“Buzz Lightyear” (“Lightyear”, 2022), Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan in July 2022 forbidden Screening of Disney cartoon “Buzz Lightyear” due to same-sex kissing scene between Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) and his wife. For the same reason, the solo spin-off of Toy Story was not allowed to air in Malaysia mentioned above.
The most famous story of the ban on cinema in Kazakhstan in the past was the comedy Borat. Its author and lead actor, Sacha Baron Cohen, presented the country and its inhabitants in a cartoonish fashion. Over time, Kazakh authorities relented and admitted that the British comedian primarily mocked stereotypes about other countries in American society.
Frame from the cartoon “Buzz Lightyear” (2022)
Pixar
“Once upon a time… in Hollywood” (Once upon… in Hollywood, 2019), China
In 2019, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was banned from theaters in China, one of Hollywood’s largest movie markets. The reason for the ban was the complaint of Bruce Lee’s daughter – Shannon did not like the scene in the movie, in which her father allegedly fought hand-to-hand with the hero of Brad Pitt, as a result of which he lost. war.
“He looks like an arrogant jerk, not someone who has to work three times as hard to get what many people get for nothing,” Shannon Lee said.
Chinese officials have promised to reconsider their decision to license the film to distribution if Tarantino remakes the scene. The director refused to remake, and Chinese viewers had to catch the picture in pirate torrents.
Frame from the movie “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” (2019)
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Back to the Future (1985), China
If the claim of caricature of the legendary Bruce Lee image for China is still understandable, the country’s harmless Back to the Future franchise ban seems hard to explain. And here’s the thing: China has banned the public showing of movies and TV shows featuring time travel since 2011. Under the ban are works in which an alternative reality distorts history. This could lead to the fact that a world without the Chinese Communist Party will be presented – an unthinkable uprising according to the authorities.
Frame from the movie “Back to the Future” (1985)
Universal Pictures
The Death of Stalin (2017), Russia
Historic liberties in 2018 also confused the Russian authorities. The death of Stalin, a satirical comedy by Scottish director and screenwriter Armando Iannucci, was denied a rental license at the last moment. This was because of the plot of the movie, which comically presents all the former Soviet leadership during the Stalin era. The Ministry of Culture, represented by Vladimir Medinsky, initially claimed that no censorship measures would be taken against the film, but changed its mind on the eve of the premiere.
Iannucci is a well-known satirist who has previously published, for example, the painting “In the Loop”, which satirized Anglo-American politics in the late 2000s.
Frame from the movie “The Death of Stalin” (2017)
gaumont
The Exorcist (1973) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), United Kingdom
There was an ambiguous situation in the UK horror movie The Exorcist: it was approved for distribution in 1973, but later video copies of the cassette for home viewing were included in distribution. They refused to give the film an 18+ rating, believing that it would only increase young people’s desire to watch a film that was out of reach for their age. As a result, all video copies of The Exorcist were removed from UK video stores in 1988 and banned until 1999.
In 1975, the British Board of Film Classification banned the screening of the slasher movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a year after the movie was released on big screens. The censors considered him “psychologically perverted”. The film received a new lease in the UK only in 1998.
Frame from the movie “The Exorcist” (1973)
Hoya Productions
The Hunger Games (2012), Vietnam
It turned out that the famous film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novels was not to the liking of the Vietnamese and Thai authorities. The first banned the painting because of the violent battle scenes between the child characters. Second, the gesture, which was portrayed as a symbol of resistance in the movie, was disliked when it began to be used massively by Thai students protesting the policies of the current authorities.
Frame from the movie “The Hunger Games” (2012)
lion’s gate
“2012” (2009), North Korea
In principle, Hollywood premieres rarely reach DPRK cinemas, but everything is clear with the release of the scandalous comedy The Interview, in which the DPRK leader Kim Jong-un is caricatured, then the reasons for the ban in the blockbuster 2012 raise questions.
Roland Emmerich’s disaster movie fell out of favor with North Korean officials due to its poor script timing. In 2012, North Korea celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founder of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung, and the government declared this year “the year in which great hopes will open before the growing power of the state.” So, simply put, while everyone was waiting for the Mayan prophecy to come true, the DPRK promised that the country would become a superpower.
There was no mention in the film of any world domination that undermined the line of North Korea’s ruling party. In this regard, the distribution of 2012 was not only banned, but also imposed a criminal penalty: five years in prison for storing and distributing the digital copy of the film.
Shot from the movie “2012” (2009)
Sony Pictures Entertainment
A Clockwork Orange (1971), Ireland and South Korea
Kubrick’s provocative film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ novel was banned in Ireland and South Korea in the year it was released due to the excessive violence in the frame. The film was not censored in the director’s homeland, England, but the director himself asked cinemas to pull the film from screenings, fearing how it would affect immature minds, after a year of release. A Clockwork Orange didn’t return to the big screen until 2000.
A still from A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Hawk Films Ltd.
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, 1984), India
Once upon a time, the second part of Steven Spielberg’s adventure series about the adventures of Indiana Jones also got it. “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was released worldwide in 1984 with one exception: the film was not certified for release in India due to the existence of a scene where Indians eat the brain of a monkey. The country’s authorities were offended by the tape’s writers and they did not want to remake the film to suit Indian requirements.
Still from the movie “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984)
Paramount Pictures
“Wonder Woman” (“Wonder Woman”, 2017), Lebanon, Qatar, Tunisia
In this case, the states of the Arab League were not ashamed of the conspiracy itself, but of the leading lady. Gal Gadot is an Israeli woman who completed her mandatory military service in the Israeli army. Due to the political conflicts of these countries, the Union boycotted the premiere of the sequel, as well as the premiere of the solo movie of DC’s main militant Amazon.
Frame from the movie “Wonder Woman” (2017)
Warner Bros.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.