Struggle with India…Indian state bans book suggesting that Gandhi had a gay tryst

Read more South Asia Censorship News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from bbc.co.uk

A book on Mahatma Gandhi has been banned by the government in his native state of Gujarat. The book by Joseph Lelyveld contains evidence that India’s independence hero had a homosexual relationship. Early reviews in the US and UK suggest that Gandhi was depicted as sometimes racist and that he had an intimate relationship with a German man named Hermann Kallenbach. Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that its contents were perverse and defamed the icon of non-violence. Modi accused the author of displaying a perverted mentality in writing the book, which he said had hurt the sentiments of masses of people: This publication defames the Mahatma and there is rising anger not only in Gujarat but in the entire country. Gujarat’s state assembly voted unanimously  to ban Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India, even though it has not yet been released in India. Lelyveld has denied writing that Gandhi was a bisexual, saying his work had been taken out of context.

Uncut Crystal…Dario Argento’s Bird with the Crystal Plumage uncut for the first time on UK DVD and Blu-ray

Read more Latest UK Cuts at MelonFarmers.co.uk

UK 2001 Arrow R0 Blu-ray at UK Amazon for release on 2nd May 2011 UK 2011 Arrow R0 DVD at UK Amazon for release on 2nd May 2011 Based on article from bbfc.co.uk

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a 1969 Italian/West German thriller by Dario Argento. See IMDb The Unrated Version was passed 15 uncut for: UK 2001 Arrow R0 Blu-ray at UK Amazon for release on 2nd May 2011 UK 2011 Arrow R0 DVD at UK Amazon for release on 2nd May 2011 All previous releases have been cut. See pictorial cuts details from movie-censorship.com 24.5s removed of the killer cutting the slip and then ripping the panties off a victim. 1.5s of cuts to an elevator scene showing a woman having her face slashed with a razor. Review from US Amazon: Engrossing Mystery Even those who don’t care for writer-director Dario Argento’s later baroque extravaganzas may warm to his debut feature, a well-received thriller in which an American writer living in Rome (Tony Musante) witnesses an assault on a woman in an art gallery and is subsequently targeted by the would-be assassin, a crazed psychopath who’s been terrorizing the city with a series of brutal murders. Typical of an Argento thriller, the hapless hero’s investigation unleashes a cycle of violence which culminates in a climactic unmasking that will take some viewers completely by surprise. Argento’s first film is a fairly straightforward thriller with horror asides, anchored by a strong narrative, an increasingly bizarre series of supporting characters, and a strong Everyman hero who slots the puzzle together piece by piece before realizing that the most important clue to the killer’s identity was there in front of him all the time. Musante is given excellent support by English actress Suzy Kendall as his girlfriend (the scene in which she’s besieged alone in her apartment as the killer hacks through the door with a knife is truly the stuff of nightmares) and Enrico Maria Salerno as the cop charged with finding the killer before he/she strikes again. Producers were unconvinced of his directorial abilities and wanted to pull him off the picture during the first few weeks of shooting, but Argento persevered under an iron-clad contract and ultimately proved his critics wrong with the finished product, a genuinely engrossing mystery punctuated by scenes of explicit horror.

Exempt from Modern Life…Out of touch MP re-opens old whinge about BBFC exempt music videos

Read more UK Parliament Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Surely in this age of MTV and YouTube, the viewing of music videos on DVD is a totally insignificant fraction of total music video viewing anyway See article from dailymail.co.uk

Labour’s culture spokesman, Gloria De Piero has written to Culture Minister Ed Vaizey to re-open an old whinge about music and sport videos being exempt from the Video Recordings Act. She wrote: I have seen some of this content, which includes cage fighting, dangerous combat techniques, topless lap-dancing, illegal drug abuse, and racism. It is clearly unsuitable. Yet because the video is of a type that which enjoys exemption from statutory classification and because the content falls short of the extreme content which causes the video to lose that exemption, it may be supplied to children. The Government needs to act. Mr Vaizey expects to make an announcement on the issue soon, she said. Responsible parts of the video industry do send problematic exempt material to the BBFC for classification but others do not. A BBFC spokesman said: When the Act was passed in 1984, legislators could not have anticipated some of the material which is legally claiming exemption today. This means that children can legally obtain this potentially harmful material with no restriction on its supply. The BBFC believes, along with politicians and parents, that the more extreme music and sport DVDs and some documentaries, should lose their exempt status and be give appropriate age restrictions to protect children.’

