Violence in the History of the BBFC

2004 - The Passion of Christ is passed ‘18’ for extended scenes of strong violence. Complaints are received, saying that it should have a lower classification.

2005 - Sin City, based on a series of graphic novels by Frank Miller, is passed ‘18’ for strong vigilante violence.

2006 - Casino Royale is passed ‘12A’ and ‘12’ despite some scenes of violence and torture. Complaints are received, saying that it should have been a ‘15’.

2007 - Horror film 30 Days Of Night is passed ‘15’ on film for scenes of strong bloody violence, but the category is raised to ‘18’ for the DVD release.

2008 - The Dark Knight is passed ‘12A’ on film, followed by many complaints from the public and much press coverage in relation to the violence involving knives. Trailer:

Kick-ass passes BBFC rating of a 15 despite have almost every element of previous bans, nunchucks, graphic violence, violence towards children and loads of blood with no cuts

Violence in the History of the BBFC

By Roisin and Marcus

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Kick-ass

2010

The Hunger Games

2012

The hunger games being cut is another example of how the BBFC's standards have changed in the view of Violence and Weapons. Below is a link to the Telegraphs report on it being cut.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100143504/the-hunger-games-cut-by-the-bbfc-13-year-olds-should-be-allowed-to-see-splashes-of-blood/

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2000's

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2000 - Enter the Dragon is passed uncut on video. A Clockwork Orange is re-released in the UK cinemas after Stanley Kubrick’s death.

2001 - Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is cut for glamorization of knives in a film aimed at young teenagers. Natural Born Killers is finally released uncut on video and DVD.

2002 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze is passed uncut.

2003 - Secondhand Lions is cut for PG (at Distributor’s request) on film for sight of a flick-knife and instructions on how to hold such a weapon. The film was upgraded to 12 without cuts for its video and DVD release.

2000's again..

1960's

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1964 - The BBFC rejects Lady In A Cage on the grounds that it is an exercise in sadistic brutality and might ‘have the effect of encouraging juvenile violence.’ The film is later passed ‘18’ uncut on video in 2002 and ‘15’ uncut on DVD in 2005.

1970's

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1973 - Enter the Dragon is passed ‘X’ for cinema release with cuts to violence, but with the nunchaku (chainsticks) scenes intact. A Clockwork Orange is removed from UK distribution by Stanley Kubrick following controversy about its violence and death threats against his family.

1975 - Following reported outbreaks of violence involving martial arts weaponary, BBFC Director James Ferman enforces a blanket ban on all sight of nunchaku and throwing stars. The BBFC rejects The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as ‘the pornography of terror’. It is passed ‘18’ uncut by the BBFC in 1999.

1979 - James Ferman realls Enter the Dragon and cuts nunchaku scenes. The Warriors passed ‘X’ uncut by the BBFC. Local authorities, concerned by reports of the films effects in the US, ask the BBFC to reconsider. The BBFC declines but insists that the films posters should be toned down.

1990's

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1909 - Chief Constables express concern that growth in juvenile crime is due to explosion of ‘crime films’. The Cinematograph Act, 1909, gives local authorities the power to censor what is shown in cinemas in their area.

1916 - BBFC President T.P. O’Connor’s 43 ‘grounds for deletion’ include ‘The effects of vitriol throwing’, ‘executions’ and ‘the modus operandi of criminals’.

Taboo

2012

In the link below is another newspaper report on the fact that the 'taboo' of the BBFC has changed. It is a harsh look on how they have relaxed the guidelines for the certificates.

Thank You

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/film/article2427911.ece

1950's

1954 - The BBFC rejects The Wild One on the grounds that it presents an ‘unbridled spectacle of hooliganism’. It does not get classified until 1967.

1955 - The BBFC requires cuts to Rebel Without A Cause to remove a knife fight. Trailer:

1990's

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1980's

1991 - Sight out of an humanized turtle wielding a string of sausages in manner similar to nunchaku is cut from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze.

1993 - The Jamie Bulger murder case provokes concerns about the possible effects of video violence. Child’s Play 3 in wrongly linked to the killing and is withdrawn by its distributors. Parliamentary discussions concerning amendments to the Video Recordings Act delays releases for Reservoir Dogs, Menace II Society and others.

1995 - Natural Born Killers classified ‘18’ uncut for cinema release after the BBFC investigates possible links between the film and killings in France and the USA. No link is found but following the Dunblane School Massacre, the distributor decides not to release the film on video.

1999 - Ban on martial arts weaponry is lifted. For the first time, the BBFC publishes a set of written guidelines, which, particularly at the lower categories, disallow emphasis and glamorization of realistic, contemporary and easily obtained weapons but do not ban any weapon automatically.

1984 - Streets of Fire becomes one of the last films to feature balisong (butterfly knives), before they are added to the list of banned weaponry. The Video Recordings Act is also introduced in the hope of preventing underage access to unsuitable videos and to crack down on so-called ‘video nasties’ such as The Evil Dead.

1986 - Sight of a poster featuring Bruce Lee holding nunchaku is cut from No Retreat, No Surrender.