years - many films that pass uncut now would have been cut or rejected 20 years back.

So sexual violence that is there in the BBFC's view mainly for prurient purposes (like the razor scene in House on the Edge of the Park) or graphic, eroticised sexual violence will be cut.

Tequila
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13 Oct 2011, 12:12 am

auntblabby wrote:

A film under the title Born Innocent (probably the same movie) was passed '15' for cinema in 1982 after 1m 22s of cuts. I can't see the BBFC cutting this scene today and I reckon it would probably easily pass '15' uncut.

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13 Oct 2011, 12:31 am

Tequila wrote:

auntblabby wrote:

that was the approximate length of the scene in question [which featured a toilet plunger], which was infamous because later on, a group of schoolgirls [after seeing the movie on tv] attacked a 9 year old girl with a bottle in imitation of that movie scene. with this history, it is likely that the scene would at least be shortened [the part with the toilet plunger] or the rating would be '18.'

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13 Oct 2011, 9:37 am

At the risk of catching some heat for this, I gotta say I wish the MPAA would take some notes from the BBFC and other international ratings boards regarding their determiner for ratings. I agree that rape should be at or near the top of determiners for strict R or borderline NC17 films, but not consential sex (should be an R, but not NC17) or the number of f-bombs dropped (the rating should reflect the context in which the profanity is used). Naturally though, this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding my issues with the MPAA.

Tequila
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13 Oct 2011, 10:01 am

The thing is that, in the US, this can ostensibly be released unrated and uncut if they can find a distributor who will touch the thing. In the UK and Australia though the film has no chance without probably a quarter of an hour being removed and probably much more.

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13 Oct 2011, 10:06 am

The Bunny Game is nothing more than torture-porn, the trailer makes it look like there is no plot whatsoever.

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Simonono
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13 Oct 2011, 10:15 am

I'm researching all these films you speak of. Crazy stuff! :lol: I've heard of The Bunny Game before.

Also there are some absolutely insane and extreme films I know of that have no cuts or bans. I think they are DVD only releases, though.

Tequila
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13 Oct 2011, 10:23 am

Prof_Pretorius wrote:

The Bunny Game is nothing more than torture-porn, the trailer makes it look like there is no plot whatsoever.

The 'plot' is as mentioned. A woman is kidnapped and tortured by a trucker. For real. That is the film.

And Prof_Pretorius: may I ask where you have been? We haven't seen you round for ages, mate!

Simonono: like August Underground's Mordum and the like? I haven't seen that film and have no desire to. It's never been submitted to the BBFC but no doubt any attempt at getting the BBFC to classify something like that will be met with a swift rejection.

Tequila
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13 Oct 2011, 10:25 am

Simonono wrote:

I'm researching all these films you speak of. Crazy stuff! :lol:

Some of these films I speak of are actually good but almost all of the ones worth watching should be available either uncut or with minor cuts.

Simonono
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13 Oct 2011, 10:47 am

Tequila wrote:

Yes, that is actually exactly the film I meant. I've seen images of it, but also have no intention of watching it. I feel sick and dirty just thinking about it!

There's also a ton of others I forgot the names of, but are on the Sickest Films Ever lists

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13 Oct 2011, 11:16 am

Tequila wrote:

Prof_Pretorius wrote:

The Bunny Game is nothing more than torture-porn, the trailer makes it look like there is no plot whatsoever.

Blimey ! ! I've been posting in the movie a day by jory, and other film threads. Thanks for the acknowledgment ! ! Love ya, mate ! !!

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