Unhatcheted…Americans impressed by the uncut UK release of Hatchet II

Read more Latest UK Cuts at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Based on article from bbfc.co.uk

The BBFC have passed Hatchet II 18 uncut with the BBFC comment: Contains strong bloody violence and gore. This is the unrated version that caused so much hassle in the US when the distributors tried for an unrated release as opposed toe the usual R rated release. The exhibitors pulled out after just a few days. The hassle free UK certificate has been noted and compared with the US release in an article from dreadcentral.com: See how simple that was? No police in theatres. No shutdowns. No silly controversy. Just pay for your ticket and see a movie about a swamp monster with a wireless belt sander. That’s right, kids! The UK will be getting Hatchet II as it was meant to be seen when it opens there in theatres this week. Free of all the MPAA stupidity and hoopla. According to Adam Green, hatchet II has received an 18 Rating with NO cuts enforced. When it opens in cinemas on Friday in the UK – you’ll be getting the uncut film! We sure could take a page from our friends across the pond.

Unamerican…Nutter politicians propose to degrade Oregon’s freedom of speech so as to be able to restrict strip clubs

Read more US Sex Sells News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from business.avn.com

The state of Oregon has fine ideals for protecting freedom of speech. No law shall be passed restraining the free expression of opinion, or restricting the right to speak, write, or print freely on any subject whatever; but every person shall be responsible for the abuse of this right, is how Article I, Sec. 8, Freedom of speech and press, of the Oregon Constitution reads. But of course there are nutters who put miserable restrictions on adult entertainment above constitutional freedom. Senator Mark Hass and state Representatives. Tobias Read, Jeff Barker and Andy Olson have sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 28 which would amend Article I, Sec. 8 to add, This section does not prohibit the state or any county, municipality or district from regulating the location at which a business or organization may offer live entertainment or other services performed by a person in a state of nudity, as defined by the jurisdiction imposing the regulation. But, as the Senate Judiciary Committee found out, it’s not just the obvious strip clubs that will be effected. According to an Associated Press story, Nudist advocates testified against a bill that would ask voters to change free-speech protections in the state constitution to let communities keep strip clubs out of neighborhoods. … Nudists fret that a stodgy city or county government would use that phrase to pounce on nudist clubs. Nude karaoke might be considered live entertainment. Mowing the lawn in the buff might be considered a service. We want to protect our rights, said John Kinman, former president of the American Association for Nude Recreation. We feel comfort in knowing this Legislature or the cities can’t pass laws that prohibit what we do. So far, there is no indication as to when the Senate will vote on the measure.

Shit Censorship…Censored version of King’s Speech fast tracked onto US screens

Read more US Censorship News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from heyuguys.co.uk

America’s MPAA lumbered the uncut King’s Speech with an R-rating on account of ‘strong language in a speech therapy context’. Worried about the impact this decision might have on the film’s box office, the Weinstein Co. have opted to release a new PG-13 in the hopes of attracting a wider audience. The new cut version is set for release in 1,000 screens. While such a re-release would usually have to wait 90 days from when the old version was pulled from cinemas, however MPAA bosses have signed a waiver which will allow the PG-13 version to be released in quicker succession. With the Weinstein Co. preparing to head a marketing campaign to explain the changes to America’s movie-going public, the new version will feature a number of muted fuck‘s, and a few instances in which shit has been substituted in instead.

Very Expensive Red Tape…ATVOD get heavy about censorship fees for newspaper websites featuring short videos

Read more ATVOD Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

It seems to me that the video sections of these websites are more like YouTube video clips that don’t require regulation, than TV-like programmes which do. Should an organisation that stands to gain thousands of pounds in fees be the right one to determine whether videos are TV-like or not? Based on article from atvod.co.uk

The internet TV censor ATVOD has published determinations that Sun Video, News of the World Video, Elle TV and Sunday Times Video Library are on demand programme services Video on demand offered by some national newspapers and magazines will be subject to regulation and expeiisve fees, under a unilateral ruling published by ATVOD. Newspaper and magazine proprietors argued that their video offerings, accessed on-line and by mobile devices, are exempt from new regulations because they are part of online versions of newspapers, not services offering TV-like programmes which are subject to the new law. But the video on demand co-regulator has rejected the argument. It believes some services are designed to offer TV-like programmes on-demand, and therefore must fall within the scope of regulation and ATVOD fees. Proprietors will now challenge the ruling by The Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD) by appealing to communications regulator Ofcom. If the ruling is upheld, affected newspapers and magazines will have to pay annual fees to ATVOD and ensure that the regulated video content meets ATVOD rules. Commenting on the recent rulings, ATVOD Chair Ruth Evans said: ATVOD has no desire or remit to regulate the press — whether online or offline — but we do have a duty to be even-handed and apply the new statutory regulations in a fair and consistent manner. Where video content appears as an integral part of an online version of a newspaper, for example alongside a text based story, then the service falls outside our remit: it is indeed excluded by law. Many services provided by newspapers and magazines fall exactly into this category and can expect to hear nothing from ATVOD.. But that is not what happens in these particular services. In each case, a catalogue of ‘TV like’ programmes is offered as a discrete service, comparable with many others. There are clear differences between these services and on-line versions of newspapers. Ofcom, who are responsible for hearing appeals under the new regulations, have confirmed that an appeal has been lodged with regard to Elle TV and that appeals are expected shortly with regard to Sun Video, News of the World Video and Sunday Times Video Library.

