FILM & The BBFC

Historical: The Devils (1971 Ken Russell)

18 with cuts

Year: 1971

"At around the same time, this 'rough cut' was also shown to senior executives from Warner Brothers, the film's distributor. In a rare example of a film being censored not only by the BBFC but also by its own distributor"

"On 18 May 1971 the BBFC awarded an X certificate to the cut version of the film."

"Warners were therefore obliged to cut the film by another six minutes (on top of the cuts already made in the UK) in order to produce a version of the film that was acceptable for an R rating."

"released on video in the UK in the early 1980s and it was this bowdlerised version that was formally submitted to the BBFC for video classification after the introduction of the Video Recordings Act in 1984. It was classified 18 without further cuts but was a very different film to the one released in UK cinemas in 1971."

"The original UK cinema version remained unavailable on video in the UK until 1997 when it was resubmitted to the BBFC following a successful airing on BBC2 in 1995"

Contemporary: Antichrist (2009 Lars Von Trier)

18 uncut

2009

"contained several strong images which required consideration when it arrived at the BBFC in 2009"

"The distributors made no category request for the work"

"Though the images are strong it was clear throughout that Antichrist was not a 'sex work' but rather a serious drama exploring issues such as grief, loss, guilt and fear."

"The Board was aware of no evidence to suggest that the viewing of a scene such as this is likely to be harmful to adults. It is not presented in an eroticised or attractive manner and is not likely to encourage emulation or arousal"

Carol

Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin, in their book Queer Cinema: the film reader, elaborate three general criteria for identifying cultural products as queer.  What are they?

Auteurs, form and reception. 

What are "queer aesthetics"?  Summarise Benshoff and Griffin's definitions in your own words.

Queer aesthetics typically challenge conventional ideas of what is thought to be universally true. While it is impossible to completely define “queer aesthetics” there are certain styles and modes that are more often employed in queer art. 

For instance, “camp” is considered a queer aesthetic because of its traditional use in many queer cultural products.

What reasons do the authors give for queer audiences to identify with mainstream texts?

Other cultural texts are particularly popular within queer communities because of ambiguous sexuality such as Xena: Warrior Princess, Batman, or High School Musical (particularly the character of Ryan Evans). Sometimes characters (as is the case with Evans) are coded as queer (using verbal and visual markers to connote queerness without explicitly stating it. This includes elements such as body language, vocabulary, dress, vocal inflection, and various other aspects that are peripheral to sexual orientation), other times the subtext is unintentional.

What does Vito Russo argue about the portrayal of gays and lesbians in Hollywood films?

Russo argues that Hollywood’s portrayal of lesbians and gay men has often been cruel and homophobic. During that period, gay and lesbian characters were defined by their sexual orientation and lacked any complex character development.

In Hollywood’s early years, from the 1890s to the 1930s, homosexuality was often presented as an object of ridicule and laughter. The archetype of “the sissy” – foppish and feminine males, often of delicate sensibilities – was popular at this time, and Russo asserts that such a character was a source of amusement and reassurance for the audience. The sissy was not a threatening representation of homosexuality because he occupied a middle ground between masculinity and femininity.

What is an archetype?

The first ever stereotype. Such as Marilyn Monroe being a dumb blonde. 

What is the Hayes code?

A system of self-censorship that, among other things, affected the portrayal of homosexuality.

Why did some people in the gay community dislike the film "Brokeback Mountain"? 

In 2005, Brokeback Mountain grossed over $178 million proving that movies portraying queer people could be lucrative for large studios. That said, the film has received mixed reactions from within queer communities on the grounds that a movie about “straight-acting” gay men who barely have sex and who cannot even accept their own desires is hardly a gay movie at all.

What was the intention of New Queer Cinema?

New Queer Cinema challenged established notions that queer legitimacy could only come through assimilation into mainstream heterosexual society. Filmmakers such as Gregg Araki, Alexis Arquette, Todd Haynes, Jennie Livingston, Cheryl Dunye, Gus Van Sant, John Waters and John Cameron Mitchell achieved this through the use of heavy irony and an antagonism towards the naturalistic style that dominated cinema at that time.

Q1B Audience Summarised

Hypodermic needle theory- Frankfurt school- Germany between the wars 20s and 30s - the rise of Hitler and the influence of mass media on the public- related to film- also knows the effects model- Audience is passive.

Cultivation Theory- George Gerbner - Keep seeing a representation in the media and it reinforces the stereotype- people who watch soaps think there is more divorce in society that there actually is - TV and advertising - passive audience again.

Roland Barthes - myths are created in society by the media e.g white men can't jump.

2 step flow - Paul Lazarsfeld - opinion leaders influence society more than the original text does - this relates to film critics influencing you to watch a movie.

Uses and Gratifications - a text can inform, entertain , cause you to identify with the characters in the text, meet your social needs etc

Stuart
Hall- Reception Theory - Texts are created by producers with a meaning in mind that might be read differently by an audience due to their social or cultural background- Preferred or dominant reading, oppositional reading and negotiated reading - (oppositional would be: if a sympathetic character in a soap has an affair then an audience of a very religious Christians would not like the character any more)

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs- media texts meet the needs of an audience - e.g.. some car ads sell the car on its safety: aftershave adverts sell sex: coke adverts sell the idea of friendships

Hypodermic Needle Theory and Cultivation Theory

• The "hypodermic needle theory" implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behavior change.

• The theory suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by ‘shooting’ or ‘injecting’ them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response.

• With similarly emotive imagery the hypodermic needle model suggests that media messages are injected straight into a passive audience which is immediately influenced by the message.

