The BFI Uncut film season opens on Thursday 1 November at the BFI Southbank, London. The films featuring throughout the month long season reflect significant aspects of film classification from our 100-year history, and includes an 80s classic which is to be screened uncut for the first time — Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Steven Spielberg’s film was submitted to the BBFC for classification in April 1984. The reports published here detail the concerns Examiners had about a number of moments in the film. The sequence in the Temple of Doom of a sacrificial victim having his heart ripped out, plus various attacks upon the lead characters, were violent or horrific enough to exceed the limits of the PG certificate United International Pictures (UIP) wanted. In a letter to UIP (also published) James Ferman, BBFC Director at the time, described the temple scenes as showing a very real world of terror, ritual violence, black magic and nightmare imagery .
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