Television censorship

I was flicking around the channels last night and came across the film 'Hostel: Part II' on Channel 5 at about 10pm. I watched a scene where a naked young woman is hung upside down in manacles, then another, older woman lies naked underneath her, and repeatedly slashes at her from below with a scythe, for the perverted pleasure of bathing in her blood, before cutting her throat. This isn't very pleasant, I thought to myself, lets see what else is on.

A couple of hours later I started watching the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger film 'Kindergarten Cop' on ITV2 HD - the film started at 12.25am and I saw it at the cinema, where it had a 15 certificate. I found that the film had been censored. Specifically, the words 'asshole' and 'son of a bitch' had been muted out, and a scene where the antagonist knees someone in the groin in order to steal a kid's toy from him was gone. The continuity of the film was damaged.

Why is it OK for Channel 5 to show torture porn at 10pm but ITV won't allow the word 'asshole' at 1am? WTF?

I think we'd all agree there should be some sort of watershed, be it 9pm, 10pm or whatever. But beyond that, is there any need for television censorship in this day and age? People with children in the house have access to parental control options and they should take responsibility for their childrens' viewing habits, I wanted to watch some old bloke being kneed in the bollocks over a Scalextric and I couldn't, thanks to exaggerated sensibilities designed to protect the precious darlings of irresponsible parents.

I agree that the rules are bizarre. I watched the first Hostel film and thought that it was just gratuitous violence thinly disguised as entertainment. I am surprised Channel 5 didn't have the good sense not to show Hostel II but then again they show Big Brother at 9pm.

I think it's because TV receives a "TV cut" of a film, or they certainly did in the 90's and they probably just put the same cut on whatever time of day it is.

I'm a big back to the future fan and i've watched it at 4 5 o clock at Xmas and seen it in the evenings 8/9 and they always cut out.

"noooooo bastaaaaaaards" when doc is shot

they also cut out "lets see if you bastards can do 90..."

So it's just the same cut.

The Hostel films are the biggest load of shite ever, in fact most horror films are utter shite these days. No plot, just blood and guts and sex.

I watched Enchanted on Saturday, it was bloody brilliant. No blood, no guts and no sex.

To be fair, I'd watched 20 minutes of Hostel II at that point, and the girl who was in the scene I described had a seriously annoying face, and buck teeth. So she deserved it.

Eli Roth went down hill as soon as he started hanging out with Tarantino.

Cabin Fever was brilliant IMO, but the hostel films are utterly appalling, and that "grindhouse" nonsense... well..

he's making a full length version of his Grindhouse film soon too.

ITV have been showing Peter Ustinov's version of Poirot on Saturday afternoons recently - and in one of the films they receieved one complaint, via OFCOM, and have promised to have one scene removed from next time they show it - no matter what time of day! Lets put it this way I saw these Peter Ustinov incarnations of Poirot (It was either Tuesday or Thursday evening in the Muder Mystery Suspense film slots, on Granada) when I was child and never saw anything that needed consoring.

Yes HN is correct that TV companies tend to receive the TV copies which are often cut by the distributor but the TV companies often add their own cuts as well, especially for daytime showing, and then only end up with that one copy no matter what time of day they show it!

I was amazed, even shocked, when I saw a recent episode of that yank programme where they are trying to decide if the Sargeant who returned from Afghanistan (?), is a Taliban plant. He and his wife, and supposedly 15 year old daughter were talking and the girl said something along the lines of When the guys are bored they use their phones to play hunt the cnut. Neither parent batted an eyelid. Also saw an American film on the box last night, where a woman in her thirties shouts at a teenage girl that sh'es a cnut. (Bridesmaids I think). Is it now deemed acceptable for this final taboo? Personally, I don't think so

Al Pacino calls Kevin Spacey a "stupid fucking cunt" in 1992's Glengarry Glen Ross, after he stupidly ruins his chances of rescuing a lost sale.

