a question about the BBFC

[vaultkeeper]

I just got to know that the BBFC is a privatly owned organisation, how come that they can legally ban or censor certain movies then if they are just a private organisation?

[Baseball Fury]

I believe that they are an advisory body who set film certificates, but it is illegal to show films in the UK (unlike the US) without a certificate, so if they won't set one, you're shit out of luck, as it were.

They don't actually ban films, they just refuse certification.

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

The BBFC was actually established by the film industry itself. So now we have a private organization who have made up their own set of guidelines, i.e. What a few people have decided is and isn't acceptable for everyone else to see. The film industry has only their self to blame for creating this monster!


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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I look at BBFC guidelines as a useful way of seeing if a film will be worth a watch.

For example if the rating is 18 - Contains very strong bloody violence, gore, sexual nudity and sustained terror. Then it sounds like a decent watch if you're out of ideas.

After all thats what its there for.

[vaultkeeper]

Originally Posted by Demdike

I look at BBFC guidelines as a useful way of seeing if a film will be worth a watch.

For example if the rating is 18 - Contains very strong bloody violence, gore, sexual nudity and sustained terror. Then it sounds like a decent watch if you're out of ideas.

After all thats what its there for.

Same here, but sometimes the 18-ratings are really ****ed up, for example, Pig Hunt, rated 18 because of the extras, BUT it doesnt have any extras, not even a single trailer, and the main movie is still rated 15 but had to be 18 on the cover for the non-existing extras.
Anyway yes, 18 - Contains very strong bloody violence, gore, sexual nudity and sustained terror. sounds like a damn good decent watch when you are out of ideas.
And i'm glad that the whole Shameless collection is rated 18(because of the extras) cause it wouldnt look nice in the shelf with Footprints rated 12 like some disney cartoon and Who Saw Her Die and some others rated 15, i know it sounds crazy but i guess thats horror/exploitation movie mentality.

[vaultkeeper]

Originally Posted by Baseball Fury

I believe that they are an advisory body who set film certificates, but it is illegal to show films in the UK (unlike the US) without a certificate, so if they won't set one, you're shit out of luck, as it were.

They don't actually ban films, they just refuse certification.

I guess its like this then:

In the UK, Refused Classification = banned
In the US, Refused Classification = perfectly legal

thats good for the Americans then cause there is tons of movies that are refused classifiaction in the US, way more than in the UK.

Here in Sweden we actually don't have any official rating system for home video releases(but we do for thearatical releases though), the distributors are allowed to make their own ratings and sometimes the stores who sell dvds decides to follow these ratings, but there isnt any law forcing them to do so!

[platostotal]

Originally Posted by vaultkeeper

I guess its like this then:

In the UK, Refused Classification = banned
In the US, Refused Classification = perfectly legal

thats good for the Americans then cause there is tons of movies that are refused classifiaction in the US, way more than in the UK.

Here in Sweden we actually don't have any official rating system for home video releases(but we do for thearatical releases though), the distributors are allowed to make their own ratings and sometimes the stores who sell dvds decides to follow these ratings, but there isnt any law forcing them to do so!

Correct, but the U.S. 'Unrated' tag can also be kinda false, i.e. anything not mpaa approved could be called 'Unrated'. in the UK we also have R18 for xxx(what a job, sitting watching porn all day and then slapping a R18 on it then getting paid) only to be sold in sex-shops(or garages apparently) Always thought we could have a V18 for violence so peeps know it's at a level above normal 18 rating. In the UK 'uncertified' is not an option for retailers, instant hassle from the law unlike elsewhere. So instead of letting companies release unrated horror in the UK to the benefit of the economy and the taxman, fans are forced to import/download which does the UK no good whatsoever. Daft,daft and three times daft.

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

I remember when the UNRATED moniker actually used to mean something, now it's mostly used for extended versions of PG-13 films that would still get a PG-13 if the studios took them to the MPAA.


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[Baseball Fury]

The difference with America though is that anything nit getting an R over there is commercial suicide.
Most cinemas will not show NC17(our 18) on a wide release or with any kind of marketing, and I believe that a lot of Blockbusters, Wal Marts and Targets won't stock them. it's a much harsher system, especially considering the MPAA are essentially just a completely anonymous bunch of suburban family makers!

[vaultkeeper]

Originally Posted by Baseball Fury

The difference with America though is that anything nit getting an R over there is commercial suicide.
Most cinemas will not show NC17(our 18) on a wide release or with any kind of marketing, and I believe that a lot of Blockbusters, Wal Marts and Targets won't stock them. it's a much harsher system, especially considering the MPAA are essentially just a completely anonymous bunch of suburban family makers!

So they do stock Shameless releases in "normal" stores in the UK?