Sky Censoring Movies!

[PoochJD]

HI,

I currently have Sky Movies for a month, as there were several movies I wanted to access.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I noticed that several Sky movies are being either shown in the wrong ratio (e.g. 1.85:1 instead of 2.35:1), and/or are being cut to pieces, e.g. "Die Hard With A Vengeance"!

Does anyone know why this is? I was under the impression that Sky always aired movies, properly, e.g. without cuts, and in 2.35:1 if that was how the movie was originally made?


Pooch

[Starburst]

SKY do show most movies as OAR but obviously some of the masters they have are not in OAR, sometimes masters are provided as is by the distributers. As for certain cuts then SKY operate under restrictions as every other broadcaster and there also the factor of them not going to the expense of new masters if attitudes change.

Die Hard with a Vengence is named all the time as the worst example of a SKY movie presentation both in SD and HD.

[VMAX]

Not just Sky. "Dirty Harry" was cut , in particular the scene where Scorpio pays to be beaten up. Political correctness is becoming intrusive to the point of being ridiculous.
VMax

[PoochJD]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. Why do Sky keep censoring "Die Hard With A Vengeance", when a) the showing a few days ago, was airing between 9pm and 11:25pm, and b) it's now been passed uncut by the BBFC anyway?!

The widescreen/masters issue I can understand, but it's really annoying, especially as Sky keep promoting themselves as showing films uncut, uninterrupted and without censorship (which Film4 still seem to have a problem with too).

And "Dirty Harry" is on TCM regularly, uncut too. It seems that no movie channel, available via satellite or cable TV, is able to offer films that are:
a) completely uncut (within legal and BBFC restrictions)
b) in their correct Widescreen ratios
c) without DOG's, and
d) without ad breaks.

How strange! :confused:

Looks like I'll have to stick to buying more DVD's then, instead! :eek: :devil:


Pooch

[unique]

what they broadcast will depend on what masters they have been given, so they might only get 1:185 masters for 2:240 material from the movie studios (or wherever they get them from), and by uncut they mean they won't cut the film themselves (ie. unlike ITV editing out swearing and stuff for 8pm broadcast). if the masters supplied are cut for whatever reason then they can't reinstate the cuts

whilst the BBFC may or may not have reclassified die hard 3 in the uk, there currently isn't an uncut version available. most dvds or DH3 have been cut in one way or another, the R1 NTSC special edition is the least cut edition (i don't think it's 100% uncut - i think they mucked around with the movie so much between releases), so there may not be a PAL master of the uncut movie for broadcast

i think at best with sky/cable you will get whatever is available on dvd in the uk, and your not going to get footage thats not cut on the uk dvd, or an aspect ratio different to the uk dvds (bar them cropping it - ie. making it worse)

[sore napper]

I have an R2 version of Die Hard With A Vengeance that someone sent me from Finland, I believe it to be uncut. The chain chain-whipping scene is included in it.

When I watched the movie I couldn't believe that the scene had been cut. The actual whip is only one whip and its a very poor whip at that. As a matter of fact, with waiting for the scene to come up and expecting it to be violent, the chain whip looked stupid, I almost wished that I was left out.

As I say I believe my version to be uncut, but I stand to be corrected.

[Battlestar]

the r2 finland version may be uncut but the uk r2 is not. and even the special 2 disc editon is cut as well:(

[bosque]

Wouldn't it be cheaper for Sky to just get hold of the DVD or Hi-Def disc and show that, uncut and proper OAR ?

[PoochJD]

Bosque,

Cheaper, yes. Legal, no way! :grin:

Read the "copyright" screen that comes-up at the start of most DVD films, and you'll see the palces that a DVD can and can't be shown or transmitted!


Pooch

[tigertimtim]

you want to watch european satellite channels ( yes they do english audio), films always get shown uncut, some of the stuff that gets shown on a daytime in europe you wouldnt believe , thers no need for the obscene censorhip levels we have in the uk, for petes sake only fols and horses and poridge even gets cut nowadays :(