Titanic, OPPENHEIMER, 007. When censorship reaches the great screen

While many Hollywood movies are simply banned, others have “problem” scenes, cut or altered abroad. Indian, Russian or Chinese movie buffs pass their lives irritated.

Cinephiles in India were outraged to find that a 33 second kiss in the Superman It was transformed into a simple “choke” by the country’s censorship. Although the film is classified for over 13 years, the India Central Civil Certification Committee (CBFC) found it necessary to soften the “too sensual” approach.

When the CBFC was created in 1952, its official function was to classify films according to age groups. But since then, the entity has become mainly known for its censory role.

Recent examples of changes in major Hollywood productions include replacing a middle finger emoji displayed in F1with Brad Pitt, by Joseph Kosinski, by a cerrado fist; the elimination of profanity in Thunderbolts (Jake Screen) e Impossible mission – Accounts (Christopher Mcquarrie), all released this year; And the later edition of a scene of (Christopher Nolan, 2023) to cover the nudity of actress Florence Pugh, covered by a dress generated by a computer.

A censored version of ‘OPPENHEIMER’ is being screen in several countries, with a CGI black dress covering Florence Pugh.

— Best of Pugh (@bestofpugh)

“If a scene is intended for more mature audiences, it should simply be classified properly,” argues writer Disha Bijolia in an article for Indian online magazine. “Instead, the CBFC repeatedly interferes with a filmmaker’s view, crossing the script, interrupting emotional arches and simplifying the intentions behind entire narratives.”

More effective than banishing movies

In addition to the common practice of prohibiting films completely, the dissemination of alternative versions is a well -established strategy in many countries, not only in India.

Authoritarian regimes know that even if a movie is banned, it may continue to circulate illegally, which motivates them to distribute “most appropriate” versions.

Long before artificial intelligence becomes a widely available tool, the Van It had already equipped its censors in 2010 with advanced digital technology to allow changes in dialogues and images that were not in accordance with the ideals of modesty of Islam.

The performance was detailed in a 2012 report in the magazine, illustrated with images that compare the original scenes with the versions retouched by Iranian censorship. The result: women who disappear from the framing, or who have the necklines covered by objects or clothing. To Will Ferrell’s naked trunk is hidden by a wall in the comedy Ricky Bobby (Adam McKay, 2006).

LGBTQ+ on Screen: Not even thinking!

Deviations from everything that escapes the heterosexual pattern or binary man-man defined based on biological sex continue to be tabu in many countries.

Scenes that refer to the homosexuality of singer Freddie Mercury, Queen, were erased from the versions of Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher, 2018) in several countries, such as the Egypt. Human Rights Watch denounced the hypocrisy of the Egyptian government at the time, which celebrated the victory of protagonist Rami Malek, son of Christian Egyptians, but did not allow him to speak publicly about the film in the country.

Na Russiathe biographical musical Rocketman (Dexter Fletcher, 2019), about the life of Elton John, had about five minutes removed – essentially scenes of kisses and sexual acts among men.

But censorship did not originally depart from Kremlin. It was the Russian distributor of the film that anticipated And he made “preventive” cuts to adapt to a 2013 “anti-gay law” that prohibits the promotion of all that is associated with the LGBTQ+universe.

At the time, singer Elton John denounced censorship as “a sad reflection of the divided world we still live, and how he can still cruelly reject love between two people.”

Drugs, no; strippers, yes

Although many major Hollywood studios have not distributed their films in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022, some Western projects continue to be released in Russian movie theaters or streaming platforms that still operate in the country.

A recent example of a movie that circulated in Russia in a slightly altered version is Aor (Sean Baker, 2024), awarded five Oscars, including the best film, and starring Russian actors like Yura Borisov.

While the scenes in which the stripper played by Mikey Madison appears naked remained unchanged, the censors changed the framing of other scenes to hide drug useas reported by the independent site.

Türkiye Anti-Cigarettes and Alcohol

Na Türkiyea movie like Anora would never be screened on television. The Recep Government Tayyip Erdogan took about 95% of national media to align with the conservative values of the AKP party.

The broadcasters mainly prevent sex scenes and LGBTQ+characters. Historical themes that promote “Anti-Turk Rhetoric” can also be problematic. Alcohol and cigarettes are also taboo, and some channels adopt creative solutions to censor these elements.

To anticipate censorship, some Hollywood studios release edited versions of their own movies.

Sony Pictures, for example, prepared an alternative version of Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017) For Turkey and other non -western markets, removing or re -combating nudity scenes, as the Turkish Cinema Buk Göral advanced. The National Association of Cinema Critics Siyad condemned the initiative in an open letter, considering it an “insult” to the Turkish movie public.

Alternative endings in China

Another country known for cinematic censorship is China.

Official government guidelines prohibit, among other things, the “promotion of services or superstitions”. Therefore, the display of the remake of Ghost hunt (Paul Feig, 2016) was prevented in the country, even after renamed. Already the animation Coco (Adrian Molina and Lee Unkrich, 2017), whose theme is the day of the dead in Mexico, was surprisingly authorized a year later.

Among the great productions altered by Chinese censorship is 007 – Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012), whose subtitles were modified and a scene where a Chinese security guard is killed was removed, so as not to imply that Beijing cannot protect his territory from foreign agents.

Another censored blockbuster was the 3D version of the Titanic (James Cameron, 1997), who, in 2012, had the nudity of protagonist Kate Winslet re -filed and hidden. “Considering the vivid effects on 3D, we fear that viewers can extend their hands to playwhich would disturb the others, ”justified one Chinese guardian at the time.

In 2022, users of social networks ridiculed the alternative end imposed on animation Minions 2. In the original version, the GRU and Willy Kobra villains flee the authorities after Kobra pretend to death. In the Chinese version, altered with low quality frames, Kobra has been arrested for 20 years and forms a theater group in prison, while Gru simply “returns to the family”, and paternity is its “biggest achievement”.

Hollywood collaborates with censorship

Hollywood studios also produce alternative versions of their films for the lucrative Chinese market, with the aim of avoiding state censorship.

Beijing began to admit a limited number of American films per year in 1994. As large studios competed for these scarce and valuable places, they also began to adapt their scubbles to please a market of 1.4 billion people.

A non -profit 2020 report of the organization has denounced the growing trend of producers willing to change their works to make them more acceptable to Chinese censors, making “difficult and disturbing” decisions in terms of freedom of expression.

An exemplary case is that of Iron Man 3 (Shane Black, 2013). While the changes usually shorten the films, in this case Marvel production has gained four minutes, with unique scenes from Chinese Fan Bingbing and Wang Xueqi actors, as well as merchandising of a local milk brand – which in the Chinese version helps Iron Man recover from a wound.