Attack of the Clones is rated PG!

Well, you'd have to ask the BBFC that?!! I guess its a question of context and they are human beings making these decisions! Opinions can change and what maybe acceptable in one film, is not necessarily so in another.

 

I wonder how many kids will be sitting in A&E waiting rooms with concussion from over-enthusiastic wooden-stick lightsabre duels than with broken noses and black eyes from headbutts.....?

 

Even 1 second cut from a Star Wars film is 1 second too much.
But it's just another example in the long line of BBFC stupidity. I still remember being shocked when I discovered they'd cut about ten minutes out of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, including every shot where the nunchukas were visible. They even cut out a line about eating mouldy pizza. Gotta protect the kids, right?
Idiots.

 

After complaining very strongly to the BBFC about their insistence on cutting Jango's headbutt out of UK prints of AOTC, I finally received this reply from their "senior examiner"...

Dear Sir

This film was given a "PG" classification, in accordance with BBFC
Guidelines, because of the general level of personalised violence which is
contained in the combat scenes, and because of some scenes where the major
characters were placed in sustained peril, which was considered too strong
for a "U".

The distributor agreed to remove a medium close shot of a head butt,
inflicted by Jango Fett, wearing a metal helmet , on Obi-Wan Kenobi, who
has no head protection, in order to achieve the "PG" classification. There
were concerns that young children might attempt to imitate the move with
undesirable results .
BBFC Guidelines for imitable techniques state that "No detail of fighting
or other dangerous techniques" are permitted at "PG".

The film would have been classified "12" if the distributor had chosen to
leave this head butt intact. Head butts across the classification range are
treated according to the age - relevant Guidelines. The "12" category would
have accommodated this head butt, as the context is highly fantastical and
there is less risk of adolescents imitating the technique.

Yours sincerely

Ros Bates
Senior Examiner

Personally, I still remain unconvinced by their argument.

 

you're right DS, it's a rubbish arguement


i have had many childhood injuries from "lightsabre fights" - i wonder where i got that idea from.

 

That is THE most ****E argument I have EVER heard in my life........ so kids are going to be rushing out buying metal helmets in order to fulfill their dreams of headbutting someone now are they.... I'm speechless I really am!!!!!!!

 

Geez are yus still goin on about that whole 1 second?

Like many of you, i saw the film today and frankly didn't even notice it was missing. The film was still top notch without it.

And anyway, it will be on the DVD i'm sure.

 

when i was young we didn't need a film to convince us to head butt each other.


a interesting side issue is that my none of us grew up to be scientists, mathematicians or Stephen hawkin

 

Just like polishing Ewan's lightsabre

I wish, i wish, i wish i was naive.

 

The debate continues . . .

Here is the email I sent to the BBFC about the cut made to AOTC:

?I am writing in regard to the one second cut made to the film Attack of the Clones to receive a PG rating.
I understand the explanation for the cut as outlined on your website, but I am curious to know why a similar head butt shot was left uncut in the film Fellowship of the Ring, which was also rated PG? Was
there a different criteria used for rating that film??

And this is the reply I received:

?Thank you for your Email concerning head butts.
The head butt in "The Lord of the Rings -Fellowship of the Ring" was inflicted by a monster on a human. By contrast, the example in the recent Star Wars film was inflicted by one human on another. The first is in the realms of fantasy, while the second is more realistic. The first was also very clear, while the head butt in "The Lord of the Rigs" was one move embedded in many others in a fast fight sequence, and therefore less foregrounded. All films are classified according to BBFC Guidelines which are available on our Website.
Yours sincerely
Rosalind Bates
Senior Examiner.?

Interesting . . .

BTW, did you hear that story about Jay Kay getting headbutted after the AOTC premiere? Maybe the BBFC are right about it being imitative behaviour.