There was so much swearing in that script, the cast referred to it as "Death of a Fucking Salesman" while they were making it.

gloswhite wrote:I was amazed, even shocked, when I saw a recent episode of that yank programme where they are trying to decide if the Sargeant who returned from Afghanistan (?), is a Taliban plant. He and his wife, and supposedly 15 year old daughter were talking and the girl said something along the lines of When the guys are bored they use their phones to play hunt the cnut. Neither parent batted an eyelid. Also saw an American film on the box last night, where a woman in her thirties shouts at a teenage girl that sh'es a cnut. (Bridesmaids I think). Is it now deemed acceptable for this final taboo? Personally, I don't think so

I agree with you about the 'c' word. I noticed Ricky Gervais using it a lot on the current series of The Ricky Gervais Show.

I have never used the word and never will. Vile.

How is it more vile than 'fanny' or 'twat'?

largehat wrote:How is it more vile than 'fanny' or 'twat'?

It just is.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

largehat wrote:How is it more vile than 'fanny' or 'twat'?

It just is.

There's no logical reason for it to be.

largehat wrote:

There's no logical reason for it to be.

Where did I claim it was logical?

I decide how bad a swear word is on how my Dad would react if I said it when he was in the room. If I said 'twat' I would get a clip round the earhole, if I said 'fanny' probably just a sharp warning, but if I said the c-word I would be sent to my room for a month.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

largehat wrote:

There's no logical reason for it to be.

Where did I claim it was logical?

I decide how bad a swear word is on how my Dad would react if I said it when he was in the room. If I said 'twat' I would get a clip round the earhole, if I said 'fanny' probably just a sharp warning, but if I said the c-word I would be sent to my room for a month.

I must admit, I'm thoroughly averse to the C word and therefore reserve it for those circumstances when I'm especially chagrined.
It was used to magnificent effect in Bruce Robinson's seminal "Withnail And I" when Richard E Grant as Withnail refers to his Uncle Monty as a "Terrible Cnut!" for sneaking about at night and scaring him. The delivery is delicious. Also there's a scene in Blade Trinity where a character is called "A galloping thundercnut" very inventive I thought.

It's a more serious insult by far than pussy or fanny. It's derogatory in the extreme in fact.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

largehat wrote:

There's no logical reason for it to be.

Where did I claim it was logical?

I decide how bad a swear word is on how my Dad would react if I said it when he was in the room. If I said 'twat' I would get a clip round the earhole, if I said 'fanny' probably just a sharp warning, but if I said the c-word I would be sent to my room for a month.

Don't be so defensive. I'm not saying that because there's no logical reason for it to be considered more offensive, you're wrong to be more offended by it. Language is a very subjective thing.

David Cameron dropped a bollock during a live radio interview about three years ago when he said something like, "too many tweets makes you a twat". The word 'twat' is, it seems, considered less offensive by large parts of southern England, and is considered on a par with 'idiot'.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

gloswhite wrote:I was amazed, even shocked, when I saw a recent episode of that yank programme where they are trying to decide if the Sargeant who returned from Afghanistan (?), is a Taliban plant. He and his wife, and supposedly 15 year old daughter were talking and the girl said something along the lines of When the guys are bored they use their phones to play hunt the cnut. Neither parent batted an eyelid. Also saw an American film on the box last night, where a woman in her thirties shouts at a teenage girl that sh'es a cnut. (Bridesmaids I think). Is it now deemed acceptable for this final taboo? Personally, I don't think so

I agree with you about the 'c' word. I noticed Ricky Gervais using it a lot on the current series of The Ricky Gervais Show.

I have never used the word and never will. Vile.

Cunt is a well known surname, there have been many cunts, whole families of cunts in the 1891 census including one Fanny Cunt.Cunt is just a corrupted surname like prat so whats the big deal, Just think how many times the boss of some old workhouse or mill said oi cunt come ere.There,s even an Eliza widecunt on a tombstone in london.Its just a fucking name like prat.People have had cunts as friends cunts as neighbours. Its a name just like fanny is a girls name as in fanny cunt.

Angry Dad, you are a wise cunt.

largehat wrote:Angry Dad, you are a wise cunt.

I watched a documentary on how swear words came about. So next time someone calls you a cunt confuse them by replying, sorry im a thompson or whatever your name is, before or after you hit them doesn,t matter.

Films that use the C word that spring to my head straight away, American Beauty, Ghost World, Kick Ass.

All brilliant films too