• The incident, often referred to as the “Panic Broadcast,” was soon cited as an example of the Hypodermic Needle Theory of communication. Formed in response to the rise of mass communications and the emergence of propaganda techniques in the 1930s, Hypodermic Needle Theory implies that the media has the power to inject highly influential messages directly into passive and susceptible audiences.

• Unlike most other theories of communication, however, Hypodermic Needle Theory was not based on empirical research. Instead, it was founded on the assumption that humans, controlled by their biological nature, will react instinctively to passing stimuli in similar ways.

examples can you find that indicate the BBFC used the hypodermic needle theory as a basis for their regulation of the film industry.

tbhbt

Professor Martin Barker- Media Magazine Clips

Martin Barker's approach too studying audiences and how they view media texts is that every person alrrady lives in a society, class, age and family and who you are matters.

The effects tradition is when something effects us when we watch TV by adding on. The more you see the more they gradually influence you.

Martin Baker's main ctitisism to the effects tradition is that the research shows that they contradict each other.

Martin Baker thinks the problem with most research and theory into the effects of screen violence is the types of different violence such as action adventure movies and that news which is not measure in the same category.

The reason the violence in the Pulp fiction scene is not seen as a major problem is due to the contrast as he is religious but quoting the bible at the same time but is also violent. The combination of violence and something else can make it commical for the audiences.

Martin Baker states that the effect of the depiction of 'real' violence on screen is fear, horror, concern and wondering how it happened.

Acording to Martin Baker, moral panics are a big scare when people blame the media. The reason for action comics being withdrawn from sale in the 1970's was said by the newspapers to be due to the violence in the comic, but when researched the bits they wanted changing was the part about authority.

BBFC

6) What challenges the BBFC has going forwards, how it's role has changed?


The BBFC was founded in 1912. The chief censor in the 1940's and 1950's was Arthur Watkins. The BBFC has changed since it was founded as the regulations are now more flexible due to society changing over the years.

Laslo Benedek’s 1953 film was one of the most controversial of its era, as it was released in the time of a ‘moral panic’.  Post war American and British teenagers alarmed their elders in a way that was probably unprecedented and from which we still see some of the ripples in popular culture today.  The 1950s was a time of profound social change and the experience of what it meant to be young was transformed, as many of the old certainties and habits disappeared in the new consumer age.  Indeed, the notion of the ‘teenager’, with his or her own clothes, music and interests, was largely a post war creation. 

Brando, as Johnny Strabler, leads the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club into a peaceful American town, and terrorises the inhabitants with their machismo antics and disaffected attitudes.  One of the film’s most famous scenes features Brando looking on insouciantly as gang members dance to a juke box in a diner they have taken over. ‘What are you rebelling against Johnny?’ a girl asks him.  ‘Waddaya got?’ drawls the handsome young star. It was such apparently antisocial attitudes that thrilled young audiences and appalled their elders. The film was banned by the BBFC upon its release here and remained so (except for screenings in film societies where local councils overturned the BBFC’s decision) until 1967 when it was released with an X certificate (suitable for 16 year olds and above).

Two Key pieces of legislation that govern how the BBFC works as a regulator are the Obscene Publication Act and the Video Recording Act. The Obscene publication Act is the law that makes it an offence to publish, whether for gain or not, any content whose effect will tend to "deprave and corrupt" those likely to read, see or hear the matter contained. The Video Recording Act The Video Recordings Act 1984 requires videos in physical formats such as DVDs and Blu-ray discs to be classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) before they can be sold in the UK. It is an offence to sell products rated BBFC ’12’ or higher to anyone not meeting the age requirement. However, many products which are primarily about music, sports, religion or education are exempt from this requirement. Following a full public consultation, Government has been taking forward new Video Recordings Act 1984 (Exempted Video Works) Regulations 2014 so that music, sports, religion and education products will have to be classified by the BBFC in future if they contain material unsuitable for younger children. The Regulations were approved by Parliament in July and come into force on 1 October 2014. Government will be working closely with industry and enforcement agencies over the coming months to help ensure that businesses fully understand the new classification requirements and are able to put any necessary arrangements in place.

The BBFC is different today than it was at other times in it's history as for example In 1999, the BBFC embarked on an extensive consultation process to gauge public opinion before the compilation of new Guidelines for age ratings. The process involved a series of public presentations across the UK, two Citizens' Juries, surveys and questionnaires. Also, Ofcom became the new regulator for television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. The regulation of films, videos and DVDs did not fall under Ofcom's remit and remained the responsibility of the BBFC. Another reason is because in 2002, the new 12A rating replaced the 12 rating for film only, and allows children under 12 to see a 12A film, provided that they are accompanied throughout by an adult. 

The BBFC classifies and rates films today by using 6 different age ratings. This includes U which stands for Universal and should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over, although it is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. PG is another rating which stands for Parental Guidance which means it is for general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. Then there is a 12A rating and a 12 rating. 12 contain material which is not generally suited for any child under the age of 12. No one younger than 12 will be able to see a 12A film at a cinema without being accompanied by an adult. a 15 is only suitable for someone 15 years and over and an 18 rated is suitable only for adults. The way the BBFC classify and rate films to put them in certain age categories is through factors such as Discrimination, Drugs, Imitable behaviour, Language , nudity, sex, threat and violence and to what extent these factors go to. 

The challenges the BBFC face many problems such as streaming platforms for example Netflix as anyone can watch any age rating if the app doesn't have parental control.


The Video Nasties

BBFC information

1.       What year was the BBFC founded? 

1912

2.       What was the original name of the BBFC?

 British Board of Film Censors

 3.       Who actually had power to license and screen films, regardless of the BBFC’s advice? (This power was given by the 1909 cinematograph act)

 Local Authority

 4.       What were the first two age certificates given? 

U and A

5.       How many reasons did T.P O’Connor list upon which a film could be ‘deleted’?

43