The Christian Institute Recommends…Wuthering Heights on Radio 3

Read more UK Nutter News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from christian.org.uk

Emily Bronte’s much-loved novel Wuthering Heights has been adapted by BBC Radio 3 to include foul language. The station’s new adaptation will feature Heathcliff and Cathy, two of the book’s central characters, swearing as they argue. While radio broadcasts are not bound by a 9pm watershed, stations are not supposed to air unsuitable material when youngsters are likely to be listening. Adult There are concerns that school pupils who are studying the book could listen to the adaptation unaware of the BBC’s addition of adult content. Playwright and theatre director Jonathan Holloway has defended his adaptation of the 1847 classic. He said: For me Wuthering Heights is a story of violent obsession, and a tortuous unfulfilled relationship. This is not a Vaseline-lensed experience.  That’s what I wanted to elbow out, this idea that it’s the cosy greatest love story ever told. It’s not. The f-words are part of my attempt to shift the production to left of field, and to help capture the shock that was associated with the original book when it was published. A spokesman for Radio 3 said: The use of strong language by some characters in this production was not undertaken lightly. Language warnings will be broadcast at the beginning of the drama. The programme is set to air at 8pm on Sunday on Radio 3.

Extreme Scotland…Dangerous Pictures law comes into force in Scotland on 28th March 2011

Read more Legislating Extreme Porn at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Thanks to AlanB See Information on the new offence of Possession of Extreme Pornographic Images [pdf] from scotland.gov.uk

The prohibition on the possession of extreme porn law is due to be come into force in Scotland on the 28th of March. It follows the format of the ban in force in the rest of the UK but extends the prohibition to include the depiction of rape and non consensual penetrative sex. The Scottish Government has provided some guidance: See Information on the new offence of Possession of Extreme Pornographic Images [pdf] from scotland.gov.uk There is a factual error in that document as it misrepresents the English law; the Scottish Government apparently doesn’t know what an anus is, regarding it as synonymous with buttocks. I’m not sure about the documents definition of severe injury which includes extensive/multiple lacerations (a vague term in itself). If anybody could clarify that, I’d be grateful. At least it makes clear that cartoon images remain legal, an issue which was discussed within the Justice Committee but without clear resolution. The bad news is that Scotland now suffers from greater restrictions to sexual freedom than probably anywhere else in the free world.

ASA Pickle…ASA wrong to choose gay rights over christian anti-gay nonsense and free speech

Read more ASA Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from christian.org.uk

A church in Northern Ireland, which had a newspaper ad banned for using the biblical word sodomy, has had the ban overturned in the High Court. ASA, the UK advert censor banned the ad in 2008, but the court said banning the ad was a breach of the church’s rights to free speech. The judge, Justice Treacy, said the ad quoted well-known passages of the Bible and constituted a genuine attempt to stand up for the church’s beliefs. Justice Treacy said: Whilst such views and scriptural references may be strongly disdained and considered seriously offensive by some, this does not justify the full scope of the restrictions contained in the impugned determination. The judge also said the ad must be read in context. He pointed out that at the previous year’s Gay Pride march a banner stating Jesus is a fag was carried, uninterrupted, by one of the participants. He also said the advertisement did not condone and was not likely to provoke violence. Rev David McIlveen described the decision as a landmark ruling, meaning that scripture could be quoted freely. In 2008 Sandown Free Presbyterian Church placed an advert in the Belfast News Letter calling on people to meet in a gospel witness against the act of sodomy. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received seven complaints about the advert and banned any further publication with the comment: The ASA noted the ad prominently stated Published by the Kirk Session of Sandown Free Presbyterian Church and recognised that readers would understand that the text was representative of the beliefs of a specific group and indicative of their opinion only. We considered, however, that some of the text used in relation to homosexuality, for example, … declaring it to be an abomination …, ... God’s judgement upon a sin …, ... remove the guilt of their wrongdoing …, … a cause for regret that a section of the community desire to be known for a perverted form of sexuality …, went further than the majority of readers were likely to find acceptable. We considered that particular care should be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of sexual orientation, and concluded that this ad had caused serious offence to some readers. On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clause 5.1 (Decency) but did not breach 8.1 (Matters of opinion).