SHAM031/SHAM201 - Cannibal Holocaust: The BBFC Advice & Decision

[Vendaval Este]

I picked up the fancy Japanese DVD that is loaded with extras, I might get this if still has something new on it.

[graydzero]

This has always been a difficult movie for me, on one hand, I abhor censorship and see no reason for it, especially in the case of films, like "I spit on your grave".

On the other hand, I am a vegetarian animal wimp and can't stand seeing animal cruelty.

On the third hand, which mysteriously appears suddenly, the movie has a brilliant point and thematic core to it, that the animal footage is arguably an integral part of.

It is good to know the director is involved with this version too, as a ( small small time ) film-maker, it would be a nightmare to have someone censor something you spent a ton of man hours and heart to put into a film.

So I think logically, I will buy the new release and bemoan censorship, whilst secretly being happy I don't need to watch an animal die a nasty death ( Hypocrite much ? ).

[Demoncrat]

hmmm. after pointing out on another thread that relating made up unpleasantness (ie Srpski) to REAL footage is a thin line...both contain imagery that isnt very nice to watch (whatever floats your boat) but there is at least the "safety valve" along the lines of "wow, what cant they do with sfx nowadays". this you cant say whilst discussing CH, Ferox etc. i am NOT condoning censorship, i just think that any UK print will ALWAYS be tampered with due to the law of the land. i also hate foxhunting so go figure.

[Baseball Fury]

I have to admit, I'm quite excited about this release now. Quite excited indeed!

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Baseball Fury

I have to admit, I'm quite excited about this release now. Quite excited indeed!

In that respect, you're definitely not alone. I own an uncut version of the film but I'm really looking forward to seeing Ruggero Deodato's edit, plus whatever extras Shameless include in the set.

[Prince_Vajda]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

In that respect, you're definitely not alone. I own an uncut version of the film but I'm really looking forward to seeing Ruggero Deodato's edit, plus whatever extras Shameless include in the set.

It's one of the few horror films that leave the audience behind with a really unpleasant feeling. For my personal taste, it's almost a bit too much. It's a movie that I can watch approximately once a year. Altogether, this could be understood as some dislike of the movie on my side - and I would not necessarily interfer with that opinion, as the experience of watching CH is not too joyful (I guess many can admit that). However, you can also judge it as a compliment - as this is basically what a HORROR movie should do (apart from delivering two enjoyable hours): it should try to HORRIFY the audience.

So it definitely has its place in horror movie history. To keep it simple: I do not LIKE the movie - yet I think it has a lot of qualities. Just think of the portrayal of mankind! Too realistic, for my taste at least. But when I think of the end of the movie: would a producer of our time really give orders to burn such a "documentary"? - in times of Big Brother and Co. I'd say: no. So maybe reality is a lot worse than this fictitious flick. That's a sad thing () and off-topic - but I wanted to share my thoughts with this community.

Why did I quote Nos - yeah, I know! Because I wanted to say that I own a (quite good) french version. However, the yellow box will just look nice on this infamous classic - I'm 100% sure!

Greetings!

[Bringer Of Funerals]

I'll admit I found the film very hard going and it upset me with the animal killings because that's just me and even hate kids chasing pidgeons but I suppose that is what I get for wanting to see it just because it is banned.

I will buy the Shameless edition just to see what Ruggero doe's with his cut of the film

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

By its very nature, Cannibal Holocaust is an upsetting film because it takes the word 'horror' literally and is a horrific film. I'm surprised at how the gutwrenching effect it had only the first time I saw it has faded over time and the violence, both towards animals and women, didn't have the impact it first did.

This isn't to say it is now an easy watch -- that would be patently absurd as it is one of the difficult film to watch in my collection -- but, like any film, be it, comedy or horror, you're expecting the laugh/scare so it isn't like the first viewing when those things came out of nowhere and completely took you by surprise.

As I said a couple of times before, I really want to see this in high definition and the new edit by Ruggero Deodato and I wonder if it will have more impact with the greater detail and clearer soundtracks.

[Bringer Of Funerals]

I just hope Ruggero takes a decent amount of time with it rather then throwing it together in 20 mins and saying "oh that will do. Fans will buy it anyway"

A Lucas type of trick

[Sarah@Cult Labs]

Shameless have heard from the BBFC this very day and the long edition of Cannibal Holocaust (i.e. not the new edit from Deodato) has been passed with just 15 seconds of cuts* from the BBFC to the aforementioned muskrat scene!

Rather than just cutting the scene, Shameless have kept the audio and simply replaced the visual footage with alternative shots so the running time is as originally submitted. This will make the cut "seamless" as opposed to jarring jump-cut.

Although expected after the BBFC's earlier advice to Shameless, this is a real milestone for UK film classification and Cannibal Holocaust and is being celebrated up in Shameless Towers!

Watch this space for more Cannibal Holocaust news in the coming weeks, including what the BBFC has to say on Deodato's new edit!

*While the original BBFC advice stated 14 seconds of cuts, this was only a rough estimate and was not calculated frame-to-frame. 15 seconds is the correct timeframe.

If you want to share this great news on t'interweb you can use this link: http://cult-labs.com/a/cannibalbbfcdecision